Chapter 220 Chapter218-The Source of the Monsters
"Miss Rhine, I'm sorry..."
As the jagged, green claws punctured Eileen's body, blood incessantly flowed from her wounds, dripping into the mouths of the monsters below, further fueling their frenzied state.
Meanwhile, Eileen's consciousness was fading, becoming increasingly fragile.
"So, this is what dying feels like?"
"It's so warm."
Eileen pondered internally, instantly realizing something was amiss.
She felt someone embracing her, a hand placed tenderly on her lower abdomen, providing her with warmth. Consequently, Eileen opened her eyes.
"Black Dragon!" Eileen exclaimed in astonishment.
Ethan glanced at Eileen and nodded, then advised, "Don't speak for now. Although the bleeding has stopped, I haven't addressed your internal injuries yet."
Eileen nodded, refraining from speaking further.
This left her with numerous unanswered questions swirling in her heart, a silent scrutiny fixated on Ethan.
She recalled their initial encounter, where she harbored a disdain for him, a feeling not directed at Ethan personally, but towards all outsiders.
However, much of this disdain dissipated when Ethan exhibited the power of the Holy Light.
And after he purged the toxins from her arm, a subtle sense of gratitude towards him began to emerge in Eileen's heart, expressed not through words, but through her silent, reciprocal actions.
Now, saved by Ethan once again, a peculiar sensation surged within her.
She couldn't discern the nature of this feeling, yet she could perceive the warmth emanating from Ethan's embrace, hear the reassuring and strong beat of his heart, experiences that bestowed upon her a sense of safety.
This continued until Ethan's body slightly trembled as he landed on the ground.
"It's alright, Commander Eileen, take some time to rest properly. Leave these monsters to me to deal with."
Ethan gently leaned Eileen against the corpse of a dead monster, then called out to the stunned soldiers nearby, "Take care of Eileen. I'll handle these monsters."
The soldiers snapped back to reality, nodding unanimously.
Yet, they couldn't shake off their amazement, bursting into excited chatter.
"He's so powerful!"
"He... he... with a mere wave of his hand, he unleashed a boundless storm of thunder and lightning, slaying that monster instantly!"
"Commander Eileen, your man is truly formidable!"
The soldiers couldn't stop singing praises, which stirred that strange sensation in Eileen's heart once again.
She hurriedly clarified, "What nonsense are you talking about? Black Dragon isn't 'my man' in any sense."
It was only then that Eileen noticed the abnormality around them.
The once swarming monsters had disappeared, leaving behind a ground littered with their corpses.
The remaining monsters recoiled in fear, unwilling to approach, forming a circular perimeter with a radius of about twenty meters, with everyone at its epicenter.
"What's going on?"
Eileen asked the crowd in astonishment.
Aren't monsters supposed to be frenzied?
Why weren't they attacking them?
The soldiers explained, "Commander Eileen, all of this is due to Mr. Black Dragon!"
"When you were impaled by that green devil mantis, Mr. Black Dragon arrived just in time. He saved you immediately and conjured a ball of thunder and lightning in his hand, hurling it at those monsters."
"The monsters..."
The soldier paused, still unable to suppress the awe in his heart.
"The monsters stood no chance against it. In an instant, they were obliterated by the thunderball conjured by Mr. Black Dragon. They didn't even realize how they died before meeting their end."
"And those..."
The soldier pointed to the fearful monsters surrounding them, saying excitedly, "They, they must be scared now."
If anyone had claimed that monsters could feel fear before this, it would have been met with ridicule from all the soldiers.
Monsters were thought to be devoid of reason, becoming excited upon smelling blood, and going berserk in the midst of a battle.
They did not fear, nor did they dread death, they were not capable of feeling fear.
But now, what had transpired?
The monsters... were afraid!
This unbelievable event unfolded before everyone's eyes, forcing them to accept the undeniable truth their eyes presented: even these monsters harbored a sense of fear.
At that moment, all eyes were drawn to the lone figure amidst the horde of monsters.
Lightning danced tirelessly around him, intermittently bursting forth golden Holy Light.
Under this illumination, monsters met their end while the wounds of the soldiers began to heal.
Ethan had almost single-handedly turned the tide at the heart of the battlefield.
And this influence was not confined to the epicenter; it steadily expanded outward.
"Could we actually win this war?"
This ludicrous thought surfaced in many minds.
It was a notion that should not have taken root, yet witnessing the figure bathed in thunder, the goal seemed increasingly attainable.
