Chapter 111

“The city lights…” Xia’er.

The rolling thunder rumbled in the distance, causing a cataclysmic vibration that shook Borough City to its core.

“Miss! You can’t go any further!”

“Let me go!”

Four kilometers away from the source of the thunder, Nia held onto Avina tightly, dragging her back with all her strength.

The rumbling thunder and lightning were so intense that even the earth trembled, far beyond what two third-tier Extraordinary Persons could generate. Even Nia herself did not dare to face the continuous strikes of lightning, and she certainly would not let Miss Avina take such a risk.

Meanwhile, atop the tower of the Clock Tower Church in the Clock Tower Lane District, a figure clad in white, noble attire stood beside the giant clock, watching the apocalyptic scene afar. The expression beneath the mask revealed a rare hint of panic.

She could not imagine the catastrophic damage if such a thunder column were to hit Borough City.

A white shadow flickered behind Xiu, and after a distortion, Yulis appeared behind her.

“Your Excellency Bishop, what has happened?”

Yulis asked anxiously.

She could feel the incessant spiritual alert from her mind, and amidst the blackness of her vision, she clearly saw the enormous grayish-white figure in the distance. This was obviously not something the Arrival Sect could produce.

“I don’t know…”

Xiu slowly raised her hand, supporting her head, her breathing becoming rapid. “Quickly, have the brothers and sisters evacuate the believers in the Clock Tower Lane District. Take them as far away from that area as possible!”

“Yes!”

Yulis disappeared again.

Unlike Xiu, the Radiant Bishop, Yulis did not have such acute sensitivity to the pain of the masses. For now, Yulis could still move around in the Clock Tower Lane District.

Soon after Yulis vanished, another white shadow appeared behind Xiu, running toward the direction of the thunderstorm. Then, Xiu’s form also disappeared from where she stood.

To protect the believers in the Goddess’s name and to prevent other innocent lives from suffering, she had to see what was happening there— the thunderstorm was too close to the Clock Tower Lane District.

If she did not go, no one in the Clock Tower Lane District or Borough City could handle the situation.

“May the Goddess protect us…”

As Xiu’s figure rapidly flickered, she silently prayed to the Goddess in her heart.

Lich, startled awake from her sleep; Amy, hurriedly moving flowers from the garden into the house despite the heavy rain; Adelle, stopping her experiment and removing her silver crow mask to look out the window.

Now, they all looked up at the sky, each with a shared concern for someone.

Bang!

At this moment, Xia’er had no thoughts left for anyone else.

The agitated lightning continued to flash around her, increasing in frequency.

Under the intense thunderclap, Xia’er’s hearing was severely damaged, leaving only a buzzing sound in her ears.

However, after the first strike was blocked by Tara with her life, Xia’er had already found some patterns in these lightning strikes.

Before the lightning struck, the ground would send a strong numbing sensation through her body. And after her hearing was impaired, this feeling became even clearer.

By dispersing the shadows in different parts of the enclosed space and reserving enough time to switch the shadows, Xia’er had managed to dodge over a dozen violent lightning bolts.

In contrast, the two others were struck by only a few lightning columns, which could not compare to Xia’er’s experience.

Lucy, the “Destiny,” narrowly dodged several lightning strikes, each time coming within inches of death. Every step was filled with peril, but she somehow managed to escape each strike unscathed.

Obold, the “Crown Guard,” was more straightforward. His entire black armor was surrounded by lightning, and parts of his body were already glowing red with cracks forming.

He directly held up his shield over his head, enduring almost all the lightning strikes. However, his entire body was numb, rendering him immobile.

No… If this continues, my spirit and astral body will be exhausted to the point of extreme fatigue…

Xia’er, who had previously used death reversal, had already consumed a lot of energy.

She worried that if she continued to exhaust her spirit and astral body, she would suffer irreversible mental damage in reality… If she couldn’t endure it, she would have to consider using suicide to end it.

For now, she had gained some information and remembered the ancient An Su script. If she could bring it to reality and have Avina translate it, then start another simulation to have Tara return to the Arrival Sect’s monastery to find answers, Xia’er would be closer to the truth.

