Chapter 1022: Chapter 1022

Hearing He Ao’s words, Levi was silent for a moment before speaking hoarsely, "Abyssal creatures lose their undead trait once they leave the Abyss. You plan to seize the opportunity of his descent to the real world, away from the Abyss, to kill him?"

He raised his head, looking at the vortex in the sky, "Indeed, that would be the best outcome. But you’re only a B-rank right now, and I’ve been seriously injured. I’m afraid we won’t be able to face an unscathed Angel, let alone hunt him down."

"We have to try at least."

He Ao lifted the golden longsword in his hand, a red emblem flashed briefly on the back of his right hand.

Seemingly sensing that fleeting power, Levi glanced at He Ao and paused in his speech.

Eventually, he seemed to make a certain decision, and continued to say,

"The essential attributes of Abyssal Life are different from those in the real world. Once they descend into the real world, and loss the direct support of the Abyss, their strength will greatly slip, even Angels are no exception.

"That guy, although once human, has been thoroughly transformed into Abyssal Life during his promotion.

"And although this area has begun to be transformed by the Abyss, it is still part of the real world,

"So, when he leaves the Abyss and descends here, there will be a brief period of weakening. If we can seize that period, we have a chance to completely eliminate him.

He turned his head and looked at He Ao, speaking in a low voice,

"This period of weakness will be very short, because the Descending Ceremony also contains important components of ’fear’ and ’chaos’."

He turned back and glanced at the city in the depths of darkness, its hazy contours emerging,

"Once the people in the city are consumed by fear and chaos, they will naturally become part of the ceremony. Their souls and flesh will become a ’battery’ for the Abyssal Prisoner, helping that guy quickly get out of his weakened state.

"That is to say, the more chaotic it is inside the city, the shorter that guy’s period of weakness will be, and so will our window of opportunity.

He paused for a moment then turned back to look at He Ao, "What’s the situation in the city? According to that guy’s habit, has he sent Abyssal Life into the city, and even colluded with some ’humans’, to facilitate panic at the critical moment?"

"All directly associated with the Abyss have been cleaned up."

He Ao, gripping the sword, spoke calmly.

"That’s good, cough—"

Levi responded, but his grave expression did not relax. He coughed lightly, a flash of green light flickering on his body, and his voice dropped as he asked the question he was most worried about,

"What about the people in the city? In the past, I have also imagined the current possibility of inducing his descent, seizing the opportunity, and finishing that guy off.

"But when those ordinary people realize the Evil God is descending, it will be difficult for them to control their fear, the power of the ceremony will lead them toward despair, and once fear and despair spread, chaos will ensue."

He Ao shook his head frankly, clutching the golden longsword in his hands that shimmered with jade-like patterns.

Indeed, fear and chaos are crucial components of the ceremony, He Ao, who had once received detailed information about the ritual from Levi, was clear about this.

In fact, his method of penetrating the Mercenary Corps camp was also creating fear and chaos.

Using these fears and chaos, he was able to activate the Abyssal power in the staff and mark the ’Descent’ location.

He looked up at the increasingly dim vortex in the sky and continued, "But I believe in them."

"It sounds like quite a mad decision,"

Levi looked up; he was also gazing at the vortex in the sky, "Human nature is often the most difficult thing in the world to trust."

"But sometimes, it is worth trusting."

He Ao calmly gripped the longsword in his hand and said hoarsely.

The power within the longsword had not diminished from his directing the descent; in fact, his recent ’maneuver’ merely equated to a light flashing in the dark, allowing the ceremony to determine the ’Descent location’. Moreover, because of the Abyssal power spreading around, the power of the sword was actually on the rise.

The oppressive vortex in the sky grew darker and darker, with green thunder connecting the firmament and the earth.

That thunderous heartbeat turned into rapid drumbeats. In this twisted darkness, it was as though something tore through the thin membrane separating space and time.

An even more twisted darkness and void descended upon the world.

Yilan City·Wick District

"The sky is getting darker,"

Short-haired Liz dragged her suitcase, glanced up at the overcast clouds covering the sky, then turned her head to look back at Ini behind her, "How much longer till we find that new apartment we’re looking for?"

"According to the Meteorological Bureau, abnormal celestial phenomena have been observed within the city. In accordance with city safety regulations, all residents are urged to stay at home whenever possible, and those near bomb shelters should move to the shelters immediately."

"The City Government is currently handling the situation. Please remain calm, stay safe at home, and everything will end soon."

