Vampire God in the Apocalypse

Chapter 332 - 329. The archives (6)

The next day arrived in a heartbeat, and a few people were there to see Dexter and his small group off.

Rameses was standing in front of the gate, along with Flair. Gazan was also there; his people seemed to blend in with the humans recently, and there is peace with a common enemy. Rose was also there, seemingly annoyed that she couldn’t go with Dexter and would be stuck here with these humans.

Seraphina was also there; she only gave a subtle nod before heading back inside. And with that, Dexter left the scene.

Hannah summoned two draconic wings, along with her father. The two of them took off to the skies.

Dexter smiled, summoning the black wings that had accompanied him for a long time. He flapped, zooming upwards towards the other two.

"He’s hot, isn’t he?"

Rose nearly shrieked as she heard a feminine voice close to her. She regained her composure when she saw that it was Kami, the fox.

"You beast? You’re here too?" she asked, looking at Kami with a strange gaze.

"It seems you haven’t learned manners since the last time we met." Kami balled her fists, and lightning crackled over them.

Rose only smiled, her claws extending.

"And here I was thinking that I wasn’t going to have any fun here." With that, they lunged at each other.

...

The wind blew past Dexter as he hurriedly caught up to Hannah and Dian. He had been flying for months now, so he had more experience in the air.

Meanwhile, the dragon general had been flying for hundreds of years, apparently. So there was no way that Dexter would beat him in aerial prowess.

Or could he?

"Hm?" Dian frowned as he noticed Dexter flying past him. He frowned, flapping harder to match the pace.

Hannah, on the other hand, didn’t even seem to be flying with much effort. It was like the winds around her were propelling her forward.

Dexter couldn’t help but think that it was magic.

All of a sudden, the air around him shook, and he turned, looking around. Dian, noticing Dexter had stopped, halted and gazed at him.

"What is it?!" he shouted. The winds were louder now that they were close to the clouds, so he had to shout.

"Something dangerous is close by!" Dexter responded, diving downwards.

His eyes were locked forward. Focused.

"There’s something pulling me," he added, quieter. "If I stop now... I might lose it."

They pressed on forward, following Dexter.

The ocean came into view soon enough. And it was by no means what he had expected.

The surface of the sea looked like it had been stitched back together by something careless, as there were different colours of water not mixing with each other. And there was blood mixed with the waters.

Waves moved in unnatural patterns—some crashing violently while others stood completely still, like frozen sculptures. It was definitely unsettling.

And then—

"There!" Hannah’s father pointed.

Dexter turned, looking to see an island in the direction Dian pointed. But something about it seemed unnatural.

’It’s moving?’

No... not quite.

The massive landmass floated just on the surface of the ocean, suspended by nothing.

The edges were jagged, and Dexter couldn’t see any signs of life coming from the island.

He slowed down, deciding to look from afar.

"...What is that?" Hannah whispered.

Even the wind seemed quieter near it.

As they drew closer, the air changed. It was not just the air; gravity seemed to draw towards the island.

And then, Dexter felt a chill down his spine as a low wailing sound came from the surface of the island.

Dian’s pupils shrank.

"...Don’t stop," he said immediately.

Hannah blinked. "What?"

"Don’t look too long. Don’t get close. Just—pass it."

Dexter felt anxious, looking at Dian’s unsettling expression. It was as if he was scared of something.

There was something in his voice that made both of them obey without question.

They veered slightly, moving towards their original direction.

They were past it.

Silence lingered for a while after, and only the wind remained in their ears. Dexter was staring at Dian with a questioning gaze, and the elderly dragon sighed.

"The thing on that island—we can’t handle it right now. Not today." He gritted his teeth.

Dian struck Dexter as an arrogant man, one who had a strict system of living—enough to lead an entire elite military group.

But now all of that confidence seemed to brush past.

Then Hannah spoke again, quieter this time.

"...The world’s gone insane."

Dexter exhaled slowly.

"No," he said. "This is the world. It has been like this, but we never saw it."

She frowned. "That doesn’t make it better."

"It’s not supposed to."

He glanced down at the ocean below, suddenly going into deep thought.

"You remember borders?" Dexter asked suddenly.

Hannah scoffed. "Barely."

"Lines on maps. Countries. Governments. Presidents..." Dexter’s lips curled faintly. "All of that was built on the assumption that humans were at the top of the chain."

Her father nodded slowly. "And now?"

Dexter smiled shamefully, looking at Dian, who asked that sudden question as if he already didn’t know the answer.

"Why are you asking that? You’re a dragon! You’re supposed to be a myth."

Dian only chuckled.

"Anyway, presidents don’t matter when a creature can erase a city by waking up," he continued. "Armies don’t matter when space itself can tear open above your capital."

Hannah crossed her arms mid-flight, her wings still steady.

"You’re right. A powerful person can become a ruler."

Dexter didn’t answer immediately, only mumbling after surveying the surroundings. They were not flying close to the clouds anymore.

"Power decides who rules now." He spoke with more certainty than ever.

Her father let out a low breath. "Then over half the world is already gone."

"More than half," Dexter corrected.

His eyes narrowed as a new landmass broke into his vision. He smiled, wondering how fast they were flying and for how long. It didn’t feel like it had been long, but it had been very long.

He was sure that he had seen a night sky once... or was it twice?

The coastline stretched endlessly. Unexpectedly, there weren’t any ports—no boats either.

What used to be a nation...

Now looked like a battleground for a world war. Now that Dexter even imagined it, it could be alright to call this World War 3, as they were already fighting against beings to protect their world.

Soon, they broke through into the country.

Forests that looked like empty grounds of destruction. Ash, broken trees, skeletons—signs of dreadful battles.

Cities half-consumed by overgrowth—or something worse.

The air itself shimmered in places, like heatwaves that never faded. And all of this was evidence of the struggle humanity was going through right now.

Hannah slowed slightly, turning and looking at Dexter.

Dian’s voice cut through and reached his ears.

"...This is Nigeria?"

Dexter didn’t answer right away. His gaze swept across the land, and he couldn’t help but shake his head in disappointment.

He remembered this place, of course. He fought a strangely powerful behemoth here on the border before they boarded a boat to escape this dreadful country.