Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 497 - 496 - Fear

Lind limped back to the cavern as much of the channels and crystals had cracked in the combination of the attack and his escape.  He finally landed roughly on the stone floor and the controls went dead.

"I have a lot of improvements to make in the future."  The Nautilus could be repaired but he did not have that much material left in his ring at that point to do it all.  He could probably get it to fly again but any attacks or defenses were unlikely.

Once he got out  he saw gouges in the hull where the Raptors had hit him but there were also numerous dents from the other strikes of metal rods.

He also noted a few of the projectors for external Qi had cracked from within, not from without.  He was in the middle of examining it all when all his hairs stood on end.

His dragon soul was also restless but he could not focus on why.  The Heavens also seemed to rumble but no clouds gathered.  Yet, everyone else was smiling to see him ok and looked no different.

The wounded wyverns had fallen back as the army below also pulled back, but why?  Why did they suddenly pull back?

They were losing people but Fiends did not really care about that to his knowledge.  They would burn agents if they so choose at any time.

They had a whole continent to pull from, so why fall back?

"Master!"  Two voices cried out before he was hugged from behind.  He would normally hug them back but his feeling of tension was too high.  Something was wrong but what?

"M-mr. Lind"  A tremulous voice called out in fear.  The mountain spirit ran to him and he held her close.  "It feels bad."

He looked around and found another Sky Realm beast.  It was his only theory but perhaps the others were too weak to feel it.

"Do you feel anything?"  The wyvern once had pure white skin but was now deep crimson of its blood.  It looked at him as it laid on the mountain but only in confusion.  It understood him but felt nothing odd either.

Why did he and the spirit feel something different from the rest?

She was an Immortal Realm being so perhaps that explained her but why was he being triggered?

"Have you ever felt it before?"  The spirit shivered but nodded her head.  Lind's eyes narrowed as he suspected when.

"The last time Delor left, I felt it faintly and then he was gone!"  She cried but he held her as he transformed his eyes to vertical slits.  He dared not use his Heaven Eyes as anything that could kill Immortals would blind him.

He was able to see more Raptors, but his eyes narrowed on the massive floating fortress that had come with them.  It did not seem like a simple flying artifact as it slowly approached the mountain.

It stayed just outside the base but Lind knew it had to be the source of the threat the moment he set eyes on it.  He did not understand it but he felt it in his bones.  His soul trembled just to look at it.

"What is that artifact?"  Lind spoke out loud but the spirit grasped him harder.

"I saw them before when the others died but not Delor.  He hid from them at his brothers' urging until the end."  She wept and Lind knew he had his answer in part.  How had the Fiends killed Immortals, they had weapons that could do so!

If Heaven Realms could exist in the Floating Isles, it was possible the lowest tier of Immortals could exist in the Heaven Realm itself.

Or at least, grade 7 materials!  If they could bring such a weapon down to a mortal realm, it would be unstoppable.  It had to be very cost intensive and the teleportation array alone was insane to his considerations, but if it secured a resource mine, then it was worth it to them.

They needed people to refine for their cultivation in numbers that could not be sustained without mortal realms.  Still, Lind suspected there was more to it.  Fiends needed high grade materials as much as anyone.

Yet he did not see how they could benefit from kill an Immortal as they must have.  The Void of Heaven must have a limit or they would simply send an Immortal Fiend to refine them.

Lind took a breath and used his Heaven Touch to feel the Qi.  His meridians instantly burned!  He had to circulate his Qi quickly or he would suffer severe damage!

"I-Immortal Fiend Qi!"  He nearly collapsed but the spirit was with him as well as Kiran and Mika.  How was he supposed to fight that?!

If Immortal dragons had been killed by the same weapon, he was as good as a bug facing a windshield.

Still, if they truly could not bring Immortals, the attack was not immediate.  The inefficiency would rise exponentially the greater the difference in realms trying to use an artifact or formation.

Assuming an expert did their best to compensate for that, a few days at best would be needed to reach the level of Qi needed.

The spirit was shivering but Lind was calming down.  A direct attack was useless as they had the perfect defense.  Immortal level pressure comes off of materials just like cultivators.  Assuming they had sufficient amounts, he would be smashed to a bloody puddle if he got close.

His eyes looked as best they could and noted the reinforced cube at the very center of the circular top of the artifact.  Still, it did not help in trying to defuse it.

