Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Others may not understand why this sudden war erupted.
But Su'en knew.
A thousand years ago, Sir Isaac and his wife always had the ability to annihilate the soul of the Fallen Angel.
But they let it live until now, not for anything else, but for the resurrection of Pestoya.
The Fallen Angel clearly guessed this point.
Therefore, Pestoya, this life-saving trump card, was something it would never give up.
Two winged silhouettes continued to battle fiercely in the sky, fighting from the outskirts to the very center of the city…
Su'en's all-seeing eyes possessed an ultra-long vision, allowing him to gaze over from a great distance.
Previously shrouded in mist, he thought there might be some special structure in the city center. But due to the battle, the fog that obscured the view was also drained away.
To his shock, the core urban area turned out to be a gigantic pit with a diameter of one or two kilometers, bottomless!
It was like a spring, with the mist from the ruins and those aberrant and abyssal creatures continuously pouring out from that great pit.
"Is that the passage to the abyssal plane?"
Su'en speculated as he watched.
Looking at the traces on the edge of the pit, the irregular, pockmarked marks were clearly caused by external forces.
It was probably the disaster a year ago that destroyed Dawn City, causing the city center to collapse into such a huge hole.
Su'en looked at "Theresa," who clearly did not wish to fight, and guessed the deity's purpose: "Does she want to escape into the abyss?"
***
Mr. Mirror entangled "Theresa," gradually forcing her into the center of the sky above.
After all, her true form was only second-tier, and the high-intensity battle gave her no chance to breathe. The secret technique that consumed her lifespan also gradually became strenuous. The young lady from the ducal mansion not only turned her hair white but her body also began to rapidly deteriorate, no longer able to control such terrifying law powers.
Finally, her arm holding the lightning suddenly collapsed, and the skin on other parts of her body also cracked, disintegrating like fluff.
"Theresa" knew her body had reached its limit, suddenly her complexion changed, and her body inflated rapidly like an overblown balloon. Visible to the naked eye, streams of red lightning surged within her, and the red glow became clearer through the cracks in her skin…
"Is she going to self-destruct?"
From a distance, Su'en watched with trepidation and quickly pulled several puppets to shield himself.
Although he was already far enough away, he was ready to flee at any moment.
Seeing this, even Mr. Mirror had to flap his wings and fly away, quickly distancing himself to safety.
"Boom!"
In the next instant, Theresa's body exploded, and red lightning serpents surged through the sky.
It was this explosion that seemed to break some critical point, and suddenly the ground shook violently, with a loud noise like a volcanic eruption, and shockwaves echoed throughout the sky above the ruins.
At the same time, the ground trembled fiercely, and a surge of ink-like black mist gushed out from the abyssal entrance, shooting straight up to the top of the kilometer-high cavern.
Vaguely, amidst the dense fog, it seemed as if a large number of abyssal creatures emerged from the pit.
"The mist tide has erupted again…"
Su'en narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had experienced a "mist tide" before and was naturally familiar with it.
This kind of anomaly occurs from time to time in the ruins. He used to be unclear about the cause, but now he knew it was the seal cracking and leaking a large amount of abyssal dark energy, randomly "spewing" out some abyssal creatures.
This time, the amount of the surge was particularly astonishing.
Su'en looked at the shadows of the abyssal creatures tens of meters tall in the mist and knew he couldn't just stand by and watch, so he quickly retreated.
He also guessed that the Fallen Angel probably wanted to use these creatures to break free.
But was it possible?
This was a battle that might have surprises, but the outcome was destined.
How could the demigod who had mastered 【Fate】 and planned for a thousand years let it escape?
***
Su'en retreated towards the outskirts of the ruins, his vision gradually obscured by the thick fog.
Sure enough, at the same time as the explosion, a Fallen Angel soul glowing with black fluorescence flashed by, taking advantage of Mr. Mirror's avoidance to plunge headlong into the deep pit.
Unfortunately, it was completely unaware that during the battle, six mysterious figures in golden-embroidered cloaks had quietly appeared at six directions around the pit, each with a rune-etched casket in front of them.
They were waiting for its soul to leave its body!
As the explosion sounded, the six simultaneously formed seals and chanted softly, "Release!"
Almost at the same time, six beams of rune chains appeared, extending rapidly and indefinitely.
They moved as fast as lightning, tracking the Fallen Angel's soul no matter how it fled, flexibly changing direction and ultimately locking it up tightly.
The rune chains bound the target, and the six together ended their spells, making the rune chains snap taut.
Like fishing, they pulled it out of the dark abyss.
In the sky, there were no sound waves, but Su'en, who was retreating, heard a clear roar in his ears: "Kill me, and she will die too!"
This high and mighty deity once again felt the oppressive sensation of death approaching, just like a thousand years ago.
"She" naturally referred to Pestoya.
