Chapter 33: Finally, Someone Notices the Horse Has Run Off
On a vast plain in the northwest of the Ilgena Continent, a plume of smoke was extending southward at an astonishing speed. At its very front was a small, flashing red dot, while behind it, a cone-shaped cloud of dust continuously expanded.
Within the dust cloud, a thunderous roar erupted without end. The ground trembled, and a fierce wind howled. Every creature around the dust cloud sensed something and fled their habitats trembling, as if some enormous and terrifying beast was running within.
"Target has reached the middle section of the Northwest Plain. Speed: two hundred and fifty-seven kilometers per hour!"
"Target's path is a straight line, deviation value zero point zero one percent. It is speculated to have the ability to sense magnetic fields or similar methods for direction!"
"If the target's speed remains unchanged, it will reach Babel Province in two hours, and the capital of Babel Province in two hours and forty-five minutes!"
Above the Sigma Volcano, a massive airship was slowly taking off. In the airship's temporary office, countless communication personnel were busily and seriously transmitting various pieces of information: "High Commander! An emergency notice has been issued to the Governor of Babel Province!"
The red-haired elf in formal attire, High Commander Urken Uranor of the Gulf Federation, sat at his desk, frowning as he looked over various reports. Hearing the transmission, he immediately nodded solemnly and asked, "What's the status of the evacuation?"
"Evacuation of villages within the province has been completed. A few stubborn individuals refused to leave, and coercive measures have been implemented," the communicator said, his eyes following every piece of information on the communication array. He quickly continued, "As for the cities, evacuation has not yet begun. The capital of Babel Province is holding a local festival. A large number of tourists and refugees from the previous Sigma Volcano evacuation are stranded in the city. The evacuation effort is extremely difficult!"
"Damn it, bad timing."
Frowning, a trace of anxiety flashed in Urken's eyes. He propped his chin on the backs of his hands and said seriously, "Connect me to the military. I want to speak with Delang!"
"Yes."
Soon, the military communication was connected, and an array appeared on the desk. Without any hesitation, the High Commander immediately said to the person on the other end of the communication array, "Delang, do our current weapons have the capability to destroy the target?"
A vigorous and powerful voice came from the other side of the communication array: "Reporting to the High Commander, setting aside the issue of accuracy, with our current attack methods, it is very difficult to cause effective damage to a super lifeform with an energy level exceeding twenty thousand. Random attacks will only provoke it!"
Urken let out an almost imperceptible sigh. After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Then, is a plan to hinder the target's movement or induce it to change direction feasible? In other words, we don't need to kill the target, only temporarily incapacitate it, temporarily remove the threat to Babel Province, and buy time for the evacuation."
"We will do our best to try."
The voice from the other side of the communication array was very decisive, but it was also clear that he had little confidence.
Ending the call, the red-haired elf felt his heartbeat become unusually chaotic. He irritably ran his hands through his hair, messing it up, but the feeling of helplessness remained unchanged.
"I really am getting old. Just this kind of situation makes me uneasy... I wasn't even this nervous back when I was fighting wars."
A few seconds later, he laughed at himself: "After all, it's been seventy years of peace. I don't want to see too much blood anymore... This is truly an unprovoked disaster."
After this brief vent, Urken calmed down. The attendants around him tidied his hair as he continued looking at the countless documents on his desk, giving orders to other communicators: "Is the emergency news announcement from the Press Department ready? Send it out as soon as possible. Also, prepare disaster relief supplies. Fortunately, we prepared a large amount of supplies for the last Sigma Volcano eruption; there should be a surplus."
"Neighboring provinces around Babel should also be prepared. The target might just be passing through, and its final destination is unknown. Don't harbor any wishful thinking!"
Since they couldn't destroy the target and couldn't evacuate quickly enough, they could only do their best to prepare for the aftermath. Facing a monster of that level, even if it might cause panic, they had to notify everyone as soon as possible. As Urken quickly issued orders, the corner of his eye caught the red dot on the magic map, leaping over hills, mountains, and rivers with an unstoppable momentum. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"The Volcano Dragon..."
— Gulf Federation, Capital of Babel Province.
Countless tourists and local elves in special festival costumes walked along the streets, laughing and chatting with relatives and friends. In the city's most prosperous commercial district, it was truly a sea of people. Even the shops were packed with tourists wanting to buy local specialties or souvenirs.
Tall buildings and landmark structures on both sides of the streets were already hung with colorful flags and drapes, fluttering in the wind. Flowers and wine were casually placed in the streets and alleys for people to take. The melodious sounds of organs and wooden flutes rose high into the clouds.
This was the decennial carnival of the Babel Province capital, a tradition lasting six hundred years, initiated to celebrate the city's founding. On this day, which had become a part of their culture, everyone would laugh freely, gather with family and friends, exchange flowers, and share wine. Now, the entire city was immersed in the festive atmosphere, completely dispelling the panic caused by the recent Sigma Volcano eruption.
An elven child with pointed ears wore a carefree smile, following beside his parents. He seemed to want to sneak a cup of fruit wine to taste it, but was immediately caught by his parents. His round little face was pinched and deformed by his mother, leaving him to frown in distress.
But in the midst of this joyous moment, the loudspeakers scattered throughout the city suddenly broadcast a voice, magically enhanced to be exceptionally clear.
"This is the Babel Province Governor's Office. We are now interrupting with an emergency announcement."
The voice sounded somewhat tired but was very loud: "According to news from the High Commander's Office, in the northwest, the Sigma Volcano region, a super lifeform resembling an extraterrestrial beast, codenamed Volcano Dragon, has appeared. It is suspected to be the cause of the volcanic eruption. It is advancing at extremely high speed towards the following areas, in order: White Wind Town, Yage Town, Yanan Commercial District..."
