Sporadic footsteps echoed through the dim underground as the group walked along the increasingly abandoned passageway. The ground was littered with dust and debris.
It's completely different from the last time I was here, Thilan thought to herself. She waved her hand lightly, and faint blue fireballs scattered around, illuminating the entire underground like stars.
Everywhere they looked, there were closed shops, once-bustling noodle stalls, streets teeming with tourists, and stages filled with music. Now, everything was empty, as if a century had passed.
"Is there no one here?" Simu raised his rifle, its flashlight sweeping across the surroundings.
"There should be people, but their living area probably isn't here," Thilan shook her head and continued forward in the direction she remembered.
An hour later, the group finally arrived at the entrance to the underground residential area, where they encountered a group of gang members standing guard.
"Who are you? How did you get here?"
They looked at the approaching group with vigilance, their eyes scanning them.
Although Simu and Jinzerk were holding guns, the others weren't armed. Moreover, Thilan and Evony, who were at the front, looked like young girls. This made the guards relax slightly. They didn't seem like desperate outlaws but rather had a student-like air about them.
"Are you here for an adventure? This isn't a place you should be," the scar-faced man at the front said, his gaze lingering on Evony for a long time.
However, he restrained himself, as the girl had several fireballs floating around her, clearly a powerful transcendent.
"We are indeed here for an adventure. Could you let us pass, big brothers? Ruby will be very grateful," the idol girl with purple-red hair jumped out from the back of the group, finally catching their attention.
"Such a beautiful girl, but we have a duty to guard this place," the man shook his head, though his underlings behind him were greedily eyeing Ruby and Evony.
"Oh, really not possible?" Ruby pouted, looking as if she might burst into tears.
"This..." The man seemed to waver, but remembering that his underlings were watching, he couldn't afford to lose face.
He refused again.
"No."
"Boss, don't be polite with them. I think these girls are suspicious. Let's capture them, hehehe~"
As he spoke, he and the others burst into laughter.
"Ah, okay. It seems Ruby can't convince you uncles."
Ruby placed a hand on her chest and closed her eyes, but then suddenly opened them again. Her glowing eyes, a mix of purple and red, shone brilliantly in the dim underground, with some kind of symbol forming within them.
"Everyone, does Ruby's voice sound nice?"
She smiled, clasping her hands together as she spoke to the men.
"...Nice, very nice," the men in front became dazed, nodding involuntarily.
"Then, would you like to become Ruby's most loyal fans?"
"Yes, we would," they replied, their voices growing faster, their eyes filled with a hint of fanaticism.
"Thank you, everyone. It's so wonderful to have fans like you," Ruby clapped her hands happily and then asked them.
"Now, Ruby is a little scared. Could you lead the way and protect her?"
"Of course, we'll protect you and guide you."
"How wonderful~ You're all such good children~"
Ruby's face lit up with joy again. She lifted her skirt slightly and curtsied, then let the men lead the way.
The group set off again, but this time, the people at the back began whispering.
"Ruby really is a succubus, isn't she? That kind of charm ability."
"Ahem, her charm ability is indeed surprising, but I heard Ruby say it only works on Sequence 1-2 people."
"That's a relief. Otherwise, having a girl like that around would be a bit scary."
"Don't say that. Ruby only revealed this ability because she considers us friends. Otherwise, who would casually show off such a terrifying power?"
While the others whispered, Dolores and Ruby walked side by side at the front, discussing what had just happened.
"Why did you suddenly decide to use that ability today?"
"Because I've been holding back for so long, Dolores~ You know, it's like being a master who has trained hard but has no chance to show off their skills. It's frustrating."
"Usually, I have to maintain my sweet and harmless image to win everyone's affection. Although there are some special fans who like my wild and queenly side, they're not many," Ruby explained, lamenting her predicament and hoping her good friend would support her more in the future.
"You... this is also part of your true self, isn't it?" Dolores shook her head, then smiled.
