Everyone was on standby. Throughout the White House, people were staring intently at the big screen before them.
On the streets of New York City, investigators were mopping up the remaining ghouls that hadn't been destroyed by the sunlight.
Edward had a gun in one hand and a brightly glowing magic pattern in the other. A golden flame burst out from the pattern, burning to ash the head of a ghoul that had fallen to the ground. Wang KeMing was following, providing cover. Magic patterns were ready to go in both of his palms.
"How is it?" Wang KeMing swallowed nervously and looked at the street before them.
They'd witnessed everything firsthand.
At first it was like the sky had been torn apart. Thousands of beams of light descended from the heavens and pierced into the earth like iron nails. In just a few seconds thousands of ghouls were torn apart, as easy as cutting chives.
That wasn't all. After that, a column of light, brighter than anything else, tore through the atmosphere and hurtled upwards. It was like a wildfire engulfing most of the sky.
That was...
Wang KeMing and Edward exchanged a glance, their faces solemn.
During the battle, Edward did his best to keep an eye on Zong Yan, but Zong Yan had activated his Night Watchman status. That meant he had the ability to melt into shadows. He could disappear in an instant and no one could follow.
Without putting it into words, Edward knew Zong Yan's powers were far stronger than anyone realized. Just like the Night Watchman's ability to pass through shadow, something no one had ever heard of before. Zong Yan could battle A-rank monsters on even ground. It wasn't a problem for him to fight these ghouls.
Edward couldn't have said why, but he suspected the light pillar that burst from the pit just now was also related to Zong Yan. In addition to that, the captain of Dragon Team 7 had just come over to ask them about it, which made him even more certain of his guess.
"Come on! We'll go take a look!" The little prince swept a glance at the wreckage of the deserted street, grabbed Wang KeMing's arm, and ran forward.
Members of the Dragon Group had already reached the center of the intersection.
Si Yan was dressed in a stark black combat suit. After nodding to He Yuan, he unleashed the magic pattern in his hand and smashed it into the bottomless pit.
A moment later, he lowered his hand and pursed his lips. "It's about a hundred meters deep."
They'd encountered a wave of ghouls just now, and the entire street was a mess. There were toppled telephone poles and concrete posts everywhere. All the shop windows on both sides of the street were broken. Scattered fragments of glass littered the ground, reflecting the golden light.
"Are we certain the Little Monarch is down there?" He Yuan's face was equally serious, and his eyes were grave.
Reports were coming in from other Dragon Group teams on his headset. Everyone said the same thing—no one saw anyone resembling Zong Yan in the vicinity.
Where had he gone? After an unknown entity intervened, the battle had ended, and the chaos throughout the surrounding area subsided. In the aftermath, investigators began to squat down and take samples. Except for the bottomless pit in front of them, there was no trace of Zong Yan anywhere.
"What's the matter?" On the other side, Anastasia casually tossed her knife in the air, then sheathed it.
There was no time to discuss anything in detail. Si Yan just said, "Cover me," in a cold voice. Then he drew the alchemically-modified Beretta from the holster on his waist. Without the slightest hesitation he jumped into the pit.
"The tenth Monarch Zong Yan is missing." He Yuan nodded at the senior investigator and pressed his headset with one hand. "Wait... We've lost contact with satellites worldwide?"
These days, countless satellites circled the Earth, not just those of the United States, but also ones belonging to the former Soviet Union, the European Union, and China. It could be said that many of the most powerful countries had their own satellite systems.
Satellites didn't just provide convenient services to average citizens. They were also an important strategic resource. In the event of a third World War, satellites would be the first to bear the brunt. Anti-missile technology based on satellites was very mature at present. For example, if the United States launched a missile from its mainland toward Asia, the missile might be detected by a satellite system and shot down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. As long as a nation mastered this technology, its enemies wouldn't be able to get a missile into its territory.
But if satellites couldn't be contacted all over the world...
He Yuan drew a cold breath.
He remembered the speculation from before.
"The ghouls in New York City were performing a summoning ritual. The evil god they worship is Mordiggian, the famed King of Ghouls. If the summoning is successful, the evil god himself will descend from outer space—"
The investigators' pupils shrank.
According to secret case files and documents stored in MU, there was evidence that evil gods could cause devastating damage and disturbances to the Earth's magnetic field.
Especially the true body of an evil god.
Mass was a constant throughout the universe. The greater the mass of an object, the greater its gravitational force.
A paper had been published by a great Miskatonic mathematician about the effects the body of an evil god would have if it arrived on Earth.
The first of these effects was on the magnetic field. An object with enough mass could cause the collapse of the magnetic field of the Earth.
