We Live in Dragon’s Peak – Chapter 1088

We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.

Running through the night sky.

It was less like an ancient celebratory chant and more like a song.
Smooth and beautiful, Alice’s performance resonated clearly in the sky.

Like a Pegasus running through the sky, several small stars were born.
Alice held the reins in her left hand, and a two-bladed naginata in her right. Then, she swung the naginata back and forth.
Several gems, large and small, embedded in the鍔(tsuba), shone with the color of a full moon. Simultaneously, crescent blades emerged from both sides of the naginata and were released towards a group of black winged horses that had flapped their wings and rushed up from near the foothills of the Sacred Mountain.

Five black winged horses scattered in the sky, evading the crescent blades. As small stars attacked in irregular orbits, the black winged horses chasing us became flustered and fled across the sky.
The small stars relentlessly pursued the black winged horses.

A membrane, like a barrier, was formed around the black winged horses.
The barrier and the stars collided, creating numerous sparkling stars in the night sky.

“There are riders on those winged horses too!”

It might have been natural if they were chasing Alice.
But I couldn’t think of any reason why a noble Miko, or even a woman called a special Miko Knight, would be chased.
Why is Alice being chased?!

Alice, who was aware of the movements of the five black winged horses and their riders evading in the rear, pointed north while speaking to her pure white winged horse.

“They are those who disagree with my decision. It will be troublesome if they catch up.”
“In other words, they are people who oppose you trying to kill the Miko-sama!?”

If so, shouldn’t I perhaps join the people on the black winged horses? I unintentionally thought.
However, Alice said something terrifying there.

“Don’t let me commit any unnecessary Miko killings.”
“Ugh…!”

Alice was implying this: If I were to join the pursuers and corner Alice, she would achieve her goal even if it meant killing the pursuers, the Miko-sama on the black winged horses.
With those words, I could do nothing more.

If I sided with Alice and attacked the pursuers, it would mean committing an unforgivable sin for the human race: laying a hand on a sacred Miko-sama.
On the other hand, if I interfered with Alice, she would get serious and eliminate the pursuers.

For now, Alice isn’t serious yet.
The pursuers are undoubtedly Alice’s colleagues or subordinates, and in either case, they are connected to the sanctuary. Therefore, Alice doesn’t want to cause harm to her own people.
That’s why she is only hindering the pursuers with foot-stopping sorcery, and for now, she is not directing any killing intent towards them.
In fact, neither the crescent blades nor the small stars released from the two-bladed naginata seem to have enough power to shoot down the black winged horses, even if they are toying with them.

However, this only made the situation more chaotic.

The Miko-sama riding the black winged horses also counterattacked.
Several moonlight arrows were fired at high speed from behind.

“Tch. To persistently chase me when you know you can’t defeat me.”

Alice dexterously controlled the reins with her left hand and gave her winged horse instructions.
The winged horse, correctly grasping its master’s intent without looking back, evaded.
The winged horse dodged the moonlight arrows flying from behind with ease, running freely through the sky, to the right and left.

Both Alice and the pure white winged horse possessed excellent combat keterampilan.
Alice, playing the role of chanting as if singing, unleashed continuous sorcery with power that didn’t seem like she was holding back.
She read all the counterattacks from the pursuers by their presence and gave instructions to her winged horse without looking back.
The winged horse, even while being subjected to attacks, showed no sign of fear and dodged the attacks coming from behind cleanly while steadily running north.

I could do nothing but be carried along on the saddle, leaving myself to the unfolding situation.

The pure white winged horse and the five black winged horses galloped through the night sky.
Below us, deep treachorous forests and several lakes sank into the night darkness, spread out endlessly.

I’m sure that somewhere in the treachorous forest below, Mistral, the Mimicho Race, and Shooting Star Sama are spending a quiet night.
But I feel like I’ve been caught up in a terrible situation!

I absolutely do not want to be complicit in Miko killing.
I don’t have any desire to cross the North Sea at the risk of danger.
I just want to find and retrieve the reckless Oz, and then go to the designated meeting place by the promised day!

“If I don’t shake them off here, I’ll drag them into more unnecessary trouble.”
“I feel like I’m already caught up in it!?”

Alice grinned at my complaint.
Waaah!
It’s a cool smile, but I won’t be fooled!

Alice intends to completely involve me in this development.
In the sky, I cannot use Spatial Jump. Well, strictly speaking, I can use it, but if I jump to a place in the sky, I’ll just fall!
And I, unable to stop Alice’s rampage or drive away the pursuers, can do nothing while riding the winged horse.
Alice, taking me with her, intends to somehow cross the North Sea and chase the Miko-sama!

