Chapter 639: Toward the Setting Sun

In a mystical realm, a celestial object that looked like the sun slowly descended toward the world. Although it was not the real sun, its massive size was comparable to a huge mountain. This enormous celestial entity emitted a powerful and ominous presence.

It hovered so close to the ground that it seemed to touch it. Flames encircled the celestial being, gently grazing the ground below. The intense heat melted the sand and stones into molten magma. The air around it shimmered and distorted, radiating intense heat. Solid rocks, pulled by an invisible force, began to levitate and orbit this entity, known as a "Sun Offspring," like red-hot satellites.

This gigantic figure observed the humans below through its numerous emotionless eyes and issued a simple command:

"Kneel."

The aura it projected was unlike any known creature—neither supernatural nor fantastical but reminiscent of ancient gods. This fiery sphere, a true descendant of the Black Sun, spoke every word with the power of countless spells and arcane rituals.

Vanna felt a deep burning sensation as if she were engulfed in flames. The fire seemed to merge with her, intertwining even with her breath.

Yet, she silently gazed at the glowing orb she held.

After a moment, she hugged it close to her body. She then turned to a large staff stuck in a nearby sand dune. Determinedly, she reached out with her left hand, pulled the staff free, and rested it on her shoulder.

To anyone else, this staff would seem overly large and cumbersome. Even for Vanna, it was like lifting a massive tree trunk.

Nevertheless, she managed it perfectly.

With her left hand on the staff and her right hand holding a giant sword made of ice, she faced the landed "sun."

"You have chosen to defy," the celestial body communicated through a mix of vibrations and hisses, its thoughts penetrating Vanna's mind. "But you are compelled to surrender the star."

As the desert winds intensified, they seemed poised to engulf everything, acting as a turbulent bridge between realms. A massive wave of sand, whipped up by the fierce winds, loomed ominously as it approached her.

Amid this chaotic environment, Vanna, with calm defiance, looked towards the celestial body and asked, "Is it you who obstructs this... 'convergence'?"

The "sun," now grounded, responded in its unique manner, with hisses and tremors. "You think you can summon powers from afar, but you're mistaken. No one is coming to help you," it declared disdainfully. "I've severed the very threads that connect the realms. Now, you are trapped in this endless desert, completely alone. Your cries will go unheard. Neither the Usurper of Flames nor the mighty Leviathan Queen will respond. Your resistance is futile... Hand over what I seek, and perhaps, I'll show mercy."

Despite the grim threat, Vanna remained unshaken. As the winds grew stronger, she squinted slightly, surveying her surroundings.

It was evident she was isolated. Her attempts to communicate or seek help from allies, like the captain and the storm goddess, were fruitless. Although she could still hear the comforting sounds of waves and feel the burning mark of the ghost flame, the sources of these powers were now unreachable.

The immense force from the collision of the two realms had created an impenetrable barrier around the desert, effectively imprisoning her. The orchestrator of these events was clearly the sinister entity now confronting her.

Soon, a massive sandstorm began to gather. The winds collected furiously, lifting a towering wall of sand that advanced slowly, propelled by their force. Within this chaotic storm, countless grains of sand swirled and danced like massive waves in an ocean of dust.

Vanna paused, took a deep breath, and exhaled, momentarily filling the air around her with grayish particles.

Her eyes fixed on the "sun," which now depicted images of violent storms and roaring flames.

She gracefully lowered the large staff from her shoulder and began advancing deliberately toward the blasphemous celestial body. As she moved, both the staff and the enormous sword dragged behind her, etching deep lines into the ground, as if creating ancient runes upon the landscape.

If giants still roamed this world, they might have told this story:

"In the aftermath of devastation, the lone traveler challenged the intrusive sun."

But the era of giants had passed. The chronicles of this world were closed. The relentless winds quickly erased any trace of Vanna's journey, with the rising dust creating a vast curtain-like barrier behind her.

With determination, her steps quickened into an unwavering charge.

Could such defiance stun the sun? Perhaps, in its vast knowledge, the idea of "a mere mortal confronting a descendant of a primordial deity" was inconceivable. But did this creature understand human emotions?

Vanna considered this but had no way to know for sure. What she did know was the "sun's" reaction.

Layers of heat waves began to interlace across its surface, forming a radiant, honeycomb-patterned barrier. Flames surged upward while its blinding rays tried to scorch and stop her advance.

However, nature itself seemed to support her. The approaching sandstorm, originating from the far reaches of the desert, enveloped her, shielding her briefly from the sun's searing rays.

Summoning all her strength, Vanna surged forward, the weight of her imposing sword and staff barely noticeable as they swung in rhythm with her sprint. The intense heat around her felt like racing through an inferno. Each breath sent wisps of ash swirling around her, cloaking her in a spectral shroud.

