Meanwhile, in the real world.
Beneath the pitch-black night, the dense, towering crimson beams suddenly trembled.
The crimson moon in the sky flickered in and out of view, and bright sunlight began to shine through the dark clouds, illuminating the earth.
Then, to the bewilderment of all those watching, the nodes connecting the Abyssal Demon Realm vanished.
All that remained was a crimson magic array at the spot where they had once been.
Not only humans, but even the monsters were frozen in place.
What happened to the nodes?
In the Morning Star division, Drumph, who was coordinating the defense lines, was also stunned when he heard the news.
But then, a surge of wild joy flooded his heart.
The frontlines had been sending bad news constantly, and he had been wracking his brain trying to figure out how to hold the lines. But now, unexpectedly, the nodes had disappeared on their own.
Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be missed. He immediately issued an order: “Send reinforcements immediately! No matter what, we must hold on!”
The other members of Morning Star understood the importance of this opportunity. Upon receiving the order, they quickly began transmitting military commands to all the frontlines in the Northern Territory of Summer Country.
Once the message was received, nearly all the frontlines were filled with newfound confidence. With the constant flow of reinforcements, even those lines that were about to collapse rapidly stabilized.
After everything was arranged, Drumph thought for a moment before giving orders to Coarmy: “I suspect there’s been some change in the Eternal World. Have someone check what those magic arrays are for.”
“If there’s any news, notify me immediately.”
The changes in the real world were clearly a result of the Eternal Game. But ever since the game had descended, the players had lost contact with the Eternal World.
So, they had no idea what had happened there. They could only try to investigate those remaining magic arrays to see if there was any information to be found.
…
Meanwhile, in the basement of the Celephais villa.
Sini, Susie, Zoey, and the others were watching the news, all with concerned expressions on their faces.
Hiss—! The sound of the air valve suddenly broke the silence, drawing everyone’s attention. They then saw the game pod, the only one illuminated in the basement, slowly opening.
“Luca’s awake!” Susie’s face lit up with joy, and she immediately stood up and jogged over.
At the same time, Luca stood up from the game pod. He stretched his body with a long yawn, his bones cracking loudly, almost like firecrackers. However, unlike the times before when exiting the game would result in a boost to his power.
This time, Luca didn’t experience any increase in strength — no game feedback, no enhancement.
Luca had already anticipated this. His Solar Divine Rank, fixed magic runes, equipment, and even his storage ring were all left behind in the Celestial Battlefield. Retrieving them would undoubtedly require some effort, meaning he was effectively back to square one, as though he’d returned to a time before his previous progress.
But Luca didn’t regret it. The power he had gained was all for the purpose of better protection.
Moreover, he had left a backup for himself…
Luca flicked his wrist, and a purple crystal stone appeared in his hand. The power of Sinful Desire churned inside it, and just one glance at it made one feel dizzy.
It was the Sinful Desire Divine Rank!
This was something he had taken from Zenobia, and it was the greatest gain from this journey. Luca had personally experienced the overwhelming power of Sinful Desire. With this divine rank, he would soon be able to elevate his strength again.
Even without relying on the Celestial Pearl, Luca would be able to reach the level of a Divine Master, or even a God King-level monster.
More importantly, the power of Sinful Desire could counteract the primordial forces.
So if he were to encounter Ancient Gods again, like in Dawn City, he wouldn’t be helpless.
While he was lost in thought.
A dark figure suddenly leaped into his arms, crying out loudly.
“You’re finally out… I thought you had died in the game!” Susie clung to him, crying uncontrollably, her face drenched with tears. Even Sini and Zoey behind her had slightly red eyes.
Although Luca knew they were worried about him, hearing Susie’s words made his face darken. He said, “Can’t you at least hope for me to be okay?”
Sini scowled and replied, “You’ve been in that game pod for almost a week. How could we not be worried?”
This was the first time Luca had stayed in the game for such a long time. On top of that, so many things had happened in the real world. They must have been deeply anxious.
“Sorry,” Luca quickly apologized, a warm feeling surging in his heart. After all the battles he had fought during the apocalypse, he knew very well that having family in this world was one of the greatest blessings.
Once the emotions calmed down, he looked around the basement but didn’t see Darabont or Donald. He couldn’t help but ask, “Why are only the three of you here? Where are Father and Uncle?”
Zoey answered, “They went into the city to help.”
The basement was safe enough to protect Susie and the others, and Luca figured there was no point in staying here himself. He told them, “Stay safe. I’ll go and check things out. Don’t open the door to anyone.”
