Chapter 243

The scene unfolding before Violet’s eyes was even more chaotic than before.

The inside of the convention center had transformed into a complete battlefield.

-Boom!

A fierce skirmish had already broken out between Violet and the Obsidian Legion agents.

Just as a brief lull came over the chaos, unidentified followers barged in, worsening the situation beyond control inside the exhibition hall.

“AAAH! Watch out!”

“What are those?!”

Amidst the sudden attack, screams echoed from all directions as the Violets examined the map.

“What are they?!”

“Yikes! Are they here to steal relics too?!”

Sure enough, the mysterious invaders disrupted the encirclement.

A few hasty followers lunged at an agent holding a bag in a formal suit.

“That’s ours! Hand it over!”

“Touch it, and you’ll wish you hadn’t!”

Aspen’s response to the charging followers was quick.

Her free hand deftly struck at the intruders’ vital points.

“AAAH!”

Immediately after cutting down the third attacker, she discreetly and swiftly issued the next command.

-Move to the academy promotion hall!

As soon as the command ended, the agents charged and broke through the side partition.

Shortly after, a sharp girl’s voice rang out in all directions.

“Stop! You thieves!”

“You can’t escape!”

The Violets quickly captured the movements of the fleeing foes.

The Violet tactical map, stretched to the corner of the exhibition hall, reported the movements of the bag in real-time.

“How dare they! Escape?”

“They can’t possibly avoid our gaze!”

The Violets felt confident. Their encirclement was wide and sporadic but could never miss anything.

-Swish!

“Ahhh!”

Several charging Violets fell, yet more Violets appeared behind them.

One Violet, cutting through the gaps, swung her sword.

The agent retreated to defend, but it was a trick.

“Did you fall for it?”

As the strap of the bag broke away masterfully and fell to the ground, 1912 snatched it and threw it.

“…!”

Aspen urgently jabbed at Violet’s back, but another Violet had already seized it and dashed away.

“It’s mine! I got it!”

“Good job! 1912!”

Violet thought.

I don’t know what’s so great about this relic, but carrying it around should lure those guys.

And her prediction was accurate.

“Stop! You infidels! Hand over the relic now!”

A sharp sword pierced the back of the fleeing Violet. The head of the follower who had been gleefully carrying the bag went flying from a single blow.

A fierce clash erupted over the metal bag between the Obsidian Legion, the mysterious fanatics, and the Violets along with the guards.

The exhibition hall turned into a chaotic battleground as everyone fought to snatch the bag away from each other.

“AHH! My arm!”

The fight quickly spread from the relic exhibition room across the entire hall.

-Crack!

Broken exhibits and promotional materials lay scattered on the ground, while chairs and tables were smashed to bits.

“Scream!”

“Get down!”

Civilians, terrified, started to scream and flee.

However, most stood their ground defensively.

Many awakened ones could fend for themselves.

Panicking students hid near the booths, but a brave few jumped into the fray, trying actively to suppress the chaos.

The agents of the Obsidian Legion moved quickly and meticulously.

They were fervently intent on snatching the relics with ruthless precision.

Violet matched them with experience and numbers.

“AHH!”

Meanwhile, some fanatics soaked in madness began a bloodbath.

Someone’s screams echoed.

When Violet turned her head, she saw a student, pierced by a fanatic, collapsing in a pool of blood.

“Ugh! They’re attacking other people too!”

“This won’t do. Kill all the enemies marked on the map!”

Violet charged at the enemies, her sword flashing as she severed a fanatic’s arm.

Spraying blood, the fanatic screamed, but she paid no mind and immediately lopped off their head.

“Die!”

Even amidst the chaotic battle, the struggle for the metal bag among all factions showed no signs of stopping.

An agent from the Legion snatched the bag again but found himself surrounded by fanatics.

All around, groups of Violets fiercely fought off the unknown attackers alongside others.

“No! We can’t let it slip away!”

As the bag soared into the air once more, Violet shouted desperately.

But in the chaos, the metal bag bounced around, unable to find its owner as it floated in the air.

It was complete mayhem. Amidst the confusion, Lucian muttered in despair.

“Another incident has occurred…”

As he lamented, an intruder charged toward him from behind, prompting Lucian to fire irritably.

“Damn it! Get lost!”

This was why he had been avoiding it.

Every time he got involved with the Violets, it led to all sorts of disasters.

“Ugh, AHHH!”

“Hey, quick, assemble it!”

“Alright…”

While Levi hurriedly assembled the ballista, Lucian resolutely fired his shots.

‘I swear, I won’t get involved next time!’

—

Clutching the metal bag tightly, I ran like a madman. The footsteps of the fanatics and Legion agents echoed in my ears, but this wasn’t the time to face them.

“Damn it! If only I had a high-powered weapon, I could have wrapped this up quickly…!”

“I can’t use self-destruction!”

