Aboard the airship en route to support Vidona, a group of heroes gathered in the main hall on the first floor, the atmosphere hanging heavy with unspoken dread.
“It’s too late. The beast tide has raged for a full day. Vidona might have already succumbed…”
A middle-aged hero furrowed his brow, his words imbued with profound pessimism.
At his grim pronouncement, the other heroes lowered their heads, their silence profound.
Nearly a day had passed since the beast tide erupted, and communication with Vidona had been severed. Thus, no one believed the city could have possibly survived the onslaught.
They were mere moments away from reaching Vidona, yet they knew that what awaited them was not a serene, beautiful city, but a true living hell.
Under the relentless assault of a beast tide, flames would engulf the city, black smoke would billow into the sky, and human blood and severed limbs would be scattered everywhere.
As time wore on, countless flies would be drawn to the carnage, emitting an utterly repulsive stench.
These heroes, seasoned by countless trials, had all witnessed such horrific scenes firsthand.
Thump!
Another hero slammed his fist onto the table, his eyebrows bristling, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.
“These demonic beasts are truly detestable! Even a thousand cuts won’t sate my fury once we reach Vidona!”
“Don’t be too rash. Our first priority should be to search for survivors. Avoid the demonic beasts whenever possible.”
As the surrounding heroes voiced their thoughts, Skyfire, seated at the head of the table, silently retrieved her communicator and once more reviewed the message displayed on its screen.
Her initial thoughts had mirrored those of her comrades: without a Rank 6 hero to defend it, Vidona surely couldn’t have withstood a beast tide of this magnitude.
Yet, just moments ago, she had re-established contact with Vidona. Governor Roy had informed her that the beast tide had been resolved, for reasons unknown.
This undeniably piqued her curiosity. Before they had even set out for support, Roy had warned that a Rank 6 demonic beast might appear in this very tide.
Even if there were only Rank 5 demonic beasts, it was still an insurmountable challenge for Vidona.
“I see Vidona!”
The hero standing by the hall’s window suddenly exclaimed. The other heroes in the hall instantly crowded around, peering through the glass at Vidona.
However, the reality defied their expectations. While many buildings in Vidona had indeed collapsed, the gruesome scene of destruction was conspicuously absent.
They even spotted numerous Vidona residents on the streets.
“Is that Vidona?! Why does it look… fine?”
“Where’s the beast tide? Where did it go?”
“Why do they look like they’ve already started rebuilding?”
The sight before them utterly bewildered them. Gradually, they began to doubt the very truth of the beast tide.
‘Perhaps this beast tide wasn’t as exaggerated as initially described?’
As such thoughts lingered in their minds, and many heroes felt they had been played for fools, a sharp-eyed hero pointed toward the area outside Vidona’s city walls.
“What’s that?! A sea of flowers?”
Following the direction of his finger, they saw a vast, pure white sea of flowers swaying in the breeze, separating the Gloomwood Forest from Vidona—one side a hell, the other a paradise.
Beyond the flower sea, they also witnessed numerous beast corpses scattered across the battlefield, including several powerful Rank 4 demonic beasts.
This undoubtedly dispelled any lingering doubts they held about the beast tide.
However, if a beast tide had indeed erupted, how had this expanse of flowers remained completely unscathed amidst its impact?
Amidst the heroes’ curiosity and confusion, the airship finally hovered above Vidona’s city walls. Without hesitation, they leaped from the airship and descended towards the flower sea.
The rich fragrance of the flowers permeated the air, masking the putrid stench of decaying beast corpses on the battlefield. Only upon drawing closer did the heroes witness its true splendor.
The sea of flowers was like snow, its pristine white petals exquisite and delicate, embodying the purest beauty in the world. As a gentle breeze swept through, morning dew cascaded from the petals, leaving a delicate hint of moisture.
Yet, concealed beneath these blossoms lay piles upon piles of beast skeletons, stretching as far as the eye could see, occupying fully half of the flower sea!
Not only were the heroes struck speechless with shock, but even Skyfire found her lips parting slightly in involuntary awe.
She knew this flower sea was a creation of magic.
Judging by the residual aura emanating from the beast skeletons, there were undoubtedly Rank 4 and Rank 5 demonic beasts among them. Further back in the flower sea, a skeleton tens of meters long lay quietly on the ground, surrounded by exceptionally lush white flowers.
‘It’s a Rank 6 aura, and it seems to have been a… demon?’
‘A demon appeared in the beast tide? And this flower sea actually killed it?’
Events had far exceeded Skyfire’s predictions. A subtle gravity settled upon her beautiful face.
Then, she watched as a woman in black robes walked into the flower sea.
“Teacher! It’s dangerous!”
She didn’t know why Chiling had left the airship, but entering this flower sea seemed overly reckless in her eyes. She instinctively called out a warning.
However, after seeing that the flower sea caused Chiling no harm, she slowly followed suit.
“This flower sea is incredible! It can actually absorb the life force of demonic beasts as its own nourishment. This must be at least a Rank 7 spell, right? Since when did Vidona have such a hero?”
Approaching Chiling, she bent down to gently touch a white flower, asking curiously. Yet, Chiling remained silent for a long moment, prompting her to turn and look at her.
The warm sunlight bathed the flower sea. Chiling plucked a flower and gently placed it to her lips. A ripple of longing stirred in her glistening eyes, and a faint, golden luminescence seemed to shimmer across her fair cheeks.
“…Teacher, are you crying?”
“Am I?”
Chiling snapped back to reality, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. Upon finding it indeed slightly damp, she offered a small smile and said, “She’s alive.”
“She?”
“This is her magic; there’s no mistaking it. She’s alive. She’s right here in Vidona.”
The wind ruffled her long red hair. She scattered the flower in her hand across the flower sea, then turned, her fervent gaze piercing through the flower sea, settling upon Vidona.
“Is it… Senior Silverbloom?”
At this, Skyfire finally had her answer. Only Silverbloom, the senior she so often thought of, could evoke such an expression from her teacher.
However, Chiling did not confirm her guess.
“Skyfire, inform the city’s governor to enact a lockdown. You all must also ensure all entry and exit points of this city are strictly guarded. Do not allow anyone to leave.”
“Yes.”
Having received her teacher’s command, Skyfire left the flower sea, leaving Chiling alone, still enveloped by the pure white blossoms.
‘So, you’ve already left the Demon King’s City? When did this happen? What have you experienced? Why haven’t you met with us…’
The black robes were dampened by the dew on the petals. Chiling pondered many things.
Finally, she shook her head, her delicate hand gently brushed against the petals beside her, and she murmured distractedly:
“After all these years, I can finally see you again…”