The White-Robed Man

This pressure did not come from the giant beast, but from somewhere much higher.

It came from the sky, from above the clouds, from a dimension that mortals could neither comprehend nor reach.

Kaylon's knees bent uncontrollably as his body reacted purely on instinct.

Like an iron nail drawn to a magnet, or a fallen leaf swept into a whirlpool, there was simply no resisting it.

He could hear the sounds of his team members falling to their knees one after another behind him.

Shields clattered against the ground, sword tips dug into the dirt, and the stifled gasps of his people filled the air.

Whether prostrate, looking up, or curled on the ground, no one could withstand this force.

This was not mere pressure, but a deterrence born from existence itself; its very presence felt like a negation of all other things in the world.

The giant beast clearly felt this pressure as well.

It slowly turned its head, looking in the direction the pressure was emanating from.

For the first time, Kaylon read an actual emotion in its eyes.

It was not anger, nor was it joy, but awe.

There was also an unspeakable sense of grievance, like a child abandoned for a thousand years who had finally found the person coming to take them home.

Then, it slowly lowered its head and prostrated its entire body, adopting a respectful posture as if it were kneeling in worship.

Kaylon followed the giant beast's gaze, seeing a shadow reflected in its pupils.

It was a shadow deeper than darkness itself—not a human figure, yet possessing a humanoid silhouette.

The shadow was taller than the giant beast, loftier than the mountains, and older than this land of Ancient Glay that had just returned to the earth.

It slowly materialized from the void, without sound, without warmth, and without any physical form that a human could perceive.

The giant beast's thick limbs, capable of crushing city walls, bent slightly, and its mountain-like back bowed deeply.

It was bowing, offering its most respectful salutation to that empty shadow.

The sky gradually darkened; it was the light, retreating and fading away.

Kaylon's vision began to blur, not because of his eyes, but because something was slowly devouring the light.

He could only barely make out the silhouette of the giant beast and the gathering, intensifying darkness before it.

Then, everything vanished.

His vision plunged completely into darkness—a darkness deeper and heavier than any night, capable of swallowing all light.

Kaylon could see nothing; he could only feel his wolf mount trembling violently beside him and hear the distant screams, cries, and the voices of people continuously chanting the names of the gods.

He lay flat on the ground, his fingers digging deeply into the cracks of the rubble.

There was nothing but endless darkness around him, pressing down so heavily that it was hard to breathe.

A sigh fell upon everyone's ears.

A golden light sliced through the darkness.

It was carved forcefully from the very center of the dark, like a sharp blade slicing the thick gloom in half.

Kaylon closed his eyes instinctively, but even through his eyelids, he could feel the blinding radiance.

He slowly opened his eyes; the golden light remained, expanding continuously, rippling outward like waves, flooding forward like a tide, forcing the darkness to retreat wherever it reached.

The darkness seemed like a living thing, cowering and fleeing as if in absolute terror of the golden light.

Wherever the golden light passed, the sky brightened, the earth ceased its trembling, and the turbid air became fresh and clean.

The massive giant beast had vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace behind.

The ruins it had crushed remained, and the deep trench split by its breath was still there, but the beast itself was gone.

The darkness in the distance had not fully dissipated, but it had been driven back to the horizon by the golden light, resembling a ring of black walls surrounding the illuminated land.

The golden light continued to spread, its blinding edge gradually softening into a gentle glow that washed tenderly over every inch of the ground.

The source of the light slowly rose from the spot where the giant beast had vanished, ascending bit by bit and growing brighter and brighter.

Kaylon slowly realized that it was actually a person.

Walking out of the darkness, he dispelled the endless gloom like dawn pushing away a long night.

Haloes of light rippled outward from his body; with each ripple, the darkness retreated another step, and the sky grew a fraction brighter.

Kaylon squinted, unable to make out his face. The figure was too far away, and the residual glow of the golden light left afterimages on his retinas.

He could only see a blurry silhouette.

Wearing robes as white as snow and holding a long staff, the wind caught his garments like outspread wings, carrying an innate, inviolable holiness.

“He...” the Deputy Captain's voice came from behind, filled with an unprecedented reverence and a slight tremor.

“Is he a god?”

No one answered. Everyone held their breath, their eyes locked onto the glowing figure, their minds filled with awe and shock.

In the distance, the fleeing adventurers stopped in their tracks as well.

Some fell to their knees, some stood frozen, and others lay flat on the ground, looking up with devout expressions at the figure hovering in midair.

Adelaide sat slumped on a rock, the potions around him spilled everywhere and the bottles shattered into pieces, yet he was completely oblivious, his eyes fixed on the sky.

He had never believed in gods. In the past, he had sold fake holy water, expired blessing potions, and even prayer books with typos.

In his eyes, gods were just like those cheap potion bottles—some were useful, some were not, and it all came down to luck.

But now, looking at the figure in the air dispelling the darkness, he was no longer sure, and the skepticism he held deep in his heart began to crumble bit by bit.

The figure slowly descended from the air, and as he did, the golden light withdrew layer by layer like a tide returning to the sea, gradually softening.

The distant darkness dissipated completely, and the sky returned to its usual grayish-blue. The clouds remained thick, and there was no sun, yet everything was illuminated with brightness.

Kaylon could not see exactly where he landed, only that on the horizon in that direction, the faint golden light was slowly retracting before finally vanishing completely.

As fear dissolved, the devotion and sense of salvation welling up from their hearts caused some to weep.

“The Divine Envoy... It is the Divine Envoy...”

“It's the Holy Son! The Holy Son sent by the Goddess of Radiance!”

Kaylon heard these voices, but he did not look back.

He mounted his wolf, gripping the reins so tightly in his palm that they left a deep indentation.

Without needing to be urged, the wolf turned around on its own, running away from this land.

Behind him lay the golden light, the miracle, and the people kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly.

Kaylon did not look back. He did not want to look, nor did he dare to.

At this moment, he only wanted to leave this place of despair and miracles as quickly as possible.

The people around Adelaide fell to their knees one by one, pressing their hands together and chanting devout prayers.

His own knees bent uncontrollably as well.

Bowing his head with hands clasped, he slowly uttered a prayer he had never spoken before, his voice faint yet incredibly devout.

People began running toward the direction where the white-robed man had landed—one, two, three, and then more and more.

They ran with all their might, and if they tripped, they scrambled up immediately to keep charging forward.

Barefoot on the sharp gravel, their soles were sliced open, leaving a trail of bloody footprints along the stone path, yet they did not pause for a second.

They only wanted to reach that person as quickly as possible, to kneel before him and bask in that light of salvation.

Adelaide stood up as well, following the crowd toward that direction, the confusion in his eyes gradually replaced by devotion.