ushernet Chapter 760: Traversing the Ruined Mountain
Chapter 760: Traversing the Ruined Mountain
Chapter 760: Traversing the Ruined Mountain
Matter-of-factly, Northern had expected her to turn down his offer to go back home. Based on the steady pattern of her fierce reactions since the first day of their troubled meeting, he suspected she would do the opposite-defiance had become her nature.
He could have scolded her for her brute, unreasonable behavior. But exhaustion weighed on his body, and he found no reason to waste the effort. Even after witnessing the bitter acerbity of battle, she remained stubborn.
What little effect would his words have now?
Instead, he focused his remaining energy on carving a path forward.
With Gareon gone, the battered caravan had lost its leader, yet they still had direction. That man, Jezter-he had been close to the stern Gareon.
He would know the way forward.
The immediate concern, however, was the fractured land ahead. The mountainscape had been reshaped, raw and unrecognizable. They had to survive it first.
The girl visibly paled as she trudged forward, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her mouth quivered, eyes stretching wider with each agonizing step over the warped land.
"No... this is logically impossible. Are you a Paragon?! Did you lie to us?!"
Northern exhaled a slow, weary sigh.
"Why would I lie to you? What would I gain from it?"
She froze. Her wide, trembling eyes glistened with stunned apprehension.
"But... but... how is this possible?! It makes no sense! Absolutely none!!"
Northern ignored her and continued to carefully navigate the ruined and reborn mountain.
With Gareon's death, finding the way forward before the mountain's rebirth would have been difficult. But now, with the land violently torn apart, revealing a dreadful, molten path searing with red-hot flames, that task had grown into something far worse.
Traversing was already dangerous. Now, they also had to watch for sudden bursts of steam erupting from the scorched earth-without warning, without mercy.
She remained silent as they walked, Northern leading the way.
But the disbelief in her eyes refused to fade. From time to time, she cast him wary glances, as if trying to process the impossibility of his existence.
He didn't mind.
He simply trudged forward, dissecting a way through the disaster.
***
Hours passed.
The girl's breath had grown heavy, pearls of sweat rolling down her face. Her alabaster skin, once untouched, now looked pale-almost drained.
Northern was just as tired. But he showed no signs of it.
Just how far had the caravan gone?@@@@
She had almost forgotten, the disastrous fall of Gareon pushing the memory to the back of her mind. But now, it came rushing back-how he had abruptly grabbed her, soaring over a vast distance in mere seconds.
The thought alone summoned a faint, polished pink flush to her cheeks.
She slapped her face, turning it an irritated red.
"Stop that nonsense, Roma!"
With a small huff, she looked up, squinting at the sky in an attempt to see him.
But he was already too far.
***
Northern, meanwhile, glanced downward, watching as she craned her neck, her expression a
mix of frustration and curiosity.
He clicked his tongue.
'What a weird thing.'
Shaking his head, he averted his gaze and focused on the task at hand. Four splintered eyes flared, effortlessly zooming in on the landscape like a natural pair of binoculars.
From this height, the destruction was far more appalling.
A side of the mountain looked as if a colossal infernal hand had shredded it from summit to
base, leaving nothing but scorched ruin.
Northern narrowed his eyes, retracing their path so far.
Then, the corner of his mouth twitched.
An ugly realization dawned on him.
Shame pelted his face like harsh droplets of rain.
All this time, he had been leading them in circles.
He scratched his head sheepishly.
'I had no idea... I thought it was straightforward.'
But before he could dwell on his mistake, something else caught his eye. Something far more
urgent.
The slight look of shame on his face disappeared completely.
His expression darkened.
Something was wrong.