Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Chapter 682 Destruction

Kaizen and his group gathered around the carriage, still stunned by the show of power they had witnessed from Alina.

For her part, Alina slowly stepped back, dissipating the magical aura that had enveloped her moments before. Her bright white dress returned to its ordinary appearance, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"You could have told us she was so powerful," muttered Jayaa, still a little surprised by Alina's display of magic, as he entered the carriage.

While stowing the Sword of Dawn in the trunk of the carriage, Kaizen laughed softly, a warm sound that contrasted with the tension of the previous moment. "Sorry, sorry. I wanted to give everyone a chance to show the others how strong they are. Besides, I thought Alina was the type who likes to keep her strength a secret until absolutely necessary."

Andrew surveyed the terrain and the defeated enemies from afar and nodded to Kaizen. "It looks like the blast of magic did a pretty effective job. I don't think they'll recover any time soon."

Xisrith nodded in agreement, returning to her seat at the front of the carriage. "They're lucky to be alive after a blow like that. Now, how do we deal with the situation from now on?"

Kaizen sat down in the driver's seat and looked back at the group. "First, all aboard. Let's get out of here before any more problems arise."

The group promptly obeyed. Xisrith climbed into the coachman's seat next to Kaizen, while the others settled inside the carriage. It was a majestic carriage, with elaborate details and velvet curtains that kept the interior hidden from the view of strangers, bought by Kaizen. Kaizen then took the reins and gave the horses a gentle nudge, making the carriage start to move. He kept a close eye on the rear-view mirror as the vehicle moved slowly along the dark road.

Kaizen couldn't even be disappointed by what Alina had done, after all she had spared him the fatigue of having to kill almost thirty people for nothing, because as they were all human, he would gain virtually no XP from killing them. For this reason, he smiled and pulled harder on the reins.

So, as Kaizen's carriage and his group made their way along the dark roads towards the devastated Kingdom of Mibothen, they sometimes heard the sound of horses' hooves from various carriages approaching and then getting lost among the many trails and roads.

As the carriage drove on, you could see the consequences of what had happened in Mibothen. Trees charred by the ashes brought from afar, houses scrapped by the rowdy travelers who rushed into the chaos of Mibothen and some burnt fields. All this passed through the window like memories of a more prosperous time. The sky was quickly darkened not only by the darkness of the night, nor of storms, but by the clouds of smoke that came from afar, leaving an acrid smell in the air.

After a few hours of travel, Kaizen's carriage was no longer alone on the main road to Mibothen. Other carriages, many of them carrying merchants and adventurers, joined the caravan. The sound of the horses' hooves echoed in unison, creating a strange, melancholy symphony that hung over the devastated landscape.

The sky, which was already darkened by the night, became even darker as clouds of fire could be seen in the distance from the top of the mountains. They were like gigantic red spots that slowly slid across the horizon, obscuring the stars and the moon. The sinister glow of those destructive fires cast a shadow over hope, reminding everyone of the constant danger they faced.

Inside the carriage, Kaizen's group was in relative safety, but the mood was heavy.

Alina stared thoughtfully out of the window, still processing the power she had demonstrated earlier. Such was the destruction that even she knew she had never read about anything like it in any book.

Jayaa, sitting next to her, tried to break the silence. "Are you all right?"

Alina sighed and turned her gaze to Jayaa. "I just can't understand why this happened. Millions of people probably died."

Kaizen, who was driving the carriage, intervened: "Alina, we don't know what actually happened to the people. You don't have to think about it yet."

Andrew, who was sitting in the back of the carriage, looked out of the window and muttered to himself. "Yeah, still..."

Xisrith, who was next to Kaizen in the coachman's seat, looked out at the gloomy horizon, covering his mouth with the cloth of his clothes, and spoke in a low voice. "That smell... It's definitely not just leaves and burnt wood."

As the caravan advanced, more and more carriages joined them.

The night continued to advance, and the fiery clouds made the sky even darker. The eerie glow emanating from them created an unreal atmosphere, as if they were traveling through a world of nightmares. The horses, tireless, continued to pull the carriages across the desolate landscape.

Kaizen remained alert, aware that at any moment he could run into something.

Finally, when the sky was completely overcast with fiery clouds and the darkness was absolute, Kaizen decided it was time to stop for a while, because they would soon cross the border between Tretidian and Mibothen. "Let's stop for a while. Our horses are exhausted, and we all need to rest."

Agreeing, they started looking for a suitable place to camp. It didn't take long to find a clearing by the side of the road where there was already a group of adventurers camping.

When the carriage stopped and everyone from the group got off, Alina approached Kaizen, her face illuminated by the light of dawn, and said:

"Kaizen, about what happened earlier, I'm sorry for..."

He interrupted her with a reassuring smile. "So that's why you were quiet the whole trip? Don't worry about it, Alina. You did what needed to be done. Thank you for doing it."