It seemed she had become one with the wind, cutting through barriers with the grace of a seasoned sailor navigating stormy seas.

An ethereal voice resonated within her, unclear in origin. Was it her own resolve? The whispered guidance of the Storm Goddess? Or perhaps the commanding voice of the captain? Despite the uncertainty, the message was clear:

In this arid wasteland, the desert is a vast ocean of sand.

And it was her destiny to conjure a tempest within this boundless sea.

She was, after all, a devoted acolyte of the storm.

As she pressed on, the swirling desert winds enveloped her, rendering her almost invisible amid the burgeoning sandstorm. To any observer, it might have seemed as though the desert had swallowed her or that she had become one with the maelstrom.

Between these contrasting realms, the sandstorm acted as both a sentinel and a bridge. Its tumultuous roars shook the very foundation of the land.

From the heart of this tempest, a concentrated and deadly energy arrow soared skywards. After a brief pause, it descended with the force of a monsoon, aimed directly at the intrusive "Sun Offspring."

Today, she was determined: to extinguish a sun's fierce blaze.

The impact was cataclysmic. The resulting shockwave threatened to split the earth.

This refined desert storm, now a singular, piercing arrow, struck the "Sun" directly. In a frantic defense, the Sun quickly conjured a resplendent solar corona. But upon the arrow's impact, this corona exploded with unprecedented intensity, unleashing a devastating cascade of energy.

The explosion set the entire desert ablaze. The formidable heat wave flattened sand dunes and huge boulders, melting them into molten lava that seeped into every crevice of the devastated land.

After the explosion of the "corona," the once mighty storm turned into chaos. The concentrated winds now spiraled unpredictably. Sands, which had just formed towering walls and deadly projectiles, were pulverized by the scorching blast. Some fell quickly, while others seemed to float in a limbo between the colliding worlds, resembling ethereal clouds.

Time appeared to freeze before the remnants of the sandstorm were finally scattered by the erratic winds.

From the dissipating dust emerged a dimmed glow.

The Sun Offspring, though weakened, still lingered. Its defensive "pseudo-corona" had served its purpose, albeit at a significant cost, as it had ruptured part of its essence. Beneath its smoldering exterior, previously hidden tentacles now writhed in obvious distress. A golden-red viscous substance, resembling both scorching flames and lifeblood, oozed and dripped from it. This molten essence sizzled as it made contact with the surrounding lava pools, burning as it flowed.

The tentacles flailed wildly, and countless alien eyes moved restlessly, scanning the horizon, searching for their adversary amidst the settling haze.

Emerging from the shadows, a lone silhouette was visible just ahead of a crescent-moon-shaped indentation in the ground.

It was Vanna. Despite being surrounded by the searing atmosphere that distorted the space around her, her stance radiated poise and defiance. The effects of some mysterious force seemed to emanate from her extended sword's blade.

She tilted her head upwards, locking eyes with the distant Sun Offspring, their intentions unknown to each other.

Suddenly, her form began to unravel, disintegrating into countless particles that scattered like ashes carried away by a gentle breeze, blanketing the ground in a spectral display beneath the glowing sun.

From above, a luminous orb, shining intensely, began its descent, gently landing among the smoldering remains of Vanna.

"...A mere human, yet she commands such reverence," a voice mused aloud.

The Sun Offspring, sensing an opportunity, trembled slightly and began to rise. It attempted to harness an unseen force to claim the "Ancient Star" nestled within the ashes.

Yet, the star remained immovable.

"...What's this?" For the first time, a hint of genuine confusion appeared in the primordial being.

Suddenly, a powerful gust swept across the barren landscape, lifting Vanna's dispersed ashes from their resting place.

Within this ashen whirlwind, a phantom-like green flame materialized. Quickly, its intensity grew, enveloping the surrounding area. In its fiery embrace, myriad shadowy figures fluttered, assembling into a spectral figure resembling a soul being woven back together. The eerie flame exerted a pull, and the airborne ashes coalesced rapidly. They transformed, gaining depth, color, and definition until Vanna stood reborn.

Remarkably, even her battle-worn armor was restored by the mysterious green flames, as if reality had rewound.

Gracefully, Vanna bent down to retrieve her fallen weapons. Standing tall, she fixed her unwavering gaze on the celestial menace before her.

Noticing the subtle tremors in its tentacles and the molten ichor dripping from its incandescent body, a sly grin appeared on her lips.

"It seems you're not invincible," she remarked confidently as she advanced.

The tempestuous winds roared anew, stirring the desert into a tumultuous frenzy.

"Now," she declared with steely determination, "let's find out if gods like you know the meaning of fear."