Chapter 111: Order Torrential Rain

The entire central district was suddenly plunged from daylight into the dead of night. Residents huddled in their homes, gazing in terror at the sky now veiled by an impenetrable darkness, unable to comprehend what new catastrophe had befallen them so soon after the demon invasion.

More sensitive professionals, however, were struck by a sense of bewilderment. This darkness gathering in the heavens showed no signs of malice; it simply congregated without reason, eclipsing the light above. Such a massive atmospheric shift felt remarkably like a "divine miracle."

Yet, in Alastelle, where the primary faith was the God of Light—a deity as far removed from darkness as one could imagine—there were virtually no worshippers of dark gods. Thus, no one could offer an explanation for what was unfolding.

The residents and professionals affected by this bizarre phenomenon could only pray it was not the herald of yet another disaster. The royal city had already endured far too much this day.

...

"What is this now?" Shuguin could no longer maintain his usual composure. The dragon claw descending from the zenith, and now this dark firmament shrouding the world—these things, rarely seen in a lifetime, were crowding into the royal city all at once.

"This? Could it be the one worshipped by the Church of Nightfall?" Charles looked up at the sudden, night-like sky, recalling the small statuette of the Lady of Night that had mysteriously vanished. Naturally, his mind drifted in that direction.

"But is this truly something that can be done by a god that Wang Yu called 'quite weak'? And what is the purpose of Her doing this?"

Charles could not fathom how to delve deeper into this speculation; he could only hope that this sudden variable would not push matters toward an even worse outcome.

"Hmm?" Shuguin paused, then retrieved his communication crystal from his armor. Dozens of requests from the floating islands were flooding in, desperately seeking approval from him, the highest authority of the Night's Blade currently in the city.

"It seems this is a change for the better." With a surprised smile, Shuguin granted every request, then turned his gaze back to the darkness above.

This dark canopy obscured everything above it, positioning itself directly over the head of the dragon that Zig had become, naturally shielding him from the massive dragon claw that had reached down to destroy him.

No one understood the purpose of this darkness better than Zig, who was closest to it. As a high-ranking member of the Night's Blade and a scholar of profound erudition, his knowledge of the Void was immense.

The energy contained within this seemingly spectacular dark firmament was far less than it appeared. To Zig, it would take little effort to pierce this thin membrane of ultimate darkness.

Yet, it was precisely for this reason that Zig felt a profound sense of awe. It was this thin layer, filled with so little Void energy, that had isolated "Him."

Zig could no longer sense the giant dragon claw above the dark canopy. He knew well that it had not retreated; rather, the firmament had cloaked it. Neither he nor It could perceive the other's existence.

The difference was that Zig knew of the thing above, while It, acting on mechanical, rigid logic, likely no longer knew of Zig's existence.

The fact that this dark canopy, which could be easily shattered by It, remained intact was the best proof. The act of neutralizing such immense power with a force as small as an ant was nothing short of a divine miracle—no, a miracle.

...

"How is that giant dragon claw?" Wang Yu crouched beside Avia, asking the girl who was struggling to maintain the operation of her divine arts.

"It has stopped. Your guess was correct, Wang Yu; that thing was targeting Mr. Zig. Once it lost sight of him, it retreated on its own."

Sweat beaded on Avia’s forehead. Maintaining a runic structure of such magnitude was a massive challenge; solving a puzzle was never on the same level as the constant effort of keeping it solved.

"Excellent. You're too good, Avia. Hold on a little longer. Once that thing fully retreats, those Reality Stability Anchors should arrive. Although the fact that it crawled out of the Abyss of the Fallen suggests standard anchor fields won't work on it, what about an explosion? Simple, raw violence. It had better hope it's sturdy."

Wang Yu watched the dark canopy above, mentally calculating the arrival time of the airships. The strategy used against Pernia was, in fact, still applicable here.

However, the airships carrying the anchors were too fragile against that massive purple Void creature; the most likely outcome was that they would be destroyed remotely before reaching the drop zone.

Now, the Eternal Night Canopy released by Avia had created a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As the Lady of Night had said, a god’s capability in their domain of expertise was beyond imagination. The domains of darkness and concealment corresponding to the Lady of Night were being utilized to their absolute limit.

This dark canopy isolated not only Zig from the gaze of the entity that had reached down, but also shielded the Void entity from observing the changes occurring above.

"It is retracting, Wang Yu. Can you tell if the airships have arrived? My observation range is limited." Avia was fully focused on controlling the Eternal Night Canopy, waiting for the claw to retract. Once that thing withdrew, it would be their best chance for a counterattack against Colin.

"I’ve calculated it. The airships' speed within the city limits is considerable; they should arrive before the claw fully retracts." Wang Yu answered with certainty. Avia had done her best, and now, everything should proceed as it must.

Previously, only one anchor could be released because there was no approval from the highest authority. Even if the floating islands detected massive Void energy overload, they could only release one ship as programmed by the automatic arrays.

But now, with Shuguin and Zig—the two highest authorities in the city—present, the only requirement for these ships to arrive was a single authorization.

Wang Yu trusted that Captain Shuguin would understand the significance of his actions, and indeed, he did.

"Wang Yu, the thing is nearly fully retracted. I am preparing to withdraw the Eternal Night Canopy." In Avia's view, the giant claw that had emerged from the vortex-like clouds had fully receded, leaving only the giant golden dragon eye that continued to scan the area below.

"Good." Wang Yu watched the black sky and the giant dragon struggling to flap its wings in the air. The opportunity was coming.

