Chapter 305

Chapter Ninety-One Tracing the Tracks

The setting sun slowly sank behind the overlapping verdant mountains.

The crimson sky in the valley seemed to be smeared with a touch of blood. The twilight light from the clouds broke through the peaks above, pouring down and dyeing the towering ridges and deep valleys, as well as the purple waters and green woods, with a dusk-yellow halo. Layers of mist made everything appear hazy, like a painting.

If not for the occasional corpses peeking out from the lush greenery, this would have been a sight to behold.

I wasn’t flying particularly fast, deliberately keeping low to almost skim over the valley. I was searching for the knights’ bodies, hoping to find traces of Margaret.

I couldn’t feel the biting wind. Black flames flickered around me, casting silvery-white light that tightly enveloped my body.

In a way, this could be considered losing part of the “flying experience” — compared to the imagined freedom of unrestricted flight, I felt more like I was being gently carried along, well protected. This differed from riding an airplane; here, I could freely control my path, with a wide view and a body that could move naturally with the flight, rather than sitting rigidly in a seat, only able to gaze at the clouds outside, feeling uncomfortable and unable to sleep properly after a while.

Flying truly was exhilarating.

If possible, I would fly aimlessly for three days and nights, soaring into the clouds, reaching places I’ve never been before, stopping to eat when tired, sleeping soundly, and then continuing to fly — such an extreme experience was far more enjoyable than any game, and I was starting to get addicted… but now was not the time.

Now, I needed to act swiftly.

And I hadn’t forgotten that this irresistible power came from the black flames.

It was the power of the Abyss.

So, I couldn’t indulge…

I shook my head in the flames, trying to stay clear-headed.

The power of the Abyss was too tempting…

I didn’t even need to try; eating would make me stronger. Strength would give me many convenient abilities: sharp blades that could cut through anything, the power to create thousands of soldiers with a single person, the ability to soar freely in the sky… there might be even more conveniences and temptations in the future. But the more so, the more I feared the chaotic power within me.

Because I understood that all effortless gains… those seemingly satisfying things that required no cost to obtain, ultimately demanded a heavy price, including interest… it was an eternal truth in the world.

Whether in the past or present, whether in developed countries or backward ones, it was the same. The difference lay only in the number and variety of ways in which “temptation” lured you into traps — through “zero-cost” offers, comfortable and interesting things, or projects… the difference was merely in the quantity and variation of these temptations.

In the previous world, perhaps eighty percent of people didn’t understand this principle, and they would eventually become various kinds of韭菜 (lettuce) on the dinner plate.

But I understood.

I understood, so I had to be vigilant.

But sometimes, I had no choice but to use this terrifying power… like when facing Teresa’s monster, or earlier in the mud of the Abyss, or now.

I had already flown out of the undulating valley, below which were the Church’s warhorses waiting outside.

There should have been three warhorses, but I only saw two, both overturned beside the road. One was directly beneath me, and another slightly further away, almost running into the forest ahead, but ultimately unable to avoid being overturned by some divine miracle — it must have been a large-scale one, where someone had plowed the entire visible ground. Loose soil and rocks surged out of the ground, the moss-covered stone path completely changed, the surface nearly destroyed.

Terrifying power…

I controlled the flames to descend and examined the area around the two warhorses, then found the bodies of two drivers and a nun named Benshu… most of the dead were Church knights.

These bodies seemed to have been crushed by a terrible beast, their organs squeezed out and scattered meters away, long beyond human form.

But one of the warhorses seemed to have escaped…

I didn’t linger here, nor did I have the time to deal with the bodies.

I flew into the forest, searching for a long time before finding several spots where wooden wheels had rolled over the soil. These marks were already old, almost buried under leaves and dust, surrounded by many animal hoof prints.

Someone had chased them… judging by the tracks, they seemed to have left towards the direction of the capital city.

The capital city was just three days’ journey away. If she had escaped successfully, had Margaret returned to the capital city… that would be best… as long as she was in the capital, Bishop Nero shouldn’t dare act recklessly…

If that were true…

But then I frowned again.

The situation in the capital city wasn’t optimistic…

Not to mention the situation outside the city, the new Abyss had a high likelihood of still being inside the city. That little girl, she might have eaten people… if I was right, her current state shouldn’t have reached an irreparable point yet.

She still remembered me, could consciously cast illusions to communicate something to me… she still retained some human rationality…

She still

There was no massacre…

But she had already started eating people…

Thinking about this, my heart couldn’t help but feel anxious.