As she thought, Xia’er felt the familiar tingling sensation of electricity.

No… This cannot continue endlessly…

In an instant, Xia’er’s form dissipated, and a shadow standing on Obold’s shield twisted along with her.

The next moment, Xia’er stood on Obold’s shield.

A stronger numbing sensation surged from her feet, coming from the remaining current on Obold’s body.

At this moment, blood was seeping through Obold’s armor, though his senses were dulled by the paralysis, he could still feel the sudden increase in weight on the shield and the sudden loud spiritual alert in his mind.

“Who… Who’s up there?!!”

Obold’s roar echoed through his armor, a sense of foreboding overwhelming him.

But his legs were completely paralyzed, and after enduring several lightning strikes, he was heavily injured. Even speaking was difficult, as he could no longer feel his lips.

With all his strength, he placed his left hand on his right fist and swung the shield to the side, trying to throw off whoever was standing on his shield.

Just before he swung the shield, the weight on it disappeared. He looked up and saw the blue lightning spreading across the sky, spanning tens of kilometers above the clouds.

The unprecedentedly desolate yet beautiful sight momentarily stunned him. The next second, a red lightning bolt struck down, and before he could think, his vision was flooded with red light.

Bang!

The massive red lightning column struck Obold, engulfing him in red light.

Lucy, who witnessed this, stared in shock at the red flash. The next moment, a powerful shockwave hit her.

Along with it came the red lightning spreading outward from Obold, like the branches of a tree.

This lightning almost covered the entire area, and both Lucy and Xia’er could not avoid it. After being pushed to the edge of the shadow barrier by the shockwave, they were struck by the ground’s red lightning and briefly lost consciousness.

In the dark space, Xia’er and Lucy’s eyes saw the intermittent ancient An Su script again.

These ancient scripts, different from modern An Su except for the numbers, made both of them feel puzzled, but Xia’er understood.

The number preceding the word “calamity” changed from “1” to “2.”

After some time, the burning sensation gradually woke Xia’er up. She slowly opened her eyes, her consciousness returning.

Failed… Back to reality?

Her body no longer felt the cold rain, only the warm wind blowing past. Even her hair and clothes were dry.

The ground was dry soil, not the sofa in Avina’s study.

No… Still in the simulation…

Xia’er felt her body was no longer under her control, but fortunately, she still had the ability to manipulate shadows and was not affected much.

Two shadows slowly supported her up. Xia’er, bleeding from seven orifices, struggled to turn her eyes, suppressing the dizziness and double vision, looking at the original position of Obold.

There, Obold was no longer present. Only a pile of extraordinary items and materials, glowing in various colors, stacked to the height of her calves.

Obold was dead.

At this moment, a huge fire tornado was rapidly forming near Obold’s body, drawing everything into it, including the remaining relics.

The fire tornado was continuously rising, expanding quickly under the influence of the hurricane. It would likely cover the entire area within ten seconds.

Suddenly, Xia’er felt a cool sensation in her throat.

She slowly looked down and saw blood flowing down her neck, but she felt no pain.

Xia’er’s form gradually faded, reappearing ten meters away. Supported by the shadows, she looked at where she had been standing. Lucy, holding a few blades between her fingers, stood less than three meters away from Xia’er, looking at her.

“I… understand…”

Lucy panted heavily, but her lips curled into a smile. Her fingertips turned the blade, finally pinching it between her index and middle fingers.

“This is a ‘trial’… a gamble given by fate, a test given by fate…”

Lucy, covered in blood, could not hide the madness in her eyes: “Obold is out! And you, fake ‘judge’ lady! You should rest now…”

Ding!

In the fierce wind, the “Strong Fortune Coin” was thrown into the air by Lucy. It seemed unaffected by the hurricane, landing upright on Lucy’s hand.

Then, Lucy’s fist flipped slightly, and the standing “Strong Fortune Coin” fell towards her direction, its rust-red eye angel gazing at the sky.

Was her sealed object limited in use? Could she control its falling direction?

Why?

“Hahaha… Hahaha! I won? Again, I won! I can control it!”

Lucy no longer had the strength to throw another blade.

