“Alright, now that the annoying one is gone, let’s continue.” Zenobia showed no concern for Luca’s life or death, as if she had simply crushed an insignificant insect.
And indeed, it was true. The number of powerful beings who had died at her hands was countless, and Luca didn’t even rank among them.
Having said that, she extended her hand and forcefully pressed it against Sophia’s forehead. Her patience had completely run out. Even if it meant sacrificing some of her own essence, she no longer wished to waste any more time.
Faced with Zenobia’s forced fusion, Sophia seemed to turn into an ice sculpture. She didn’t resist in the slightest, and her eyes were void of any life, as if everything had lost its meaning.
But deep within her eyes, something seemed to be brewing, like the calm before a storm.
“Your lover is dead. Does it hurt?” Zenobia couldn’t help but mock her. “If I’m not mistaken, the Frost Magic requires one to seek a state of indifference and detachment, but you’re going against that principle.”
“No wonder your strength hasn’t recovered all this time.”
Sophia remained silent, slowly closing her eyes. Meanwhile, the divine rank mark on her forehead grew dimmer, and her aura weakened with each passing moment.
At the same time, a faint icy-blue light began to flicker within Zenobia’s divine rank. The potent power of lust and the chilling force of frost fused together, rising from her body like an unstoppable force!
Boom! The two divine powers, clearly distinct, yet intertwining and merging, amplified in strength under the enhancement of the Celestial Pearl. Zenobia’s aura grew more formidable by the second, shaking the very foundations of the Abyssal Demon Realm itself.
The blue-purple beam of light pierced through the barrier between the Eternal World and the Abyssal Demon Realm.
Beings from all corners of the world raised their heads and gazed at the towering pillar of light. Most were lost and confused, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear, as if something catastrophic were about to occur.
Those who understood what this meant, however, turned pale with shock.
“As expected, the sky is changing…” Sharp on Snake Island took a deep drag from his cigar, sighing deeply. He had been planning to retire peacefully in the Sea of Mist, but who could have imagined that even in his final years, he’d be confronted with such a change?
The age of chaos was approaching, and it seemed he needed to prepare for the future.
…
Meanwhile, in the real world, a vast surge of Demonic energy, like dark clouds, swiftly covered the sun in the sky.
The bright sunlight vanished, and the heavens seemed to be shrouded in an ominous black veil, casting the entire world into an unnatural night.
At the same time, a blood-red moon slowly emerged in the sky.
It hung high above, like a crimson eye, its bloody glow illuminating the entire Earth.
“What is this?” Countless people were drawn to the sudden event, initially thinking it was a solar eclipse. But soon, they realized something was terribly wrong.
Boom boom boom boom!!! It was as if something long dormant had been awakened. Crimson beams of light shot up from all over the world, and the terrifying roars of beasts echoed from within the light.
Amidst the terrified gazes of all the onlookers, monstrous creatures with glowing red eyes, surrounded by Demonic energy, emerged into the real world.
“Awooo!!!” A demonic wolf crawled out from a rift in the shopping mall, throwing its head back and howling. Its voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement, as though it were celebrating its rebirth.
“What… what is that?!” The crowd in the mall was in an uproar, staring in shock at the creature that seemed like it didn’t belong to any known species.
Some even thought it was part of a promotional event at the mall, so they quickly took out their phones to film. A stylishly dressed girl felt a chill run down her spine as she watched.
She clutched her boyfriend’s arm, her face pale, and whispered, “I… I feel like something’s wrong. Maybe we should call the police?”
But the boy, still excited, was snapping pictures. “Relax, these things must be part of some special mall event. I gotta say, it’s super realistic. They look just like the monsters from Eternal Game.”
Others around them also seemed excited, thinking this was a rare, large-scale event. If they posted it online, it would surely get tons of likes.
However, as more and more monsters poured into the mall, their excitement quickly turned to dread.
Monsters with terrifying, snarling faces crawled out of the rifts, and in the blink of an eye, their numbers exceeded a hundred. Their crimson eyes immediately fixed on the crowd. Those eyes were filled with bloodlust and greed.
“Aren’t there too many of these models?” A pale-faced anime fan stared in horror at the never-ending stream of monsters pouring in. His eyes were wide with terror.
At the same time, some people had already begun to retreat toward the mall’s exit.
But it was too late. Monsters ate humans as instinctively as humans needed food. To them, humans were simply lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
Seeing so many people gathered together was a feast for them. There was no way they would let their prey escape.
In the blink of an eye, dark, shadowy figures like lightning dashed toward the crowd.