The people on the ground looked up. Their faces were pale.
This was the real and genuine fear that humans felt in the face of irresistible power.
In the White House there was silence.
After a long time, the man in charge said, "Well?"
It was a scene that might go down in history. But the situation was so urgent no one was thinking about that now.
The leaders of the world's most powerful countries were gathered together, using holographic projections and teleconferencing to facilitate face-to-face communication.
With all satellites out of action and even the space station unable to be contacted, humankind had finally realized something was terribly wrong.
In addition to the leaders of various countries, senior members of the occult world also participated in the meeting.
"Right now, any time we try to send an electromagnetic signal from the planet, it disappears like a stone sinking into the sea."
"We've lost contact with our fighter jets!"
"We received a message from the observatory that they're being hampered by weather conditions."
"Then use a different observatory! Contact one in a different country!"
Every nation was pressed for time. Commands were issued one after another.
"Report—There are strange movements in the South Pacific!"
"Unidentified organisms have appeared in Severn Valley, England!"
One piece of bad news came in after another. The atmosphere in the conference room of Miskatonic University was gloomy.
"It's over. We have records of all those sites. They're most likely the sleeping places of Great Old Ones..."
The expression on their faces wasn't good.
Investigators of the occult world knew better than anyone what those disturbances meant.
"The time has come for the stars to return to their places."
Even Chancellor Flamel, who was always asocial, emerged from his laboratory with a worried face.
"Try this." The old Chancellor held a blood red stone in his hand. He gave it to the investigator standing to the side. "If we unleash our ultimate alchemical weapon, the rest is up to fate."
The philosopher's stone！
All the investigators in the conference room revealed astonishment.
It was well known that Chancellor Nicholas Flamel and Vice Chancellor Paracelsus were holders of the fifth element, the philosopher's stone. That was what had allowed them to live for so many years, effectively immortal.
The foundations of modern alchemy had been passed down from ancient Egypt. The philosopher's stone was the closest thing humanity possessed to the divine alchemy of the gods.
It was the final weapon of Miskatonic University, the ultimate alchemical array. And its core power source was the philosopher's stone.
The investigators stood up and removed their hats in respect.
This was a battle for all of humanity. The future of the Earth itself was at stake.
"Recall all investigators to the Gate of Truth. Set up new transmission sites in New York City immediately."
Paracelsus also stood up from his seat. There was a scarlet glow in his eyes. "If something happens to the Earth, we are the last spark of the human race."
MU had previously made a pact with Nodens, the Lord of the Dreamlands. Only Awakened people were allowed to enter the outskirts of the Dreamlands through the Gate of Truth. Ordinary people would be stopped outside. That was why investigators had brazenly opened the Gate of Truth in Westminster Abbey, a famous tourist spot in Britain.
The realm of dreams wouldn't be affected even if the Earth were destroyed. The human race would come to an end, but people with awakening abilities could still escape to the Dreamlands. In the face of such a grave disaster, they had to prepare for the worst.
"Yes, sir!"
The people in the conference room dispersed in silence, leaving to open gates from New York as quickly as possible.
"Investigators stationed in New York, you have new orders. Proceed to the center of each area as quickly as possible. You have fifteen minutes. A temporary gate to the Dreamlands will be opened. You must evacuate immediately."
Every investigator in New York heard the orders in their headsets. He Yuan, pacing anxiously in place, connected to the Dragon Group's internal channel. "Captain, please hurry! We have to evacuate! If the Little Monarch isn't here, we might find him at the gathering place after he hears the news!"
"There's no one down here." Si Yan's face was calm. Electricity pulsed in his hand and easily sliced off a ghoul's head.
The altar inside the deep cavern had been destroyed by the pillar of light. It was now buried in a mud of blood and flesh.
The light summoned by the sun god had been too powerful. All remaining ghouls were either dead or wounded. The darkness over New York had been lifted.
"Did you see a human down here?" With a grim face, he put a knife to the chest of a surviving ghoul elder. His voice was deep and low.
Ghouls could communicate with humans. But they weren't always willing.
"Yes, yes... Yes."
Clearly, the altar had been activated. The Lord had answered their call, but the process was interrupted somewhere in the middle.
The ghoul elder was grieving. He knew they'd been rejected by the god.
"Not long ago, a man jumped down here. He resembled the sun we hate most. After that, after that, he suddenly burst out of here and went into the sky."
A second later, the ghoul's head rolled to the ground.
Si Yan looked at the green blood dripping from the tip of his knife and clenched his fist.
Their worst suspicions were verified.
They'd all seen the sun.
Not just the investigators in New York, almost everyone in North America had seen it.
Night had lifted, and a new sun rose.
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