Chapter 587

Chapter 587: Sand and Forest.

According to the original plan, Vanna continued toward the hazy silhouettes in the distance, trekking through the seemingly endless wind and sand.

“…I still don’t know why only I was ‘sent’ to this strange desert. It clearly doesn’t match the ‘forest’ that Nina or Miss Lucretia described. I’m trying to reach that ‘stone circle’ in the distance that looks like a ruined city, and so far I haven’t found any sign of civilization here…”

Duncan’s voice sounded in the depths of Vanna’s mind: “…Pay attention to any phenomenon around you that breaks common sense or to sudden changes in the environment. The kind of ‘corruption’ Shirley mentioned may also appear near you. Be very careful.”

“Understood, Captain,” Vanna nodded slightly, raised her head in the wind to look toward the far horizon, and stepped toward the deeper sands. “I’m going to keep moving.”

…

“Rabby doesn’t like this place… Rabby likes lively places with lots of people… This isn’t the kind of ‘dream’ Rabby is used to. Rabby can’t even see a single person…”

Rabby’s chattering voice came from the side. The huge stuffed rabbit doll stumbled clumsily through bushes and piles of dead leaves and branches, and had been complaining nonstop since just now.

But Lucretia did not pay any attention to the rabbit’s grumbling. She simply walked ahead on her own and stopped at the edge of a clearing, carefully observing the surroundings.

Since entering this “dream” for the second time, she had not seen the elf maiden who called herself “Celine,” nor had she found any trace of the marks she had left in the forest before.

Everywhere were towering trees that all looked more or less the same. There were no landmarks or paths she could use as a guide. Although she did not want to admit it… Lucretia knew that she was already lost in this vast jungle.

“…Rabby,” Lucretia suddenly turned her head and looked at the stuffed rabbit doll that was struggling out of a bush not far away. “Can you sense any other mental entities?”

Rabby stopped its endless complaining at once and hurried over to its Mistress with a few quick steps, posing as if it were listening carefully to the surroundings. The two long ears sewn from cloth strips drooped on either side of its head, and the edges of the cloth quietly took on a hazy look.

A moment later, the rabbit shook its head: “No. Rabby didn’t hear any other thinking.”

“Mm.” Lucretia nodded, then looked around again, trying to decide which way to go next.

Just then, a flash of reflected light in her field of view caught this “witch’s” eye.

Lucretia immediately looked toward where the glint had appeared. It was at the foot of a towering tree a dozen meters away. Something seemed to lie among the fallen branches and leaves under the tree.

Her figure suddenly turned into a swirl of colorful paper scraps that flew to the base of the tree in the blink of an eye and then gathered back into her form.

Looking at the slightly familiar thing before her, Lucretia widened her eyes a little: “This is…”

A long?handled weapon, strangely shaped like a mix of spear and battle?axe, was lying quietly among the fallen leaves like a silent, frozen symbol.

Unlike what she remembered, the weapon’s long haft was now broken, as if it had been completely destroyed by a powerful impact. Jagged scars covered the axe blade, as if it had gone through a long and brutal battle. Many dark stains still clung to the chipped edge.

It seemed to have broken a very long time ago, after a fierce fight that people had already forgotten.

Lucretia quietly turned her gaze on the broken poleaxe lying on the ground. No one knew how many thoughts were hidden in her steady stare. Rabby’s footsteps came from behind. After peeking around and looking her Mistress up and down, the stuffed rabbit finally could not hold back its curiosity and asked: “Mistress, what is this thing?”

Lucretia did not answer Rabby. She only bent down cautiously and, after a brief hesitation, reached out toward the broken poleaxe.

When her fingers touched the cold metal, a sensation that seemed to cross illusion and the Mortal Realm rushed along her fingertips. Before she could examine that fleeting feeling, a sharp, howling noise suddenly cut her motion short!

In the next second, the shrill howl came from all directions. A thunderous roar rushed in as if the whole forest were burning and collapsing in explosions. The ground shook. Heat waves surged up. The sky was covered by chaotic phantom light. Countless shouts, screams, roars, and cries of rage that seemed to come from the forest itself all poured into Lucretia’s senses at once—

The “sea witch” snapped her head up and saw that the entire forest around her had already begun to burn. The towering trees melted and toppled in the flames. In the distance, the land rose as if some vast invisible force were rolling it upward. With terrifying cracks and surging magma, the whole ground was slowly curling toward the sky. At the same time, huge shadows and chaotic lights beyond human understanding pressed down from above again and again, as if the entire sky were burning with light and falling on the world.

