Chapter 80: The Collapse and the Retreat

While Aldoran and Fafnir confronted each other within the cavern, Roalsa and the others outside the cave quietly sensed the surge of magic.

The fluctuations were incredibly potent, imbued with an indescribable, ancient quality that set them apart from any known magical surge.

They resonated instead with the descriptions found in forgotten ancient texts, hinting at a long-lost magic from a bygone era.

“Hey, Roalsa, you’ve been in there for quite a while now; did you discover anything?”

Olivia’s gaze was fixed anxiously on the cave entrance, her hand gripping her sword, unwilling to relax even for a moment, poised to strike at any instant.

Never before had any member of the Knight Order experienced such a volatile and formidable surge of magic.

“The leader of these bandits, Fafnir, is a Dragonkin.”

“Dragonkin?”

At the mention of ‘Dragonkin,’ everyone—save for Eden and the Cloaked Young Woman—turned their heads in unison to stare at Roalsa.

Dragonkin had always been creatures confined to legend, their appearances throughout the history of Midgard so scarce that records could be counted on one hand.

Now, for Roalsa to claim that a Dragonkin resided within this cave, it was nothing short of astonishing.

“You’re not serious, are you, Roalsa? Falsifying military intelligence is a grave offense!” Caesar was the first to exclaim after the initial shock wore off.

‘What kind of joke is this?! How could a Dragonkin possibly dwell in such a dilapidated cave?!’

Roalsa licked her lips, acknowledging that she couldn’t be entirely certain the young woman inside was indeed a Dragonkin.

All the information she had gathered so far had come from the young man named Brunhilde.

“I’m not certain, but…”

“Then there’s still room for maneuver.”

Olivia cut Roalsa off before she could finish, “But we absolutely cannot let our guard down; regardless of what’s inside, there’s no doubt that her power far surpasses ours.”

“Little Fan-chan, come with me for a moment.” Amidst the crowd, Eden gently tugged at the Cloaked Young Woman’s sleeve, guiding her as they squeezed through the throng and found refuge behind a large tree.

Eden first scanned their surroundings, then leaned in close to the Cloaked Young Woman’s ear, lowering his voice as he softly inquired,

“Little Fan-chan, do you require my Millennial Garden now? If so, I can deploy it immediately.”

The young woman shook her head, her voice equally hushed.

“They’ve already emerged; Fafnir didn’t pursue them, and besides…”

“Besides…”

The young woman paused, casting a bewildered glance at Eden, a perplexed expression on her face.

“Sleipnir also came out with them.”

“Sleipnir?!”

Eden’s eyes immediately widened, staring at the young woman in disbelief.

He took a few steps back, his lips pressed into a tight line, and pondered for a full three minutes before speaking again.

“How is that possible? How could Sleipnir be here? Shouldn’t she be with the young woman named Lance?”

“I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter; as long as she ultimately belongs to Lord Odin, that’s all that counts.”

The young woman then seemed to recall something, quickly shedding her confusion and reverting to her usual composure.

“Fate points to this outcome, so regardless of the process, they will inevitably reach the destiny prescribed for them.

Sleipnir is destined to be taken under Lord Odin’s wing.”

“What about Lance then? Sleipnir was supposed to be handed over to Lord Odin by Lance; she was supposed to be Lance’s child, but now…”

“No, Uncle, you should have understood this long ago: the process is irrelevant.

No matter what they do, or what their relationship is, Sleipnir’s ultimate fate is to belong to Lord Odin.”

“Did Lady Mimir say this?”

The young woman shook her head.

“No, Vidofnir told me; she assured me I could rest easy, for Sleipnir’s fate this time belongs to Lord Odin.”

“I see.”

Eden assumed a pensive expression.

“And Roalsa, then, this time’s Sigurd…”

The young woman glanced at the distant crowd, a look of certainty on her face.

“As for Roalsa, her crest appears to have begun awakening.

Our next step is to await the Holy Sword Balmung.

Once the Holy Sword is also roused, that scene can be re-enacted.”

“With that, we too will possess a reliable combatant.”

At this, the young woman and Eden almost simultaneously lifted their gazes, their eyes meeting.

A flicker of light sparked in both their eyes.

****

Just then, the earth suddenly began to tremble.

The two immediately rushed towards the cave, where dust rained down, the entrance rapidly collapsing, and trees toppling one after another.

“What’s happening?!”

In the distance, Olivia shouted as she steadied herself, the previously calm situation suddenly fraught with tension.

All the knights simultaneously unleashed their magic, bracing themselves, waiting for the moment their opponent would emerge.

“I’m not detecting the magical surge from before! This might be caused by physical factors!”

Roalsa responded, already beginning to direct the knights closest to the cave to evacuate.

“Fall back! Maintain formation! Do not scatter! Stay vigilant at all times!”

“Little Fan-chan, can you sense it? What’s going on?” Eden, held by the young woman, floated high in the air.