“Ares-chan, what should we do?”

Ares-chan, who had stopped pretending to sleep, clung to my chest and curiously observed the surroundings.
However, it seems he will remain non-interfering this time as well.
There was no advice from Ares-chan.

Well, I don’t intend to force Ares-chan, who has decided not to interfere, to do so either.
Therefore, I must think for myself.

What can I do now?

It’s impossible to persuade Alice while we are in the sky.
To Alice, who has a strong resolve and intends to push through her will even against the opposition of her fellow Miko-sama, whatever I say will only be superficial words.
Moreover, I cannot interfere with the pursuers approaching from behind.
As a human, I absolutely cannot raise my hand against a Miko-sama.

So, how can I break through this situation?

The winged horse galloped through the night sky of the Forbidden Territory, passing through the gently and widely extended foothills of the Sacred Mountain.
Below, the treachorous forest, sunken in the night darkness, spread out endlessly.

“That’s it!”

I had an idea.

“Alice, into the treachorous forest!”

Even though it was night, in the sky lit by the moon and stars, no matter how much we fled, we would be completely visible.
Therefore, if we descended into the treachorous forest, hid ourselves, and lost the pursuers, at least the current situation could be resolved.
Alice nodded at my suggestion. Then she kicked the side of her winged horse, communicating her intent.
The winged horse skillfully dodged the sorcery cast by the pursuing Miko-sama and entered the treachorous forest at high speed.

The winged horse, weaving through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the densely packed trees, touched the ground. Folding its beautiful wings, it ran across the ground with the lightness of a horse.
The winged horse jumped over bushes, dodged trees with ease, and ran towards the depths of the treachorous forest.

“Alright, it’s here!”
“It’s not a good idea to try and escape.”
“Ugh. I-I didn’t guide you into the treachorous forest with that intention?”

Indeed, now that we are on the ground, I might be able to escape using Spatial Jump.
I had considered that possibility earlier, you know?
However, I deliberately did not choose that option.

My intuition whispered.
I must see what becomes of Alice.

Alice, whom I had just met.
I know nothing about Alice.
Where the sanctuary is.
Why she became a Miko Knight.
Why she cannot forgive the betraying Miko-sama.

I don’t want to easily meddle in the affairs of people from different regions with whom I have no connection.
Still, I felt that I couldn’t abandon Alice and the pursuing Miko-sama here and run away.

So, I will do what I can.
On the swaying saddle, I took out a branch of the Spirit Tree from my pocket.
Then, I refined Dragon Energy and sent it to the tip of the Spirit Tree branch.

“The forests of the Forbidden Territory are my domain! I won’t let newcomers act as they please!”

From behind, the five winged horses, having repelled Alice’s interference, were persistently chasing us.
Two of them descended into the treachorous forest, just like us, and ran from behind.
The remaining three were approaching from the sky.
And, as expected, speed is greater in the sky without obstacles, so the black winged horses, which should have been far behind, were already approaching near our heads.

But that was expected!

I didn’t think that simply running through the dense, intricate forest after entering it would allow us to lose the pursuers.
Then why did I guide them into the treachorous forest!

“Taught by Priscilla-chan and Ares-san! Elnea’s, Great, Maze!”

With a surge of spirit, I swung the Spirit Tree branch.
Power overflowed from the tip of the branch.
Although it was a plucked tip, it was a part of a magnificent Spirit Tree.
From the casually swung branch, power gushed out as energetically as Spirit Tree (child).
And the Spirits who received the power of the Spirit Tree responded to my feelings.

“Let’s bewilder the earth and disrupt their direction.”
“Let’s change the flow of the wind and confuse them.”
“Let the trees guide them.”
“Let the flowers and grass madden their senses.”

The Spirits became active.

“Ngh!”

From behind, I felt Alice’s gasp.
With every kick of the winged horse’s four legs on the ground, the scenery of the night forest changed.
Beside a lake. An open clearing. Next to a fallen tree. With each step, the scenery changed.

The effect of the Bewildering Technique I activated also covered the sky of the treachorous forest.
The figures of the three winged horses that had approached close to our heads suddenly disappeared.
The presence of the two winged horses that had been behind us also disappeared.

“All right, we’ve lost them!”

The Bewildering Technique not only confuses external enemies but also guides us to the correct location.
Therefore, even though the scenery was changing rapidly as the winged horse galloped, we should be moving north.
Instead, the pursuers would likely continue to be lost within the range of the Bewildering Technique.

“Even after hearing the Dragon God’s story, your amazingness wasn’t fully conveyed. I never expected you to control the Spirits so splendidly.”
“Alice can see that this is Spirit Arts?”