Upon hearing that Luca was planning to go out, the three of them grew anxious. Before they could say anything, Luca waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry. If things get too dangerous, I’ll come back.”
Luca was very clear about his current strength and knew himself well enough not to throw away his life just out of momentary impulse.
Seeing that they couldn’t change Luca’s mind, the others stopped pressing him and only reminded him to be extra careful. Luca nodded slightly, then, just like Donald, put on his gear and left the basement.
The weather was sunny, and as they stepped out of the villa, they saw that the streets were almost empty. Broken limbs and bloodstains were scattered everywhere.
Cars were jammed tightly on the roads, some even breaking through the median strip. Looking up, smoke was rising from the buildings in the city center of Celephais, with occasional flashes of fire visible.
In the distance, there were sounds of gunfire and desperate cries for help.
The defense line established by the government was located at the junction between Celephais city center and the suburbs, not far from Luca’s place.
Given the current road conditions, driving was clearly impossible. Fortunately, with his current strength, he didn’t need much time to get there.
Just as he was about to make his move, his phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
Luca answered, and immediately, Coarmy’s loud voice came through. He was practically crying as he shouted, “My ancestor! You finally picked up! You have no idea how many times I’ve called you…”
Coarmy was genuinely overcome with emotion. He was in charge of the defense line in Celephais, and Luca was the strongest ally he could find. But for some inexplicable reason, Luca hadn’t emerged from the game.
God knows how much pressure Coarmy had endured during these few hours.
Luca pulled the phone slightly away from his ear. When Coarmy finally calmed down, Luca brought it back and asked, “What’s the situation now?”
Once the serious matter came up, Coarmy became all business, saying gravely, “It’s bad. These monsters are far stronger than we imagined, especially the high-tier ones. Neither firearms nor players can handle them…”
Luca wasn’t surprised, as he had already expected this, and answered, “What’s the situation in other countries?”
Coarmy sighed, “We in Summer Country were well-prepared, so it’s not too bad for us, but other countries are in worse shape. Some cities with populations over a million…”
As Coarmy continued his report, Luca gradually got a clearer picture of the current situation. The main issue revolved around the policies and actions of several countries.
At present, countries around the world were doing everything they could to evacuate civilians, set up defensive lines against the monsters, and establish safe zones, all in a desperate effort to minimize casualties.
Previously, due to the suddenness of the event, things were still a bit chaotic in terms of execution, but the sudden disappearance of the nodes acted as a booster for all the countries.
Although the situation was still out of control, it was at least starting to head in a better direction.
After understanding the situation, Luca let out a sigh of relief.
In his past life, the countries of the world had essentially collapsed at the moment the monsters arrived. Now, however, they had managed to hold off the monsters’ onslaught, which meant that his efforts had borne fruit.
“I’m heading to the frontlines now.” Luca said to Coarmy, and without further hesitation, he pushed off the ground, leaped up, and landed on the rooftop.
Like a monkey, he dashed toward the junction of the city center and the suburbs.
…
Meanwhile, in the Abyssal Demon Realm, a string of curses could be heard as five chains flew out from the surrounding mountains, binding Zenobia tightly.
The monsters near Five-Finger Mountain were all crawling on the ground, not daring to breathe a word, fearing that their wrath would be unleashed upon them.
“That damned human! That damned Luca! Once I get out of here, I’ll make sure to cut you into a thousand pieces, skin you alive, and…” Zenobia’s face alternated between cold indifference, furious rage, and deep contemplation, resembling a person suffering from split personalities.
“With all this energy, you might as well think of a way to break out of the seal.” One of her personalities, calm and composed, remarked.
After a brief silence, Zenobia’s face once again contorted with anger, and she spat, “What’s the point now? Without the Celestial Pearl and the divine rank, we’re doomed to be trapped here for eternity!”
It was bad enough that Luca had ruined her plan, but the most frustrating part was that the bastard had secretly stolen her divine rank. Now, her condition was even worse than before. Even her fused avatar had split apart again. How was she supposed to break free now?
Her other two personalities fell silent as well. Even in her most desperate moments ten thousand years ago, Zenobia had still kept her divine rank. But now, even that was gone—how could she turn the situation around?
Just as Zenobia’s thoughts were running wild, a sarcastic voice suddenly echoed in her ear, causing her expression to freeze in place.
“Oh? Isn’t this the great Zenobia? How is it that you’ve ended up locked up here again?”