Limitless Evolution: I'm The New Dragon God?-Chapter 76: A New Day

The night passed in a haze of escape, wrapped in darkness and haunted by chaos.

Above the clouds, the airships sailed like ghostly giants through a torn sky, their hulls trembling from the earlier battle. Down below, the city they once called home was drowning in monstrosity. Flames still crackled in the distance, painting the clouds with red streaks. Screams had long faded, replaced by an eerie, suffocating silence.

Inside the ship, grief was everywhere.

Men sat hunched, staring at nothing. Women clutched children with hollow eyes. Bloodied bandages wrapped wounds both seen and unseen. The air smelled of burnt wood, sweat, and dried blood.

Everyone aboard lay broken.

Some had lost their parents. Others, their lovers or siblings. For many, entire families had vanished into the madness, consumed by the hollows or left behind in the stampede of fear.

It had all happened too fast.

Too sudden for anyone to prepare. Too brutal for anyone to understand.

And yet, they were alive.

They had survived.

Only because the Blood Legion of the Horizon Alliance had happened to be nearby. A coincidence. A twist of fate.

Had they arrived a few minutes later, the sky would have been painted with their corpses instead of the enemy’s blood.

The cold truth settled over them like a wet shroud.

If not for their timely arrival, none would have escaped.

Not a single one.

To the survivors, the Blood Legion had become heroes. Saviors descending from the heavens in their black-clad armor and roaring airships, cleaving the night with magic and steel.

"Heroes, huh?" Ryu muttered under his breath, voice low and bitter. "Destined heroes... something I will never be able to become."

"Hmm? Did you say something, Ryu?" Maki glanced at him from the side.

Ryuzen turned away, his eyes drifting into the clouded distance. "Nothing. I was just wondering where we’ll be going from here. Are we the last of mankind?"

John gave a short, hopeful laugh to lift the mood. "Haha... Of course not. I’m sure others survived. The Horizon Alliance has eyes everywhere. They’ve planned for situations worse than this. There are safe zones. We just have to make it there."

His voice held hope, but even he couldn’t hide the doubt flickering beneath it.

Between John and Maki, Venus sat in silence. She had barely moved since the ship took off. Her presence felt like a fading echo, as if a shadow cast under the broken moonlight.

"Get yourself together, Venus," Maki said softly, leaning closer. "You still have your mother to take care of. Don’t forget that."

Venus didn’t respond at first.

Then, slowly, her eyes gained a hint of life again, pale color bleeding into what had been empty and lost.

"Yes. You’re right..." Her voice was quiet, almost fragile, like something on the verge of breaking.

She turned to look at Evangeline, who lay on a makeshift bed with blankets bundled tightly around her. The woman had not stirred once. Her breathing was faint, barely visible against the rise and fall of her chest. The shock of watching her husband ripped apart before her eyes had carved deep wounds in her spirit, wounds no healing magic could close.

Even Aurora, as powerful as she was, had said nothing could mend the kind of pain she carried now.

Venus reached out and gently brushed a loose strand of her mother’s hair behind her ear. Her fingers trembled.

She whispered, "I’ll stay by your side, mother. I promise."

Her words were spoken into the quiet night, lost amid the hum of the airship’s engines and the rustling wind. But in that moment, something deep inside her changed.

She became stronger.

The kind of strength that came not from magic or bloodlines, but from loss, pain, and a burning desire never to feel that helpless again.

Time Passed.

The Sun rose higher in the eastern sky, casting golden light across the battered airships like a silent promise of survival. Its warmth crept gently over the curved hulls, painting the scars of battle with a soft glow, as if trying to heal them with its touch.

Below, on the open decks, survivors stirred slowly from their exhausted sleep. Some blinked toward the sky, unsure if they should feel hope or fear. The crimson stains on their clothes hadn’t faded. The screams from the night still echoed in their minds. But the daylight brought something else — a fragile breath of calm.

Still, everyone was unsure of their future, where they were going.

But then as if answering to their doubts, an announcement rang across all the five airships:

< Attention all passengers. This is an official broadcast from the Horizon Alliance. >

< We have survived a catastrophe unlike any we ever imagined. Words cannot express the sorrow for what has been lost. On behalf of the Alliance, we offer our deepest condolences to every soul grieving right now. >

A brief pause followed. The silence honored the thousands left behind.

< But know this — Belfort City still lives within all of you. As long as we endure, its legacy continues. >

< We are now en route to the next Safe Zone. Estimated arrival time: two days. Please remain calm, follow crew instructions, and take care of one another in this difficult time. >

The voice shifted slightly, now directed to a different group.

< To all registered Evolvers onboard: you are requested to report to the Internal Strategy Chamber located on Deck Three. An emergency briefing will begin shortly regarding our next course of action. Your cooperation is vital. >

< That is all. May the light guide us forward.>

The message ended, leaving a hollow silence behind. But for the first time in hours, a fragile sense of direction returned to the hearts of the survivors.

"Let’s go, Ryu, Venus. Let’s see what they want to talk about," John said as he rose to his feet, his expression serious but calm.

His words carried weight, not because of authority, but because they all knew — Venus had awakened as an Evolver.

Ryuzen glanced sideways at her, hoping to catch her eyes, maybe share a word or even a look of understanding. But she didn’t meet his gaze. Her face was unreadable, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Without a word, she stood and followed behind John and Maki, her steps light but firm.

’She is still giving me the cold shoulder...’ Ryu muttered to himself with a sigh.

There was a tightness in his chest that hadn’t been there before. Not from fear or pain, but because of the quiet space that now separated them.

He ran a hand through his wind-tossed hair and followed after them, boots echoing against the metal floor as they walked toward the inner chamber of the airship.

Whatever awaited them inside would likely shape their futures.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something between him and Venus had already begun to break.