A thousand years ago, the Fallen Angel survived until now by using this amulet.
It now wanted to use the same method to continue living.
Unfortunately.
Mr. Mirror didn't give it any chance, pulling out a silver mirror.
He tossed it into the air, and the mirror split into eight thousand reflections, filling the sky with mirror images.
Mr. Mirror completed the last mage seal in his hand and chanted softly, "Sealing Technique · Eight Thousand Mirrors!"
The bright white light, like eight thousand moons in the sky, focused beams of light on the Fallen Angel bound by the rune chains.
For a moment, it did not yield to the divine pressure.
At that instant, the Fallen Angel finally understood something and roared, "You want to pave her way with my divine soul origin? Hahaha… Even if I die, you won't succeed!"
Unfortunately, Sir Isaac had anticipated this a thousand years ago.
Just as the Fallen Angel was preparing to self-destruct its soul, a phantom suddenly appeared next to its soul, becoming more and more solid.
She stretched out her arms, embracing the entire world. In an instant, the ferocious expression of the Fallen Angel turned into that of an obedient little girl. Those confused eyes gradually became clear.
For the first time, Pestoya's soul suppressed the will of the Fallen Angel and took control.
She looked at the familiar figure in front of her, her face streaked with tears, reaching out to touch.
Sereya smiled faintly but had already dissipated.
***
"Teacher…"
Su'en looked up at the loving white-clad phantom in the depths of the fog and sighed softly in his heart.
Back in the cursed space, Sereya gave him two rings, one of which was 【Sereya's Blessing】 for him.
The other was 【Sereya's Protection】 for Pestoya, which had a function to protect Pestoya's soul from disintegrating.
Until now, Su'en had fully understood this thousand-year plan.
Waited a thousand years, was it to kill the soul of the Fallen Angel?
No, not just that.
Isaac and his wife also left a gift for their daughter,
The divine soul origin of an abyssal deity!
With this, Pestoya's path to the highest ranks was almost assured, with nine out of ten obstacles removed.
Even without much hard cultivation, her future Transcendent rank would be frighteningly high.
At this time, Su'en's finger, wearing the communication ring exclusive to the Mirror organization, suddenly transmitted a voice, "The mist tide has erupted, everyone, evacuate the ruins quickly!"
Hearing this stern warning, Su'en's eight-armed spider spear spun even faster, and he ran far away in a puff of smoke.
After all, having experienced a "mist tide" firsthand, he knew there were extremely terrifying abyssal creatures inside. And this time's eruption was much more exaggerated than the last.
He glanced casually and saw several gigantic creatures.
A 【Deep Abyss Volcano Turtle】 with a volcano on its back, spewing lava as it walked…
A 【Nine-Headed Heartstealer Demon · Oduer】 stitched together like nine eels…
A creature with numerous muscular vines, a 【Cassantan Tree Person】…
Named creatures usually meant they were not low in intelligence and were all "lord monsters."
There were also countless smaller creatures, bloodthirsty giant bats, illusionary poison beasts, copper ghost pythons, blue-tailed two-headed lizards… swarming in groups.
Not only were there creatures below the third tier, but there were also fourth, fifth, and sixth tiers…
These abyssal creatures, brought out by the mist tide, were like a tsunami of fish, dense and overwhelming.
Individually, one might not be a big problem, but with such a staggering number, no hunting group could withstand them.
Even Mr. Mirror and his companions had to avoid their sharp edges.
The black mist erupted from the pit, quickly spreading to the outskirts of the ruins like locusts passing through, leaving behind screams and gunfire.
Su'en, with his eight legs and spatial displacement ability, ran fast and felt no sense of crisis.
But soon, the crisis came.
Originally thinking that the ruins had been mostly cleared and nothing would hinder him.
Unexpectedly, with the "mist tide," the entire cavern boiled over, and those abyssal and aberrant creatures hidden in the deep recesses also ran out.
The hunting teams had only cleared the surface creatures before, but the ruins' intricate sewer system still hid various monster groups.
As Su'en's eight-armed spider spear dashed, the ground suddenly began to roll.
Countless giant earthworm-like pink tendrils wrapped in wet, corrosive slime sprouted like bamboo shoots after rain, emerging from the ground. It was like entering a pink seaweed area, a sea of tentacles as far as the eye could see, entangling and dragging any living creature that passed by into the depths of the earth.
Su'en looked at the tentacle monster that covered several blocks and felt a chill down his spine.
He also didn't know how enormous the creature buried underground was.
Fortunately, he had teleportation, and as soon as those tentacles smelled the scent of living beings and began to surround him, he teleported away.
Identifying those tentacles, they turned out to belong to a fifth-tier "Overlord-level" abyssal creature 【Abbas's Flesh Mountain】!
The source of the contamination that caused Brooke to mutate in the 【Bell Tower Freak】 cursed space.
