Chapter 789: 543, The new moon arrives, a ray of dawn light

Central Cathedral, Cyan City.

Sunlight poured through the stained glass windows, refracting into vibrant hues, like a veil of silk draped over the goddess statue.

Melodious sounds flowed gently, the atmosphere inside the cathedral was serene and tranquil.

Three people knelt reverently before the stone statue, mumbling: “Oh, Goddess, please protect the adventurers of White Dove City and let them return safely…”

Since leaving the plaza, Weylon, Kami, and Mevent had come to the goddess statue to pray.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted in the distance, and the ground shook violently.

“Lord Mevent, watch out!”

Weylon’s complexion changed drastically.

The goddess statue cracked open, glass shattered, and dust fell onto Weylon’s hair.

Next, the ceiling collapsed vertically. The cathedral, like a disassembled pile of blocks, crumbled instantly!

Weylon moved quickly; he grabbed Mevent, pulled Kami by the waist, and used Thunder Battle Qi to smash falling debris as he charged toward the church’s doors.

“What happened, was this an earthquake!?”

“Where’s the priest? Help me!”

“My leg is pinned down!”

“Save me…”

Chaos engulfed the church; many of the civilians who had been crying for help just moments earlier fell silent, buried under the debris.

Weylon emerged outside with a grim expression.

Mevent and Kami were still shaken; had it not been for Weylon’s Star Rank ability, they would have all been crushed by the falling stones.

What on earth had happened? What caused that earthquake just now?

Cyan City was a major city with several Heaven Rank experts stationed there. Potential disasters could always be foreseen in advance with arrays; the word “danger” was never supposed to exist for a provincial capital.

But now, the streets were filled with fleeing people, shoulder to shoulder, their eyes brimming with fear and unease.

The cries of children pierced the ears, the wails of the injured, the shouts during scuffles, and the call-outs from the knights seemed like water droplets drowned in turbulent waves.

“President Weylon, what’s happening?” Mevent asked, trembling.

“I don’t know either!” Weylon gritted his teeth. “Don’t you two dare leave my side!”

“Big news, big news!” Kami licked his lips, thrilled, as he pulled out his Magic Guided Camera.

With clicking sounds, the scenes of fleeing crowds were captured.

“Huh? What’s that?”

The Magic Guided Camera angled upward, focusing on the northern city walls.

A black fire tornado towered between heaven and earth; afar, dark clouds loomed, lightning crackled, and the terrifying heat swept across thousands of miles, surging past the Kada Mountain Range to Cyan City.

Kami realized he was sweating heavily. It was nearing autumn, and the afternoon had been cool, yet the temperature was rising instead of falling — it felt suffocatingly hot, as if trapped inside a furnace. For a moment, Kami had the illusion that the seasons themselves — spring, summer, autumn, and winter — had reversed.

As doubt crept over him, Kami heard the voice of the Empire’s First Princess, Angelina.

The streets momentarily fell silent.

Many adventurers collapsed, weakly, onto the ground.

Mevent blacked out, fainting on the spot.

Kami forgot to even press the shutter aimed at the black fire tornado.

She stood in a daze, thinking: This news is too monumental; there’s no way I could be the one to report it…

The Royal Capital had fallen.

…

At the same moment.

In White Dove City, Minnie, captain of the Slay the Evil Dragon Adventure Team, joyfully carried a pot of orchids out of a flower shop.

She hummed a cheerful tune, her radiant smile as bright as blooming flowers.

“Finally promoted to a Sunrise Level adventure team! Time to decorate the villa properly! Hmm… I’ll invite everyone over tomorrow!”

Just as Minnie was contemplating what else to purchase.

Boom!

An earthquake struck abruptly.

The buildings lining the street collapsed, and the smiling flower shop owner who had just bid her goodbye was buried under dirt and rubble.

Scarlet blood oozed from the ruins, trickling toward Minnie’s feet.

“—-I am the Empire’s First Princess, Angelite. Please, everyone…”

The flower pot slipped from Minnie’s hands and smashed onto the ground.

“The Royal Capital, fallen?”

…

In Red Heart City, three Iron Level team captains were soaking in the hot springs, easing injuries from the challenges of the 15th floor of the Great Mystery Continent.

Ever since Red Heart City signed the humiliating agreement, its overall combat ability had plummeted.

In the Great Mystery Continent, they were treated like unwanted pests — even cities like Aoxia, known for being the weakest, were bold enough to bully them.

Fry, Celina, and Timo sighed heavily, immersed in the springs, their bodies healing with the help of therapeutic powders mixed into the water.

Suddenly, their expressions changed.

They heard the princess’s solemn declaration ringing in their minds.

“The Royal Capital, fallen?!”

The trio exclaimed in unison.

South Rock City, Proclamation Wind City, Far North Plains, Elf Forest…

The Mystic Continent, at that moment, plunged into an unprecedented silence; tens of thousands of cities were mute, not a single bark of a dog, nor the chirp of birds, could be heard.

“Can someone tell me this is fake? How could the Royal Capital possibly fall?”

“Lin Da…”

“Waa, waa, waa waa waa!”

In an enormous snow-capped mountain, a young werewolf girl with long blue hair stiffened noticeably.

“Miss, the Wolf King has issued an order: The Demon Lord’s Army has appeared in the southern region of the Far North Plains. Please activate the ancestral inheritance immediately!”

The elderly, gray-furred wolf knelt on one knee, his gaze resolute.

…

“Child, stop crying, Lin Da isn’t in the Royal Capital.”

A hunched old man, riding on a griffon, held a purple-haired little girl in his arms.

Glancing at the bite marks on his arm, he sighed with resignation.

“Wa-wa! Fortress! Fortress-fortress!”

The little girl, delicate and doll-like, with purple gem-like eyes that seemed naturally formed, fixed her gaze in the direction of the Royal Capital, baring her teeth.

The old man was none other than Angus, who years ago was invited to White Dove City to take Habi from Lin Da and become her mentor.

Fortress, fortress?

Hearing Habi’s strange cries, Angus’s eyelid twitched. The little one was speaking in Aweis language, her meaning unmistakable: If Lin Da gets hurt, she’ll kill all Demons.