Chapter 56: Counterattack into the Abyss
Within the Abyss of Anos, the Black Sea region, the core hall of the Holy Light Ark, the Time Vessel.
"A sea dragon?"
Accompanied by soft footsteps, a slightly drunken, somewhat curious young boy's voice came from outside the hall's door: "Where did you guys find another Dragon Knight?"
Before the words faded, the owner of the voice entered the hall, complaining with a hint of dissatisfaction: "I'm clearly enough, why find someone else?"
Joshua turned his head in the direction of the voice, raising an eyebrow.
The owner of the voice outside the door was a young boy who looked at most fourteen or fifteen years old. He had healthy wheat-colored skin, wore a black beast-hide leather armor on his upper body, and shorts deliberately cut for ease of movement on his lower half, revealing two long, straight legs.
Seemingly because he had drunk quite a bit of alcohol, his face was slightly flushed. As he complained, a small canine tooth could be vaguely seen. The boy noticed that everyone present had turned their gaze toward him, sobering up a bit. Then, he turned to look at Joshua and greeted the warrior energetically: "Hello there, newcomer. You were also invited by these teetotaling puritans to help out... Whoa!"
Without any mental preparation, meeting Joshua's gaze head-on, the boy was instantly stunned by the sudden pressure for several seconds. After the drunkenness was startled away considerably, he immediately retreated two steps according to his body's instinct, hiding outside the hall.
"Captain Robzek..."
Once his heartbeat calmed slightly, the boy poked his head out from behind the door, cautiously staring at the warrior, and said uncertainly to the silver-haired knight beside him: "You guys... did you invite an Ultimate-rank Dragon Lord? The dragon's might is ridiculously strong..."
Clearly, he had mistaken the aura of despair on Joshua for dragon's might, and with Hei's presence nearby, he took the warrior for an Ultimate-rank dragon in human form.
Everyone present laughed at the boy's reaction. The three from the church had all spent some time with Joshua and had grown accustomed to the warrior's pressure. Although they still felt a slight shock upon meeting again, they were nowhere near as startled as this boy named Hill.
"No, if you weren't drunk, you'd see that the person before you is a genuine human."
After laughing, the silver-haired paladin shook his head and said methodically: "Mr. Hill, although this is a rare windless period in the Abyss of Anos where we can relax, we still need to ensure we're in perfect condition to handle any crisis. You can drink, but you must not get drunk. If you're this unrestrained next time, we'll have no choice but to lock the supply warehouse on you."
While Robzek was lecturing the boy, Joshua observed him with some interest.
On both sides of the boy's delicate face, the pointed ears that marked him as an elf were gently twitching. His black hair, reaching his back, was tied into a ponytail resting on his shoulder—a common style among the elves of the Far South.
Elves truly were a race of handsome men and beautiful women. If the boy's appearance were scored, he'd get eight out of ten, partly because he was drunk and his clothes were a bit disheveled. But what interested the warrior was the trace of dragon's might on Hill, different from Hei's.
"An elven ranger who's also a Dragon Knight?"
Once Robzek finished speaking, Joshua directly asked: "Your mount is a lightning-attribute sea sword dragon, a female, strength should be Gold High-rank, and she seems to have a bit of giant island whale bloodline mixed in. The one helping the ark move forward from under the hull should be your mount."
"Impressive... impressive!"
Seeing through his background at a glance, the elven boy couldn't help but exclaim softly. But after hearing the warrior's follow-up words, he blinked, smiled, and shook his head: "But you got one thing wrong. I'm not a ranger. Fellow Dragon Knight sir, I'm an ocean druid, and Funa isn't my mount but my animal companion."
"A druid?" This time, it was Joshua's turn to be surprised. The warrior focused and carefully examined Hill from head to toe again: "That's really unexpected."
At this moment, he noticed faint magical runes on the elven boy's waist, abdomen, and inner thighs—typical totem markings often seen on druids. With these magical tattoos, they could perform wild transformations or use nature divine spells.
But generally, few druids covered these markings so thoroughly; they usually wanted everyone to admire their wild tattoos.
"How beautiful."
At that moment, Hill had already walked up to Hei. The elven boy, without any hesitation, touched the half-dragon's neck and said in a still slightly drunken tone, lightly: "Such smooth lines, such a graceful body... You seem a bit uncomfortable, but that's okay."
