I am a female swordsman.

"The room window is broken."

"..."

The room's glass was shattered, and strong winds mixed with rain kept pouring in. To avoid feeling uncomfortable, he had come out, which fit Huang Quan's logic perfectly. But the question was... why did the room's glass break in the first place? Demon Shadow instinctively wanted to ask out of curiosity, but his rationality kept him silent.

"I conducted reconnaissance, but lost control and shattered the window." Huang Quan walked steadily on the floor of the violently shaking cabin as if walking on flat ground. "There's only one enemy, but they've used the environment to their advantage. If the four airships don't deviate from their course, we're very likely to—"

"Crash."

Huang Quan didn't believe Alice could defeat the superhuman controlling the sandstorm, as there was a natural gap in their scales, making it far too difficult for her to protect four airships. The most sensible course of action at this point was to abandon the burden and escort the vital force back to their original coordinates.

Chapter Twelve: Gods

The collision between the yellow sand curtain and the heavy rain was not as spectacular as people might imagine.

Instead, they intertwined silently!

Each grain of sand, whipped up by the raging storm, tumbled and cheered, like a fearless knight on the battlefield, charging into battle after leveling his lance! Visibly, after the first wave of yellow sand swept past with overwhelming force, a spectacular sight appeared as it lost momentum and collapsed in all directions!

The gray and yellow hues blend together, creating vast rainbows in the sky, a truly magnificent sight!

Rumble!!

The engulfing forces, seemingly enraged by the storm, unleashed streaks of silver lightning from the thick clouds, flashing blindingly bright sparks at the sand army. Faced with the enemy's provocation, the Sand Queen, the pseudo-third-tier powerhouse who had created the sandstorm, revealed a knowing chuckle.

Despite its grand scale, it was all show and no substance.

That's right, all show and no substance!

With a cold smile, the Sandstorm Queen stood atop the sandstorm, her long, slender arms outstretched towards the four distant airships that resembled toy building blocks, her fingers clenching. With her movement, the previously scattered sand and gravel seemed to receive a monarch's command, beginning to coalesce and take shape.

Finally, the massive, all-encompassing hand began to take shape!

Inside the No. 1 airship, the Rune Knight, who was struggling to maintain the barrier against the torrential rain and resist the erosion of the yellow sand, had fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his smooth forehead.

Controlling wind and rain was already her limit; to further manipulate lightning, her mastery of runes was still insufficient. Compared to the veteran German transcendent powerhouse, the Sandstorm Queen, Alice's techniques were far too immature, both in terms of quantity and quality.

The giant hand of yellow sand, constantly dissolving and re-condensing under the pounding of the rain, was like the arm of a god, easily and comfortably grabbing the four airships.

Maybe it's just my imagination.

The giant sandstorm hand, easily breaking through the clouds and rain, was shrouded in smoke and dust, seemingly possessing a strange spirituality, giving observers the illusion that there was no way to avoid it; even light could not escape its grasp and devouring! The Sandstorm Queen demonstrated what truly brilliant control looked like when the Rune Knight dared to challenge her in her area of ​​strength!

The battle was incredibly exciting. For those who could observe the clash between the [Rune Knight] and the [Sandstorm Queen], the overwhelming and powerful defeat showcased the terrifying nature of pseudo-Tier 3.

It was exciting as it was, but Alice was clearly struggling, which meant that the four airships were in big trouble.

"A jinx."

The violent shaking of the No. 3 airship made the dark-skinned Demon Shadow's face turn somewhat black, and he complained a little about [Raven's] accurate prediction.

The two, Shadow Demon and Card King, were no longer able to sit still. Unlike Huang Quan, who remained calm and composed, simply sitting there waiting for the enemy to attack would only make them look foolish. They had an obligation to contribute their strength to this operation, whether it was to protect the airship or to repel the enemies controlling the sandstorm.

Huang Quan gestured to the two of them not to rush.

“Wait, this airship isn’t that simple.” Following Huang Quan’s pointing finger, the other two noticed that all the tables, chairs, and even the smaller decorations in the cabin were secured with wedges. They had assumed this was normal airship layout and hadn’t given it much thought, but now it seemed that the executors of the Prometheus Project had anticipated an attack that would endanger the airship.

Alice and the others were merely the executors of the plan.

The three men from the West knew nothing about the mission and were unaware of the detailed plans between the Justice League and the Allied high command.

