Chapter 127: Falling into the Wasteland

The Black Dragon was unable to finish speaking, for at that moment, the Golden Arrow exploded right before it. In the sky, a massive crimson magic circle appeared, spanning half the capital city’s heavens. A terrifying force surged forth with the red storm, swiftly tearing apart the Black Dragon’s body—harder than diamond—reducing its words to agonized screams.

This red storm’s power was unmatched; everything in its path was annihilated, even the air itself emptied. The tentacles on the rift of space-time rapidly disintegrated before the naked eye, leaving not a trace behind. Although the Black Dragon’s body was torn asunder, not a shred of flesh or blood fell; all was obliterated by the storm.

This dreadful red tempest was like the wrath of a god. Before this power, the Black Dragon was nothing. Link could even sense that this force surpassed the divine might unleashed by the Virgo Gold Cloth during its celestial demon subjugation.

As time passed, the Black Dragon’s vitality waned, and the space-time rift neared collapse. The area entered an unstable state, with certain special elements from a negative dimension beginning to leak out.

These elements had no effect on ordinary people and were imperceptible to them. Only some of the strong could sense them, but none reacted. Yet what astonished Link and Atil was that, upon this force reaching the villa, Reimu and Lin Xi suddenly seemed to lose their souls, slipping into a dazed state.

Immediately, a magical seal blossomed on each of them and then shattered, triggering a unique resonance. Multicolored energy erupted from their bodies.

Seeing this, Link and Atil were utterly shocked. That magical seal had been placed on Reimu and Lin Xi by the three cardinal archbishops to prevent their powers from going out of control through resonance during daily contact. The seal was originally stable, and few knew how to break it. Yet today, under the influence of the negative space’s energy, it had unexpectedly been undone.

Before Link and Atil could react, a new twist arose: Reimu’s Yin-Yang Orb emerged, but alongside it, a pure white spirit talisman also appeared on Lin Xi. It seemed to be a sacred artifact paired with the Yin-Yang Orb. The two relics began to resonate intensely, destabilizing the surrounding space.

But misfortunes never come singly. Just as Link and Atil were caught off guard by this string of unexpected events, the dying Black Dragon let out a final roar, gathering its remaining dragon breath for one last strike against the palace. Yet at that moment, a weapon shot skyward, piercing through the raging red storm and striking the Black Dragon’s left eye. The beast writhed in pain, tilting its head, causing its last breath to veer off and miss the palace.

Unfortunately, the target of the dragon breath’s attack was precisely the villa where Link and his companions stood. Given the attack’s range and speed, evading was impossible.

Despite the chaos, Link’s mind remained extraordinarily clear. In an instant, he grasped another truth and silently cursed, “Sylvanas, damn you!”

In a flash, the dragon breath descended. Dark crimson flames engulfed the villa and everything within a hundred meters, reducing all to ash as countless lives vanished.

Over ten miles outside the capital, Lor’thermar, disguised, suddenly sensed something. He turned to look toward the city, sighed deeply, and murmured, “Sister, did you really do it? Then again, if you had accepted fate, you could never have inherited the cursed Sanctum of the Saints.”

Inside the royal palace, Sylvanas, holding the golden longbow, gazed silently at the burning flames. Her eyes reflected relief, struggle, and a trace of hesitation—so unlike her usual self. Then, an aged voice spoke: “Sylvanas, did you truly strike?”

At the words, guilt flickered in Sylvanas’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolve, pride, and coldness.

“I have said before, I do not believe in those so-called prophecies and destinies. Yes, Neil-Yor did save my life when I was in danger, just as the prophecy foretold. He can look me in the eye without flinching. Perhaps he truly is the one from the prophecy. But for me to submit to fate and bend to him? Impossible. I belong only to myself. I do not trust prophecies or destiny; I control my own fate, and nothing shall dictate my future!”

After hearing Sylvanas’s words, the old voice fell into a long silence before finally sighing without another word.

Sylvanas cast one last deep glance at the scorched earth and whispered, “I do not deny everything about him. If he wants me to acknowledge he is the one from the prophecy, then he must show a power equal to mine. Though the dragon breath is fearsome, it is not utterly devoid of life. If he truly wields a strength that can ignore my killing intent, he could easily save himself and those around him! If he fails, I will honor my promise—I will nurture and support the Father God’s Church, making it the state religion of the Stellar Kingdom. Consider that my compensation to him.”