“Fafnir’s magical fluctuations caused the cave-in earlier, and now it’s Sleipnir and Lord Odin’s group rushing out.”

Suddenly, the young woman’s pupils contracted, and she uttered an abrupt, seemingly out-of-place remark.

“Three hundred meters left.”

As soon as the young woman finished speaking, she instantly darted aside.

In the blink of an eye, a mere breath after she vanished from her spot, a green light streaked past where she had been, soaring straight into the sky.

Immediately after, another golden beam burst forth.

“Is that Fafnir?!” Caesar raised her hand, and all the knights instantly aimed their weapons at the sky, awaiting Caesar’s command to launch their attack.

Roalsa hurried forward, forcefully pressing down Caesar’s arm.

“That’s not Fafnir! It’s Aldoran and her companions! Prepare for rescue immediately! The rest of you, remain on guard at the cave entrance!”

Then, Roalsa drew the greatsword from her back, unleashing a powerful swing.

The greatsword instantly conjured a hurricane that transformed into wings, carrying Roalsa as she soared into the sky.

“Tsk, what are these idiots blocking the way for! I’m about to collapse!” Hovering in mid-air, Sleipnir saw the group below poised for attack, and her temper flared.

She had originally intended to immediately absorb Aldoran and Qing Yu’s magic after taking them, but having forcibly dragged her injured body out of Fafnir’s cave, Sleipnir was now struggling to maintain herself.

If ambushed by the people below, it would be a futile effort.

“Hey! You two, can you get down yourselves?! I can’t hold on much longer!”

Sleipnir, now transformed into an eight-legged Pegasus, roared loudly.

Aldoran and Qing Yu were mostly unharmed, but carrying them meant she couldn’t absorb their magic, and there was even a risk of them turning on her.

Sleipnir’s most pressing concern now was to find a place far from humans to recuperate; absorbing magic would have to wait.

Coincidentally, Aldoran also had no desire to remain with Sleipnir.

Hearing Sleipnir’s words, she immediately took Qing Yu’s hand, flipped over from Sleipnir’s back, and descended towards the ground with a blue radiance, taking Qing Yu with her.

At this moment, Roalsa had also flown up; she saw Aldoran and Qing Yu, then glanced at the green light speeding away into the distance—

“Hey! Aldoran, who was that?!”

“Sleipnir! Don’t worry about her! She’s still useful for now! Let her leave!” Aldoran responded, accelerating her descent, cradling Qing Yu as they plunged towards the ground like a meteor.

“Boom—”

Accompanied by a deafening roar, thick smoke billowed everywhere.

Aldoran, carrying Qing Yu horizontally, pushed through the haze, stepped out of the deep crater, and walked before the assembled group.

“I’m back.”

“Lady Aldoran, move aside!”

Before anyone could respond to Aldoran, another shout echoed from the sky.

Thrud, covered in mud and radiating a golden light, landed on the ground in an ungainly sprawl.

“Are you alright, Thrud?!”

Liliya, roused by the commotion, immediately rushed over and helped Thrud up from the ground.

Thrud spat out a mouthful of mud, her gaze immediately finding Qing Yu and Aldoran.

“Lord Qing Yu, Lady Aldoran, I sensed your magical fluctuations and followed you out.

Are you both unharmed?”

“No, no, no, we’re fine. Are *you* alright, Thrud?”

Qing Yu hopped down from Aldoran’s arms, asking worriedly.

Thrud, seemingly unharmed, picked herself up, brushed the dust from her clothes, and replied with a smile, “I’m fine.”

“Hey! What just happened?!” While everyone was reassuring each other, Caesar suddenly burst forth, grabbing Aldoran by her collar and immediately demanding, “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!”

“I had a conflict with Fafnir inside the cave, and its intensity led to the collapse of the cavern and a series of subsequent events.”

“By the way, how is Fafnir? And Brunhilde?” Caesar was about to say more, but Roalsa approached, cutting her off, and began firing questions at Aldoran like a barrage.

“Fafnir is still alive; her power is indeed formidable.

As for Brunhilde, whom you mentioned, I didn’t notice anyone by that name.”

Aldoran calmly replied, straightening her collar.

Then, recalling Sleipnir’s shout towards Fafnir as she carried Aldoran and Qing Yu away, Aldoran added,

“However, he should be fine; Fafnir seemed quite fond of him, so she likely wouldn’t let him be harmed.”

“I see, that’s good then…” Roalsa nodded, though a faint worry still lingered on her face.

At that moment, Olivia also came closer.

“Should we press our advantage now and annihilate the enemy in one swift strike?”

Aldoran immediately rejected the proposal.

“No, there’s no need. Fafnir’s power is immense, and we would be no match for her if we were to engage.

Everything must be carefully considered; we cannot act impulsively.”

Olivia pondered for a few seconds before acknowledging Aldoran’s assessment.

“We’ll do as you say.”

Immediately, Olivia turned and raised her hand, and all the knights instantly fell silent, watching her expectantly.

“Now, return to Alastor!”