Chapter 356: Dilemma

The explosion of force scattered shattered branches in every direction, but the path ahead remained open.

"Run!" Sage shouted.

This time nobody needed to be told twice. Gregor grabbed Lyana again and pulled her forward, while Brutus and Caelis moved beside the slower adventurers to keep them from falling behind.

Vanthrice ran near the rear with her bronze spear held low, her sharp eyes scanning both the sky and the sides of the path, ready to intercept anything that slipped through Valeria’s defense.

Boren, somehow faster than before, pumped his arms with a desperate expression that made his entire body jiggle violently with each step, but he did not complain this time. Even he understood that if he slowed down now, no amount of shameless begging would save him from becoming serpentfood.

The ancient wilderness became a battlefield of motion. The serpent circled above them, its enormous body cutting through the storm clouds while lightning crawled across its scales like silver veins.

Every time it moved, the air pressure changed. Every time it roared, the forest trembled. It did not descend fully, as if amused by the small creatures fleeing beneath it, but its casual attacks alone were enough to reshape the land.

A sweep of its tail flattened a ridge to the west. A downward snap of its jaws crushed a cluster of massive trees ahead of them, forcing Sage to change direction at the last second with wind magic.

A breath from its mouth released astream of green-black storm mist that touched the ground and instantly corroded roots, stones, and beast corpses into smoking dust.

Valeria intercepted what she could, appearing again and again as a crimson bolt beneath the serpent’s shadow, cutting apart pressure waves, deflecting fragments large enough to crush houses, and slashing through coils of storm energy that descended like living ropes.

She never chased it. She never overcommitted.

That was what frightened Sage most. Valeria was overwhelming against most enemies because she could crush them directly, but here she was fighting with restraint, refusing to be baited into a prolonged clash.

Every movement she made was aimed at creating a path, not winning. Every strike bought distance. Every burst of crimson mana stopped a killing blow, not the creature itself.

The serpent seemed to realize this too, because its emerald eyes slowly narrowed as it watched her interfere again and again. Its next attack came faster.

One of its horns glowed with golden light, and a bolt of storm mana shot downward toward the fleeing group, tearing the air apart as it descended. Vanthrice reacted instantly before Valeria could reach it, planting her foot on a raised root and hurling her bronze spear upward with all the strength she had left.

The spear spun through the air like a bronze comet, striking the edge of the descending blast and knocking it slightly off course. That tiny deviation was all Valeria needed. She appeared above the group and cut the weakened attack in half, the two broken halves exploding on either side of them and carving smoking trenches through the forest floor.

Vanthrice extended her hand, and her spear returned to her in a blur of bronze light, the weapon slapping into her palm as she resumed running without missing more than a step.

Sage looked at her with surprise. "Good throw."

Vanthrice’s face remained calm, though her breathing had grown heavier. "Don’t praise me yet. That barely slowed it."Gregor glanced back at her and said. "Still better than doing nothing."

Vanthrice gave him a side-eye. "Focus on running, green hair."

Mina lifted her head slightly from Sage’s side. "Big sister spear is cool too."

Vanthrice’s expression softened for the smallest moment.

"Thank you."

The chase stretched on, and every minute felt longer than the last. The serpent repeatedly closed the distance, forcing Valeria to intercept while the others pushed deeper through the wilderness.

Ancient beasts occasionally appeared in their path, drawn by panic or fleeing from the serpent themselves, but none lasted long. A horned bear with stone plates across its back charged from the left, and Brutus smashed its jaw aside before Valeria’s passing slash turned it into blood mist.

A flock of razor-winged birds dived from the canopy, only for Sage to scatter them with a wind burst while Vanthrice pierced three in a single spear throw.

A giant spider-like beast dropped from above with legs longer than trees, but Gregor cut two limbs away with wind blades and Lyana’s vines dragged the slowest adventurers under its body before it collapsed behind them.

The wilderness was being torn apart around them, and yet none of them dared slow down enough to breathe properly.

Boren’s breath came out like a broken bellows. "Boss...I..think I can see my ancestors."

Sage did not look back. "Tell them to wait."

"They are waving."

"Wave back while running."

"I hate all of you."

Even in terror, a few adventurers laughed weakly, and that tiny moment of absurdity helped keep their minds from breaking under the pressure. But the serpent was closing in again.

Its shadow grew darker, its roar louder, and the storm around its body descended lower until lightning began striking the forest around them. One bolt exploded near Caelis, throwing him sideways, but Vanthrice reached him first, hooking his armor with the shaft of her spear and pulling him back into stride before he could fall.

Lyana’s vines spread beneath the group, creating temporary footholds across a broken ravine, and Sage used wind magic to push everyone across in one wide burst. Behind them, the serpent’s tail smashed into the ravine and widened it into a canyon with a single blow.

They could not keep this up, everyone realized it.

Their bodies were slowing. Their mana was thinning. Their legs were growing heavier with every step. Even Sage, who had tried to support them with wind, felt the strain building inside his chest.

The treasure was safe in his System Storage, but what good was treasure if they died carrying it? He gritted his teeth, eyes scanning the wilderness ahead for anything that looked like a path, a gate, a ruin, a sign, anything that could give them a chance.

For several seconds all he saw was endless forest, ancient mountains, storm clouds, and destruction.

Then Lyana lifted her head. "Guildmaster... look ahead."

Sage followed her gaze, and for the first time since they escaped the treasury, hope flickered inside his chest.

Far beyond the trees, rising from the wilderness like a beam connecting earth to heaven, stood a gigantic white pillar oflight. It pierced through the canopy, the storm clouds, and the sky itself, glowing with the same clean radiance they had seen when entering the Vault.

The light did not flicker. It did not waver. It stood firm in the distance, beautiful and impossible, like a promise of escape placed at the edge of despair.

Mina’s golden eyes widened. "Petty uncle Sage... is that..."

Sage’s breathing grew rougher, but his eyes shone with sudden life.

"Yes."

Gregor stared ahead, disbelief and relief mixing across his face.

"The entrance."

Boren almost sobbed, his fat cheeks jiggling as shouted. "The beautiful, wonderful, holy entrance."

Valeria landed ahead of them after deflecting another storm blast, her crimson eyes also fixed on the white pillar. For the first time in hours, even her cold expression seemed to sharpen with purpose.

Sage tightened his grip around his staff and forced more wind beneath his boots. "Everyone, head for the pillar."

The serpent roared behind them, the sound shaking the wilderness as if enraged by their sudden hope.

But ahead of them, the white pillar continued to shine.