“...Let us hope so,” the aged voice finally replied after a long pause.

The great battle ended, leaving a devastated capital and survivors grateful to Sylvanas. Her act of shattering the rift and saving the city shaped her image as a savior. With the old king dead and Prince Lor’thermar presumed dead, Sylvanas naturally became the sole heir to the throne. The call for her coronation echoed throughout the capital.

From that day forth, the Stellar Kingdom officially entered the nightmare reign of the Star Queen—radiant and dazzling like the stars themselves.

Yet no matter how brilliant Sylvanas was, it no longer concerned Link and his companions. As Sylvanas began cleaning up the mess, Link and the others found themselves in another realm.

At the moment the dragon breath descended, the resonance between Reimu and Lin Xi reached its peak. Link intended to shield everyone with holy light, but the resonance triggered a spatial upheaval. A small rift in space-time appeared.

But this rift differed from any they had seen before. Its opening stretched like an unfurled pocket filled with countless eyes, seeming to peer into the soul. A mere glance caused Link and Atil’s hearts to skip.

Before they could react, an immense suction force drew all four of them, along with the shadow-dwelling Phantoms, into the rift. The pull only affected living beings; nothing else moved. Moments later, the dragon breath obliterated the surrounding area.

In that instant, Link understood: the Wheel of Fortune’s luck had taken effect. Had he not brought Reimu and Lin Xi, the dragon breath might have at least crippled him if not taken his life. It was their inexplicable shattering of the seals and the resulting relic resonance that saved them.

Inside the strange rift, they felt the world spin wildly. Seconds later, their bodies lightened, and one by one, they collapsed heavily to the ground. Even Atil grunted in pain, and the others groaned aloud.

Yet amid the pain, Link and Atil discovered a silver lining: Reimu and Lin Xi had returned to normal, though they had no memory of the events. As they recovered, they looked around in confusion. Lin Xi asked, “Where is this place?”

There was only silence in response; even Link and Atil had no answer.

They found themselves in a strange, desolate land. Everywhere was wasteland and ruin under a gray, chaotic sky. The entire world was shrouded in oppressive gloom, as if after an apocalypse.

Kneeling, Link examined the soil beneath his feet, frowning. The earth was utterly lifeless; even elemental earth was nearly absent—dead soil. Not only that, but all elemental forces, even darkness, were nearly nonexistent. Only grayness prevailed, like the realm of the dead.

After a pause, Link said to Reimu and Lin Xi, “We don’t know where this is, but it’s definitely not a good place. Still, we escaped with our lives...” Then he recounted the events before arriving here.

Hearing this, both women wore expressions of displeasure. Lin Xi bit her lip and muttered, “That princess is truly hateful. You saved her life, yet she tried to harm you—a cold, heartless tyrant.”

Reimu, unusually angry, agreed, “Yes, that cursed spoiled rich girl! Next time I see her, I’ll take all her treasure!”

Well, that was actually Reimu’s true motive.

Link spoke calmly, “We will settle accounts, for sure. Once we return, I will make her pay.” He paused, then added, “For now, let’s explore and see where we are. Wherever we are, the Father God is with us. This ordeal is a trial from Him. Trust in the Father God, and we will be unstoppable.”

Hearing this, the faithful nodded. Link called forth the Phantoms to scout ahead, while they followed behind, conserving energy. In such a dreadful place, who knew if water or food could be found? They had to ensure they wouldn’t fall to thirst or hunger. As for Bai Ling, being a spiritual pet, as long as her soul remained, she could revive instantly even if physically destroyed.

They moved through the wasteland, the Phantoms scouting everywhere but finding no life—no living plants, just wasteland upon wasteland.

After some minutes, the Phantoms found a mountain peak and leapt to the top. From this vantage, they saw what appeared to be a mountainous forest and rural land, with traces of farmland here and there. In the distance lay the ruins of a village—once inhabited, now utterly lifeless.

After this reconnaissance, Link led the group to the village ruins. They found nothing—no signs of life, not even a single bone—just wasteland within wasteland, suffocatingly bleak.

Their spirits sank, even Reimu’s usually cold demeanor and Atil’s stoic resolve darkened. Just as despair threatened to overwhelm them, the Phantoms sent word—they had found something alive.