In this mind?shaking “falling sky,” a dark?red light appeared. It looked like a wound soaked in blood. Ominous red radiance spread through the clouds and almost instantly replaced all other light. Terrifying cracks began to touch the ground bit by bit, touching the towering trees, touching the curling, upturned horizon in the distance. With each deadly “touch,” the world slowly split apart. Countless dark and horrifying things swarmed out—

They poured out of the forest, out of the red light in the sky, out of the cracks in the world. One second they still seemed to be animals fleeing in terror from the forest fire. The next second they turned into clawing, nameless shadows. Rocks came alive. The forest writhed. Everything was turning into shapes beyond human understanding. Horrible, twisted things charged in from every side. Someone roared nearby as if fighting desperately against the swarming monsters. But when she followed the sound, all she could see were monsters tearing at monsters and shadows devouring shadows.

Lucretia sprang to her feet. Even though the incomprehensible cataclysm before her left her at a loss for a moment, she still slipped instinctively into a fighting stance—yet in the very next second, all those horrible distortions vanished from her sight.

She had let go of the broken poleaxe. As the contact broke, all the terrifying visions of change disappeared like phantoms.

The forest returned to its original state. Everything that had just happened felt like a short, strange nightmare.

Lucretia stood there stunned for a long moment. After several seconds, she suddenly snapped back to herself and looked down at the foot of the giant tree on instinct.

The broken poleaxe was gone. Only a pile of fallen branches and leaves remained, with no trace of anything else.

Lucretia slowly furrowed her brow, still replaying what she had just seen in her mind. At that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly appeared nearby and instantly broke her thoughts.

She immediately lifted her head and looked toward the source of the footsteps.

The elf maiden called “Celine” was standing there before she knew it. She still wore that light armor of some unknown city?state’s style and held that oddly shaped long?handled battle?axe in her hand.

Lucretia turned her head sharply toward the rabbit Rabby, only to see Rabby also turning to look at her. Even with only button eyes and a roughly painted mouth, its movements still showed clear apology and surprise—

Rabby had not sensed Celine approaching at all. That meant this mental entity had appeared nearby all at once.

“Celine?” Lucretia steadied herself. She signaled for Rabby not to move around and turned to the elf maiden, testing a greeting.

Celine, the elf maiden, showed a slight smile. She looked at Lucretia with an expression that made it seem as if they had never been apart.

She nodded and said: “We’ve been resting for a long time. It’s time to get back on the road—the Wall of Silence is still very far from here.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the rabbit Rabby, who was standing very obediently where it was.

Not a hint of anything strange showed on Celine’s face. She said to Lucretia in a very natural tone: “Is she your friend? Bring her along. We’ll go together.”

…

Vanna did not know how long she had been trekking through this endless desert. The monotonous, boundless landscape and the never?ending wind and sand around her seemed to disturb her sense of time. She even felt as if she had been walking here for a century, as if she had been trudging through this desert since the day the world was born.

Of course, she knew very well that this was only an illusion born of her irritation, a test of her mind set by this harsh place.

Fortunately, her prayers to the Goddess still worked. They kept her faith firm. Her link with the Captain eased the unease in her heart and gave her a chance to steady her mood.

The icy greatsword in her hand gave off thin threads of chill. It brought a sense of safety and also eased the desert’s burning heat.

Another wave of wind and sand struck. Vanna sensed the change in the wind’s direction. She raised the greatsword in front of her and turned her head to shield herself from the blowing grit.

But just then, a strange aura suddenly appeared in her senses and made Vanna freeze in mid?motion.

In the next second, this battle?hardened inquisitor tensed every muscle. She swung the greatsword out to her side in a guarding stance and looked toward a certain point in the blowing sand.

The chaotic wind had stopped at some point. As the dust slowly settled, an unusually tall figure emerged from the haze and grew clearer and clearer.

It was… a giant.