Rescue (Part 1)

Kaldiz stared at the figure before him with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could tear him to pieces and avenge his tragically slain son. But he held himself back. If he truly fought the other man to the death, he did not know whether his opponent would die, but he himself certainly would not survive. If that happened, how could he face his son and clansmen in the underworld?

"Glaide, Star Forest Moon Boat has no grievance against Koreita. Why did you attack us?" Kaldiz roared at the figure opposite him. His hands were clenched tightly into fists, blood sliding from his palms.

"The reason? It's simple. You refused to obey Lord Goodpes's orders to wipe out humanity, and Star Forest Moon Boat even dared to make contact with those fools from the Eastern Continent. So I had no choice but to follow Lord Goodpes's instructions and destroy you!" Glaide answered Kaldiz's question flippantly, though his eyes remained fixed on Kaldiz's every movement, wary of letting him find an opening to escape.

Although Glaide appeared relaxed, only he knew that Kaldiz could not be allowed to escape this time, no matter what. Otherwise, he would be the one sent to the underworld. The last time, he had carelessly let those people from Fostadu get away, and Lord Goodpes had already been disappointed in him once. Fortunately, those escapees had never shown themselves on the Western Continent again and had not affected the plans made by the lords. Otherwise, being hung beneath a cliff and whipped for ten days would not have been enough to settle the matter! Fortunately, after narrowly escaping disaster last time, he had learned his lesson. While having men guard the routes, he had also sealed off the surrounding space. Otherwise, he truly would not have discovered this fellow.

Watching the pursuers gradually close in, Kaldiz knew that if he wanted to break through, there was only one way: concentrate his strength on the weakest among them first, then escape once their numbers were no longer enough to maintain the blockade. Kaldiz swept his gaze around and quickly found his target among the six dragons. At the same time, he chose his direction of escape.

"Whoosh, whoosh—"

A fierce wind suddenly sprang up around them, sweeping countless tiny grains of sand into the air. Taking advantage of the moment, Kaldiz first wrapped himself in a thin black film of energy, then charged straight toward his target. He ignored the attacks of the other giant dragons, allowing them to strike his body.

"Ghost Cry Spear!"

Along with Kaldiz's shout, a black energy spear shot toward a brown giant dragon. Though the other dragon had prepared for it and cast a magical barrier, the Black Spear still pierced through his body. The brown giant dragon spat out blood and fell downward. At that moment, the other dragons' attacks reached Kaldiz from behind. Five breaths of varying colors slammed into his back. Yet the anticipated explosion never came. The breaths were canceled out by the black energy film covering Kaldiz's body, though the immense impact still sent him flying forward as blood sprayed from his mouth.

"Death Rhapsody!"

"Bzzzz—"

Just as Glaide prepared to lead his subordinates in intercepting Kaldiz, a gigantic black Magic Array appeared in the sky. A massive amount of black energy poured from it, forming an enormous sphere of energy. Caught off guard, Glaide and the other dragons were enveloped by the black energy sphere. Seizing the chance, Kaldiz used the force of the impact to flee into the distance.

"Cough, cough—"

Black energy flowed into the mouths of Glaide and the other dragons from the corners of their lips. The next second, a needle-like pain spread through their bodies from the inside out. At the same time, they felt the magic power within them gradually disappearing, while their strength grew weaker and weaker. Glaide knew that if they could not break the black energy sphere, before long they would all lose their strength and magic power and drown here. Just when everyone was at a loss, the brown giant dragon whom Kaldiz had sent flying earlier wobbled back through the air.

"Hit, break it quickly... cough, cough..." Glaide forcefully suppressed the discomfort of choking on the black energy and roared at the brown giant dragon.

"Pop!"

The brown giant dragon raised his right hand and smashed it down fiercely. The black energy sphere shattered, and the black energy vanished into the air. Glaide and the others finally escaped, but after all that, Kaldiz had long since vanished without a trace. Moreover, Glaide and the others no longer had the strength to pursue him. Staring in the direction Kaldiz had fled, Glaide let out an enraged roar with all his might, then helplessly led the dragons down toward the ground.

Golden afterglow spilled across the dense forest, as though it had been plated with gold. A gentle breeze swept through, sending green waves rolling into the distance. The small hills all around appeared even more enchanting beneath the setting sun. Nature's children began returning to their mother's embrace as darkness gradually covered the sky, bidding the little animals of the forest goodnight. Four black shadows suddenly streaked across the sky, then descended straight into the woods at its center.

"We'll spend the night here today. Everyone, look around for danger, and gather some food while you're at it," Sordil said after setting Seraf down.

"Yes! Yes! Everyone, search carefully! In particular, make sure there aren't any large fish nearby. Don't let them sneak off with Brother Sordil while we're asleep!" Upon hearing Sordil's words, Diphiya shouted solemnly to everyone.

"Divine Constable Di, Heroine Flying Dagger Di, could you please be kind enough to forget about that?" Sordil said, staring at Diphiya with black lines across his face.

"Oh dear, sorry, Brother Sordil. I forgot you said I wasn't allowed to mention that! Honestly, why did I bring up the matter of you being eaten by a fish again? I shouldn't have mentioned you being eaten by a fish..." Diphiya apologized for her actions with a face full of remorse. She did not see that Sordil's expression had turned blacker than the bottom of a pot. Sordil felt as if his entire body were shrouded by a shadow called shame and embarrassment. Yet Diphiya remained immersed in her muttering.

"Rumble!"

Just as Diphiya babbled to herself without end, a tremendous tremor struck, and a cloud of dust rose from the forest to the west. Lindel and the others immediately moved to Sordil's side, while Diphiya finally fell silent. The five of them cautiously headed toward the source of the tremor. As they drew closer, they could vaguely make out a black object within the dust cloud, though they could not determine exactly what it was.

"Could it be Starfall?" Seraf stared at the black object in the center of the dust cloud and guessed quietly.

"Probably not! I can sense a faint life response. It should be an injured creature, but I don't know exactly what it is," Diphiya immediately rejected Seraf's guess and told the others what she had found.

At that moment, the dust finally settled completely, revealing the mysterious creature's true form. It was actually a Black Great Dragon. The scales across Black Dragon's entire back had been torn away, blood flowing out continuously. His breathing was also growing weaker and weaker. If he was not treated soon, he would likely die at any moment.

"Brother Sordil, what should we do? Should we save him?" Diphiya stared at Black Dragon and asked Sordil. Sordil looked Black Dragon over several times. Then, after nearly a quarter hour of thought, he finally made up his mind and announced his decision to everyone in a grave tone.

"Save him!"