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere! Screams echoed throughout the mall!
In the hands of the monsters, humans were as fragile as infants. They had no ability to resist, not even the Black Iron Level monsters could be dealt with by ordinary people.
But similarly, after the monsters descended, some humans noticed strange changes occurring within their bodies.
Their physical strength, reaction speed, and overall speed were dramatically enhanced. Some even discovered they could control flames!
And this scene was happening all over the world.
When the official organizations of the Four Nations—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—saw the blood moon, they immediately understood what was about to happen. They swiftly initiated global notifications, urging the citizens of each country to prepare.
Unlike the hurried response of the previous world, this time, every country was better prepared. Despite the looming apocalypse, there was no panic. The first priority was to evacuate the public, and military forces were deployed to suppress the monsters.
Summer Country was no exception, and it was one of the nations most prepared for such an event.
Members of the Morning Star, distributed across the country, immediately sprang into action.
They moved quickly alongside the military to clear out the monsters and rescue the trapped civilians.
However, despite these efforts, as more rifts opened up, even the military started to feel overwhelmed.
The Morning Star branch was now fully operational.
Both administrative personnel and action teams were working non-stop.
Messages were sorted and relayed to Drumph. Inside the command center, he wore a grave expression as he issued orders, his beard nearly being pulled out in frustration.
Though they had known this day would come, the timeline was still too tight, and with the rifts appearing randomly, even with their preparations, the situation was quickly slipping out of control.
“The first defense line in Cloud City has fallen?” Upon hearing this report from Coarmy, a shadow appeared across Drumph’s face.
The defense system in Cloud City was the second strongest in the North District, after Celephais. They had thought it would at least hold for a day, but it had been breached by the monsters much sooner than expected.
Coarmy sighed. “We expected no high-level monsters in the short term, but the reality is that high-level monsters appeared on the first day.”
Heavy firepower might have been somewhat effective against low- and mid-tier monsters, but against high-level ones, ordinary firearms and sniper rifles were practically useless against their defenses.
Even the heavy firepower proved ineffective. The speed of the high-level monsters had surpassed what ordinary human eyes could track.
“Tell Quagmire and the others to head to Cloud City for support. Make sure to recruit as many players as possible,” Drumph quickly made his decision. The only ones who could fight the monsters were the players—ordinary people rushing in would only be walking to their deaths. To protect the cities of the Northern Territory from being destroyed by the monsters, it still depended on the Morning Star teams.
After the order was given, Coarmy relayed more bad news: “It’s not just Cloud City; the defenses in Celephais are also in jeopardy. The defense line can probably only hold for a few more hours.”
Drumph frowned. “What about Luca? Isn’t he in Celephais? Just send him there.”
Given his understanding of Luca’s strength, he knew that the man alone could match several Morning Star teams. With the military’s defense line and the rift-clearing efforts, Celephais’ safety should have been a minimal concern.
Coarmy hesitated, then sighed. “…I can’t reach him.”
…
Meanwhile, in the Celephais villa district, Darabont and the others had received game feedback, and their strength was rapidly increasing.
Brilliant magical light and fighting spirit swirled around them, and the immense power rising within their bodies left Sini and the others with a sense of unreality, like they were dreaming.
However, thanks to Luca’s earlier psychological preparations, after the initial panic when the game first descended, everyone quickly regained their composure and took shelter in the underground safe room.
The food and energy supplies here were enough to last them through the initial outbreak of monsters. By the time things settled down, their strength would likely be sufficient for self-defense.
After checking everything and confirming that the food, water, and electricity were all in order, Donald received a call from Drumph. He turned to Sini and asked, “It seems the defense line in Celephais is in trouble. Has Luca woken up yet?”
“Not yet.” Sini shook her head, then looked anxiously at the luxurious game pod, glowing with blue light. “He hasn’t come out since he entered Eternal Game a few days ago.”
“Is something wrong?” Susie asked with concern.
Darabont frowned, remaining silent. From their understanding of Luca, if nothing had happened, he wouldn’t still be inside the game at a time like this.
“Should we wake him up?” Zoey glanced at the others, uncertain.
Donald thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, something must’ve gone wrong in the game. I saw the disturbance earlier. Darabont and I will go check it out. We can be of help too.”
With Luca’s help, they had already received some feedback from the game before it fully descended, and their in-game strength had already reached Silver-grade. As long as they didn’t encounter high-level monsters, they should be able to protect themselves.
“Be careful,” Sini and Zoey knew the consequences if things worsened, but they didn’t try to stop them.