But if I did that, innocent people would be hurt.

Our Ariel Group, adhering to the Geneva Convention, couldn’t throw bombs without caring for civilians.

“Get out of the way! Move it!”

Breathlessly shouting, I sprinted straight ahead. Suddenly, the lights flickered back on.

“What? The electricity is back?”

I had no idea why, but it seemed the entire exhibition hall was lit up again.

Under the bright lights, I swallowed hard at the gruesome scene laid bare before me.

People lying in pools of blood, booths shattered.

The exhibition was a complete wreck, ravaged by the bad guys.

“How horrible!”

However, simultaneously, thanks to the brightened visibility, I could see every little movement of the enemies very clearly.

“Alright, now we can counterattack!”

I shouted energetically and increased my speed. But at that moment, an unexpected incident occurred.

-BANG!

After an intense exchange, unable to withstand the pursuit, the metal bag burst apart.

The ‘Heart of Sunset’ inside it rolled noisily across the ground.

“What… What’s going on? No!”

The Heart of Sunset bounced loudly and flew far away. The one who grabbed it, unfortunately, was one of the fanatics.

“Oh no! Get ready to shoot!”

Just as 512 tried to shoot and reclaim it, the fanatic suddenly moved rigidly like a robot, slowly turning to face me.

“What’s he doing?”

Momentarily confused, the fanatic lumbered over and placed the Heart of Sunset in my hands.

I could only receive it, stunned.

“What the…?”

In that brief moment, an Obsidian Legion man followed closely behind and pounced aggressively.

“This time, I won’t let it go!”

His eyes burned with madness upon seeing the treasure in my hands.

“KYAAAH! Be gentle!”

“You punk clone!”

A vicious blow came at me without mercy.

I was on the verge of losing the relic.

-Crack!

“Violet! I’ll handle this one!”

Out of nowhere, Sister Sophie El blocked the enemy’s attack.

“Sophie El!”

Her joining the fray was just what we needed to turn the tides. And that wasn’t all.

“Over there! It’s an Obsidian Legion guy!”

“Catch him!”

With the atmosphere brightened, hunters and students at various parts of the hall quickly regained their composure and faced their attackers.

The enemies Violet had tied up began to fall one by one, struck from behind.

“Ugh!”

Finally, we began to overpower the enemies. Watching the falling fanatics and Legion agents, I let out a deep sigh of relief.

“We won!”

And soon, Sister’s battle was also reaching its conclusion.

“Ugh!”

The one attempting to attack fell to the floor, caught in one of Sophie El’s special counterattack techniques.

Overjoyed, I mocked the fallen Legion agents.

“Fake scum!”

“Real Ariel wins!”

The chaos of the exhibition gradually calmed down. I felt a pang of unease, though.

Wait, did we really miss something?

Were there this many fanatics left?

“Hey! Come to the exposition hall! They’re doing something strange!”

I felt a jolt of alarm at 122’s urgent voice.

“What, what is that?!”

I gritted my teeth as I murmured at the scene seen through the clone’s eyes.

The fanatics we thought we had subdued were still alive, doing suspicious things in one corner of the exhibition hall.

“A prayer meeting?”

“No, look at what they’re holding! No way…”

What they were holding was a familiar object.

The relic I used to make my hamburger set.

The mad attackers, encircling a small Miracle Box, were moving while murmuring something.

“O Goddesses of mercy, wisdom, and peace…”

In that moment, an eerie intuition struck me. Why were those guys so obsessed with the Heart of Sunset?

Countless past experiences warned me of an ominous feeling.

“Their true goal wasn’t the Heart of Sunset, was it?”

“Was the Miracle Box their aim? Why?”

Could this all have been a diversion operation of sorts?

Just then, a strange blue barrier began to unfold around the fanatics.

“I don’t know, but we have to stop them!”

I rushed forward, but the barrier blocked my way, making it impossible to get closer.

“Sister! Hit this for me!”

“Got it!”

-Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sophie El joined in and unleashed powerful attacks, but it was useless.

Despite fiery sparks flying, the barrier remained firm.

“O, great three goddesses!”

“Show us the truth. Guide us on the path to salvation!”

The fanatics murmured and prayed, seemingly entranced by something.

“What the! Why won’t it break? Break already!”

They were up to something dangerous, but we couldn’t stop them.

And when the ceremony reached its peak, a chilling blue light engulfed the entire exhibition hall.

“AHHH!”

“No, this is…!”

As everything began to be tinted in strange colors, I felt my breath catch.

The whole world was being consumed by a blue aura.

“KYAAH! Sister! I’m being dragged away!”

“Violet, it’s okay. You—”

In panic, I called out to Sister Sophie El, but there was no response.

My vision blurred, and my consciousness began to fade.

“NO! I’m being pulled away! AHHHH!”

And everything was engulfed in pitch-black darkness.

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