Finally Back Home

"We're going back home today? But we've only rescued fewer than thirty people! We had thirty-two planes, yet we rescued fewer people than we had planes!"

"There was nothing we could do. Jinshan City was such a huge city. We were originally supposed to evacuate more than twenty thousand people from there, but look at what it's become now."

"..."

The tragedy was too painful for everyone to accept, and some even began arguing.

Gu Yan was already in much better shape. A few days ago, he had been sleeping twenty hours a day.

Hearing this, Zhao Qi also lowered his head dejectedly and asked in a small voice, "Brother Gu, should we have rescued some people that day?"

Should they have rescued some people? Of course they should have. But whether they should have and whether they could have were two different things.

At the time, he had no weapons and no strength. He had even snatched up the Ice Cones while fleeing.

"We were too weak back then, and we still are." Gu Yan paused and looked at Zhao Qi.

"We're all ordinary people, not some great heroes. Ordinary people are afraid, and ordinary people die. Being able to protect ourselves during a disaster is already remarkable."

What good was having great strength? Could they protect everyone during the Honkai?

"We should feel guilty, and we should repent, but don't blame yourselves for being powerless. We're still alive and well in this world."

Gu Yan did not want Zhao Qi to live in the shadows.

"But if you want to, you can choose to become a hero too. I'll definitely support you."

"This disaster has only just begun. We don't have much time to mourn the dead. All we can do is struggle onward with hope..."

His voice grew softer and softer. Zhao Qi was utterly confused. It had only just begun? If that was true, it was terrifying.

The argument beside them also died down. They were not truly at odds with each other—they were simply unwilling to accept what had happened.

They would soon be able to return home. For everyone, that counted as one of the few pieces of good news.

After leaving that day, Elfa also saw the terrifying pillar of light, though he only paid it a little attention.

An attack like that could at most leave him badly hurt for two days. It could not kill a dragon, and it certainly could not delay his return to sleep.

As a dragon, Elfa had an inherently lazy nature. This time, he had only agreed to act because those little people had promised him a powerful opponent. Now that the people were gone, he naturally stopped caring.

In his eyes, the North Continent was his home, and these little people were his dependents.

He had thought scaring them would settle everything, but he had unexpectedly taken a beating himself.

Thinking of the existence that called herself the "Herrscher of Reason," Elfa narrowed his eyes.

She was extremely dangerous. She could hardly kill him, yet he could not hurt her at all.

And now, those little people had come asking for his help again.

That made sense. The Beautiful Country had suffered heavy losses, and there was indeed nothing they could do if another powerful enemy appeared.

Which blind fool was causing trouble? Never mind. He would take out his anger on it!

Elfa agreed on the spot, but the closer he got to the incident site, the more wrong things felt.

Why was it this place again? Why was it Jinshan City again... No, it was Jinshan Bay now.

Could it be that Herrscher again?

The sea breeze had already dispersed the residual heat.

The high temperatures had long since faded. Large swaths of land had been submerged by seawater, and the sea had fallen calm. Only the remaining Honkai Energy lingered.

Under the pollution of the Honkai Energy, the coast emitted an eerie blue-violet glow—mesmerizing yet deadly.

A dragon's roar echoed across the bay.

Elfa flew toward the area and naturally saw the strange landscape. Energy fluctuations he disliked radiated from it.

He had not expected that attack to be so powerful. Even after seven days, the energy had not completely dissipated. Although he did not know what kind of energy it was, its undisguised and violent use still caught his attention.

He looked in the direction the Honkai Energy was flowing. The sky there had already been dyed red.

Vaguely, he could make out a human figure.

A gigantic human figure.

Elfa beat his wings and flew over. That should be his target for venting his anger.

Flames rose from the coast.

From Jinshan Bay all the way to where the giant stood, everything became a sea of fire, leaving a thousand miles of scorched earth.

Countless small villages Ji had never "looked after" were reduced to ashes beneath the Fire Giant's feet. The people had no idea what was happening. When they looked up and saw that enormous being of flame towering like a mountain, fear and despair engulfed them.

They remembered the myths. They remembered Surtur, the Fire Giant of Ragnarok.

Then, without exception, they were swallowed by the sea of fire.

During the Honkai, ordinary people like them were all pitiful. They had no way to save their own lives, and before dying, they might not even learn what the Honkai was.

"Roar!"

Elfa's expression was solemn. He was now less than a hundred meters from the Fire Giant. His dragon breath had just struck, yet Surtur was unharmed, and the temperature had risen even higher.

A vicious glint flashed through his dragon eyes. He decided to use Surtur as a punching bag, even if it was a spiked one.

"Company commander, am I going to die?"

The boy's body was weak, and many purple markings had surfaced on his skin.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You only wore yourself out during the rescue. Rest for a few days and you'll be fine."

The old soldier patted the boy's head, his tone gentle.

The boy was sick with a strange illness. Some kind of energy was devouring his body, and existing methods could not treat it effectively.

Seven others were in the same condition.

This was Honkai Sickness. Their bodies had already been eroded by Honkai Energy, and they did not have long to live.

Gu Yan could not save them.

He had secretly used Gifting on them, but buffs such as Intermediate Healing and Strengthening could not resist the erosion of Honkai Energy. Instead, his own energy would worsen their condition.

However, based on his observations, he could basically confirm that Ability Users and Xu Muchi could resist Honkai Sickness.

If that was the case, then he would have to control his power carefully when buffing ordinary people in the future. Given their resistance to Honkai Energy, his abilities would otherwise be harming them.

There was an almost imperceptible regret in his eyes, but Gu Yan's expression remained concerned as he silently made an encouraging gesture to the boy. The boy smiled back.

Until the very last moment, there was always a chance for a miracle.

Xu Muchi watched Gu Yan's actions, and the conjecture in her heart became even more certain.

It was impolite to probe others at will. Besides, fortune was ethereal, and cultivation arts were not native to this world. It would not be appropriate to pry into the secrets of heaven and investigate someone's fortune.

Thus, she could only confirm things through observation.

She understood the symptoms those people displayed and had tried as well, but she had been equally powerless.

"Don't worry. Once we're back home, any illness can be cured. Science and technology are so advanced nowadays. A minor problem like yours is nothing."

The old company commander was still comforting the boy. The usually stern man was now like a loving father.

The boy merely smiled. The old company commander really is even more long-winded than I am...

The plane crossed the ocean, and the outline of the continent was already clearly visible. They had left the disaster-ravaged land across the ocean and survived beneath the Grim Reaper's scythe.

Unfortunately, no miracle occurred. All eight people infected with Honkai Sickness died on the journey home.