No…

I have to hurry.

I must find Margaret before things get out of hand, tell her the information from this side, and face the new abyss together with her… If possible, I want Margaret to help me… Don’t rush into attacking, try to communicate first…

That little girl called me sister; she might still remember me…

If it’s not too late, maybe there’s still time.

If she could be like me…

If I could find a companion, someone who shares the same fate as me…

Even if she is very young… at least, when I feel uncomfortable or scared, I will have someone I can talk to freely… I can share everything buried deep in my heart with her, we can share each other’s pain and weaknesses, and work together to overcome them…

If that were the case…

It would be wonderful…

Standing quietly amidst the lush forest for a moment, my gaze looked southward, watching the sunset half-buried by the mountains.

Then, the burning black flames gradually obscured the faint light of dusk in my vision.

Stop daydreaming, focus on the task at hand…

I took a deep breath, bent my knees, and leaped.

The pale light suddenly bloomed under my feet, and my petite body soared again, heading south at low altitude. Countless trees rapidly receded below, becoming blurred in my sight.

The speed of flying with black flames was incomparable to that of an antelope beast, nearly several times faster. But the consumption was also enormous, and I could feel the chaotic power within me depleting quickly.

Fortunately, I had eaten well in the mud earlier… otherwise, I would soon be hungry. Being hungry is not good…

I roughly estimated. At this consumption rate, if I fly at full speed, I should be able to last… at least one day should be fine.

But that’s based on exhausting all the chaotic power… I can’t exhaust it all, at least I need to keep half of it, otherwise, I don’t even know what kind of state I would be in.

That means even half a day… I’m not sure if it’s enough, let’s take it step by step.

Find Margaret first…

…………

If searching and flying leisurely in the valley earlier was like experiencing the joy of flight, then flying at full speed was akin to a regular person persistently running. Even if one has excellent physical fitness and is an elite marathon runner, maintaining a constant speed throughout the race requires only one thing: perseverance.

I currently have a similar feeling.

So tired…

Despite having much reserve energy left. The chaotic power within me is still abundant, yet the prolonged flight leaves me utterly exhausted. This fatigue is mental, as I need to constantly focus on controlling the black flames, every moment requires full effort, and any distraction would slow down my speed. Moreover, I am not proficient in it, and I need to constantly pay attention to the ground situation, which makes me feel especially tired, wanting to stop and rest or slow down.

But I can’t…

I haven’t found Margaret yet.

I flew very high, almost two to three hundred meters above the ground, doing so to have a panoramic view of the situation below. I can’t search slowly by following ground traces, that would be too inefficient; by the time I find her, it might be too late.

I can only fly higher while ensuring I can clearly see the ground situation, making the field of vision wider. As long as the direction is correct, this is the fastest way to find someone—I am not just looking for Margaret.

At this height, people below look like ants, the smallest kind of black ants… it’s impossible to distinguish between Margaret and Carlos; I am searching for the knight of the church.

The night is already deep.

Even if they travel through the night, they would need to light torches. I don’t know how many people survived, at least a few hundred? In that case, the light of the torches would be particularly prominent in the night. At my current height, I can spot them as soon as they appear. Once I find them, Margaret shouldn’t be far away.

The farther, the better.

This is actually a gamble. A bet that Margaret indeed headed south all along without turning. If she suddenly went east or west halfway, then I won’t be able to find her.

But I have no other choice…

Because finding Margaret led to the destruction of the city by the abyss, or because rushing to the city failed to save Margaret… either scenario, I don’t want any of them to happen.

My heart is filled with indescribable complexity.

All I can do is fly at full speed in the night sky and open my eyes wide.

I hope everything goes as I wish…

Soon after, starlight flickered in a line, resembling a long dragon appearing in the distance on the plain.

… Found it!

That’s them! Those knights of the church!

The elation lasted only a moment; I quickly suppressed the smile on my face, restraining all emotions inside, controlling the black flames to decelerate and hover in the air, waving to extinguish the black flames.

White light is too conspicuous, it will be discovered… I have to sneak up quietly.

Then…

After losing the protection of the flames, my body began to plummet rapidly.

The familiar wind rushed into my ears. I watched the seemingly advancing formation in the distance and couldn’t help but smile again.

Fat Nero…

Are you there?

You attacked me before, almost killing me… I have to make you experience that taste too.