# Chapter 31: Alone
Red-black clouds shrouded the sky, blood-colored light shooting through the gaps in the clouds like crimson swords stabbing into the Chronos Mountains.
A storm was brewing deep in the sky; thunder rumbled within the clouds. The atmosphere was thick with the smell of sulfur and charcoal, and the stench of blood filled every corner of the land.
The Chronos Mountains, once not exactly peaceful but at least barely considered calm, had completely transformed into a battlefield for invaders from other worlds.
In the burning forest, ravaged by a storm of flames, charred trees crackled and popped. The ground was covered with lava pits and acid corrosion marks. Because of the battle between transcendent beings, rivers had dried up, rocks had turned to sand, and hot winds raged through the air, distorting the atmosphere with heat.
And in this perilous environment, Lisa was running at full speed. The girl used the remains of trees and surviving rocks as cover, moving in an irregular path.
Through the power of current drive, using tiny electric currents to stimulate her muscles, the dragon girl could unleash strength from her petite frame that was no less than that of ordinary monsters. By sensing strong magnetic fields, Lisa could also avoid the swarming wyverns, demons, and various strange flying vehicles engaged in battle above.
In just over ten minutes, the Chronos Mountains had become a battlefield for visitors from beyond the sky. The moment the demon legions descended, they began a brutal slaughter with the wyverns that arrived shortly after. Acid breath and abyssal spells flew wildly through the sky; the residual effects of dragon fire and blasphemous rays ravaged the few remaining intact areas of ground. From time to time, one could see the corpses of young demons or wyverns falling from the sky, their energy dissipating as they smashed into a pulp on the ground. On the ground, monsters driven mad by their instinct for danger were fleeing, escaping the battlefield of these powerful outsiders.
Despite efforts to suppress it, the forest was still destroyed by the aftermath of battle, and villages were burned by the flames.
Fortunately, those strange golden flying devices had not yet joined the slaughter between demons and wyverns. Although they were occasionally attacked, most of the time they touched and retreated. They were flying around, collecting plants and monsters from the ground. One could see beams of light falling, pulling panicked monsters, plants, or dragonmen into their compartments.
Lisa had no time to care about these things. In the short span of time since she began retreating, the girl had already heard several agonizing screams nearby, some of which were familiar voices—the newly awakened young demon hunter trainees from the village were conducting tests nearby. Those screams should have been their dying cries, caught in the aftermath of battle.
"Ah!!! Help! I—CRACK—"
The sound of bones being crushed.
It felt like it was right beside her. Her hearing, greatly enhanced by current drive, had become Lisa's nightmare. She could tell that the owner of that voice was one of her peers. Although their relationship wasn't very good, they could still sit at the same table and eat together... but now, this girl who was still a friend had let out a scream and then fallen silent, completely crushed.
"Don't think about others. Run, Lisa."
From the girl's chest, where he hung as an ornament ready for battle at any time, Syndicate angrily scolded: "This is a battlefield. You don't have time to sympathize with others, nor the ability to help them! You can only take care of yourself!"
"If you want revenge, wait until later. Since the First Legion and the Five-Colored Dragon Clan have invaded, it's certain that this world will turn into an abyss. You need to adapt to this environment as quickly as possible and grow! Your potential is greater than mine. Don't bury yourself here now!"
"...I understand, Mr. Syndicate..."
The flame demon's scolding woke the girl. Lisa gritted her teeth, enduring the grief and fear in her heart. She said tremblingly: "But what exactly is going on? How did the mountain suddenly become like this?"
"A few days ago, I was still discussing with Sophia what we should do after becoming demon hunters. She said excitedly that she wanted to hunt a colorful-crested bird and use its feathers to make a beautiful dress. I said I wanted to explore farther places... Sophia is dead, just like that. How did it become like this?"
"...Because this is the rule of the abyss. You dragonmen are too weak and were discovered, so you can only allow the strong to invade."
"Is that so... too weak, huh."