“She’s enraged, and her mental state is extremely deranged, making it difficult to assess how much reason she still retains. Even the wounds on her face have reopened, and whatever was previously ‘sealed’ inside her is gradually surfacing.”

The fire tornado was rapidly approaching. Xia’er believed that soon both Xia’er and Lucy would suffer from its effects… Moreover, Xia’er, who had been slit-throated, clearly couldn’t withstand Lucy, who still seemed to have enough strength to laugh loudly.

Was Obold already out of the game?

Xia’er naturally knew, because she herself was responsible for it.

She also understood how the second trial’s conditions were met—that one person had to die. Lucy must have realized this as well, which is why she slit Xia’er’s throat the moment she woke up earlier.

But Xia’er wouldn’t die so easily; she wanted to see the end more than anyone else.

Click—

The shadow behind Xia’er pressed the button on his pocket watch.

Echoes of Time.

In the next moment, the shadow directly entered Xia’er’s shadow, manipulating her to move towards Lucy with an extremely stiff posture.

“Hmm?”

Noticing this, Lucy gripped her throwing knife tightly. As Xia’er approached, Lucy stabbed her chest directly.

“Goodbye. In every sense, you are my benefactor.”

Lucy panted heavily, grinning.

But soon, her smile faded.

Because she saw Xia’er, whose heart was pierced, lift her hands stiffly and grab her wrist.

“You…”

A massive force came from the young girl in front of her, and without warning, Lucy was dragged to the ground.

“What do you want?! Let go of me!!! Release me!!! You lunatic!!!”

Lucy wildly stabbed Xia’er’s calf and arm with her throwing knife, but the terrifying red-haired girl seemed completely unaffected by pain, dragging her toward the fire tornado that was already close to her face.

“Let go of me!!! No… no no no no!!!”

The two figures were instantly swallowed by the fire tornado.

Almost immediately, they were lifted high by the strong winds, their clothes, hair, and skin carbonizing rapidly from the flames, even their eyes melting.

Lucy’s screams were completely drowned out by the wind, and Xia’er fainted due to severe mental exhaustion.

Six seconds after being engulfed by the fire tornado, Lucy and Xia’er had become nothing but ashes, leaving only extraordinary materials, items, and sealed objects swirling in the sky.

Eight seconds later, the ash symbolizing Xia’er was quickly reassembling against the direction of the fire tornado, returning to its original position in an instant, and Xia’er fell to the ground clutching her cut throat.

Boom—

Nine seconds later, the center of the fire tornado exploded, sending a flame bursting through the barrier and outward, scattering various debris and breaking through the shadow barrier.

The barrier shattered.

But Xia’er, hit by the shockwave, flew dozens of meters away, her bones shattered and unable to move.

Lying on the ground, her dimmed eyes looked up at the raindrops falling again, praying to survive until the side effect of “time disorder” activated.

Adelle has reached Tier 2; why didn’t she think of asking for more potions from her…

This was Xia’er’s current thought.

She had to keep her mind active, even if it was about trivial matters.

Finally over…

Xia’er resisted the overwhelming drowsiness, even though raindrops fell into her eyes, she dared not close them.

She sensed that once she closed her eyes, she might never open them again.

But fate had other plans.

Xia’er’s vision blurred again, filled with incomprehensible ancient An Su characters.

Other Xia’ers couldn’t make them out, but she could clearly see the last digit “3”.

The third calamity…

Xia’er lay weakly in a pool of blood. After a few seconds, her figure flickered, and half of a silver wolf mask appeared on her face. The physical pain vanished instantly, but her mental state remained drained.

“Damn…”

Xia’er cursed in Chinese.

She tore off the silver wolf mask and staggered to her feet, muttering curses.

Looking up, she saw that the lightning streams had dissipated, but thick layers of dark clouds still loomed overhead, seemingly within reach.

She quickly scanned around; the extraordinary items had long been scattered by the shockwave, and her idea of dying with a treasure was dashed. Gradually, her gaze settled on Borough City, several kilometers away.

Xia’er raised her hand, holding her chin, murmuring, “In the replication ritual, does this count as assistance?”

