Chapter 1042: Sisters In Distress
Several days and nights passed. Ayu and Myu spent them braving the horrors of the forest. The forest barricaded the western border from the main continent and teemed with dangerous abominations.
It was no surprise that the rift ratio around the border—all the way to the dark continent—was ten times that of the center of the Central Plains. Still, that information, Myu felt, was an understatement for how truly perilous the border was.
Sleeping at night was a gamble, so they traveled preferably during the night and had to slaughter nocturnal abominations that hurled themselves at them.
There were others who were meticulous and cunning in their approach. Those ones cost the girls more effort, but in the end, they were still within their capacity.
Since Ayu and Myu themselves were savants—almost breaking into Sages—plus, the girls could share their vision and senses easily with each other, their brains were in perfect synchronization. Thus, the coordination they had made killing abominations quite effortless.
The ones that were unkillable—their coordination made it quite easy for them to flee from.
And thus, they ended up spending three grueling days in the forest before finally breaking into the city. Or at least they expected that they would break into a city.
Myu stared at the barren plain in front of her with confusion. She had heard that Fhugal was a thriving city, with voices and colors of people ever vibrant and dancing in the sky. Either day or night, there was almost never a difference.
However, what she was looking at was a stark contrast from what she was told. A stark contrast was an understatement. There was nothing there.
"Myu...?"
Ayu sounded tense and confused. Myu understood why, because if Fhugal was empty—the cities were gone, the people were gone, the walls were gone, even the rivers were gone—then definitely the warp station was gone. So how exactly were they supposed to travel?
The warp station was supposed to lead them to Drywall, which would make it easier to travel to Verulania.
However, there was nothing.
"We might have to continue our journey on foot."
Ayu looked at her sister, whose voice rang with resolve. Although Myu showed no weakness in her sharp dark eyes, Ayu knew that she was currently struggling internally for her sake.
She touched Myu’s clenched fist, making her open it, and they locked fingers.
"How long will it take for us to get to Verulania on foot?"
Myu exhaled softly.
"I’m thinking seven days... to get to Drywall first, then from Drywall we should find transportation to Verulania."
Ayu tapped her sister’s hand gently.
"Don’t worry, Myu. We will get there in time, and who knows? We might get lucky and meet some nomads on the way. They will make traveling way easier, you know."
"We are no nomads, though. But we will certainly make your traveling easier."
Ayu and Myu paused, looking at each other. They tilted their heads because the voice they heard belonged to neither of them.
With a sharp and almost imperceptible movement, they turned and were already armed with their weapons. Ayu stood before the stranger; Myu stood behind.
The person who had spoken, though, was unfazed, unsurprised, and unbothered by their actions.
Most of her body was draped in black tattered cloth. Her head was covered with her scarf, and another scarf wrapped her neck and lower face, revealing only her crimson eyes.
The eyes. They were calm... but glowing with lethality.
Staring directly into the eyes made chills race down Ayu’s spine. She frowned and slightly averted her gaze from the stranger.
"Who are you?!"
The stranger tilted their head. Their voice was both chilling and honeyed. It was... very unsettling for them both.
"I am merely a passerby. I happen to be going to Drywall and heard you both. Would you like to travel together?"
Ayu and Myu glanced at each other—a sharp, quick flash of their eyes. Then both sighed at the exact same time.
The stranger was still standing between them, unperturbed. Even though they looked like they were in control, they were the ones who seemed most disturbed.
It was not safe, especially with how unsettling this person made them feel. Myu did not want to put her sister in danger. However, if there was any chance they could travel faster or safer, she was also willing to take it.
...with considerable skepticism, of course.
"So... how exactly are you traveling? Where are you traveling to?"
The stranger stirred slightly, making both of them snap back to extreme high alert, their gazes sharpening like cold blades under the moonlight.
"I came to Fhugal because I heard my brother is here. As the first daughter of the family, I have a responsibility I have neglected for years. I hope to find him and bring him home."
Ayu and Myu exchanged glances while the stranger continued.
"However, seeing that he is not here, I just have to keep searching until I find him."
Ayu was the first to crack, her face softening with compassion.
"Aww, you are very determined. I like that."
Myu frowned at her sister.
"Ayu!"
Immediately the girl shifted. She frowned and glared with hostility.
"Right! You could be lying to us..."
The stranger scoffed.
"What could I possibly gain from lying to you? I do not even know you. I am just offering my help—you do not need to take it."
The stranger then shifted and turned. As she turned, something landed with crushing force from the sky, sending dust billowing around them.
As the dust cleared, a young lady knelt on one knee like a war angel cast in dark steel. Her platinum blonde hair was tousled and caught the harsh light that filtered through the smoke. Golden eyes burned with fierce determination in her pale, dirt-streaked face—the gaze of someone who had seen too much but refused to break.
"Your Highness... we have searched far and wide. There’s not a single survivor in Fhugal—just a single building in the center of the city, and it is unoccupied."
The stranger waved slightly.
"Yui?"
The lady responded sharply.
"He is on his way..."
Barely a second after she had said that, the growl of an engine roared to life. Massive, thick tires effortlessly crushed rubble and rolled forward with tremendous force.
The carrier was like an abomination on wheels—well, one could not particularly say it wasn’t, since it was forged using the metallic carapace of a Behemoth. Even the windscreens were reinforced using viscous liquid squeezed from the organs of terrifying abominations.
Its hull was shaped like the prow of a warship, every plate of matte-black armor sloped and deliberate, forged not just for protection, but for intimidation. No windshield, no face—only a slit of reinforced sensor optics, glinting faintly like a serpent’s eye beneath storm clouds. It did not look like it drove through cities. It looked like it crushed them.
On the right flank, a side panel disengaged with a series of mechanical clanks. The armor shifted, rotated, then folded outward, revealing a compact access point from which a young boy with wild, untamed dark hair dismounted.
The boy stood upright and saluted.
"Aye aye, captain."
Ayu and Myu stared at each other and at the strange, ferocious mechanical beast.
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