This thing was so huge, its entire body was soft flesh, almost all weak points, but also no weak points. Even with a black scythe, there was no way to strike.
Su'en dared not provoke it and, after several consecutive teleports, quickly fled.
***
This "mist tide" was not the kind that only spread locally within the ruins before. The black air mixed with countless creatures was like a hundred-meter-high tsunami, spreading from the center of the ruins outward.
Su'en left the ruins where monsters were emerging everywhere, and only then did the hair-raising sense of crisis dissipate.
The monsters were indeed fast, but almost none ran faster than his eight legs.
Before long, the outline of the hunting camp appeared in his vision.
There were still many non-combatants in the camp, such as professional merchants, noble ladies, and maidservants.
They had also noticed the anomaly in the ruins.
Those with keen eyes had already fled, while others were still watching, now only despair in their eyes. The camp, which originally looked like an "iron hedgehog," appeared as flimsy as a thin sheet of paper in front of this black tsunami.
Su'en didn't enter the city but headed straight for the cave leading back to Old Lingdun.
Before long, the mist engulfed the entire camp. Although he couldn't see, he could hear the sound of gunfire.
Su'en had sensitive hearing, and he noticed that the gunfire in the camp dissipated very quickly.
Looking at the situation, the hunting camp was completely destroyed.
And the Dawn Ruins would be a "forbidden zone" for a long time to come.
However, the good news was that those monsters that had just emerged from the abyss seemed to have a high demand for the concentration of "mist," and they would not actively rush out of the mist-covered area. Just like fish won't leave the water.
And after the mist entered the crisscrossing caves, its spread slowed down, and the harassing monsters did not catch up.
Su'en also let out a long sigh of relief.
He happened to encounter a group of hundreds of refugees and put away his eight-armed spider spear, following the large group leisurely.
Along the way, they encountered a large number of fleeing personnel.
Finally, after a whole day of fleeing, those noble ladies and lords could no longer move, and they met a merchant caravan camp that had set off back to the city half a day earlier, so they did not continue.
Thousands of people gathered together, finally feeling a bit safe.
Everyone began to light fires and set up camp.
Su'en also mingled in the camp, setting up a tent for himself.
Before long, campfires lit up the entire camp, the firelight shining brightly, and the smell of food wafting through the air.
But the camp was filled with wailing.
The hunters were used to life and death, but those from high society had never suffered such hardships, and each of them complained endlessly.
After a whole day of fleeing, even with guards supporting and carrying them, they were all exhausted.
"Alas, I hope the Duke won't blame us for the unsuccessful hunt. This is not desertion in the face of battle."
"How can he blame us? Even the camp was destroyed. I've always heard about the 'mist tide' in the ruins, but I didn't expect it to be so terrifying this time…"
"I reckon the 'mist tide' won't dissipate in a short time. The excavation of the Dawn City ruins…"
"I heard that Princess Theresa also went to the ruins. I don't know if she encountered any danger…"
"With so many experts in the ducal mansion, we don't need to worry about them. We should think about how to explain when we return to the city. This time, all the major families have suffered heavy losses. Old Lingdun is probably going to be greatly weakened…"
"…"
The mist tide came suddenly, and no one knew what happened in the center of the ruins.
These noble lords and ladies gathered together, discussing the follow-up after returning to the city.
From a distance, Su'en silently listened.
He also saw the woman chatting with a bunch of rich people, her shiny red hair particularly eye-catching in the firelight. After all, as a major general of the Umbrella organization, even in fleeing, her face showed composure.
Sabina naturally also noticed Su'en.
The succubus master-servant contract allowed them to sense each other within a certain distance, and even with Su'en wearing a mask, she recognized him at a glance, throwing him a meaningful wink and a flirtatious smile.
Perhaps because she was too tired from fleeing, the noise soon quieted down, and people gradually returned to their tents to rest.
***
Su'en returned to his tent.
He meditated in the tent.
About half an hour later, he heard a series of soft footsteps approaching from afar.
Su'en sensed who it was and did not react.
At that moment, he saw a cloaked figure sneakily lift the tent and crawl in.
Lifting the cloak, it was none other than the alluring red-haired woman, Sabina.
This big sister of the gang usually had underlings following her at all times, but this time the Steam Party's experts who came were all accompanying their patrons on the hunt, and almost all died in the ruins. There was also a first-tier squad leader and more than a dozen ordinary gang members.
But Sabina was proficient in mental secret arts. If she wanted to come out, those people wouldn't notice at all, so she boldly took the initiative to come over.
Upon entering the tent, she casually set up a soundproof barrier.
Because it was a single-person tent, the space was very narrow, and another person made it feel crowded.
Sabina didn't stand on ceremony, removed her cloak, and clung to him.
Under the cloak, she wore a very thin, sexy low-cut silk dress, seemingly dressed up before coming. This touch was warm and smooth, with large patches of silky skin in the palm.