The sudden change in reality shattered Lisa's vision of the future in an instant. The optimistic plans she had for the road ahead were brutally destroyed. After all, she was just a teenage girl. Just over ten days ago, she was still afraid that she couldn't awaken her bloodline power. Even after training under the flame demon and receiving the inheritance of a legendary expert, her mind was still far from being able to bear such a sudden situation.
If it weren't for Syndicate by her side, constantly using a firm tone to direct Lisa's every move and shatter her confusion each time, the at-a-loss dragon girl might have been completely broken by this sudden turn of events.
(It's the Fire Sea Legion... Has that Demon King of the Sixth Abyss decided to invade this world? The only good news is that they're not the only ones; other powerful forces are competing.)
At this moment, the flame demon was struggling to operate his thought center. He wasn't the type who liked to think, but now that he was reduced to just his core body, he had no choice but to use his brain. Syndicate sensed the surrounding situation through magnetic fields and racked his brains to figure out how to break through the encirclement of wyverns, demons, and strange flying vehicles to return to the relatively hidden dragonman village. Finally, just as the flame demon was about to vomit blood, he found a safe path.
"Go this way, through the ashes of the burned trees!"
Syndicate said to Lisa in a deep voice: "Ahead is an open area. Only this way can you avoid the eyes and ears of those demons and wyverns... Hurry, there's no time!"
"O-okay!" Lisa naturally wouldn't suspect Syndicate of having malicious intent, but seeing the tree ashes that had just burned to white powder not far away, she instinctively hesitated for a moment: "The temperature is several hundred degrees... Can I make it?"
"Nonsense, you're a pure-blooded dragonman, and you've practiced current drive with some initial results—do you think the inheritance I gave you would be so useless that you can't even withstand a mere few hundred degrees?"
The flame demon urged: "Hurry up, there's a large group of demons coming behind us. They have the ability to see the heat of life. If you don't hide in the ashes, you'll definitely be discovered!"
Although the demons were currently engaged in battle with the wyverns and golden vehicles, and might not care about a mere dragonman, entrusting one's life to the carelessness of others was something even a madman wouldn't do.
Lisa knew this was no time for hesitation. The girl steeled herself, took a few deep breaths to adjust her state, then pushed her full strength and charged into the ashes!
At that moment, countless weak electric currents began to flow through Lisa's body. This was the bloodline power within the dragonman's body, and under the control of the girl's will, this power was quickly mastered. One could see the weak currents wandering through various parts of her body beginning to converge, then merging into a thick and powerful energy. It circulated wildly inside Lisa, even overflowing to the surface of her body, emitting arcs of blue electricity.
Wrapped in electric arcs, the cells inside her body began to rub and move violently. The current pushed the girl's body, producing various powerful abilities: immunity to high temperatures, immunity to electricity, strengthened body, enhanced muscles, heightened perception... With current drive operating at full capacity, Lisa's strength now surpassed most ordinary demon hunters, allowing her to face many monsters head-on. Even named monsters with titles could be killed in one blow with a surprise attack.
Plunging into the ashes, Lisa immediately began to swim through them as if entering water. For her at this moment, the high-temperature soil and gravel around her were like water to an ordinary person—she could easily push them aside and swim freely. The several-hundred-degree hot ashes, as Syndicate had said, couldn't harm her at all... It was only then that Lisa truly realized she was no longer an ordinary dragonman girl, but a true transcendent being.
As long as she continued to practice current drive until she reached the limit of this breathing technique, she would become the strongest demon hunter in dragonman history. If she surpassed this realm and reached the domain beyond, she would become a true powerhouse.
But for now, the girl didn't have time to think about that. She could already sense dozens of powerful electromagnetic fields behind her—those were the terrifying existences Syndicate called demons. They roared as they flew through the air, charging toward a battlefield in the distance. The powerful energy radiation stung Lisa even more than ordinary high temperatures, once again confirming a fact: her own weakness.
After those demons had gone far, Lisa emerged from the forest ashes. She felt warm all over, with no damage except for being covered in black soot.
