Chapter 650

Chapter 35: Sandstorm – Middle

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

The fierce wind and sand whipped against my face and body. My loose robe clung tightly to me, flapping loudly in the wind. I could barely open my eyes. The yellow dust around me rose like mist, while in the far west, a gray wall of earth, reminiscent of the end of the world, crept up from the horizon, gradually blocking out the scorching sun.

“Go… back…”

I struggled forward against the wind. Faintly, I heard Betty’s voice behind me, gritted through clenched teeth and choked with sobs: “Lady… go back! Cough… go back… to the cave!”

“What…”

Her voice was muffled by the wind, indistinct. I tried to ask her to clarify, but as soon as I opened my mouth, fine sand rushed in, turning my face red and causing me to cough violently.

“Cough! Cough…”

Damn it…

“Go back, to the cave!”

Betty ducked her head under my back and shouted in my ear again: “We can’t move anymore! Hurry back… to the cave!”

This time, I understood her meaning clearly.

Go back to the cave…

Yes, hide in the cave…

After realizing this, I turned and ran back, coughing as I went. I pulled my left hand up to shield my eyes, but after a few steps, I found myself staring at the swirling yellow smoke, feeling disoriented. Though I didn’t stop, my pace gradually slowed.

This is bad…

I couldn’t recognize the way back…

Where is that cave…

I suddenly felt anxious.

At this moment, little Betty behind me rustled about, seemingly pulling something out of her satchel. She immediately handed it to me: “Put it on! Put it on!”

“Cough… cough…”

I coughed as I reached out to take it. Squinting, I examined it for several seconds before realizing it was a pair of goggles. I hurriedly put them on, fumbling with Betty’s help until I could finally open my eyes properly.

“Veil, and the veil!”

“The veil, cough… is in the bag…”

“I’ll get it. Let’s hurry!”

“Which way… go…”

“Forward, straight ahead!”

Betty pointed in a direction. I quickened my pace, running with determination. The little girl grabbed my satchel and rummaged inside, pulling out my veil. It had been taken off when I had stolen a taste of Betty’s bread earlier. Now, she covered my face with it and we continued running.

With the veil shielding me, the assault of sand and wind lessened. My breathing became easier, and I could run faster. I swung my legs wide, while the little girl held onto my neck with one arm, likely afraid of choking me. We ran bumpy and unevenly, and soon both of us were breathing heavily.

Damn it…

Where the hell is that cave entrance!

Yellow sand filled my vision, visibility dropping lower and lower. The gray wall in the distance seemed to be closing in on us.

“Are you sure, it’s this way!”

After running a bit further, I realized the wind was getting stronger. Yellow dust was blown over ten meters high, making everything almost invisible. There was no hope of finding the cave entrance now. I grew increasingly anxious, unsure what to do next. I quickly asked Betty for more specific directions, but instead, I heard her softly sobbing.

“Sob… I remember… it’s just ahead… right here… I remember… but I’m not quite sure… sob…”

The little girl was terrified, her sobs growing louder, and my heart sank with hers.

This is bad…

How did I end up in such a mess…

This is nothing like what I expected… What’s going on…

Seeing this sandstorm approaching, what should I do now…

As I ran, I thought rapidly.

Should I really escape to the land of dragons?

But how will Betty… Can I bring her along?

I don’t know.

There hasn’t been any chance to confirm… I think I should be able to… probably…

Sure, here is the translated passage:

—

The safest way was to enter the land of the dragons.

If I couldn’t find a cave, I would have no choice but to try taking Betty and escaping into that world…

But what if that didn’t work?

Then I would have to go in myself and leave Betty alone here…

If I stayed on this side, I might still be able to save her life, but if I left, she would surely die…

What should I do…

I thought about it over and over but found no better solution. By the time I came to my senses, the wind had become so strong it almost blew people away, and we had long since fallen into the yellow mist. All I could hear besides the howling wind was the constant “thump thump” of sand hitting my robe.

“Sister! Ah——”

The little girl cried out behind me. I turned my head blankly, looking westward.

The apocalyptic gray wall, with its devouring-the-world momentum, was already right in front of us.

…There’s no time—

Boom——!!!

The fierce wind roared like a rumbling thunder, carrying the momentum of a train bearing down on us. In my widened pupils, it carried rolling and endless yellow sand, sweeping over me in an instant.

At this moment, there was no room for any struggle.

In the instant the hurricane struck, I instinctively rooted my stance, bent my knees, and burst forth all my strength, trying to resist this terrifying natural force, but it was useless.

Even though my physical strength had recovered considerably, my weight was simply insufficient to make even the slightest struggle in such a sandstorm. Before my brain could react, my feet were already off the ground in the next second, flying high up. Suddenly, I felt a lightness behind me.

…Oh no! Betty!!

I quickly turned my head in mid-air and saw the little girl’s figure already turning into a black dot, flying higher and farther away. She couldn’t even shout anymore, as if a rag, disappearing into the sandstorm.

Great White!!!

“Roar——”

In the critical moment, I called out to the white dragon in my heart. Crystal branches suddenly emerged from my chest, and the majestic dragon’s roar erupted from the branches, breaking through the sand curtain with visible waves and spreading wildly in all directions!

At this moment, it seemed as if the wind had stopped.

Great White’s roar actually dispersed the sandstorm, instantly clearing the area within dozens of meters around me. My body began to fall in the air, and a pale white light circle immediately enveloped me. The branches of the white tree floated quietly above my head, emitting a faint but bright and reassuring glow.

…Well done!

This was truly an unexpected surprise. I hadn’t expected Great White to exert such brute force with just his voice. While I was elated, my mind also caught up, pushing both palms toward the ground, and my eyes glowed with a dim blue light.

Thump thump!

Two muffled sounds, and icy frost mist gushed out from my palms, creating a powerful counter-push that abruptly halted my descent. In the next moment, a deep blue ice platform formed beneath me. I twisted my body in mid-air, half-turning, and stepped onto the ice platform. My figure surged upward, accompanied by the whistling wind, and I leaped back into the sky.

“Betty!”

Thump thump thump thump—

The ice platform kept forming under my feet and then being crushed as I stepped on it. With each step of the Moon Step, I rushed toward the direction where the little girl was swept away. Sand and wind pressed in from all sides. The dragon’s roar echoed again, clearing the surrounding area. In an instant, Betty’s tiny figure reappeared before my eyes.

Save her…

My mind was only focused on this now. The frequency of the ice platforms forming under my feet became faster, and my palms continuously spewed out frost mist, causing my ascent speed to suddenly increase. The distance between me and the little girl was narrowing… twenty meters, ten meters… five meters…

“Grab my hand!!”

I stretched out my hand, but Betty seemed to have fallen unconscious. She didn’t respond. The dragon’s roar had cleared the surrounding sand and wind, and the little girl’s body fell toward the ground due to gravity.

“Yah!”

I shouted and leaped out with the last ice platform, rushing to the little girl’s side and hugging her tightly.

A thin light shield enveloped us both, allowing me to see her pale face and closed eyes. In the next moment, the sandstorm swept over again, swallowing everything in sight.