"The Zeppelin airship modified by the Justice League has a strong magical aura emanating from its gasbags, and there are traces of divine magic cast on the floor of the cabin. I believe you, Shadow, are more familiar with divine magic than I am. Your vigilance is far too low; this is not the Wild West."

Huang Quan's words caused the yellowish-brown orifice of the demonic shadow to contract sharply by two points!

He immediately lay down on the ground!

With his burly beard almost touching the floor, he lightly scratched the wooden floor with his fingernail, instantly sending sparks flying from his fingernail! A barely perceptible smell of sulfur filled the cabin air, and the Shadow Demon immediately recognized what type of divine magic this was!

“The power of the ancient Norse divine magic system. This type of divine magic is extremely rare and incredible.” He blew on his fingers and casually adjusted his cowboy hat.

"So what is its approximate function?"

The King of Cards also curiously approached the floor, where a faint red halo was receding and disappearing.

"Praise ridiculous gods to gain unpredictable protection... If there are any gods who can respond to the spellcaster's prayers, then things will get really interesting."

The Age of Gods is long gone, but it's not impossible for deities to remain. Especially those with deep-rooted lineages and enduring fame; they might currently be hiding in some sphere of faith on the fringes of the world, patiently awaiting their chance. The question is, which deities today possess the power to respond to such miraculous divine magic?

To expend one's own strength to do such a thing is simply... incomprehensible!

In simple terms, divine magic is a miracle bestowed by the gods, something beyond the reach of ordinary people. In the Middle Ages, those who possessed such power without the church's permission were heretics. Heretics are even more hateful than cultists, and this is not without reason. The Shadow Instinct sensed something was wrong with the loosely organized supernatural group, the Justice League; this power didn't seem like something an organization should possess.

"Have we stumbled into some kind of battle between gods?!"

The King of Cards couldn't help but chuckle; his naturally optimistic nature prevented him from appearing as somber as the Shadow Demon. It was uncertain how much power those remnants of the Age of Gods still possessed by the twentieth century.

'Gods War...'

For a fleeting moment, Huang Quan's originally empty and terrifying eyes held a different kind of brilliance, but they quickly returned to their usual calm and indifference, as if nothing had happened.

She recalled a term again: the Golden Dawn Society.

'Could it be that these mad mages want to...? But where do they get the power?'

A deity is an exaggerated existence that can reach the third rank with just a projection. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, let alone a deity that has been starved to death.

next moment!

The violent shaking and turbulence of the airship suddenly disappeared, the wind weakened, or rather, the fierce storm completely vanished! The three of them looked out the window at the same time, and they were extremely surprised to find that the originally unruly gale had become docile and began to circle and rotate around the airship, with all the sand and gravel being sucked away by this giant wall of storm!

The giant sand arm formed by the Sandstorm Queen is tightly binding the outside of this ring-shaped storm wall!

This is absolutely chilling!

Chapter Thirteen: Escape

Like an impregnable barrier, the fierce storm repelled all the sand, and the area closer to the airship became increasingly calm.

It was as if an invisible hand had taken control of the storm, shaping this towering, impenetrable wall of wind with techniques beyond human comprehension. The airship at the eye of the storm, after the thick thunderclouds had been dispersed, was bathed in the brilliant, golden sunlight.

The golden sunlight after the rain coated the greyish-white Zeppelin airship.

They were illuminated as if they had flown into a divine realm!

Looking up at the circular, rotating blue sky through the window, the golden sunlight shining down from there has a magical power, as if all disasters, diseases, fears, and anxieties are completely dispelled by it!

Even the most indifferent soul, like the Yellow Springs, couldn't help but feel a stirring in their heart at this scene that so powerfully impacted their senses. Why? Because all sentient beings are moved by magnificent and vast sights, such as the beautiful sunset over the vast western wilderness, witnessing towering waves crashing against the sea cliffs, or gazing at the sky in an unpolluted area, feeling a serene and blissful sense of being under a sky full of stars.

"Now, we are safe."

Reluctantly turning his gaze away from the sky, Huang Quan quickly composed himself.

Her will, tempered by both swordsmanship and magical energy, was constantly evolving—a rare perk of teetering on the brink of death. Huang Quan was completely immune to any attempts to influence her mind through her terrifyingly strong will!

Without a doubt, the crisis has temporarily receded from the airship.