The moment the giant golden eye in Avia’s vision slowly closed and vanished into the swirling clouds, the girl withdrew the Eternal Night Canopy. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, carefully supported by Wang Yu.

"Alright, we’ve done our best. Now it’s up to Captain Shuguin and Zig." Wang Yu patted Avia’s head, smiling. They had done all they could; now, it was time to leave the rest to those more powerful.

"Mm." Avia leaned against Wang Yu’s shoulder, drained of strength. She needed a good rest; later, there was still that guy she and Wang Yu had to finish off together...

...

The dark canopy gradually dissipated, as did the vortex-like clouds gathered by great power above. Zig struggled to flap his wings, looking at the sky that had brightened once more. It was no longer covered by darkness or clouds; it looked beautiful, save for one eyesore remaining.

A rift tore open in the air—the very spot where Colin had vanished. The creature had hidden inside a spatial crack, clearly lacking the confidence to survive the entity's power on the battlefield.

Now, a purple humanoid figure, appearing much smaller than before, reappeared at the same altitude as Zig. Its featureless face stared fixedly at the dragon.

No one could read Colin's heart. The immense price paid to earn the entity's gaze, intended to kill Zig instantly, had been thwarted by the sudden appearance of the dark canopy, which shielded Zig and caused the entity's gaze to withdraw.

Even a cunning, ancient creature like Colin found this massive failure hard to accept. But looking at Zig—who was struggling to flap his wings, his body covered in melting scars, blood still pouring from the massive wound inflicted by the centipede—Colin knew that victory would ultimately be his.

"If you hadn't unleashed your full-power dragon breath at Him, the victory might have been yours. But now, I shall still reap my spoils. It is a pity; your defiance has only buried you. I don't know how you conjured that dark screen, but now, no one can save you."

Colin did not abandon his psychological warfare. To him, victory included the total destruction of the loser's spirit. If Zig hadn't exhausted himself, Colin, who had paid a heavy price, might not have been his match.

But look at this dying dragon, his body likely not a single part intact, barely able to maintain flight. What right did he have to defeat him?

"Speechless? My time is also running out. I shall take you now." Without further ado, Colin’s purple body began to split and deform; he intended to use those Void centipedes to convert Zig into his own nourishment.

As Colin split, the dragon swayed and began to plummet, transforming mid-fall into the tattered, human-like form of Zig.

"Heh, can't even maintain your dragon form? How pathetic." Colin smiled. It was ironic; Zig’s defiance had been his undoing.

"Asshole, it’s your time that’s limited." Yet, the falling Zig spoke his first words since transforming—a curse learned from Wang Yu, but in the Chinese language, curses were the best way to vent emotion.

He lifted his head, revealing a wild, arrogant grin—entirely uncharacteristic of the scholarly Zig—and raised his middle finger to the sky, shattering his own image completely. But who cared?

The accelerating Zig was caught by a sudden mist that appeared below, the dissipating smoke cushioning his impact until he landed safely in the lake.

Colin would soon learn why his time was limited. The dark canopy had completely vanished, and dozens of airships carrying Reality Stability Anchors appeared above him. As the darkness faded, it had masked the approach of the fleet.

Only now did Colin notice the airships gathering above. The cargo bays opened, releasing massive metal pillars engraved with complex runes.

A deluge of Reality Stability Anchors fell from the sky like rain—a rain of order.

"Do you think this is useful? Was the lesson in the Abyss of the Fallen not enough? The true Void..."

"Highest authority command: All Reality Stability Anchors within the central district, self-destruct!"

"Command received. Executing immediately. Serial number 23-89, self-detonating."

"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!"

Colin had looked upon the falling pillars with disdain, but the ensuing frantic explosions silenced his words.

The principle of the Reality Stability Anchors was to project a field of order into the surrounding space. This order did not mean peace; it meant that the more matter present in the material world, the more it suppressed the surrounding Void.

Explosions were, in fact, highly material things: light, heat, shattered parts, expanding gases, and shockwaves. Most importantly, the more complex the object, the more "orderly" the explosion. These absurdly expensive anchors were "orderly" to an absurd degree!

The explosion Wang Yu had triggered at the city walls was replicated sixty-seven times over the lake. The sky was filled with fire and light, and nothing else could be observed.

The shockwave caused the lake surface to cave in, forming giant waves that swept across the already-battered shoreline.

Countless fragments of the shattered anchors rained down, the clanging of metal parts echoing across the land like a metallic storm.

The sky above the lake was now as orderly as it could possibly be. This was the Special Operations Team’s gift to Colin: a "Rain of Order."

Baptized by this rain, Colin could no longer maintain his own stability. Reality rejected him, and the Void refused to accept a Colin wrapped in the explosions of order. He was torn apart, shredded bit by bit in the rift between the material world and the Void.

Until even his consciousness could no longer be maintained. Even if he could revive through his unique nature, the existence known as Colin would be utterly extinguished.

With his last remaining power, Colin, his consciousness failing to stabilize, tore open a spatial rift he had hidden in the Abyss of the Fallen. Thankfully, he had one last resort: the servant everyone had forgotten.

In the next moment, under the baptism of the "Rain of Order," the consciousness known as Colin vanished amidst the brilliant, dazzling explosions.

...

"Avia, it is time to go; my blood began to boil the moment she appeared. She escaped me last time, but this time, that shall be impossible."

Wang Yu, who had been staring fixedly at the sky, closed his eyes for a brief moment before turning his gaze toward another direction. The blood within his veins once again sensed the marked target and began to seethe, his tone sharpening with a lethal intent.

"Mm," Avia nodded, having gathered her strength during the respite, she was now prepared.

"Let us go." Wang Yu