The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Its right paw was gripped tightly by a gaping maw that emerged from the dark current, gnawing down to the base of its arm. The golden fur and the dark golden river seemed to emit an unclean murmur as they came into contact.

Two substances with similar colors but completely opposite brightness begin to destroy each other at an equal rate from the moment they come into contact.

The more the Golden Wolf's flesh and blood disappeared, the thinner the shadow of the Dark River became.

From the moment the golden wolf appeared, Aoko recognized their true nature.

That is not some ancient divine offspring that has survived to this day, nor is it a magical nemesis given the name of a fantasy species.

Rather, it is something deeper, originating directly from this land beneath our feet, the very essence of planetary consciousness that was once revered as a dragon by practitioners in the Far East.

The former is already such a formidable mystery.

So what terrifying entity is behind the latter, which is currently waxing and waning, those dark golden substances?

It was indeed a fearsome unknown thing, but those who feared it did not include Aoko at this moment.

The wolf-like beasts before her were tearing at the dense underground river in agony, but Qingzi, who was protected deep within the river, inexplicably felt a sense of security.

A sense of relief, somewhere between embarrassment and relief, like "Oh, I'm saved, I almost died."

The stalemate did not last long.

This brief tug-of-war ended with Golden Meteor No. 3, the golden retriever, severing his left arm to escape.

Joyful sounds of feasting followed, after the golden retriever severed its left arm from its body and returned to its pack.

The remaining left arm finally stopped corroding and destroying itself with the underground river; its form changed from poison to a delicious meal.

After the last golden hair disappeared, the previously faint dark current returned to the deep dark gold color it had at first glance, and the tone even became more subdued.

Aoko observed this change and inexplicably felt a joyful atmosphere of turning a loss into a profit. Even this meticulous and calculating style gave her a sense of familiarity.

"Lucky, so it turns out that these bastards can be eaten as long as their connection with Gaia is severed."

At the same moment, a clear, youthful voice rang in Aoko's ears.

That was a voice that was completely different from the surrounding chaotic dark golden river, a voice that made Aoko recall the clear spring in the mountain behind her house.

"Little believer?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes, I'm listening, Aoko-neechan, who's overflowing with sympathy."

The expected response came.

"Little Nobunaga, what happened to you?" Aoko was immediately shocked, far more so than when she had just witnessed the three nature spirits.

"Sister Qingzi, you're so rude! What do you mean by 'become like this'? How could I possibly become this ugly? This is a small amount of assets I'm temporarily lending you. Remember to return it to me after you're done, okay? I'm talking to you through this tiny puddle of the [Time Sea] right now, and apologize to me immediately! Right now!"

The boy on the other end seemed to have been driven to madness by the provocation.

"Very good……"

Upon hearing this, Qingzi's tense nerves relaxed.

If such a gentle, soft, lovely, and considerate little cotton-padded jacket were to turn into a dark, black slime like this, she would feel utterly disillusioned.

"No, what was with that relieved tone you just used, you piece of trash?"

"It's an illusion, an illusion!"

"Humph!"

"Well, we'll talk about the apology later! Little Xinnu, where are you now?"

"I'm searching the whole world for a power stick to prepare for my transformation."

"what?"

"Those damned dogs over there are looking for the Spark Lens too, watch out!"

"!"

Thanks to the boy's advance warning, Qingzi was able to observe the abnormality of the three golden wolves in the dark river in time.

Somehow, roots that don't resemble those of animals have grown on their bodies, and emerald green vines have replaced their soft golden fur, growing wildly and eventually intertwining together.

Along with the ground beneath her feet—no, what Aoko was standing on was the living underground river, and the corridor beneath the river, or more accurately, everything Aoko could see at that moment.

The world has silently transformed into a form unlike anything it should be.

From the moment the golden wolves sprouted roots all over their bodies to the world changing its appearance, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The surrounding underground river also changed shape, transforming into a dark golden bird with a wide wingspan, resembling a crow. Before the emerald green, active roots could spread over, it suddenly flapped its wings, carrying Qingzi, breaking through the cage and soaring into the sky.

Aoko gripped the crow's reins tightly, crouching low on its back to minimize wind resistance.

This was a completely new experience for her, as it is for a high school girl who has just entered her first year of high school or a novice magician who has only been in the industry for half a year.