"According to the Meteorological Bureau···"

City billboards everywhere repeated the slightly hurried broadcast.

Police vehicles from the City Police Department also rapidly drove through the streets, broadcasting the same message as the billboards.

On the deserted streets, some people paused to listen to the details of the broadcast, while others hurried into nearby high-rise buildings or apartments.

"We should be close now, just turn into the street up ahead."

Following behind Liz, Ini looked up at the empty city ahead.

Some of the old streetlights on the street had already been lit, but under the overcast clouds, the already dim light grew dimmer, barely illuminating the hazy road.

The oppressive clouds and the silent and dark high-rises merged into one, and an invisible fear and coldness seemed to spread with the darkness.

And at the center of those clouds and darkness, near the city center, a gigantic vortex was suspended among the clouds.

"I feel something strange,"

Ini lowered her head, gently touched her chest, feeling the warmth from her body, and her tense skin relaxed slightly, "It’s a bit cold and oppressive around here."

"Don’t overthink it, as they said, the City Government is handling it···"

Liz curled her lips, forcing a somewhat rigid smile, but ultimately, she did not finish her sentence.

She still looked up at the sky, at the vortex she had feared to gaze at directly, and murmured,

" Ini, this scene... it’s like those stories of the Evil God’s Descending Ceremony, right? It’s said that in those events, there are no survivors, do you think we’re going to die?"

She shrugged her nose, her voice a bit low, "And just when life was getting better···"

"Stop thinking about all that nonsense,"

A hand stretched out from behind and patted her right shoulder, "Recently, most of the occurrences of Evil God’s Descending didn’t result in any deaths."

Liz turned her head to look to the right, and then she stiffened.

To her right, there was nothing but the dimly lit, empty street.

She slowly turned her head to the left, where her friend’s somewhat pale cheek was quietly appearing on her left side.

She suddenly screamed.

"Yes, don’t you watch the news? Like Limen City, Saint Joen City, Wint City, the cities where the Evil God’s Descending is suspected to have occurred are all okay. It’s said that Dawn City also had several incidents, and they all ended well... Huh?"

Mid-explanation, Ini heard the scream and paused, her hand that had been on her friend’s right shoulder slowly lifted, and with an expression of speechlessness, she rubbed her friend’s head, "What are you talking about?"

Liz raised her hand, pinched Ini’s cheek, which initially felt cold, but was tangible, somewhat soft, and seemed to grow warmer after some rubbing.

"What on Earth are you thinking about?"

Ini, somewhat helplessly, pulled her friend’s hand away and rubbed Liz’s cheek.

"I thought I encountered something from a horror story···"

Liz retrieved her hand sheepishly, "Didn’t they say strange happenings occur during the Evil God’s Descending Ceremony."

"Great, so you think I’m the weird event?"

"Your skin is so cold."

Liz averted her gaze guiltily.

"I told you it felt a bit chilly around here,"

Ini sighed, pinching her friend’s cheek, "See? You’re just as ice-cold."

Liz blinked, slightly startled, and she reached out to touch her own face.

At the same time, her gaze drifted upward, then she froze, "Ini, the vortex is gone."

Hearing this, Ini also paused for a moment and looked up at the sky.

The enormous, oppressive vortex that had been looming over the city center had, at some point, quietly disappeared.

"Wasn’t the location of that vortex right above the White Jasmine Palace?"

At this moment, Liz contemplated, her tone slightly relaxed, "Could the City Government really have found a way to stop the Evil God’s Advent? If it was Mr. Lin En, it seems possible..."

Ini raised her hand to swipe through the air around her.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but after the huge vortex vanished, the cold aura no longer felt so strong, and that oppressive, invisible presence seemed less intense.

At this moment, not just the two of them were looking toward where the vortex had disappeared; people on the street, whether standing still or running, had also noticed the vanished swirl.

Imperceptibly, the tension in the air seemed to ease a little bit.

"HAHAHA!!! You’re all going to die!!! Everyone’s going to die!!!"

However, this ’relaxed’ atmosphere didn’t last long before a hoarse, fierce scream came from a corner of the street.

A gaunt man holding a handgun emerged from an alley, clutching the weapon crazily as he scanned the faces of everyone on the street.

"The Evil God is about to arrive, the phones don’t work, there’s no escaping, we’re all trapped in a cage, we’re all going to die! Everyone’s going to die!"

He pointed the gun at a puzzled passerby nearby and pulled the trigger, firing two shots while laughing, "Go on, die, let me help you, make your death less painful."