Probably because she had become familiar over time, Sabina had thoroughly understood her master's temperament and became increasingly "bold."
She did not hesitate to display her stunning figure, hugging Su'en, but also clearly understood her place, coquettishly saying in a servant-like tone, "Oh, sir~ I was worried about you encountering danger before… It's so good to see you."
As she spoke, whether it was accidental or intentional, the straps of her long dress suddenly slipped down.
A pair of proud peaks were immediately exposed to the air, standing tall.
Sabina didn't mind at all, blinked, and asked softly, "Sir, you've been walking all day. Would you like a massage?"
"Mm."
Su'en smiled and nodded, lying flat on the sleeping bag.
A pair of hands caressed up from her thighs, from tender and smooth to firm, then climbing to the peak, grasping a handful.
Sabina's eyes were seductive, and she didn't mind. In fact, to make it easier for Su'en to reach, she even lowered her body further.
Her slender hands slowly relaxed Su'en's muscles.
For a time, a faint pink fragrance filled the tent.
The tent had a soundproof barrier, so outsiders couldn't hear the sultry sounds.
Because people occasionally entered the camp, the faint movements in the tent were also imperceptible.
***
After a while.
Inside the tent.
Sabina was drenched in fragrant sweat, her skin glowing with a special pink halo unique to succubi. And on her face, there was a special radiance of vitality.
Suddenly, she sensed something, a flicker of unusual emotion in her eyes, and she said with full charm, "Oh~ Master, I feel like you've suddenly become so strong~"
"Heh…"
Su'en, lying on his back, listened to Sabina's words and chuckled.
He thought it was just a flirtatious remark.
But unexpectedly, the flirtation was real, and so were her words.
"I'm serious~"
Sabina blinked, knowing he misunderstood, and chided with a laugh, "I feel like your strength has increased a lot compared to before."
"???"
Su'en, hearing the tone was not joking, was slightly puzzled.
This trip to the ruins had harvested so many abilities and comprehended a lot of high-tier law knowledge. He had finally mastered mental secret arts, and his strength had indeed surged a great deal.
But he hadn't said anything, so how did she know?
Sabina: "Didn't I tell you last time… We succubi have some innate secret arts, and when you, Master, become stronger, I can benefit as well. Just now, I suddenly felt a realm that hadn't budged in a long time has broken through."
Su'en listened with some curiosity, also recalling that Sabina had mentioned such a secret cultivation method before.
Sabina thought carefully, relishing the sensation, and confirmed, "It's so magical… I feel like I suddenly understand some third-tier law powers. Huh, strange, Master, have you broken through to the third tier?"
After a pause, she looked at Su'en, a hint of suggestiveness flashing in her sparkling eyes, and added, "I'm not sure… but I feel that the enlightenment came from you."
"…"
Hearing this, Su'en finally understood.
Having harvested the souls of several high-tier professionals, he indeed had insights into third-tier laws, even fragments of fourth and fifth tiers.
Third-tier professionals need to grasp some aspects of laws, which are about perception and understanding, hard to describe. Even if spoken out loud, others might not be able to act on it; they have to "comprehend" it themselves.
Therefore, the third tier is a significant threshold.
Otherwise, the third tiers in Old Lingdun wouldn't be called the "ceiling" of professionals, so rare.
But now, Sabina has personally experienced it? Through this secret cultivation method?
Looking at it this way…
The succubus's innate ability and his 【Death Harvester】 have some similarities!
Su'en was very clear that he hadn't lost any knowledge,
And like "sharing" that understanding, through the succubus's secret cultivation method, Sabina suddenly understood.
"Heh…"
Thinking this, Su'en chuckled.
Sabina understood his smile, blinked with surprise, and said, "Ah, Master, have you really reached the third tier?"
Su'en shook his head, "No, I haven't advanced to the third tier. But your enlightenment indeed came from me."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Sabina's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
It wasn't doubt, but joy.
But she was also smart, not prying into Su'en's secrets, only suggestively saying, "Master, can I come to see you often from now on?"
The fate of a succubus, indeed, is to rely on a powerful demon lord.
"…"
Su'en didn't speak, just patted her head as if rewarding a well-behaved maid.
Sabina understood and showed a coquettishly grateful smile, "Thank you, Master."
After another tender moment,
Su'en remembered something and said, "By the way, there's something you might want to know. Severus Gerald is dead. Also, the entire team of Princess Theresa has been wiped out."
Hearing this, Sabina's face instantly became a kaleidoscope of colors, "You… You killed Severus Gerald?!"
She clearly remembered that the only condition for signing the master-servant contract was to eliminate the leader of the Umbrella organization.
She hadn't expected it to happen so soon,
He… had actually done it?
And Princess Theresa was dead too?
How could it be!