"Continue, Lisa. Don't count on those demon hunters from your village now. They can't even save themselves. Let's go back to the village first... Tsk."
To be honest, Syndicate didn't think returning to the village was a good idea at all. He could clearly see the situation in the Chronos Mountains—nowhere was safe. Compared to a single dragonman, the village was more dangerous because it was a larger target, no matter how well hidden. Instead of following instinct and returning to a familiar place, the flame demon felt it would be better to rely on Lisa's current decent strength and hide deep in the mountains. After all, it was clear that neither the demons nor the Five-Colored Dragons wanted to destroy this world—they wanted to seize it. They wouldn't slaughter the natives but would assimilate them into their own forces.
In that case, wasn't living anywhere still living?
But he also knew that Lisa was, after all, still a little girl and couldn't make such a cold-blooded decision. Besides, going back first to hear the dragonmen who had lived in these mountains summarize the situation was also good. He felt that a race with such bloodline shouldn't be so easily defeated.
The dragon girl and the flame demon continued to move quickly through the mountains. They moved fast, avoiding most dead ends, the battlefields of outsiders, and the too-dangerous ruins of battle. Within half an hour, they had returned to the dragonman village hidden in a certain terrain dead angle.
The dragonman village was now on high alert. Dragonman hunters in leather uniforms, carrying large bows, were hidden in every corner of the forest and hills, nervously patrolling the surroundings. Lisa, who hadn't deliberately avoided their line of sight, was naturally spotted. After a moment of surprise, a hunter jumped out to guide Lisa, while another hunter ran in a different direction, seemingly to notify someone.
Soon, the dragon girl, covered in charcoal and monster blood scabs, was brought into the village by the nervous hunters. Waiting for her was a one-eyed middle-aged dragonman.
"Lisa?! You're alive, thank goodness... What happened to you?!"
Seeing his daughter covered in filth and smelling of thick blood, the one-eyed hunter was stunned. He quickly stepped forward, kneeling down to check if Lisa had any injuries. Finally, he was relieved to find that all the blood was from monsters, and his daughter didn't have a single wound.
"Gods, Lisa, the entire test team has disappeared without a trace. Such a big thing happened outside, and I couldn't get any news about you..."
Holding tightly to the trembling dragon girl who was about to cry, the weathered one-eyed middle-aged man couldn't help but tear up. His arms and shoulders had obvious wounds, most of them bandaged, showing that they had encountered battle.
But now was not the time for comfort. Without time to continue consoling his daughter, the middle-aged hunter stood up. He stroked Lisa's face, brushing the dust from the girl's cheeks, and said seriously in a deep voice: "Quick, go to the center of the mountains, take refuge in the ancestral land! Most of the village has already left. We're almost the last batch. Fortunately, I waited for you... Hurry up and set out. Those powerful monsters will be here soon; their battlefield is moving fast!"
"Okay, Dad." Holding back tears, having finally found someone to rely on but unable to vent, Lisa said choked up: "Sophia is dead, everyone is dead... It's all my fault. If I hadn't left, I could have led them away from the demons..."
"Don't be silly, my good child. You couldn't have done anything. Those creatures can see through the best hunters' disguises. The fact that you came back alive is already the protection of our ancestors and the Dragon God."
The middle-aged hunter shook his head dismissively. "There's a shelter built by our ancestors in the center of the mountains. This is the disaster recorded in the prophecies... But the shelter has limited space. If you're late, you'll have to fend for yourselves. Pack up a bit; your group is about to leave."
"Okay." Lisa nodded obediently. She pressed her chest and asked with some confusion: "But what about you, Dad?"
"Dad will hold the rearguard... Dad will accompany you. I'll protect you!"
The middle-aged dragonman hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and changed his words. He knew that this decision would earn him contempt from many of the hunters assigned to hold the rear, but to ensure his daughter's safety, he didn't care about prestige or morale anymore. Who knew if the dragonmen would survive this disaster? Besides, nothing in this world was more important than his daughter.
