Chapter 154
Chapter 154
Like a Bamboo Splitting Through (3)>
“What are you going to do?”
“For now, just follow me.”
Canis and the others followed the homeless man. Giving only a vague answer to Aro’s question, he headed toward an elegant-looking building.
“We're sneaking in~?”
“Ahem. Sneaking in, you say.”
Canis grew suspicious. No matter how she looked at it, what they were doing resembled thieves secretly breaking into someone else's property.
Moving through a back route that no one knew how he had discovered, they silently made their way forward. At Canis's remark, the homeless man firmly denied it.
“...We're not going to get in trouble, right?”
“Who knows~ But Davide will probably figure something out for us~”
Winter quietly muttered, still suspicious of the homeless man. Canis felt the same way, but she believed Davide, who had set everything in motion, would handle it somehow.
“Wow, so there was a place like this.”
This building in the very center of the Floating Island essentially served the same role as the Academy's Academic Department.
The Floating Island was not a naturally formed landmass but one created through magic. In other words, there was a special device that kept the island afloat.
Having secretly slipped into the basement, the group admired the unfamiliar architectural style around them.
“This is the place that holds the secret of the Floating Island.”
The homeless man turned toward them as he spoke. Although there were no glowing furnishings or magical devices illuminating the room, the underground chamber was bright.
There was only one thing.
A single jewel emitting a faint light.
Recognizing the powerful barrier surrounding it, Canis and Aro's expressions stiffened.
“Grandpa~ That isn't... the Floating Island's power source, is it?”
The homeless man said nothing.
Seeing that, Aro clicked her tongue quietly.
The magical device that kept the Floating Island in the sky.
They were standing beside it with someone whose identity was completely unknown.
“Just asking, but... you're not planning to make it fall, are you?”
Having come to the same conclusion as Canis, Aro glared at the homeless man. Beside her, a crimson Talisman was already floating in the air.
If that device were destroyed and the Floating Island fell, it would become an unimaginable catastrophe.
At that point, there would be no point discussing who was right or wrong.
“You're quite spirited young ladies. Just wait a moment. I have no intention of doing such a thing either.”
Chuckling at their sharp reactions, the homeless man gazed wistfully at the jewel and the magical device enclosed within the barrier.
He understood why they were so wary.
In fact, he was pleased by their concern.
“I made it. Why would I destroy something I created?”
At those words, Aro looked toward Canis.
Canis wore an equally dumbfounded expression.
“Grandpa~ That was built when the Empire was founded~ The Floating Island has been flying ever since then~”
“Indeed. But that was a different device. This is one I made later.”
The Floating Island had been created when the Empire itself was first established.
It had been flying through the sky ever since.
Even after hearing that, Canis remained unconvinced. Even if the homeless man truly had made this device, his current circumstances made no sense.
“If someone had enough skill to make something like this, they wouldn't end up homeless.”
Aro voiced the exact question that had been bothering everyone.
The homeless man merely laughed heartily.
No matter what he said, convincing them seemed hopeless.
“The blue-haired young lady over there is a mage of the Empire, isn't she? Then you'll understand once you see this.”
With that, the homeless man tossed something to Canis.
It was an old, worn sheet of parchment.
Catching it quickly, Canis immediately unfolded it.
“Huh.”
Even Canis was left speechless.
It was a blueprint.
A remarkably advanced and revolutionary blueprint.
It radiated extraordinary creativity and meticulous detail.
It was the blueprint for the very device standing before them.
Walking up to the barrier, Canis's eyes widened.
She examined every inch of it.
She could only inspect the exterior, so she couldn't be completely certain, but at least thirty percent of the design matched.
“Well~ I guess we have no choice but to believe you~”
At Canis's words, Winter let out a small sigh.
She loosened her grip on the flag she had been clutching tightly.
If things went south, she had planned to open a portal to where Soloven was.
It would let them escape immediately to somewhere trustworthy.
“So~ Grandpa~ Why did you bring us here~?”
“I believe that sea-colored young man has entered a dream.”
The homeless man answered Canis calmly.
But what he said was anything but ordinary.
“A dream?”
“Yes. A dream. When the jewel was broken, a pit must have appeared, correct? That was the path leading into the dream.”
“No, wait a second. Then whose dream is it? A dream with a path leading back to reality?”
The homeless man smiled at Aro's question.
Only Winter, whose knowledge was comparatively lacking, struggled desperately to keep up with the conversation.
“Simple enough. Have you ever heard of the Dream Bird?”
“...That's a Divine Beast.”
Finally hearing something she recognized, Winter was relieved for a moment.
Yet her expression only grew more rigid.
It was a name that appeared throughout countless religious histories.
A Divine Beast that had existed back when the gods still possessed physical bodies.