After their conversation, Dolores turned her gaze to the black-haired girl at the front, wondering when she would get to see Thilan's commanding, queenly side. She had heard the boys say Thilan played the role of a mafia princess well, but since she hadn't seen it herself, she was still a bit skeptical.
Finally, the group slowly reached the depths of the underground. After walking through a massive sloping passage, a residential area came into view in the distance. At the far end of their sight, an ancient city emerged.
It's still the same as before, Thilan thought. But this time, she wasn't planning to hide anymore. Time was of the essence.
She leaped into the air, flying toward the ceiling, then raised her hands. Countless particles of magical light appeared and swirled in the dark underground, converging toward her.
"Azure Bird Legacy · Azure Radiance Sword."
Her black hair fluttered in the wind as a magnificent emerald jade sword slowly materialized. The faint, eerie glow it emitted seemed perfectly suited to this dark world, casting a soft, ghostly light over the entire underground area.
Unlike the usual natural sequence secret arts, this technique could also be used with the Decay Sequence. It was said to have been created jointly by the Azure Bird and the Purple Crow, with its counterpart being the Purple Crow Legacy · Netherworld Wandering Immortal Sword.
With a light swing of the sword, a clear, bell-like sound echoed through the underground ceiling, evoking memories of distant times.
Then, the girl holding the emerald sword gracefully descended, her form gradually transforming into a magnificent snow-sleeved red dress. Her flowing hair danced in the wind before being tied back with a red ribbon.
"Who is that?!"
Haus, who was interrogating a few elderly people deep underground, saw the sudden burst of light from the ceiling and the girl descending.
"Cough, cough..."
The elderly man, bound and kneeling, coughed and struggled to look up. Seeing the figure descending gracefully, his cloudy eyes filled with hope, and he became visibly emotional.
"It's the young lady... she's back... she hasn't abandoned us."
Unlike last time, Thilan's transformed attire was identical to what Gu Yongrong had worn during the ceremonial sword dance years ago. Her resemblance to her mother made her seem like Gu Yongrong herself stepping out of a painting.
"What young lady? You old fools, stop spouting nonsense! Tell me, who is she?"
Haus kicked the elderly man in front of him, then picked up a heavy machine gun and fired at the descending figure.
A storm of bullets, mixed with tracer rounds, shot out, but due to the distance, they couldn't accurately hit the descending figure.
With a flick of her emerald sword, Thilan effortlessly deflected the sporadic bullets. Holding the sword in one hand, she gently stroked the blade with the other, her eyes flashing with light. Then, like a phantom, she swiftly flew toward the group, her trajectory as straight as if she were gliding.
"Decay Secret Art · Void Phantom Dash."
As she approached the group, they began firing wildly. Thilan spun around, splitting into several identical phantoms, each holding an emerald jade sword.
"Decay Secret Art · Shadow Clone."
Though it couldn't compare to the Seven Butterfly Transformation of the elven secret arts, this Shadow Clone technique was still an excellent skill for group combat. The Seven Butterfly Transformation allowed the user to survive as long as one clone remained, but the Shadow Clone only carried a fragment of the user's consciousness and would dissipate quickly, unable to take damage for the main body.
The emerald sword gleamed brightly in the dim underground. With swift strikes, Thilan incapacitated one gang member after another. They clutched their wounds, writhing and wailing on the ground, leaving only Haus standing.
Compared to the Sequence 2 and Sequence 3 elite members around him, Haus stood out like a crane among chickens. He had a tall, burly build and was nearly at the peak of Sequence 5.
Seeing the girl retract her shadow clones and reappear in front of him, Haus frowned and fired his machine gun again. However, the bullets passed through her like a phantom, landing harmlessly behind her.
As a Decay Sequence transcendent, once reaching the mid-to-high stages, one could easily switch between a spectral and physical form. This was a hallmark of the sequence, much like the Dragon Sequence's transformation ability.
"Damn it!"
