【Story】Chapter 2: Ubiquitous Danger

Ch. 2　Ubiquitous Danger

Part 1

“Attack is the Only Way”

With the help of Molly and Sean, not only did Enoch rescue his besieged companions and the Zodiacs, but the demons were also expelled from the battlefront. After that, Hong Ai the Runedragon carried the crowd to their safe base, which was also a strategic region of the human allies.
As soon as they were back in the main tent, Hong Ai rushed to Enoch and hugged him around his waist.
Hong Ai: Enoch Enoch! Thank goodness that you’re okay. I was so worried about you!
Enoch: I’m okay, so is everyone.
Hong Ai: Hmm? Where’s the birdie that follows you around? Where did he go? Oh, Madam Heidi and the rest are also missing.
Enoch: …Glauox… He’s not here anymore… He wanted to protect me…
Mentioning Glauox stirred Enoch’s emotions. Ingrid could tell his sorrow, so she put her hand on Enoch’s shoulder and explained for him, since Enoch was too sad to speak for himself at the moment.
Ingrid: Madam Heidi and the others went underground to wake the machinas up, so that they could figure out the disorder of elements. We’re here to deal with the demons… Right, tell me what happened. As a Runedragon, how come you couldn’t even defeat those demons?
Hong Ai: Don’t blame me! I wanted to pick up the Zodiacs from the sky, but… but…
Hong Ai tried to explain, but she stammered as if she was trying to hide something; her big, round eyes kept looking sideways until Dagda, who had been sitting nearby in silence, came forward.
Dagda: It’s not Hong Ai’s fault, it’s mine.
Enoch: Huh? What do you mean?
The question received an answer from a three-tailed black-and-white cat, which jumped onto Ingrid’s shoulder agilely and wiped its face in an elegant manner.
Panther: Dagda ignored Hong Ai’s instructions and insisted on breaking into the demon army. We had to abort our plan to save him.
Dagda: … I overestimated myself. I thought I could handle them… I’m sorry.
Mephibo: Sigh… Such an unruly child.
Mephibo went to Dagda and poked his forehead hard. Dagda was hurt and rubbed his head, but his guilt prevented him from starting a fight with Mephibo. Rather speechless, Enoch shook his head.
Enoch: Never mind, Dagda knows he was wrong. Now let’s focus on the approaching demons. First, I’d like to know our current situation.
???: Perfect timing.
Enoch: Luna! How are the Zodiacs? They seem to have severe injuries…
Luna: Don’t worry. They are blessed by the power of constellations and Saint, the ancient god of stars, so their bodies are stronger than those of ordinary people. Moreover, a practitioner from the East is healing them with his magic power. They should be able to recover soon and join our battles… As for the current situation of the demons and us, I’ll leave it for him to explain.
Luna tilted her body to make way for an Eastern old man. Despite his slow movements, he gave an air of stateliness.
???: Thou art Enoch the Summoner. Like the Zodiacs said, you do have an extraordinary demeanor.
Enoch: Excuse me. You are…?
Yuanshi Tianzun: My apologies. I am Yuanshi Tianzun, the leader of the Eastern Xians and the human army in the war against the evil demons. At the moment, only a troop of the demon army is garrisoned a hundred miles away from the Enochian Tower. We should be able to resist them with our allied army.
Luna: But as soon as their main division assembles outside the North, I’m afraid that we might lose the battle.
Ingrid: We can’t just sit here and do nothing. We must find ways to stop them before the situation gets out of our hands.
Enoch: You’re right. Let’s take action first and demolish the troop before their main division arrives.

Part 2

“An Unforeseen Crisis”

Enoch: You’re right. Let’s take action first and demolish the troop before their main division arrives.
Yuanshi Tianzun: Yes. When facing a powerful opponent, only an early, unexpected attack can bring you victory. I am surprised that you have already mastered the strategy.
Enoch: A good friend of mine taught me… We’re running out of time, let’s make— Whoa!
All of a sudden, there was an earth-shattering blare and a tremendous earthquake. Failing to balance himself with his wand, Enoch knelt on the ground. An idea struck him as soon as he touched the ground.
Enoch: “The earthquake… comes from the Enochian Tower!”
The earthquake eventually ceased after a while, so Enoch stood up and looked around. Though some were thrust to the ground, no one was severely injured. Noticing that Ingrid was trying to get up, Enoch walked over and offered her a hand.
Enoch: Are you hurt?
Ingrid: …No.
For some reason, she was blushing. Awkwardly, she took Enoch’s hand and got up.
Ingrid: Thank… thank you, I—
Hong Ai: Enoch Enoch Enoch! It was so scary!
Enoch: There, there, don’t be scared.
Enoch patted Hong Ai’s back and comforted her gently as she slipped into his arms. When Hong Ai was about to rub her head against Enoch’s chest, someone grabbed her collar from behind.
Hong Ai: You evil witch! Let go of me!
Ingrid: You stupid dragon girl! Stop acting like a baby. We’re running out of time.
Hong Ai: …Tut! I know, just let me go.
Mephibo: Enoch, the earthquake seemed to have originated from outside.
Enoch: Yes, probably from the Enochian Tower… Let’s go take a look.
The rest of the group followed Enoch out of the tent. To their astoundment, crevices climbed all over the walls of the Enochian Tower. Huge fragments of stones scattered around the bottom of the tower and caused numerous sinkholes, which were the sources of the huge noise and the earthquake.
Enoch: What… what happened?
???: The tower is facing its demolition.
???: We ought to be its salvation.
Enoch: You are…
Enoch observed the young duo. They looked rather different from other people due to their assertive draconic characteristics. Enoch felt a prick in his chest, as if something was calling him.
Enoch: “Their power is resonating with me… Is it because of the destructive power of origin within me…”
Luna: Novalis, Ursula, you two are safe. Alma was so worried that you’d be killed by Lucifer.
Novalis: No way. I would’ve defeated the eccentric if the strange flood of power coming from the far end of Heaven hadn’t flushed us down to the bottom of the tower.
Enoch: “Strange flood of power… It should be the result of me cracking open the new Heaven and the backflow of elements.”
Ursula: I was so clumsy that I got injured as I was flushed down. Novalis brought me here to take care of me.
Ingrid: What did you mean by that convoluted speech?
Novalis: Do you really need an explanation? It’s just that the tower is in crisis. If we can’t solve it, the tower will crumble.
Ursula: Right… Something is about to make a move… in the tower and Heaven adjacent to it…. My dragon spirit told me so.
Luna: The crumble of the tower would bring disastrous consequences; we must prevent it from happening.
Yuanshi Tianzun: Nevertheless, we shall not postpone our battle against the demon army. Otherwise, we will not be able to defeat them once they have assembled.
Ingrid: Enoch, what’re we gonna do?