“That's right. A Divine Beast. Originally, this Floating Island was built as a nest for that Dream Bird. But over time, its purpose became twisted.”
“Because of that~ device you made?”
“Embarrassingly enough, that's correct.”
The homeless man readily admitted it as he pointed toward the jewel.
“So you're saying Davide is trapped inside the Dream Bird's dream.”
“You could put it that way.”
“How do we rescue him?”
“The only way is to wake the dream. It seems the sea-colored young man is already doing something from within.”
Aro disliked how calm the homeless man remained.
When it came down to it, they had been dragged into all of this because of him, yet he was acting completely carefree.
Just as Aro was about to lash out at him, Canis stopped her.
Rubbing her chin, Canis thought deeply for a moment.
“I get it~ Davide came looking for you because he wanted to help you, Grandpa~”
“That's right. Though I have no idea how he figured that out.”
As he spoke, Canis activated her magic.
The entrance they had just come through became sealed shut by solid crystal.
“Shall we get started~? I'm hungry right now, you know?”
Seeing Canis's confident expression, the homeless man snorted.
Watching Aro and Winter nod beside her as well, he judged them to be remarkably bold youngsters.
***
“How much longer do we have to wait?”
—Mwiaa. Mwia. Mwimwi.
Exactly five rocky mountains had collapsed.
The remaining rocky mountains still stood, but there were no more results.
Only three voices from the Dream Bird.
Perhaps because the wyverns had become alert after I obtained the first voice, the process had taken considerably longer.
“Davide. How is your body?”
“Thanks to Her Imperial Highness's concern, I have no problems at all.”
In the end, I had decided this would be difficult, so even the Imperial Princess had joined us.
Originally, I had intended to bring only Worden, but Her Imperial Highness had volunteered herself.
Thinking we needed some time to regroup, we returned to the nest where the Dream Bird had been.
“You're back. How was the harvest?”
“Three in total. I don't think there are any more than that.”
As far as I knew, there weren't any beyond those.
Things up above were progressing much faster than I had expected.
In any case, obtaining only two voices was enough to clear the quest, so it didn't really matter.
At first, the Dream Bird had happily enjoyed flying again after so long, but after the relentless flights, it seemed exhausted and had fled back to the egg it had been protecting.
“Is your Religious Order doing something up above?”
“Yes. Without a doubt.”
Moments like this made me wish we had something like a radio.
This world did have items that served similar purposes, but nothing capable of connecting dreams and reality.
Back when I had left the Sanctuary, Soloven had contacted me using a crystal ball.
I decided that I should get one that could connect me with Winter.
—Mwimwi.
“What a peculiar cry.”
Its voice was beautiful, yet its cry itself was strangely unique.
The Imperial Princess stared curiously at the Dream Bird as it drooped while making odd noises.
“Is that creature truly alive?”
“I believe so. I think it's the medium that creates dreams.”
“I see. So that's why you intended to kill it at first.”
The Imperial Princess understood my intentions immediately.
Since five rocky mountains had collapsed, they had probably already met the homeless man.
After that, they'd exchange some unnecessary conversation before the dream world truly began to change.
The homeless man's goal was to rescue the Dream Bird, which had been trapped within its own dream because of his selfishness.
In short, we had to eliminate both the external factor binding the Dream Bird and the internal factor within the dream.
—Gooooo.
A tremendous rumble echoed through the air.
I immediately tossed aside the canteen I had been drinking from and stood up.
Just as expected.
It was finally beginning.
Those outside had to remove the barrier surrounding the device imprisoning the Dream Bird's dream.
Our task was to eliminate the monster suppressing the Dream Bird from within before that barrier was lifted.
“Prepare for battle. This time, everyone's coming.”
At my words, everyone who had been resting immediately sprang to their feet.
Worden held the ice crystal he had borrowed from the Vice-Commander, while the Vice-Commander herself raised her mana, ready to cast magic at any moment.
“Something enormous is approaching. Its presence is overwhelming.”
Holding her favorite clef-shaped axe, the Imperial Princess swallowed hard.
Even she couldn't help but marvel at such an overwhelming presence.
It slowly emerged through the clouds.
An overwhelmingly gigantic body.
It was so massive that one could believe it was a piece of the continent itself.
It dwarfed Museion Island beyond comparison.
“Hah. A wyvern that large. What a rare experience.”
It was a wyvern.
A wyvern so enormous it looked as though an entire mountain were moving.
A fierce grin spread across my face.
I was beginning to grow bored with this little outing alongside the Dream Bird.
Glancing toward it, I saw that although it had at least managed to move when facing the other wyverns, the appearance of this gigantic wyvern had frozen it completely.
“I'll draw its attention. We just need to climb onto that enormous body.”
“The other wyverns are gathering around it.”
