Magical Girl's Knight Brother

Chapter 656 The Threat in the Sea

The somber atmosphere in the council chamber was slightly diluted by the sense of reassurance brought about by the return of a key figure. Although the partners were still worried, the tension between their brows, which was almost about to snap, did relax a bit.

Tang Zijun's gaze swept over everyone. Tang Cao was puffing out her cheeks, quietly complaining to He Li about the fire dragon's lack of martial ethics. Qin Nan's eyes kept glancing at him, filled with undisguised affection and a sense of relief that "you're finally back." Tan Zhixin sat quietly a little further away, her clear, cold eyes fixed on him. The emotions surging within her were more restrained than Qin Nan's, yet also deeper, like still waters running deep. Although He Li maintained her elegant demeanor, her slightly relaxed wings and soft response to Tang Cao showed that the pressure in her heart had been released.

This sight stirred something within Tang Zijun.

The exaggerated seriousness of their account of the situation was less a reflection of genuine inability to cope and more like that of a wronged child finally able to rely on an elder returning home, unable to resist pouring out all the important matters at once in search of comfort and support.

This unconscious dependence reminded him of a long, long time ago when Tang Cao would suffer a minor setback outside and come home to throw herself into his arms, exaggerating the trivial matter as if the sky were falling... all for the sake of getting him to say, "It's okay, your brother is here."

This pure trust is both exceptionally precious and exceptionally heavy in the cold wasteland and bizarre dreams.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible tenderness crossed Tang Zijun's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by a deeper solemnity.

Despite the attempts to appease them, the current situation, with conflict raging on all sides, allows no room for complacency.

"The situation is indeed troublesome." Tang Zijun's voice remained calm and composed, carrying a sense of control over the overall situation. "But since it hasn't truly threatened the core of Black City yet, it means your initial response was effective, and the situation is still under control."

"At the river front, in the Ghost Mist Forest, and along the coast, we should first strengthen defenses and reconnaissance according to the established plan, and prioritize stabilizing our position."

He paused, his gaze finally settling on Scáthach, who stood silently at the edge of the shadows, seemingly blending into the background.

This queen from Celtic mythology still stood tall and straight like a spear, her dark purple eyes as deep as an ancient well, revealing little emotional fluctuation. However, Tang Zijun could sense that there was something she wanted to say beneath her calm face.

"As for the fire dragon in the mine..." Tang Zijun said in a deep voice.

"It's the only 'variable' among all the events that directly attacked our defenses, yet actively hid deep within our sphere of influence. I need to know why it came about, and what it's hiding from, Scáthach."

Tang Zijun called out names directly. "Come to my office."

After saying that, Tang Zijun turned around first and walked towards the city lord's office at the side and back of the council hall. His steps were steady and powerful, without any hesitation.

Qin Nan and Tan Zhixin opened their mouths almost simultaneously, their eyes revealing obvious disappointment and a desire to follow, but they ultimately held back. They knew that Tang Zijun had called Scáthach away alone because there must be something more important and secretive to discuss.

Scáthach made no unnecessary movements, silently following in Tang Zijun's footsteps.

Her dark purple eyes swept over Qin Nan and Tan Zhixin, her gaze seemingly carrying an indescribable emotion. The corners of her lips couldn't help but curl up slightly, but only for a moment.

The heavy oak door closed silently behind them, shutting out the noise and concerned gazes from the outside world.

The furnishings in the city lord's office were simple and cold. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the dark and oppressive skyline of Black City. Tang Zijun did not walk behind the large desk, but stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with her back to Scáthach, looking at the distant mine with its hideous outline like the wounds of a giant beast.

"You wouldn't let a fire dragon recklessly invade Black City's territory, so tell me." Tang Zijun's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet office, cutting straight to the point without any unnecessary pleasantries. "That fire dragon's intrusion into the mine was no accident. When they were reporting, there was a subtle fluctuation in its aura. What do you know? Or rather... what did you sense?"

Scáthach walked to a spot a step behind Tang Zijun and stood there, also looking towards the mine.

Her voice was deep and magnetic, carrying the unique rhythm of an ancient language and a sense of vicissitude that seemed to transcend time.

"What Tangcao and the others saw was merely the ripples of the storm, while the real whirlpool... was silently brewing a darkness deep within the seemingly calm ocean, a darkness capable of swallowing everything."

"The ocean?" Tang Zijun frowned.

He thought Scáthach would steer the conversation toward the Ghost Mist Forest.

After all, the place where the rumors of the Dragon Group first spread was the Ghost Mist Forest. Coupled with the existence of the Creepy Pleasure Object, it's not surprising that the Fire Dragon would flee in the face of such a crazy Old One who wanted to break free.

Scáthach paused slightly, as if organizing her thoughts on how to describe the indescribable horror with her limited vocabulary.

"That fire-breathing dragon wasn't merely fleeing from a powerful predator; its madness and fear stemmed from a deeper, more fundamental 'pollution.'"

"pollute?"

"Yes, it carries the aura of the slumbering lord of the deep sea. Though extremely faint, my Shadow Spear cannot be mistaken; it is a corrupting presence powerful enough to distort the very foundation of the world."

"The Lord who sleeps in the deep sea..." Tang Zijun frowned. This word reminded him of the strange energy and red fur on the corpse of the Star God that the Epoch Gods were trying to analyze.

“Just as you thought, that thing is similar to the crawling pleasure-seeker.” Scáthach blinked. “The appearance of that aura was no coincidence. At the mouth of the river on the front line of the river... something that should not be disturbed is buried. Perhaps it is a node of some ancient seal, or perhaps it is some slumbering remains of the same origin as the Great Old Ones... The raging dragon breath of that fire dragon, or the aura it carried, is like a stone thrown into stagnant water, which has probably awakened some... extremely terrible beings.”

"The so-called awakening of the Ghost Mist Forest," the eerie internal strife on the river front that could incite infighting, even the unsettling conch shell calls from the coast—these concentrated outbreaks are by no means isolated events. I suspect... the "roots" of all this chaos... are more or less connected to the depths of that cursed land."

"So that fire dragon wasn't coming for us; it was just instinctively trying to escape to a safer place to avoid... the impending flood."

Scáthach stepped forward, lowering her voice to an even more solemn tone.

"After you left, I've been trying to investigate the changes in this world. I've been away from this world for too long; many things have changed, but some ancient things still exist..."

She looked out the window at the rolling, dark sky, as if she could see invisible shadows spreading from the direction of the ocean.

"What I thought was just my speculation before, but judging from the current developments, with the shattering of the Void Realm, the power of the gods has also begun to be reduced without limit. Some seals buried deep in various parts of the world are on the verge of breaking, and those unsettling beings... have also begun to stir..."

"Black City...and even this corner of the entire dream world...will be dragged into an abyss of no return, and the threat will be a hundred times greater than the civil war in the river region."

A deathly silence fell over the office.

Outside the window, the flags of Black City fluttered in the gale, like a desperate sob.

Tang Zijun's gaze was fixed on the outline of the distant horizon. The threat revealed by Scáthach weighed heavily on his already uneasy heart like a giant weight.

Beneath this seemingly chaotic situation, which appears to be spreading in multiple directions, lies a hidden thread leading to an even more terrifying abyss.

"So, compared to that guy in the Ghost Mist Forest, what we need to face first is something crawling up from the sea?"

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