The safest place in the hurricane is in the eye of the storm, where the airship is currently located, while the most dangerous place is outside the eye. This is a very ingenious manipulation, perhaps with a touch of magic involved.

Using divine magic, they gained the power to control the wind, a power bestowed upon them by the gods. The resulting fierce hurricane became a loyal and reliable shield for the airship. This rapidly rotating wind barrier possessed terrifying cutting power. To be honest, being able to create such a powerful natural disaster by leveraging its force meant that even the Yellow Springs might not be able to break through this shield quickly in a head-on confrontation.

"Yes, we're safe."

The demon's eyes blazed with fire as he observed that the yellow sand was losing its strength.

The four airships that quickly passed the Sandstorm Queen were incredibly fast with the wind at their backs, and even the Sandstorm Queen, who could fly by controlling sandstorms, could not catch up with them.

In fact, the Sandstorm Queen did not pursue the enemy after her interception failed.

A crucial reason is that the surrounding area is firmly controlled by the Allied forces' conventional forces. If she gets too entangled and is surrounded and beaten by the Justice League's superhumans in conjunction with the Allied forces' conventional forces, she could be captured alive or even killed, which would be an extremely bad situation.

"I look forward to the day we meet again, the Justice League, and... the German lady..."

With a strange, arrogant smile playing on her lips, the Sandstorm Queen took a deep look at the receding hurricane, her indistinct beauty hidden in the yellow sand gradually fading away with the wind.

A thrilling contest has come to an end.

Only the cold wind continued to blow, as if to indicate that this grand opening was just an appetizer, and the shadowy figures who were truly fighting behind the scenes had not yet used their full strength!

………………

"Ground communication station, this is the [Prometheus] team... Uh, something seems off... Hello, ground communication station, can you hear me? Hello?... We need coordinates, ground communication team, you guys are too noisy."

Airship No. 1, main control room.

Alice gripped the headset tightly to her ear with one hand, and with the other, she brushed aside her golden bangs. Her bright blue eyes were filled with terrifying bloodshot veins. Faint traces of blood remained at the corners of her eyes, and the soldiers around her looked at her with some concern.

In order to fight against the Sandstorm Queen, Alice overused the power of runes.

The incomprehensible knowledge and forbidden call caused Alice to suffer a rather severe backlash. However, for her, paying this price to escape unscathed from the deliberate ambush of the pseudo-Tier 3 enemy, the Sandstorm Queen, with four airships was worthwhile.

However, the hurricane steered them off course.

Alice tried to contact the Allied liaison station on the ground, but to no avail. A cacophony of static replaced the Allied operator's voice; occasionally a connection would be established, but on the other end came complex, inhuman sounds—like the roars of wild beasts or the morbid whispers of arrogance!

And before we knew it, the light outside had turned extremely dim!

"Damn it, what's going on?!" Unable to contain her frustration any longer, Alice slammed the headset to the ground. The situation was beyond her comprehension.

They were like a lonely fleet sailing on a dark, vast ocean.

No one responded, no one answered, only eternal emptiness and deathly silence, and the greedy, malicious gazes that lingered endlessly from the depths of darkness!

Where are we?

"That hurricane was like a key that opened a portal, sending us to a strange, incomprehensible place. The outside world I'm observing now is completely different from the normal world... Dying, despair, don't just land on the ground, I feel there's something terrifying down there... I don't even have the courage to look at it..."

Lin, who was in charge of observing the outside world, was very uneasy and fearful at this moment.

An indescribable presence, an indifferent malice, a mysterious entity slumbering deep within the dark earth, and countless silent whispers.

All of this combined caused him immense mental anguish, even though he was already able to see many things.

A vast and endless dark ocean...

Just as everyone on Airship No. 1 was at a loss, helpless and unsure of what to do, a strange eye burning with fire suddenly appeared in the center of the airship's main control room! This floating eyeball gave people a vague sense of being watched by fate, and a hint of joy emanated from it!

"My dear Miss Alice, it seems we've run into a little trouble~~"

The King of Cards' distinctive flamboyant voice is highly recognizable.

"I think, given this predicament that has brought sorrow to your beautiful face, as a gentleman from the free land, I might be able to offer a little help."

Playing cards rained down from above, drawing everyone's attention with their colorful and dazzling descent. Amidst this magnificent magic trick, the King of Cards gracefully kissed the playing cards as he arrived at Airship Number One.