Before he finished speaking, a patch of emerald green light patterns suddenly appeared in front of him. The patterns spun rapidly in the air, converging into a ball of light. Inside the light, the power of nature surged, and waves of life energy continuously poured out.
High-rank divine spell, Nature's Blessing. In a single breath, Hill used this incredibly practical nature divine spell on Hei, letting the fresh energy flow directly into the half-dragon's body.
Hei: "Roar roar?!"
The moment the energy entered its body, the half-dragon felt much more spirited.
The Refined Black Dragon could convert water and fire elements into its own life force. The reason flying on an airship made Hei, with its ancient dragon bloodline, so uncomfortable was mainly because the fire and water elements in the mid-air were too scarce for it to complete its life cycle. Even if there were some, most elemental power was snatched away by the mana core.
Moreover, the teleportation of the airship was like a human being directly transported to a high-altitude area with thin air without any adaptation—naturally causing extreme discomfort.
Without the Shape-Shifting Pendant, if Hei had maintained its massive size in the air for a few more days, it might have been life-threatening. Even now, back on the ground, there were still some aftereffects, making the usually lively half-dragon a bit sluggish. But now, after receiving the blessing from the young druid, it perked up instantly.
"Mr. Hill, if you're tired, please go back to your room and rest."
Seeing Hill yawn after casting the spell, Sister Saya, who had been standing aside studying the crystal shield in front of her, gently reminded him: "Danger can appear at any time in the Abyss of Anos. I hope you can always maintain a good condition."
"Alright." Nodding readily in response, Hill didn't hesitate and immediately turned to walk out the door. As he passed Joshua, he paused slightly, then kindly reminded him: "Unknown Dragon Knight, take good care of your dragon. It's currently at a bottleneck to break through to Gold High-rank. A state like before will greatly delay its advancement speed."
"Your advice is very useful." Hearing the reminder, Joshua turned to look at the much more spirited half-dragon and nodded seriously: "You can call me Joshua. Thanks."
"No problem, I'm a Dragon Knight too." Walking toward the door, Hill laughed easily: "After all, Gold High-rank is a dividing line for dragons, especially for mixed-bloods like our companions."
"If they can cross it, they can go further. If not, they'll be stuck at their current level. That would make them very sad."
With that, he left the core hall. As the soft footsteps gradually faded, Hill also left this floor and returned to his room.
"No wonder you're so polite to him."
After the elven boy left the hall, Joshua stroked his chin, thoughtfully watching the energetic Hei wagging its tail: "If we're talking about strength, he's not strong—should only be Silver-rank. Even with his totem markings, he can only defend himself in Gold-rank battles. But this exquisite nature divine spell and knowledge, paired with a Gold High-rank sea dragon companion, is indeed a very powerful asset."
"Young man? Joshua, you've probably spent too much time in the Northern Lands with dwarves and forgotten something."
Hearing Joshua's words, Loranda couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and waved his wine glass: "Hill is older than all of us, just a bit younger than Captain Robzek. You know, a pure-blood elf's youthful appearance is at least thirty or forty years old. What else could I call him but 'Mr.'? Besides, Hill is a member of the Sea Dragon Knight Order from the Eastern Plains. This time, at the church's request, he traveled a thousand miles to help us explore the Abyss of Anos waters. Of course, we have to be polite."
"Although his strength is a bit lacking, he's a top-notch expert in sea exploration. And as an ocean druid, he can predict storms and currents. This windless period was also calculated by Hill."
Robzek nodded in agreement: "His sea dragon partner can scare off many sea behemoths, saving us a lot of time. After all, our goal is the Central Great Maelstrom, not hunting these terrifying creatures corrupted by chaos."
"Who else have you invited this time?"
Joshua became a bit interested in his traveling companions. According to Pope Eagle, before inviting him to sail together, they had explored the Abyss of Anos four times. Naturally, all four attempts failed without exception. Spurred by this, the Church of the Seven Gods sought out other strong individuals on the continent to explore this chaotic sea area together.
"Not many. Counting you and Hill, there are only three people."
Robzek seemed to have anticipated the warrior's question. After exchanging glances with Loranda and Saya, he immediately answered seriously: "Later, when there's time, I'll introduce the other person to you. But right now, we have something to ask of you."