As she spoke, her steps headed toward Borough City.

But she was stopped by a voice just a few hundred meters away.

“Stop! You can’t take another step forward!”

Xia’er looked up and saw Xiū standing far away, clad in white.

Countless white shadows stood before her, forming a human wall blocking Xia’er’s path.

“Hey, don’t worry,”

Xia’er raised her hands weakly, smiling, “I advise you to run toward Derton Manor. The farther from Borough City, the better. Maybe you can save your life… Oh, do you understand ancient An Su? Can you help translate?”

Suddenly, Xia’er noticed that Xiū’s gaze was no longer on her but directed at something behind her.

Xia’er turned back and felt her heart sink.

A blazing bright meteor, almost illuminating the entire night sky, with a diameter exceeding 150 meters, was plummeting toward Xia’er at a low angle.

“Amazing.”

It was like the mythological giant Surtur wielding a flaming sword; the burning meteor occupied Xia’er’s entire field of vision in a blink.

Buzz—

Without pain or a loud noise, Xia’er only felt a ringing in her ears. Her body disintegrated, her head flying upward, her vision rising to see the iron meteor carrying terrifying energy strike Borough City.

The massive shockwave and firestorm obliterated almost half of Borough City.

…

[Reality]

[Sheng Year 741, June 23rd, 18:30]

[Evaluation: Congratulations to Borough City for thoroughly eliminating street garbage and criminal activities during this round of creation and anti-crime efforts, earning the title of “Civilized City.” Officially presenting Xia’er with the title of “City Light” for her significant contributions!]

[Papapapa—]

[Congratulations, Host, for achieving the “Assist King” title in this simulation with a KDA of 0-1-233157.]

[Take it, this is what you deserve based on your performance.]

[Reward: Mortality Point ×38, [Death Reversal Lv.2], Point Shop opens [Basic Subjects] store]

[Mortality Points: 99]

“Xia’er…”

“Xia’er…”

“What’s wrong…”

“Wake up…”

Amidst a dizzy spell, Xia’er slowly regained consciousness, opening her eyes. Besides the system prompt panel, there was Adelle’s face, nearly filling her entire vision.

“Ha!!”

Xia’er’s sudden awakening startled Adelle, who had been trying to pry open Xia’er’s eyelids with her fingers, causing her to sit down abruptly on the carpet.

Xia’er turned her head and saw Adelle, Aivana, Amy, and Nia standing nearby.

Regaining consciousness, Xia’er felt not only a draining emptiness but also a strong hunger.

“Sorry, I fell asleep.”

Xia’er tried to sit up with the help of the sofa, but her arms were weak. Adelle knelt to support her.

“Thank you… Adelle, do you have any drugs to restore mental energy?”

Xia’er forced a smile and asked Adelle.

But Adelle hesitated and shook her head.

“Xia’er… the mental restoration potions I can provide now only work temporarily and come with side effects. If you feel truly exhausted, I suggest you sleep.”

The abrupt transition from the apocalyptic scene to the familiar setting of the study, surrounded by living friends, made Xia’er feel disoriented.

However, she adjusted quickly.

After sitting for a while, Xia’er felt her body recover somewhat.

Suppressing her drowsiness, she looked at the notebook on the table, picked it up, and flipped to the last page, starting to write.

Xia’er didn’t hide anything; everyone could see what she was writing. Soon, Aivana noticed something and muttered, “Ancient An Su?”

Even Aivana, who struggled with the language, wondered if Xia’er could actually write it.

And the square characters Xia’er left open in her notebook earlier… How extensive is her knowledge?

Only after Xia’er wrote down all the characters she remembered did she sigh and put down the pen.

“Xia’er, what is this…”

Aivana asked when she saw Xia’er stop writing.

“It’s nothing… not important right now,”

Xia’er shook her head. She was too exhausted to think about these things. She just wanted to eat. Looking at Aivana, she asked, “Have you finished dinner?”

“No, we were waiting for you, but you didn’t come out, so we came to find you.”

Adelle answered first, “Then we found you sleeping.”

“Come, let’s eat… I’m hungry.”

Xia’er supported herself on Adelle’s shoulder and stood up.