One bullet hit the glass door of a shop nearby, shattering the entire door, and another bullet hit the thigh of a middle-aged person next to it, splashing bright red blood against the dim sky.

"Ah!!!!!" "Ah! There’s been a murder!!!!" "Murder!!!!"

Sharp and fearful screams suddenly echoed through the entire street.

The gaunt man watched everything with enjoyment, then his gaze swept across the street and landed on Ini and Liz who were somewhat dazed by the sudden commotion not far away.

He then rushed over to Ini with the handgun, grinning sinisterly at her, "I recognize you, you’ve been on TV, why aren’t you running? Why aren’t you running?"

He suddenly grabbed Ini’s throat, pushed her against the wall, and pressed the gun to her head, "You’re about to die, do you understand? No matter how close you are to the Mayor, it’s no use, you’re about to die, let me help you."

His finger was on the trigger, "Come on, let me help you."

Liz finally snapped out of the unfolding chaos, her face flushed red as she grabbed her suitcase and swung it with all her might, hitting the man on the back of his head.

"You want to cut in line? Fine, let me help you."

The man who had been hit with the suitcase staggered, letting go of Ini and turned his head, grinning malevolently at Liz behind him.

At that instant, the previously wall-pinned Ini immediately raised her hand, grabbed the man’s wrist that held the gun, and twisted the gun muzzle toward the sky.

With a light sound, he pulled the trigger, and the bullet shot towards the sky.

At the same time, Liz also instantly reacted, running over and grabbing the man’s wrist together.

"Ah!!! You two bitches, bitches, you’re all going to die."

The man was in pain and raised his hand, striking Ini in the lower abdomen and simultaneously kicking Liz.

Ini grunted, raised her head, looked at the still somewhat panicked crowd around her, and shouted loudly, "What are you looking at? If we don’t unite now, when he gets away, we’re all going to die!!!"

Everyone paused their gaze; some exchanged glances, some hesitated slightly,

A young man closest to the incident picked up a brick from the ground, charged behind the man, and slapped it on the back of the man’s head.

The man stiffened, and at that moment, Liz seized the opportunity to fiercely bite the man’s wrist. He reeled from the pain, and his hand reflexively loosened, dropping the handgun to the ground.

"Catch him!" "Don’t let him run!!!"

The people around were by now mostly surging forward, pinning the man down to the ground.

Ini then squatted down, reached out, and grasped the dropped handgun in her hand.

An SUV stopped on the street, followed by several soldiers in City Defense Army uniforms rushing out from the vehicle, guns in hand, warily watching the crowd, "Who’s shooting?! Freeze! Don’t move!"

"Officer, we caught a lunatic!"

Liz immediately raised her hand from within the crowd and called out loudly to the soldiers.

The soldiers glanced at each other and, still holding their guns, slowly approached.

Soon, they reached the edge of the crowd and saw the man being pinned to the ground by the crowd.

They quickly pulled out somewhat coarse locks from their waists and secured the man.

At this time, a still unsettled Liz walked next to her friend and exclaimed, "That was insane, I almost thought I was going to die, what on earth is wrong with this madman?"

"It might be the influence of that oppressive force."

Ini lifted her head to glance at the sky, her fingertips tracing the cold air, quietly feeling the oppressive aura constantly spreading through the air.

Liz shook her head in confusion and then noticed that the approaching ’officers’ were not police but City Defense Army soldiers, she said with some bewilderment, "Is the City Defense Army also here to maintain order now?"

"Probably because the city police department is short-staffed."

Ini lifted her head, looking towards the intersecting streets in the distance.

In the midst of it all, urgent gunfire could be heard behind the corners.

"Will there be enough people with the addition of the City Defense Army?"

Liz wiped the sweat from her brow, which was a mix of exertion and fright, gradually becoming more aware, "This city is so large, the City Defense Army needs to leave people to guard the city as well."

"I’m afraid that won’t be enough,"

Ini lowered her head, glancing at the handgun in her hand, a cold wind blew under the dim sky, as if the crisis of death was constantly closing in behind her. Yet at this moment, her emotions became particularly calm, and she slowly began to speak,

"Liz, we need to do something."

Liz slightly stunned, pointed at herself with an astonished expression.

"No, not just the two of us,"

Ini shook her head, looking at the people around who had come together to pin down the man, "Remember what Mr. Lin En said, ’Come together’. We are not just the protected, we can protect ourselves too."