I am also surprised.
I shouldn’t have explained it.
That I borrowed the power of the Spirit Tree and asked the Spirits for help.
That the Bewildering Technique was not Dragon Arts or Spirit Tree Arts, but Spirit Arts.

However, Alice, although surprised, did not look perplexed, and the winged horse, without confusion, advanced through the treachorous forest at full speed.
It was too familiar with the situation, which chilled me to the bone.
I wonder how many deadly situations Alice and her winged horse have experienced?
With countless accumulated experiences, they can grasp all situations in an instant.
And they can instantly perform the optimal move in each situation.

Even now, they understand that moving straight ahead without being bewildered by the Bewildering Technique is the correct answer, without me having to tell them.

And it wasn’t just Alice who had experienced countless deadly situations beyond my imagination.

“It’s a wonderful technique. However, it seems it’s not enough to shake them off after all.”
“Eh!?”

I was dumbfounded.
I had cast Bewildering Technique over a wide area of the treachorous forest.
However, they easily overcame that Bewildering Technique, and a strong presence approached us from all directions!

“N-No way! Even if it’s not the main Spirit Arts, my Bewildering Technique is useless!?”

Even I can understand that an impromptu technique isn’t perfect.
But to be broken through so easily!

The pure white winged horse galloped through the depths of the treachorous forest.
The five black winged horses, breaking through the Bewildering Technique, approached from the forest ahead and from the sky above.
If this continues, it will be no different from the situation when we were flying in the sky.

But, why!?
Why can the pursuing Miko-sama track us without being bewildered!?
Is something I don’t know involved?
Or am I simply inferior in terms of overall ability from the start?

While I was confused, Alice gave instructions to her winged horse.

“There’s no other way. Eve, dive!”

She shouted, and Alice manipulated the reins.
The winged horse neighed.
Then, the winged horse’s front legs plunged into the ground.

“Ngh!!”

This time, I gasped.

The winged horse continued to run.
However, its front legs sank into the ground, and its hind hooves also entered the earth as if melting, and its body was buried in the ground, swallowing us, the riders, Alice and me!

“N-No way!?”

I knew.
Magic Beasts, possessing intelligence and abilities far superior to ordinary beasts, can dive into Dragon Veins. They can hide themselves or move at high speed that way.

But why is the winged horse doing that!?
No, no, more importantly!!

Are we also diving into the Dragon Veins!?

A tremor, different from Spatial Jump or Bewildering Technique, shook my vision.
The sense of the flowing wind I had felt until then, the sensation of the earth as the winged horse galloped, and the dense presence of the trees, all blurred their outlines.

“Maintain your consciousness firmly. If you don’t, you’ll be absorbed into the Spirit Vein in no time.”
“What a thing to say!”

It wasn’t only external influences that I was losing.
I realized that my own sense of existence was becoming vague, and I hastily concentrated my consciousness.
And then, I felt it.

The main current of the Dragon Vein, undulating and flowing like a raging great river.
Tributaries, downstream currents, pools, all branches extended from the main current of the Dragon Vein and spread throughout the world.

I always felt it.
Every time I meditated.
Every time I drew from the Dragon Vein.
Every time I danced the Dragon Sword Dance.

A great flow circulating the world.
If I let my guard down, I would drown in the current. But if handled carefully and appropriately, it would always help us.
Taught by Sleigsta (Old Man), the Dragon Vein, which became familiar to me after I could sense it.

But I never thought I would dive into the Dragon Vein myself like a Magic Beast!

“It’s good that it’s you. Anyone not accustomed to touching Spirit Veins would have simply been repelled before they could dive in.”
“No no no, what are you doing, doing this for the first time without any preparation!”

If I hadn’t been accustomed to touching Dragon Veins, I would have drowned before Alice could even warn me.
Alice grinned at my protest.
However, there was no time for leisurely conversation.

“Alice!”

Without needing to say it, Alice and the winged horse had also noticed.
The pursuers had also dived into the Dragon Vein and were chasing us, just like us!

As expected, they are also extraordinary individuals!
We should assume that what we can do, they can also do.

Then, knowing that, why did Alice dive into the Dragon Vein?

“Melt your presence into the Spirit Vein, just as Magic Beasts do. Then you will be hidden by the flow of the Spirit Vein.”
“You’re asking for too much again!”

Alice, without any preparation, was pushing me to do something unreasonable.
But if there was no other way!

I entrusted my consciousness to the flow of the Dragon Vein.
On the ground, as if melting into the world.
However, I must be careful not to lose my sense of self.

“Splendid.”

Alice praised me from behind.
I then let my consciousness ride the flow of the Dragon Vein and surrendered myself to the current.