Aoko had never ridden a fantasy creature capable of flying through the clouds before, so she had no experience to speak of. All of her actions just now came from the fluid mechanics knowledge in her physics textbook.

What a thoughtful and meticulous design! This giant crow even comes with its own reins and saddle, and even a matching safety rope!

"Watch out!"

A high-energy etheric flow emanates from somewhere on Earth.

Without warning, the crow changed its flight path, barely grazing the edge of the indescribable, immeasurable torrent of emerald green ether, its left wing's dark golden feathers instantly burned away by half.

"Are you OK!"

Speaking against the airflow is an arduous experience, but seeing that the crow's left wing was injured, Aoko didn't care about that at all.

"It's a minor issue. And let me reiterate, this ugly thing isn't me!"

As the clear, youthful voice rang out again in a refined and gentle tone, the raven's evaporated left wing was quickly restored to its original state by the repairing effect of the dark golden substance.

"Even if you... um..."

"The wind is too strong for me to hear, and you're too tired to talk. I'll give you an internal channel, you can just think about it in your head. Also, I'll share this crow's field of vision with you."

The boy's words became concise, omitting most of the unimportant titles, and he began to focus on efficiency.

Aoko gave an OK sign, and soon after, she felt something new in her magic circuit.

That was the magic that remained in her little source, provided by that child in the past, and now it had been transformed into a spell model that resembled information-sharing magic.

After entering the [channel], a tidal wave of information instantly overwhelmed Aoko's sight and hearing.

Just moments before, she was riding an unnamed giant raven, soaring above the sea of ​​clouds, occasionally dodging energy radiation from unknown targets on the ground.

Now, she finally sees clearly everything that has happened here.

Thousands of meters above the ground, where is there any forgotten underwater library?

It was a vast primeval forest, where the boundless sea of ​​trees had completely erased the traces of modern civilization, leaving only a lush and awe-inspiring vitality.

In the very center of the sea of ​​trees, a colossal beast coiled atop a towering ancient tree was spewing out the same emerald-green etheric stream that had nearly killed her, towards the distant sea of ​​clouds in the sky.

Despite lacking scales and claws, and with half its body growing together with the ancient tree, the giant beast's appearance was undeniably strikingly similar to a dragon from the Far East.

Yes, the spirits of nature can easily rewrite reality; this is the power held by Gaia's tentacles.

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The three golden-haired creatures from before and the enormous dragon species at this moment are the same being, and this vast sea of ​​trees is the inherent barrier it has created!

It is unrealistic to expect this natural elven magic to run out and retract the barrier, unless there is a way to sever its connection with Gaia.

After grasping the situation, Aoko made a cold judgment without hesitation: "This is beyond the capabilities of an ordinary modern magician."

The vast, living forest alone was a colossal entity that no magician in the conventional sense could handle. If it weren't for the help of this crow, Aoko would have been swallowed up by the living plants shortly after the ancient dragon opened its enchanted barrier.

Even the witch who lives with him and possesses the fairytale heritage, faced with nature itself at this moment, would probably be helpless and only able to sigh in despair...

and many more……

Through the wide range of senses gained via the [channel], Aoko's auditory system captured a magnificent signal that she had never personally experienced in reality.

As if a grand symphony were suddenly playing, Aoko's gaze followed, looking towards the horizon.

At the edge of the horizon, there is a pitch-black wall.

Although the forest where the ancient dragons lived was vast, it was not endless. Even without the help of the crows' vision, Qingzi, who was on the clouds, could clearly distinguish the edge of the forest.

No, it can no longer be called a sea of ​​trees, because beyond the green fields, there exists something truly boundless and endless.

Beyond the ever-shrinking green fields lies the raging black ocean.

Qingzi had seen it when it was calm and peaceful, as serene and beautiful as a silver mirror.

At this moment, however, it has changed its appearance, as if reflecting its owner's mood, peeling away the beautiful illusion and revealing its ferocious fangs to the green field that is as swaying as duckweed in the wind and rain.

The golden sunlight poured down from the dome, scorching and cracking the large swathes of living forest under its dark golden light, leaving them lifeless. The ominous black sun had already silently hung high in the sky.

At this moment, what fills the auditory senses is the magnificent symphony of those pitch-black "walls" sweeping in from all directions.

This is a confrontation between nature and nature.

It is the most primitive and purest form of warfare between inherent barriers.

