Chapter 653 - 545: Black Wind

Chapter 653: Chapter 545: Black Wind

Roland’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the horrifying scene unfold—the mountains shaking, the sea boiling, a colossal beast awakening.

’This scene...’

’It’s all too familiar.’

Memories flooded back like a reverse tide.

Before the time loop in Silver Radiance City, during an even earlier adventure, he and his companions had ventured deep into the Wailing Gorge on another continent.

Just as they had cornered a Heartstealer, a colossal turtle lurking beneath the gorge—or rather, a beast that was a part of the Wailing Gorge itself—had violently awakened, unleashing a world-destroying tsunami and earthquake.

Not only did it allow the Heartstealer to escape in the chaos, but it also tore their ship to shreds. It threw him into the endless, raging waves, and he eventually drifted to the mysterious Land of Mist, where he endured a series of bizarre dangers, including the revival of the Magic City Jiles and a confrontation with a Witch Demon.

As these thoughts surfaced, the perils and struggles of the past became vivid once more, yet Roland felt not a shred of fear.

After all, things were different now.

Tempered by acquiring multiple Professions and surviving numerous life-or-death trials, his physical Power, bolstered by the stacking and resonance of his many Professions, was no longer what it once was. It had undergone a qualitative leap.

The violent tremors, crumbling reefs, and surging waves were no longer an inescapable deathtrap for him.

He didn’t even need to use his Traits. With the pure Power in his legs alone, he was confident he could stomp his way off this disintegrating cape as if walking on flat ground.

Moreover, the Wave Treading Trait from his Pirate Profession, combined with the incredible sense of balance and Energy Micro-Control granted by his Spiritual Attribute of over eighty points, was enough for him to stroll through the terrifying, monstrous waves as if he were on a leisurely walk, treating the raging sea like a smooth road.

As he was lost in thought, he felt a light, slightly urgent tug on his shoulder.

Roland turned his head to see that the tall Nightmare had, at some point, moved to his side and was gently nibbling the fabric of his clothes at the shoulder.

Its eyes, burning with ethereal flames, were fixed on him, and a clear, urgent thought once again slammed into his mind.

’Hey! Brother! Roland! This is no time to be standing around reminiscing! That big fella doesn’t look like he’s in a good mood!’

As it projected the thought, the Nightmare, with great intelligence, tilted its elegant, dark-furred neck and glanced toward its own broad back. Its intention was obvious.

’Quick, climb onto my back! I’ll get you out of this godforsaken place!’

Roland shook his head. He was about to respond telepathically, to tell the creature that he could handle it and didn’t need to be carried, when...

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

"Ellis! Watch out for that rolling boulder on your left!"

A few shouts, laced with anxiety and ragged breaths, pierced through the rumbling of the giant turtle’s movements and the roar of the waves, coming from the rear flank of the battlefield.

Roland quickly looked toward the sound.

He saw Holland’s burly figure struggling to navigate through a downpour of crumbling reef rocks and churning seawater.

He displayed an astonishing Agility that belied his massive frame, at times sharply sidestepping a falling Giant Stone, then leaping over a suddenly appearing fissure, then using his Shield to brute-force his way through flying debris.

Although his life wasn’t in immediate danger, he was clearly battered by the sheer power of nature. His movement speed was severely hampered as he struggled toward relatively stable high ground.

Meanwhile, Ellis was in an even more precarious situation.

The young Mage’s face was pale. Without a Magic Staff to stabilize his Casting, he was desperately trying to channel short-range "Flash Techniques" with gestures and Spell fragments.

With each shimmer of faint light, his figure would narrowly avoid a lethal falling rock or a suddenly crashing wave, teleporting about ten feet away.

But these hasty short-range teleports, lacking proper ritual support, were clearly draining and highly unstable. Ellis’s forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and his breathing was rapid.

Each time he reappeared, he would stumble noticeably, his Magic Power fluctuating erratically. He obviously couldn’t keep this up for long.

Although both were using their own methods to hold on amidst this sudden cataclysm, they had clearly fallen into peril and were in dire need of help.

Roland’s gaze sharpened, and he made an instant decision.

"Keep up!"

He tossed two words to the Nightmare, and his figure had already shot off like a bolt of lightning toward Ellis.

The ethereal fire in the Nightmare’s eyes flared. Without the slightest hesitation, the shadowy mist beneath its hooves thickened, and its form transformed into a fluid black lightning bolt, hugging the undulating shadowed areas on the ground as it followed Roland at astonishing speed.

It even cleverly used the air currents stirred by the giant turtle’s movements and the trembling shadows to make its path more erratic and unpredictable, perfectly avoiding most of the falling debris and fissures.

Roland reached Ellis first.

The young Mage had just completed a hasty flash, landing on a violently shaking reef. He hadn’t yet found his footing and was about to be swallowed by a muddy wave crashing in from the side.

With lightning reflexes, Roland reached out, grabbed the back of Ellis’s Magic Robe, and barked a low command.

"Hold on!"

Almost simultaneously, the Nightmare galloped up. Using his forward momentum, Roland put force into his arm and flung Ellis onto the Nightmare’s broad back as easily and steadily as if tossing a package.

The Nightmare, cooperating perfectly, slightly angled its body mid-stride to adjust, allowing Ellis to land precisely on the relatively flat area behind its neck.

"Agh!"

Caught off guard, Ellis cried out in surprise, but survival instinct made him immediately clutch desperately onto the dense, cold, shadow-like mane on the Nightmare’s neck.

The strange texture and unnatural cold from the brief contact made him shiver, but he had no time to worry about such things.

"To Holland!"