“Then we'll simply crush them all.”
“That is true enough.”
The Vice-Commander sighed at the bloodthirsty exchange between the Imperial Princess and me.
The muscular boy beside her was trembling with excitement.
I pulled out the Holy Scripture.
From within it, I drew forth a gigantic bolt of lightning.
The Lightning Spike of Anaye, radiating intense heat, let out a shrill scream.
—Kiiiiing.
Burning through the air with an eerie shriek, the spear-shaped Lightning Spike shot forward.
It struck the gigantic wyvern at a speed like a shower of arrows.
“Oh, by the way, there's no need to actually defeat the gigantic wyvern. More accurately, it's impossible for our current strength.”
I finished the sentence I had forgotten to mention.
The others stared at me in disbelief.
I merely shrugged.
That thing was an event boss from the very beginning.
Even in the game, it had been marked invincible and couldn't be defeated.
“Student Davide! Th-Then wouldn't it have been enough to simply climb onto it?!”
Ignoring the Vice-Commander's desperate cry, I felt the gigantic wyvern's gaze settle upon us.
Its massive body slowly began to turn.
It was like watching Ulleungdo charge straight at us.
The pressure was indescribable.
“Davide! Sheila and I will go separately! Use the Dream Bird!”
Calling out urgently, the Imperial Princess stored away her axe and took out a large fan.
The Vice-Commander accepted it and immediately wrapped an arm around the Imperial Princess.
I grabbed the head of the still-frozen Dream Bird.
“If you don't move... we're all going to die.”
Startled by my words, the Dream Bird frantically flapped its wings.
Quickly climbing onto its back, I pulled Worden up as well.
The fan the Imperial Princess had handed over was an artifact capable of controlling wind.
A torrent of mana far greater than anything I had ever seen before erupted from the Vice-Commander.
“We'll meet at the base of the wing! On its back where the wings connect!”
With that, I guided the Dream Bird into the sky.
At the same time, the Vice-Commander and the Imperial Princess launched themselves forward with the help of the fan.
Their speed rivaled that of a rocket.
Watching them disappear in an instant, I couldn't help but laugh.
The original plan had been to ride the Dream Bird onto the gigantic wyvern when it approached.
Though the Dream Bird looked slender, it could easily carry the four of us.
“Waaaaah!”
Worden and I barely avoided the gigantic wyvern's jaws.
Just the movement of its body created violent gusts of wind.
Even amid those raging currents, the Dream Bird gritted its teeth and kept flapping its wings.
Only Worden, exhilarated by the thrill, shouted joyfully.
“There!”
The air currents generated by such an enormous body naturally flowed opposite its direction of movement.
I guided the Dream Bird toward those currents.
Then I pointed toward the dark crimson wing that came into view.
—Mwiaaaaaa!
Folding its wings as it rode the air current, the Dream Bird suddenly spread them wide.
The tremendous pressure that instantly struck its wings made it cry out in pain, but our speed noticeably decreased.
“Good! Fold your wings!”
Once we had closed in enough to its back, I told the Dream Bird to fold its wings.
Grabbing the back of its neck, I drew the sword created through Blood Magic.
“Worden! Grab onto anything!”
I thrust my sword into the gigantic wyvern's back as it rushed closer.
Its hide was tough but not particularly hard, so the blade managed to pierce through.
After sliding a long distance across its back, I frowned against the violent wind and looked around.
Fortunately, Worden was clinging to one of the protruding spikes.
“Hey! Now the real fight begins!”
I shook the dazed Dream Bird roughly.
Its wings must have been hurting because tears streamed endlessly from its eyes as it looked at me pitifully.
“If you're the master of this dream, then you should be able to stop this too.”
After all, it was a creature known as a Divine Beast.
At the very least, within its own dream, it possessed power that could only be described as omnipotent.
That was why I had gone to the trouble of recovering its voices.
“Bind it!”
—Mwiaaaaaa!
At my urging, the Dream Bird let out a tremendous cry.
At the same time, an explosive aura burst forth from its body.
Watching the violent winds vanish, I grinned fiercely.
Massive sky-blue chains emerged from thin air and wrapped themselves around the gigantic wyvern.
“Took you long enough.”
I glanced at the Dream Bird.
The same sky-blue chains binding the gigantic wyvern were also wrapped around the Dream Bird's body.
“I'll be back soon.”
I gently patted the head of the exhausted Dream Bird hanging limply in the air.
For such a massive operation, our task was surprisingly simple.
All we had to do was smash things.
We just had to settle onto the gigantic wyvern's body and destroy whatever object was binding the Dream Bird.
“Hey! Wake up! Let's go!”
I hauled the equally exhausted Worden back to his feet.
Then I activated my bracelet and headed toward where the Imperial Princess was.