Limitless Evolution: I'm The New Dragon God?-Chapter 73: The Grief Heavier Than Mountain

The streets burned with the afterglow of destruction. Buildings crumbled. Human bodies dyed the ground red. Hollows writhed in agony before turning to black ash. Smoke rose like fingers grasping at the heavens.

And through it all, Ryuzen stood at the center of the chaos, blood-drenched but unwavering.

[ Level Up! ]

[ Level 13 → Level 14 ]

[ Level Up!]

[ Level 14 → Level 15 ]

[ You Have Awakened A Species Skill: Sun Dragon’s Gaze (E) ]

> Allows the user to gain enhanced vision, and shoot a concentrated Solar Beam.

He barely blinked as the notification rang in his ears.

The last Hollow gurgled at his feet like a reptile, its twisted claws twitching before falling still.

Around him, dozens of hollow corpses littered the cracked streets. Their bodies bore the marks of brutal slaughter. Not one had escaped. Not one had landed a solid hit.

His stamina remained untouched, his body unharmed. It was as if the more he fought, the more tireless he became.

With each level up his stamina had restored, that’s why he was able to keep up hours of fighting.

"Still not enough..." Ryuzen muttered, sheathing the blood-streaked blade he’d claimed from the fallen.

He looked up as the deep rumble of evacuation sirens rang throughout the Fortress City. The sky had turned orange, tainted by fires and glowing dusk.

Buzz, buzz, buzz..

In the distance, massive airships hovered above the main districts. One by one, beams of light transported panicked citizens into the safety zones. Screams, cries, and hurried footsteps echoed from every direction.

S-Rank commanders guarded the primary streets while B and A-Rank Hunters escorted the civilians. The Blood Legion operated like a precision machine.

Raven directed entire battalions, Aurora mended wounds with wide-range healing spells, and Noah rained fire on distant Titans still rampaging in the east.

Yet amidst it all, Ryuzen turned away.

He had done enough here. His job was not to bask in praise. Or be a Hero like them. It was to survive. To grow.

And to protect what mattered.

Venus.

For some reasons, he was feeling worried for her. Her parents too.

Till now, he didn’t even get time to rest, much less care about others. But now that clarity returned, their whereabouts gnawed at him.

Without wasting another second, he kicked off the ground and vanished into the night-scarred streets, racing toward the western quadrant where Versalon was located.

His movements blurred. Each stride cracked pavement. His draconic eyes gleamed, scanning every alley, rooftop, and shadow. A lone Hollow dared to block his path.

He didn’t even slow down.

"Claw Strike."

His fingers tore through the creature’s chest like paper. The Hollow collapsed before it could scream.

The path to Versalon’s household was already becoming flooded. More Hollows were pouring in from the western breach. The defenses had thinned, the Hunters assigned there pulled to reinforce the core districts.

Ryuzen knew what that meant.

They could be in danger.

But he hoped, desperately, that Versalon family had already evacuated. That the airships had reached them. They were safe.

Still, hope alone was never enough.

He pushed forward with all his strength. His legs blurred with motion, each step cracking the pavement beneath.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

The draconic blood in his veins pulsed hotter. His golden slit eyes gleamed with sharp focus. He had fought through hell today, but he still had more to give.

But then, suddenly with a soft swoosh, a figure matched his pace flying on staff beside him.

Instantly a sweet scent like blooming flowers and herbs filled the air.

It was her.

Aurora. The Divine Healer of the Blood Legion.

Clad in robes that shimmered with silver and jade, she seemed untouched by the chaos. Her staff under her feet pulsed with emerald energy, and wherever her feet hovered, the broken ground restored.

"Where are you going, junior?" Aurora asked, her voice calm but commanding. "The evacuation ships are in the opposite direction."

Despite her soul stirring beauty and calming voice like mello, Ryuzen didn’t stopped running. His eyes stayed locked ahead, burning with sole purpose.

He turned over his shoulder and said,

"I have a friend’s family there. I’m just going to check on them." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Oh, is that so? But that place has already been evacuated and is now swarming with Hollows. Not to mention, a beast tide is approaching from the forests. If you linger for too long, you might not make it out alive."

"Thank you for worrying about a low-ranking hunter like me, Ma’am. But I have to investigate it myself."

Aurora clicked her tongue in mild irritation. "You’re quite stubborn, aren’t you? Fine. I will accompany you."

"Why are you following me, Ma’am?" he asked, picking up his pace.

Aurora, surprised by how fast he moved, replied with a light smile, "Someone told me to look after you. That’s why I came the moment I saw you running off toward danger."

Ryuzen didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on the burning silhouette of Versalon ahead.

He could feel it. Something ominous was waiting for him there.

And when he arrived at the two-storey stone building, Ryuzen’s breath nearly stopped.

Several reddish-black creatures roamed the ground floor like vultures, their distorted limbs twitching with hunger. From the second floor, low demonic growls echoed, thick with gluttony and malice.

Without hesitation, Ryuzen activated WindLeap Dash. With a burst of wind and power, he launched himself straight to the second floor in a single bound.

Aurora, still hovering a distance behind, widened her eyes in surprise. But soon, her expression softened with quiet admiration.

Ryuzen crashed through the old wooden balcony door with a sharp crack. In a blur, he rushed into what was once their room.

And then he froze.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

Venus sat slumped against the far wall, her eyes wide and hollow like a shattered doll. Her clothes were torn, her arms bruised. She looked like she had been staring into a nightmare for too long.

Evangeline, her mother, lay beside her, unconscious and pale.

And standing guard before them was Versalon.

Or what remained of him.

His back was pressed to the broken doorway, as if he had tried to block the intruders from coming in. Blood gushed from gaping wounds on his abdomen and shoulder, smoke-like gas seeping from the claw marks etched deep into his flesh. Parts of his body had been torn open, chunks missing where monstrous jaws had feasted.

But his eyes... his eyes were still open.

Still awake.

Still guarding.

And the moment those fading eyes saw Ryuzen, a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. A smile of relief. A silent message that said, "I leave the rest to you."

"Dad...!"

Venus let out a sharp cry, breaking free from her frozen fear. Her scream pierced the room, raw and trembling.

"Please... don’t leave me."

She crawled forward, her voice choked, as if too overwhelmed with grief to form proper words.

Tears spilled from her eyes, but no sobs came. Only silence. The kind of silence that hurt more than any scream.

Ryuzen clenched his fists, knuckles turning white.

’I have failed, once again.’

A dark force was rising within him.