Roland vaulted onto the Nightmare’s back, seating himself behind Ellis. He steadied the young Mage with one hand and pointed forward with his Short Spike in the other, indicating the direction for the Nightmare.

The Nightmare let out a short, excited whinny. Its four hooves pushed off forcefully, Shadow Energy erupting beneath them as its speed soared once again.

It no longer relied solely on physical running. At times it would step on crumbling Giant Stones for a Borrowed Power leap; at others, it would Rapid Charge along ridges that had not yet fully collapsed.

Occasionally, it would even briefly "slide" into the gaps between physical shadows to perform ultra-short-distance shadow jumps, cleverly bypassing the most dangerous fissures and the direct impact of monstrous waves.

Sitting on the Nightmare’s back, feeling the powerful and rhythmic gallop of the creature beneath him and seeing the strange way the surrounding light and shadows warped slightly due to its Shadow Affinity, Roland couldn’t help but feel a flicker of strangeness, even in the midst of peril.

’The quality of this highly intelligent creature from the Otherworld as a mount is simply beyond imagination.’

Within a few breaths, they were closing in on Holland.

The former Priest was using his Shield to push away a tumbling reef rock, but his path was blocked by a suddenly widening fissure in the ground, leaving him trapped.

"Holland! Jump!"

Roland shouted, urging the Nightmare to go even faster.

The Nightmare understood. Its ethereal-fire eyes locked onto Holland, and its path carved a sharp arc as it cut in from the side, getting as close as possible to the edge of the fissure.

Hearing the shout, Holland turned his head. A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes as he saw the charging Nightmare and the two people on its back, but his actions were decisive.

He roared, muscles bulging all over his body. He took two sharp steps back, then burst forward with all his might, making a desperate leap at the edge of the fissure.

Just as his body went airborne and began to fall, the Nightmare galloped to the spot.

Roland leaned out, his arm shooting out like an iron clamp. He precisely grabbed Holland’s outstretched wrist and, using the Nightmare’s forward momentum, hauled his heavy body up.

THUMP!

Holland landed solidly on the Nightmare’s rump, nearly knocking off Ellis, who had just managed to steady himself.

"Heh heh! Thanks, Boss! And this big black horse, too!"

Holland grinned. Dropping all pretense of decorum, he wrapped his arms and legs tightly around the Nightmare’s body.

The posture was rather comical, but incredibly effective.

The Nightmare seemed a bit displeased with the name "big black horse," snorting a puff of shadowy air laced with Star Shards, but its running speed didn’t decrease in the slightest.

Carrying three people, the Nightmare’s burden was clearly heavier, but it displayed astonishing stamina and Power.

It no longer attempted overly flashy shadow jumps. Instead, relying on its keen, instinctual Perception of the terrain and shadows, it found a relatively safe path to higher ground amidst the collapsing tidal flats, roaring waves, and the constantly rising and falling earth.

Finally, carrying the three of them, it leaped forcefully onto a relatively wide and solid rock platform that jutted out from the coastal cliff face.

The platform was quite high up. Below was the still chaotic, churning bay and the Reef-Backed Dragon Turtle, which was slowly turning toward the Deep Sea, causing continuous earthquakes and tsunamis.

But the platform itself seemed exceptionally stable and was not severely affected.

The Nightmare came to a stop, panting lightly, its ethereal-fire eyes warily scanning the terrifying scene below and the narrow path leading to the platform.

Roland was the first to jump down, Short Spike in hand, remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

Ellis and Holland slid down one after another, found their footing, and stared at the world-altering scene below.

Holland wiped the seawater and sand from his face. Far from being frightened, he grinned and let out a loud whistle.

"Ha! Now this is a scene! Intense! This is what I call a proper adventure!"

His coarse voice echoed across the relatively safe rock ledge, filled with the excitement of having survived the ordeal.

Then he turned his head, his thick eyebrows raised, his brown eyes glinting with undisguised curiosity and inquiry.

His gaze shifted back and forth between the composed Roland and the Nightmare beside him, which had lowered its head slightly to elegantly groom its mane, which looked as if it were woven from solid shadow.

"But speaking of which, Boss..."

Holland gestured toward the Nightmare with his thumb, his tone full of blunt confusion.

"You and this big fella... it doesn’t look like you just ’know’ each other, does it? The way it was acting just now, it was like it found a long-lost relative from a few hundred years ago. No, it was even clingier than that!"

Hearing Holland’s direct question, Roland’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

His calm gaze fell upon the tall, unusually quiet creature from the Otherworld beside him, and he slowly shook his head.

"Actually... that’s not the case."

It was the truth.

Whether in the "past" or the "future," aside from that brief and bizarre conversation at the Secret Silver Hoof in Silver Radiance City, he had never had any substantial, in-depth interaction with a mysterious and powerful Otherworld being like a Nightmare.

Let alone establishing a relationship that would make it show such unguarded affection and trust.

Holland’s question had hit upon the very same unresolved mystery in his own heart.

However, hearing Roland’s denial, which was almost like him "disowning" their connection, the Nightmare at his side reacted violently.

It jerked its head up, its eyes burning with ethereal white Flame suddenly wide. The fire within them flickered wildly like a candle flame in the wind, clearly conveying disbelief and an offended vexation.

Its elegant, dark-furred neck turned toward Roland, and a dissatisfied, strangely trembling growl rumbled in its throat.

Immediately after, a clear, urgent, and emotional thought, like a bitter wind laced with tiny shards of ice, unceremoniously "crashed" into Roland’s open consciousness.

’Hey! Roland! What do you mean by that? "That’s not the case"?’

’It’s me! Black Wind! You’re the one who gave me that name!’