"I'll protect you too, Dad!"
Hearing the middle-aged hunter's words, Lisa perked up. She couldn't help but say: "Lisa is very strong now too... I can do my part!"
"I know, I know... My daughter is a pure-blooded one, rare in a hundred years. She'll definitely be able to protect us..."
The middle-aged hunter tried to smile, but halfway through, he couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness... Ever since his wife was killed by a strange monster from the Divine Desert, he had devoted himself entirely to hunting monsters, venting his resentment, anger, and self-blame. Although he couldn't say he had neglected his daughter, most of the time he indeed wasn't at home with her. When he heard that his daughter couldn't awaken, there was actually a hint of relief in his heart—because then she wouldn't have to become a dangerous demon hunter and could live peacefully in the village.
But now, somehow, his daughter had grown up and gained strength... In this dangerous situation, she could even say things like protecting her father.
Was this time? Unknowingly, so long had passed. The little girl had become a young woman who could cross the battlefield forest alone. The daughter in her father's arms had become someone who declared she would protect her father.
Without further words, the middle-aged hunter led Lisa to the last group in the village preparing to set out for the mountain center. Ignoring the somewhat strange looks from the surrounding dragonmen, he joined the hunters escorting the group, taking Lisa with him. The group moved as quickly as possible along a hidden forest path toward the mountain center. The other hunters who had been patrolling around the village also gathered into a team, hanging far behind the group, ready to hold the rear at any time.
"Lisa, when you were little, you always said you wanted to leave the village and see the world, didn't you? Even becoming a demon hunter doesn't mean you can go far from the village. But this time, we're going to the burial place of our ancestors, located in the center of the mountains."
Along the way, the middle-aged dragonman looked at the forest flowing backward around them and said to the girl with emotion: "This is a place many dragonmen can't reach in their entire lives... Our living environment is too narrow. Many people can't leave their villages their whole lives."
"Mm, I know."
Lisa nodded. Mr. Syndicate had told her all these things. Back then, the flame demon had spoken disdainfully about how narrow and inflexible the dragonmen's way of life was. He had also told her many stories about worlds beyond this world—worlds that had been destroyed, worlds full of life. He had described scenes that made the dragon girl's eyes sparkle: tall and magnificent stone buildings, plains without deserts, icy lands covered in frost, and the vast, boundless ocean world.
Lisa had always wanted to see them, to experience these worlds she had never known—out of curiosity and the desire for adventure. She had always wanted to leave the village and felt she could give everything for it. But today, when she really left and knew she might never return, never go back to that warm little stone-and-log house, Lisa's heart still ached.
But it didn't matter anymore... because her father was by her side, her family was by her side. At this most critical moment, when she was about to go far away, she only cared about her father's safety.
The journey was long and arduous, requiring crossing many canyons and rivers. Lisa's village was located on the outer edge of the mountains, and they were heading to the center. Everyone moved forward steadily at their fastest pace. Since most of the group were ordinary people, many women and children fell behind, and at those times, the middle-aged hunter and other hunters would carry them on their backs. Fortunately, they were lucky and didn't encounter any demons or wyverns along the way. Within a few days, they had covered most of the distance.
It was now late at night. In the pitch-black night sky, countless magnificent and spectacular flames could still be seen blooming. Meteors and dragon shadows could be seen shuttling through the clouds. The war had reached its climax—demons, wyverns, and golden flying vehicles were now fully engaged. Most of the main forces were fighting a decisive battle at the edge of the mountains. The group even witnessed in horror a distant mountain peak collapsing with a tremendous roar—the result of transcendent beings fighting.
Most of the dragonmen had fallen asleep from exhaustion after a whole day of travel. Only the hunters who had awakened their bloodline power and could stay alert through electric stimulation took turns on watch. With current drive, Lisa naturally didn't feel tired. She was leaning against her father's shoulder, quietly watching the night sky.