"The capital of Babel Province is also on its path. Estimated time of arrival is within two hours and twenty minutes. For the safety of everyone's lives, the Governor's Office hopes that all citizens will cooperate with government personnel for a prompt and orderly evacuation. I repeat, for the safety of everyone's lives, the Governor's Office hopes that all citizens will cooperate with government personnel for a prompt and orderly evacuation..."
The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted into an uproar. The elves of the Gulf Federation, often attacked by extraterrestrial beasts, were no strangers to monster attacks and emergency evacuations. But this was the first time a provincial capital had encountered such an event. After all, those terrifying beasts never landed in densely populated areas; they usually targeted mountains and forests and were killed by the military before they could approach cities.
"Really? This isn't a joke, is it?"
"Where are our government and military? How can they let a monster like this freely attack a major city?"
"This is a real emergency. All my plans are ruined..."
Some didn't believe it, some believed but were dissatisfied, and some only cared about their own schedules. The festive atmosphere was instantly disrupted, and a hint of panic spread through the crowd. But at the end of the streets, many soldiers in military or city guard uniforms appeared, immediately inserting themselves into the crowd to maintain order and begin the initial evacuation.
While the semi-coercive evacuation was underway in the city, on the great plain.
Several well-camouflaged armored convoys arrived at the location where the Volcano Dragon was predicted to pass. They stopped around the area, lying in ambush like rocks.
"Are the quick-gel shells ready?"
"Although we've urgently transferred a batch from surrounding cities, there still isn't much. At most, enough for two volleys."
"The target's speed is more than double that of an ordinary mana armored vehicle. Aiming will be very difficult."
"So we need to plan in advance. Assign tasks now; each person is responsible for one area."
The convoys were communicating and planning via communication arrays. Quick-gel was a specialty of the Ilgena Continent, processed from the resin of a rare oak tree. It had the property of rapidly hardening upon contact with elemental forces in the air. This gel was exceptionally strong; even a little bit could not be torn apart by the full force of an armored vehicle, and it was also immune to some elemental attacks. If hit by such a shell, even an extraterrestrial beast would be immobilized.
Of course, correspondingly, this gel was also extremely expensive. To deal with the Volcano Dragon, the Federation government had mobilized the gel reserves of several cities, a significant investment. After all, compared to the lives of a city's citizens, these were merely external possessions.
Time passed. The earth rumbled, dust flew in the distance, and a tall plume of smoke was rapidly approaching the location of the armored convoys.
The convoys immediately went on alert: "Prepare to intercept!"
"Everyone, we must succeed. Babel Province is right behind us; we have no way to retreat!"
But just as everyone in the armored convoys was fully prepared, waiting for the Volcano Dragon to pass, the smoke plume suddenly stopped.
Under the stunned and astonished gazes of all the elves, the vast dust slowly dispersed, revealing the tall figure of the Dragon Horse.
What a majestic and terrifying beast it was! Its body was wrapped in a fire-element shield like a gale armor. Black carapace and giant spines were covered with crimson magma-like light bands, releasing terrifying heat. Under this heat, the air distorted, heat waves shot into the sky, and the grass and trees on the plain immediately began to wither and burn.
"What is it... doing?"
An observer said in a trembling voice, feeling a fear that pierced to the bone: "Why... did it stop?"
"I don't know..." Another observer was also looking at the figure through the observation port of the armored vehicle, his legs weak: "Did it find us?"
"Impossible! Our camouflage isn't perfect, but it definitely wouldn't be discovered by a beast... beast... beast?"
The person who said this was initially agitated, but his voice gradually faded. His expression froze as he stared intently at the scene ahead.
The super lifeform codenamed Volcano Dragon shook its head very humanely towards the direction of the armored convoys. It even let out a long neigh, as if mocking. Its golden vertical pupils were originally full of the coldness of a top predator, but now they were filled with a clear sense of disdain.
After shaking its head, the Dragon Horse turned around, its body surrounded by a red glow. It directly changed direction, bypassing the ambush point, and continued running south.
The armored convoys were left behind, completely ignored.
"..."
The observers were silent for a long time. Finally, someone spoke: "That thing... is it intelligent?"
"Impossible. The Federation's research shows that extraterrestrial beasts are all driven by instinct. They don't have intelligence..."
"But it just clearly saw through our ambush and chose to bypass us..."
"Maybe it's just a coincidence? Maybe it sensed danger and changed direction?"
The communicators argued, but no one could be sure. They could only report this situation to the High Commander's Office.
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Gulf Federation, the High Commander's Office.
Urken received the report from the front line. After reading it, he was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Intelligence... or instinct? It doesn't matter. The problem is, we can't stop it."
He looked at the magic map. The red dot had bypassed the ambush point and was still advancing south at high speed. Its path was still a straight line, heading straight for Babel Province.
"Prepare the second line of defense. Use all means to delay it."
Urken gave the order, his voice heavy: "We must buy time for the evacuation."
...
At the same time, in the Winterfell Academy library.
Loranda was reading a book. He had been studying the records of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, trying to find clues about Joshua's whereabouts.
He was very focused, flipping through the pages one by one. Occasionally, he would stop and think, then continue reading.
This book recorded many ancient rituals and sacrifices, some of which were very obscure. But Loranda was a paladin, trained to discern truth from falsehood. He believed that even in the most absurd legends, there might be fragments of truth hidden.
While reading seriously, Loranda suddenly remembered something. He blinked his blue eyes and whispered, "Wait, I think I forgot something?"
Closing the book, the paladin thought seriously: "What was it... Right!"
He remembered. Loranda suddenly frowned: "That's it. Before he left, Joshua asked me to take care of his horse—"
"I should go to the volcano and check. I hope Black stays there obediently and doesn't cause any trouble."
(To be continued.)