"I am scared."  The little spirit clung to him and Lind finally felt a tremor as well.  He had no way out.  If that artifact killed Immortals, none of them could stop it!

Think damn it!  He had studied the elements, harmonies, and so much history it could fill several sects many times over!  He had discussed with the Star Tier beasts about how their skills worked and their cultivation so he should be able to extrapolate something!

His mind raced but every route came to the same conclusion.  Death.

He was about to lose hope when he looked at the terrified face of the little girl in his arms.  He saw Kiran and Mika looking up in confusion and some fear but there was faith there too.

They had faith in him.  The others also looked on, waiting for him to solve the problems once more.  As he looked around he saw the 3 cocoons and finally resolved himself.

There was, theoretically, a way to buy some time, but it meant choosing a path that was very terrifying for him.

"Everything will be alright, trust me."  He suddenly sounded confident and the tension drained from everyone.  Even the little spirit looked up through her tears at him and he smiled wide.

"I need to do a few things so let me get to work."  He then handed the spirit to Kiran and patted all their heads as he moved next to the 3 cocoons.  He created an isolation weaving as well as a Qi gathering ability.

He then summoned his emerald flames as they gently covered each cocoon.  He felt connected instantly to the 3 beasts but their minds were quiet.  They were still transforming and he had to buy them the time they needed.

"I don't know how many times I have faced this choice but I feel different this time.  Making it in the heat of the moment is very different from deliberately thinking about it.  My back is to the wall but I could get away.  I could escape with a few people for a time and live out my days out of reach of the Fiends."  The Nautilus could fly again and it was enough to escape.

The little spirit of the mountain though, could not leave.  As he spoke to the 3 slumbering dragons to be, he felt his fear fall away.

"I know you won't remember until you wake up, but I am glad to have helped you all.  I don't know what will happen when you awaken but the spirit will need you.  The realm will need you.  I have left all my knowledge behind and what artifacts I will set aside now are yours to use."  Lind looked up at the skies and felt melancholy.

He had done it before but it felt final that time.  It felt like there was no safety net waiting for him or dumb luck.

"I have wives in another realm.  If you are able to reach out to the Alliance, tell them Lind Frey loves them dearly.  I know they already think I am dead.  I can't feel Ethry at all so she must be enraged at the Fiends.  I miss them so much."  Tears threatened but he held them back.

It would not do him any good.

He looked back at the people who looked at him as he nurtured the cocoons.

"I have one last order to give as a Divine Dragon.  Live for the people.  Live for their dreams to reignited on the path of cultivation.  Open the door of hope to rise above mortality once more."  He felt his soul stir as the emerald flames seemed to glow more than normal but he simply let it be.

He bowed to each and then walked out of his weaving.  It would remain no matter what happened to him.

Kiran and Mika looked suddenly serious as he approached the Nautilus while summoning the last of his materials.  If he was going to be stupid, he might as well go for broke.

He held nothing back as his elements flared near the mid tier 7 he had reached in his cultivation as he improved the weavings as well.  He changed how they worked at the narrow end as well as incorporating a few more artifacts from his ring.

Before he was done he set aside a storage pouch for each dragon to be and then walked over to the now sleeping spirit.  She had exhausted herself.

"You 2 are in charge until I get back.  These are for the future."  Mika looked down at the 3 treasures and back up at him.  Kiran's eyes teared up but he patted their heads.  Carla suddenly seemed to understand something but said nothing as she began to cry.

He smiled at them all before reboarding his ship.  He had included the blueprints and ideas for making more ships in the future but he paused as he looked at the freshly repaired controls.

"You have done well.  I wish I could say we had many years ahead of us, but the journey comes to an end here.  We have to protect the future."  Lind infused his Qi as the hum of the ship filled the cabin.

Compared to before, it moved much more fiercely and the front glowed with profound sigils as he turned it out over the edge.  He had taken a day to finish all he had to do but there was no need to delay.

As all looked on, emerald light began to gather at the back of the Nautilus as all the rest suddenly understood Lind was going to die.  He had chosen to die to save them and tears flowed.  He had brought hope to the endless Hell of their lives.

The Nautilus became like a sun before the mountain woke up and suddenly tried to leave Kiran's embrace.  She was screaming incoherently and weeping when the sound of thunder filled the cavern and the Nautilus vanished.