In the night sky, countless stars twinkled. Silver light grew brighter with large patches of white light fog. The village elders believed that the light fog covering the sky was a sign of disaster, but Mr. Syndicate said it was an opportunity for all life in the multiverse. Of course, for the weak, opportunity could also be disaster.
"Is weakness a mistake..."
The dragon girl pondered these questions. She always found it hard to agree with this statement. Shouldn't the strong fight the strong? Why should they harm the weak who just wanted to live peacefully? But the flame demon always told her that sometimes the strong didn't intend to harm the weak and would even actively avoid them. But when they truly used their full power, a casual blow from their aftermath could wipe out the entire dragonman race.
"Weakness is not a mistake, but if one doesn't even want to become strong, to become a powerhouse, then the very existence of such a race is a mistake."
The flame demon said: "The weak aren't necessarily eaten by the strong, but the weak who don't want to become strong are destined to be devoured."
Lisa still couldn't fully understand this way of thinking, but she vaguely understood. It was like how a lion wouldn't deliberately look for rabbits to eat—such an action would be a waste of energy. But this disregard was at least based on the rabbit being fast enough and alert enough. Otherwise, if a lion could catch a rabbit with a casual swipe, why wouldn't it?
Just as she was thinking about these overly grand questions and was about to fall asleep, the light of the stars in the sky was suddenly obscured.
————RUMBLE——————!!!
Like thunder, but a hundred times louder, a deafening roar that seemed to tear the world apart came from the sky. Without any extra words, the middle-aged hunter picked up his weapon and strode away from his daughter.
No extra words, no extra movements. Lisa didn't react at first. When she realized what was happening and saw her father following the other hunters to the front line of the ambush, the girl immediately stood up to join her father in battle. But at that moment, the flame demon, using the spiritual connection of their contract, forcibly controlled Lisa's body, turning her around to follow the retreating main group.
"Mr. Syndicate! What are you doing?! Give my body back!"
"Shut up, you brat! If you don't want your father's efforts to go to waste, then run for your life!"
The flame demon didn't want to say anything more. In these few short days, that middle-aged man had told Lisa the entire route to the mountain center. He had even secretly slipped his access token to the shelter into Lisa's pocket. It could see that the man had long been prepared, but he was afraid she would turn back, so he didn't say a word when he left.
He was a weakling, but also a father.
Lisa ran mechanically, controlled by the flame demon. The power of current drive operated within her body, making her even faster than ordinary hunters. The girl ran mechanically, on and on, continuing even after the flame demon released control. Because she was familiar with the route, she instinctively followed the path toward the mountain center. Unknowingly, Lisa was already crying.
She could still hear the sounds of battle in the distance—bowstrings snapping, arrows piercing the air, the pained roars of demons and wyverns. The powerful hunters were not inferior to some low-level demons. The elite old hunters, relying on ambushes, numerical advantage, and terrain, could contend with members of the demon army, especially since the enemy was heavily wounded. So Lisa still held a sliver of hope. She could still sense the magnetic fields of the hunters.
But soon, as the magnetic fields of demons and black dragons dissipated one after another, the hunters' magnetic fields also rapidly decreased. By the time the last demon's magnetic field fled in panic, none of the four hunter squads that had gone to ambush were still active. They had held on with their last breath, confronting the attacking monsters. After the enemy left, these fragile magnetic fields also began to dissipate one by one.
Crackle. That was the sound of electricity bursting. The magnetic field that had been with her for so many years dissipated like smoke. Lisa could even smell the blood lingering at the tip of her nose.
The girl's heart froze. Lisa knew that person would never return.
Now she was alone. No matter how far she went, finding grasslands and seas, finding the monster that killed her mother to take revenge—no one would be happy for her, worry for her, or be surprised and cry for her.
She was alone.
So, this road to the distance could no longer be turned back.
In the sky above, the battle of legendary experts continued. The starry sky was stirred into chaos. The astonishing energy radiation even replaced the sun, illuminating this small world.
No one cared that, from now on, a girl was alone.