The verdant Ancient Dragon Sanctuary, the revitalized wilderness, is about to be ravaged by another great monster.

A massive tsunami has struck!

……

Chapter 140 The Cyan Hero (Part 11)

An ominous black sun hung high in the sky, its molten gold-like rays constantly turning the Ancient Dragon Sanctuary into barren, scorched earth.

The raging black ocean surged forth like a towering wall, crushing in from all directions. As the black tide passed, lush forests were uprooted and tossed into the sky by the ocean currents, only to quickly fall back to the ground.

This time, the white moon no longer hangs high in the sky beyond the mirror. The pitch-black celestial body hangs alone above the dome of the Ancient Dragon Sanctuary. The unclean celestial phenomenon, which resembles both dusk and dawn, has finally disappeared. The fragile balance has been broken, and the scales between the white moon and the black sun have completely slid to the black side.

After the jet-black celestial body, flowing with molten gold, completely ascended into the sky, an even more absurd celestial phenomenon replaced the twilight and dawn that were both bright and dark.

That sun, unable to illuminate anything, unable to radiate light and heat, that sun that is plundering the vitality of all things, has brought eternal slumber to this world.

Under the cover of darkness, an ancient and desolate roar resounded from the center of the sea of ​​trees, and the ancient dragon coiled in the heart of the sacred domain raised its proud head toward the dark celestial dome.

The lush courtyard is being plundered and devoured, and a raging black tide is crashing against the magnificent barrier it has built.

The lush green sea of ​​trees had stopped shrinking moments before, forming a high wall at the boundary between the trees and the sea.

The first wave of the rampaging black tide was stopped by the barrier of the tree realm at its end, but more "walls" are rising at the edge of the horizon, in the depths of that dark ocean.

The ancient dragon species had long since given up on investing its energy in such a tiny individual as Qingzi; it had determined that the greatest enemy in this world was the black sun in the sky.

The light that symbolizes life rises from the darkness, nourished by the spiritual veins deep within the earth.

The massive base that shines in the center of that sacred realm, illuminating the darkness, is the earliest and most primitive form of energy radiation on this planet. It is no exaggeration to call it the most ancient and mysterious force that guides the flow of ether. It is more reasonable to regard it as a natural phenomenon such as lightning, a storm, or a volcanic eruption. The secret runes mastered by magicians are merely a rudimentary imitation of the echoes of this natural phenomenon by human intelligence.

Magic is the mystery achieved by human intelligence. It is the secret method passed down by magicians over generations, and it is also the reappearance of many long-lost miracles that are scattered across this land.

What the ancient dragon is awakening at this moment is the miracle itself, which has been sleeping deep in the earth.

An immeasurable amount of ether flowed from the planet's ley lines to the dragon's roots, and was then refined within its massive body, ultimately forming the destructive source of energy accumulated in the ancient dragon's mouth.

That ethereal weapon, whose very existence is destruction, was locked away from its very inception. It was a forbidden mystery that could never be driven by human intellect; from beginning to end, it had only one goal—to destroy the black sun that hung high above the sacred dome.

Gaia's roots have completed all preparations for the final battle, while the opposing side remains silent.

Aoko anxiously gazed at the dark celestial body, the sun that flowed with molten gold-like radiance in the darkness, yet was not at all blinding.

The apprentice magician, newly entering the path of magic, subconsciously wanted to do something, but the scale of the confrontation had already exceeded the scope of human intelligence/magic. At this moment, the maximum output magic cannon she could construct was nothing more than a trivial matter to the two enormous creatures.

Unless you use that.

That thing, like a cheat code.

The only mystery that can rival the ancient mysteries of antiquity is an even more ancient mystery.

That other side, originating from the principles of the universe, is older than the history of this planet. It is a mystery called the Fifth Law, which was accidentally obtained by the ancestors of the Aozaki family.

But even having obtained the family imprint, can he really awaken a miracle called magic at this moment?

What is the purpose?

What is the purpose of this?

Where should the necessary costs come from?

[Lucky! That means I can just push all the trouble in my family onto my eldest sister.]

The innocent and carefree words of my childhood echoed in my ears, but now they sounded so jarring.

That was Aoko more than ten years ago, when she learned that her eldest sister would be the one to inherit Aozaki's magic. She cheered from the bottom of her heart.