My vision suddenly flashed, and before I realized what happened, I could see the dark blue night sky spread before my eyes as I fell.
"Sh*t!"
I twisted my body and did a five-point landing. As I stabilized myself lying on my back, I quickly flipped myself back up, only to get tackled back down.
"Master!"
From the sensation of the two soft bulges squeezed between our bodies, I immediately realized that it was Ember. As I looked around, I saw Fang and Igni looking over with a smile on their faces.
"Everyone... What just happened?"
I asked as I slowly raised my body up. I couldn't stand yet as Ember was still sticking to my stomach area in a tight hug. Igni quickly replied to my question, pointing up.
"It was Goddess Zeta's handiwork."
I followed her finger and noticed a dark-blue-haired beauty floating in the sky. She was looking down on us as if she were watching over and protecting everyone.
It had been a long time since I last saw her, but I still remember her face. I quickly bowed my head and expressed my appreciation.
"Thank you, Goddess Zeta, for saving me from danger."
Zeta shook her head slowly before responding.
"I was just following orders. No need for thanks."
Before she finished her words, however, something happened in a far-off location. A loud explosion occurred, creating a large red pillar of flames reaching past the clouds. The sound was heard all the way to where we were, along with a strong shockwave.
Zeta quickly covered us with a transparent barrier, protecting us from the raging shockwaves around us. The trees outside the barrier turned to scraps in just a few moments as they were quickly swept back by the powerful explosion.
"What's that?!"
Wan Li muttered as she pointed to the location where the large pillar of fire rose. Her nine tails were all puffed up, showing how disturbed she was by what she saw.
I was looking over there from the beginning and saw the changes occur. The clouds that were near the pillar of fire burned away, literally. I wanted to retort that a cloud made out of water can't burn, but it still happened. Not only the cloud but the sky itself burned in a hellish conflagration.
When the large pillar of fire faded, the sky continued burning with great vigor. The red color of the blaze slowly spread across the sky. In just a few moments, the entire atmosphere turned glowing blood red instead of the tranquil dark blue.
The chilly night air swiftly changed too, becoming stuffy and sticky. Not only was it uncomfortable, but it also sent chills down my spine.
"Ignore what is happening right now; we need to go, and fast!"
I shouted as I tried to pull everyone; however, they were all standing stock still while looking up in the air. Fear painted their pale faces. At that moment, I felt a powerful gaze sweep over me. By reflex, I turned toward the source.
In the center of the burning clouds and sky, a small figure appeared. For some reason, despite being several kilometers away, her figure was etched clearly in my eyes.
A completely red figure with two long, curved horns adorning her head. Her hair, a mix of black and red, waved wildly in the wind. Her pitch-black wings flapped gently as her arrow-tipped, narrow tail waved. Her sharp gold eyes had vertical pupils, scanning everything that was lying before her.
My heart was racing. Fear was eating up my rational thoughts. Just the sight of this monster was enough to bring me to despair. Without much thought, I quickly realized the real reason for it.
"... That thing... is more powerful than even the Void Beast!"
The monster, or whatever it was, took a deep breath, curling its body backward before releasing an ear-piercing howl. I quickly covered my ears, trying to block out the sound, but realized that it was futile. My ears started ringing as my hearing failed me once more.
I lost balance; my world was spinning. I guess my eardrums broke after that and disturbed my semicircular canals. I took out a potion and quickly gulped it down. The dizziness faded after a few seconds, and I sighed in relief.
When I looked around, everyone else was down on the ground with both ears bleeding. Even Goddess Zeta, up in the air, was shaking her head lightly, throwing off the dizzy spell she felt.
I quickly moved around, letting everyone drink a potion to recover. As I did, Goddess Zeta finally recovered and shouted in my direction.
"Will, I need to go back to Blue. Sorry, but you must protect yourselves from here on out."
She didn't wait for my response as she vanished into a crack in space. She must have been in a hurry. I quickly finished giving the girls potions, and soon everyone healed and was able to stand.
"Leader, we should go!"
Fang, whose tail fur was bristling too, said with urgency. I looked at her and at the others around me before nodding my head. Along with Fang, I also heard a familiar voice echoing inside my head. It was Brother Mountain, telling me to "Run Away."
With those two combined, I quickly faced everyone and spoke.
"Goddess Zeta already left to return to God Zeshion. It's dangerous for us to stay here any longer. Ember, teleport us to the nearest town you can."
Ember closed her eyes for a moment before replying.
"I found one suitable town that's barely within my range, master."
"Great. Then connect us there quickly."
I muttered as I stared back up toward the floating red figure. I could see several figures flying up towards it with all sorts of flashy skills. However, before they could get close, everyone would crash like little pebbles thrown into a puddle.
"Master! The portal's connected! Quickly enter!"
As Ember announced, I turned to see that her portal was just about to finish. I quickly rushed to her side, ushering in Wan Li, Wan Er, and Ying Yue first, followed by Fang, Igni, and lastly me and Ember.
Right before I entered the portal, I felt a strong gaze locked onto my back. I ignored it and rushed inside, sighing in relief that we were now within the confines of a safe town.
"Will...? Will! Please help!"
However, as they say, when it rains, it pours.
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