Consequently, the soldiers became infused with a wild frenzy.
Buoyed by Ethan's release of Holy Light, they felt no fatigue, dismissing even minor injuries as inconsequential.
The monsters began to retreat, an unexpected development for everyone, monsters included.
High above, a Golden Gryphon observed the situation on the ground.
Spreading its wings, it descended rapidly, landing heavily to send the surrounding monsters flying.
The sight of the Golden Gryphon dampened everyone's exhilaration, replacing it with terror in their eyes.
It was this very Golden Gryphon that had instigated the monster uprising.
The origin of these monsters remained an enigma.
Rhine had once organized a formidable team to investigate the source of these monsters, yet before they could get far, all communication with them ceased.
In the text records from Maya City, Rhine unearthed a chilling piece of information.
"Do not seek it!"
This lone phrase, left by Sano, was the only record regarding the origin of the monsters.
Yet, this phrase bore an ominous weight, drowning the gathering with an imperceptible dread as they contemplated the profound warning.
To the people of Maya City, Sano was their guardian, a figure of unparalleled wisdom and might. Yet even this protector harbored such fear towards the origin of the monsters...
The hidden message within bore a suffocating weight.
Ever since that revelation, Rhine had ceased to send people on expeditions to investigate the source of the monsters, recognizing such endeavors as suicide missions.
Yet, within the directives left by Sano, safeguarding Maya City held immense importance.
Thus, Rhine had no choice but to establish a frontline command post, utilizing the Beast Crossbows left by Sano to hold back the monster onslaught, a defense that had endured through several generations.
"It's over, it's over, the Golden Gryphon has appeared!"
"I want to live... why, why are there monsters so powerful!"
"We have to help that Hero!"
Reactions to the appearance of the Golden Gryphon varied greatly amongst the crowd.
Witnessing the arrival, Eileen struggled to her feet.
She picked up her great sword and shield, ignoring the severe pain in her lower abdomen as she insisted, "No, I have to help!"
"Captain Eileen, you are still injured," a subordinate soldier hurriedly tried to dissuade her.
"This little injury is nothing," Eileen said, dismissing her subordinate's concern outright.
At that moment, Lehman appeared with a squad, clearing a path through the monsters into the forbidden zone where monsters dared not tread.
Stopping Eileen, he said, "Captain Eileen, going there now would only trouble Mr. Black Dragon. Moreover, I believe you should have faith in him; he is capable of handling the Golden Gryphon."
"Lehman, what are you talking about? You have no idea how powerful the Golden Gryphon is!" Eileen yelled in desperation, the pain in her abdomen flaring up again.
Lehman shook his head, responding calmly, "Captain Eileen, trust me, at most, the Golden Gryphon will only be somewhat troublesome for Mr. Black Dragon, nothing more. Also, remember that Mr. Black Dragon rushed to your side, breaking away from his team the moment he realized you were in danger. If you go now and something happens, wouldn't that render his rescue efforts pointless?"
Lehman's words brought a sense of calm over Eileen.
She didn't continue to insist on going to help; instead, she just kept looking in the direction where Ethan was, her eyes filled with worry.
In contrast, Lehman truly had no worries.
Lehman himself was sufficiently strong and had personally witnessed Ethan's prowess.
The oppressive sensation the Golden Gryphon gave him was less than that of Ethan; hence he was confident that the Golden Gryphon would not be a match for Ethan.
Moreover, he was here too.
Even though he clearly understood he couldn't offer Ethan much help, he could still create some trouble for the Golden Gryphon, providing Ethan with opportunities.
Yet, what unfolded next caught everyone off guard.
The Golden Gryphon landed and opened its massive maw, roaring furiously at Ethan.
Ethan frowned, unable to bear the putrid stench.
He leaped into the air, landing on the head of the Golden Gryphon.
Gathering lightning under his feet, he stomped down ferociously.
Boom!
After a violent tremor, the colossal body of the Golden Gryphon hit the ground.
Everyone's eyes widened, falling into a complete stupor.
Even Lehman found himself under scrutiny, "General Lehman, you just said the Golden Gryphon would only be somewhat troublesome for Mr. Black Dragon."
"This..."
Lehman's face turned serious in an instant, declaring, "Nonsense, I never said that!"
The soldiers burst into laughter.
As for Ethan, the person concerned, it wasn't a matter of delight.
Ethan sighed, somewhat helplessly saying, "Still a bit too weak."
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l