Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 605: Crash-landing

Chapter 605: Crash-landing

"Would you look at that?" Maryam remarked as she took a step forward. "It was a success."

"You sound surprised that it succeeded. Don’t tell me you weren’t a hundred percent sure of the ritual’s success." Sayda remarked with a slight frown.

"Oh Sayda dear, do not put such words in my mouth. I said nothing of that sort."

Sayda rolled her eyes in response while Maryam remarked.

"In any case, now that the map is here, I believe it is time to discuss a rather important matter."

"And that is?"

"Who will be the one to take the map and retrieve the Pearl?"

Sayda raised a brow. "Isn’t that already clear?"

Before another word could be said, their entire surroundings were immediately covered by fog, drawing the attention of the two to another figure approaching.

"I understand that you two do not like each other but have you forgotten that you are leaders of Paragon while our mothers are away in the Negative Zone?... There is a precedent to set else it won’t be long before Paragon falls due to internal strife."

Maryam snorted. "Oh please, Zara. Since when did you start caring about such things?"

"I care because if you two continue to bicker, then I’d be forced to do more work and I’d rather not take on more work than I already have to deal with."

"Hmmph, typical." Sayda rolled her eyes in disdain.

"Look, I don’t care who goes to retrieve the Pearl, I know I am not interested. So how about you two decide so I can go back to sleep?"

"Fine then." Maryam intoned before glancing at Sayda. "I am only suggesting I go to retrieve the map since you just returned from a long journey. However, if you have no problems with leaving once again, then be my guest."

Silence followed briefly before Sayda remarked. "I’ll leave at the first opening tomorrow."

Saying that a mouth manifested next to Douglas’s unconscious body within the fog and devoured it, after which the fog dissipated with Sayda turning to take her leave.

Letting out a sigh, Zara left as well, leaving Maryam to stand amid the other oblivious Paragons who continued chanting and dancing without a single care in the world.

It wasn’t until the Lightbringer once again opened its doors that they scattered to their respective homes.

By then, Sayda was already long gone, deciding to not waste any time in moving forward with her assigned task.

***

It came without warning, like a thief in the night though it was morning on account of the Lightbringer illuminating the world with its golden rays.

The Skyrunner, despite its impressive defenses for an airship that had caused Alex to wonder how it was able to stay afloat, was knocked down after one shot, leaving it unable to continue in the air as it slowly dipped toward the ground.

"We are crashing!" Ulysses cried out in a panic as he struggled to stabilize the ship but try as he may, there was nothing he could do as two more cannon balls ripped through the airship, ensuring that it continued its trajectory downwards.

So, with no other choice, Alex snapped, summoning Humphrey, who immediately transmuted air, creating a shield to protect them from the inevitable crash.

A resounding blast echoed as the Skyrunner struck the ground, causing it to be quickly consumed by flames.

Seconds passed before Alex and the others emerged unscathed from the ruined airship only to be immediately met with a most harrowing sight.

If one wished to describe it, a graveyard of airships was the best way to put it.

Several airships, both big and small, lay wasted on the barren wasteland.

But that wasn’t all, as even remnants of what appeared to be mobile cities, along with desiccated skeletons, littered the land, ensuring that Alex and the others kept their guard up.

"I’d guess that we are in the Boundary," Alex muttered with Ulysses replying.

"I think so."

"Well, I guess the term No-man’s-land makes sense now," Alex remarked only to sense something causing him to snap.

A moment later, a cannonball struck his ethereal body switching between light and dark.

Immediately after, the group found themselves surrounded by humans or rather, beings resembling humans.

The first thing that gave off the fact that they weren’t humans, was their method of addressing the group.

"Humans, why have you come here?" The leader of the group asked while wielding what appeared to be a shotgun, though with a steam core; Alex had a feeling it packed more punch than a conventional gun.

"We wish to see the Goddess."

"Do you wish to give your life in servitude to her cause?"

"No." Alex calmly replied.

"Then die."

The steam core of the shotgun roared to life, but Alex was quick to retrieve an emblem from within his shirt, causing the Automaton to stop in its tracks.

His eyes seemed to glow briefly before an ethereal voice echoed.

Bring them to me.

It took everything for Ana not to drop to her knees as the power behind the divine voice assaulted her, leaving her disoriented.

"What was that?" Alex inquired out of curiosity.

"You know how there’s deviltongue and dragontongue?" Ana muttered with a frown.

"Yes?"

"That’s something like that but on a much greater scale."

Alex instinctively glanced back to find that Ulysses was fine for the most part causing him to be intrigued.

Perhaps noticing his gaze, Ulysses asked. "What?"

"How are you not affected?"

"Oh." Ulysses paused, realizing that he, indeed, wasn’t troubled. "I guess you can say that I’m used to hearing it?"

"Where?"

"The Guardian of the Abyss Wheel?" Ulysses inquired before pointing out. "You are all unaffected."

Alex nodded. "I guess."

Just then, the Automaton leading the border security remarked. "Come with me, the Goddess awaits."

And so, he led the way with Alex and the others following closely behind after recovering from the initial shock of hearing a deity’s divinetongue.

It didn’t take long before the graveyard of machinery and man about them disappeared like a lie, replaced by a sprawling city that seemed to stretch on to infinity.

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om