—The Ark said: "But in the end, we fell short. The overly dense abyssal power stirred up the dark mist, causing the ark to lose its direction... Due to depleted resources, we had to flee in disgrace and prepare for the next exploration."
Beside them, the High Sister softly added: "The Fusion Core Star is already one of the most powerful positive energy treasures on the Mycroft Continent, but even it couldn't protect the ark moving through such mist. It wasn't that its power was insufficient, but it also had to contend with giant waves and storms. So after some thought, the church followed Loranda's advice and invited you here."
Last time in the Imperial Capital, Joshua had helped the church and the Imperial Royal Mage Association dispel the Divine Calamity Mist. For Robzek and Saya, who weren't familiar with this aspect, the Divine Calamity Mist and the black mist deep in the Abyss of Anos were similar things.
"So, you invited me here to be a torch, lighting up the darkness?" Hearing this, Joshua understood. He shrugged and joked: "A human light bulb—you want me to use the Order Force in the Azure Orb to see through the abyssal mist? Indeed, Order Force can dispel abyssal power better than the positive energy of the Fusion Core Star."
"Of course, it's not just that."
At this moment, Loranda's voice rang out. As someone who had lived with the warrior for a long time, the paladin naturally knew what Joshua wanted: "Don't worry, my friend. The Abyss of Anos is full of corrupted sea behemoths."
He didn't finish the sentence, closing his mouth, and the warrior naturally understood his meaning, showing a knowing smile.
"Regardless, Lord Count, please try to see if you can control this formation."
Beside them, Saya extended her slender hand, releasing rings of holy light waves. She was modifying some structures in the divine spell formation in mid-air. After a few seconds, the runes that had surrounded the entire formation platform like interlocking gears parted to create a passage.
"How do I control it?"
Without hesitation, Joshua stepped forward and entered the platform. He immediately felt as if he were bathed in warm sunlight: "Although I know a bit of magic, I only know how to destroy it."
This was the truth. The warrior swept his gaze over the divine spell formation and immediately spotted seventeen flaws in its operation. Given more time, he might find even more.
"It's very simple, Lord Count."
The High Sister's gentle voice came from outside the formation: "Just stand at the core of the formation."
It was indeed simple. The platform wasn't large. A second later, Joshua stood at the center of the formation, directly beneath the Fusion Core Star.
Immediately, he frowned.
"This power... something's off."
The moment he stepped into the center of the formation, Joshua felt a strange connection established between himself and the fragment of the sun above his head. Vast positive energy was controlled by the divine spell, ready to respond to his thoughts at any moment.
But that wasn't what felt off to him. The warrior pondered for a moment, then closed his mouth, saying nothing, and focused on sensing the puzzling power within the formation.
The deeper he explored, the more serious Joshua's expression became. Seemingly affected by him, the entire top floor of the ark fell silent, leaving only the gentle sea breeze and the noise of the divine spell formation in operation.
"Perhaps His Holiness the Pope, pressed for time, didn't explain our purpose to you in detail."
After nearly ten minutes, Robzek spoke, breaking the silence. This silver-haired, upright, and honest man—a model paladin in the traditional sense—explained to the warrior in a devout tone he had never used before: "Perhaps because he was worried you wouldn't believe it if he told you, he wanted you to come to the Abyss of Anos and witness it yourself—"
"No, no need to explain."
Joshua felt the familiar yet unfamiliar sacred power within the formation and slowly grinned: "I already know what you're going to do."
"I was wondering why you went to such great lengths to invite strong individuals from all over, even paying a huge price to borrow the Fusion Core Star from the Imperial Royal Family. It couldn't have been just to explore a mere Abyss of Anos."
"It's not to guard against an attack from the Five-Colored Dragon Clan, nor to cut off this tentacle connecting the abyss to our world. Eagle truly lives up to his reputation as the pope closest to the gods in history. What he seeks is indeed extraordinary."
At Joshua's chest, a faint phantom of a cyan orb gradually emerged, with endless Order Force churning within it. The warrior turned to look at the three church members, who were also smiling, and laughed heartily: "The Church of the Seven Gods truly has lofty ambitions. You never took the Dragon Calamity seriously at all. Instead, you plan to use the rift in the Abyss of Anos as a springboard to counterattack into the Abyss!"