He cursed, throwing down his gun and pulling out a large, ornate pistol from his coat, its surface engraved with golden runes.
Bang!
The pistol fired, and a crimson-gold bullet shot out with a shockwave, heading straight for the girl.
This time, Thilan didn't evade in her spectral form. Instead, she used her sword to block and deflect the bullet.
The crimson-gold bullet struck the blade, sparking red-gold flames and molten metal. Though deflected, it left black marks on the emerald sword, significantly damaging its strength.
"Haha, my enchanted bullets, bought at a high price, aren't so easy to block, are they?"
He fired rapidly, sending five bullets flying in just two seconds.
Thilan twisted her body, deflecting the bullets with her sword and dodging the ones aimed at her face.
Finally, after blocking the five enchanted bullets, her emerald sword was covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering.
"Now, how will you block this?"
He sneered, quickly retreating and reloading his gun.
In response, the girl simply shook her head, releasing the sword and letting it shatter on the ground. Just as Haus began to smile, Thilan reached into the air, and a brand-new emerald sword materialized in her hand.
Pale blue currents rose from the ground, winding around the jade sword and causing her dress and hair to flutter. Then she moved, covering a hundred steps in an instant. The emerald sword pierced Haus's shoulder, causing his gun arm to go limp. The blade passed through his body, drawing blood, then withdrew, sending him tumbling to the ground.
If she had wanted to kill him, a single slash as she withdrew the sword would have decapitated him. But such a scene would have been too gruesome.
Clutching his numb right arm, Haus howled and rolled on the ground, trying to escape. But after a dozen seconds, he realized the girl wasn't chasing him. She simply stood there, sword in hand, watching him flee.
"You..."
He gritted his teeth, torn between surrendering and making a desperate last stand.
Those few seconds felt like an eternity. Finally, unwilling to give up the treasures and power he had worked so hard to obtain, Haus struck his chest and swallowed a pill-like object hidden in a small cylinder.
A turbid aura spread out, an intangible, chaotic, and nauseating force that eroded everything around it. However, it moved slowly, as if too viscous to disperse quickly.
Though the sensation was ominous, the abundant magical energy began to fill Haus's body, causing him to swell and grow taller. However, this growth was unnatural, with his limbs and body parts growing disproportionately, creating a twisted, discordant appearance.
His once-normal eyes bulged and turned gray. His right arm, which Thilan had pierced, turned a sickly purple and swelled to three times the size of his left arm. One leg, unable to support his bloated body, snapped, while the other grew thick and powerful. In the end, a monstrous figure about nine meters tall stood before the girl.
Though he appeared stronger, Haus seemed to have lost his mind, howling and flailing his arms, smashing everything around him.
"Help!"
The elderly man who had been tied up, along with some of the incapacitated gang members, fled from Haus. But a few, unable to escape in time, were caught by him.
Haus toyed with them like ragdolls, tossing them aside before moving toward areas with more people, as if drawn by the living souls.
Faced with the approaching monster, the remaining people either fled in terror or became too disoriented to move. Everything around them turned chaotic, with hallucinations appearing everywhere.
"Is this... Chaos Phantom?" Thilan thought to herself, recalling something similar from a year ago.
Did Haus unearth something like this from the ruins? But compared to last time, this one's corrosive and invasive properties seemed weaker, as if it had been artificially altered.
Thilan lunged forward, her emerald sword piercing Haus's head in an instant. However, even after stabbing through his eye socket, Haus didn't die. Instead, his right arm swung back wildly, aiming for Thilan.
Reluctantly, Thilan abandoned her sword and dodged. Haus grabbed the emerald sword, now as small as a toothpick to him, and swallowed it. The condensed magical energy was corrupted and absorbed by him.
The ancient virus of calamity, the remnants of human souls, the undead and twisted beings—these were the Chaos Phantoms, the byproducts of the second human civilization's destruction, the apocalyptic disaster that once plagued the Milky Way.