In the next moment, the sky went dark. It should have still been before nightfall, yet darkness fell as if time had accelerated. A thick, ink-like night covered the sky.
The darkness was so heavy that no light could be seen. There were no stars or moon, only blackness, with rolling black haze spreading downward. Alba's body automatically activated Holy Light, burning away something on the surface and releasing wisps of black smoke, along with a sickening urge to vomit.
Her face turned White Tier as she stared at the city in panic. "This isn't right. What is happening?" "Elvin and the others…!"
The smell of smoke and faint blood carried on the wind, noticeable even from this distance. Then came huge explosions, with all kinds of elemental light bursting within the city. The noise was clear even from far away, and it came again and again.
From here, she could even see the remains of blockbuster, and silhouettes of people being thrown into the air. Alba climbed the newly grown tree nearby and took out a long-range scouting Magic item.
One look made her face turn as White Tier as her name. In the distant city, countless black-robed figures emerged, as numerous as ants. They held torches, carried blasphemous tools, or wielded swords and vicious weapons.
They poured out from underground, between buildings, and even directly through Spatial Rift. Some simply threw on robes within crowds and revealed themselves. Even burned to ash, she would recognize what these things were.
What else could they be? "Abyss Church again? How is that possible, at this scale? The Simulator didn't show this!"
Her first thought was that the Simulator had been interfered with again. But in the past, such interference usually meant the Abyss Church disappeared outright. Why were they swarming out like this now?
Just a glance showed that the outer Abyss Cultists numbered in the thousands, and their numbers were still growing. That was only a rough count. The real number was impossible to know.
This was nothing like a single hideout from before. They were accompanied by blasphemous creations and twisted monsters that barely resembled living beings. In the sky, several higher-ranked figures of the cult flew past, leading endless believers like ant swarms toward a tempting feast.
A massive golden barrier rose around the city. It was the giant Holy Light protective Magic Array of Cathedral City. At this scale, it should have held the outer Abyss Cultists back for some time.
But it was short-lived. The shield collapsed from the inside. It was clearly internal sabotage.
The night sky grew thicker, as if liquid ink could drip from it. Without the barrier, the Abyss Cultists rushed into the city like wolves among sheep. Soon, the sounds of clashing weapons and screams filled the air.
Alba put away the scope and did not look further. With her understanding, letting so many Abyss Cultists run wild meant the destruction of the entire city was only a matter of time.
She jumped down and ran toward the city. She did not know why. By nature, seeing such a scene should have made her flee.
"I'm just repaying Elvin and the others for helping me." "I'll grab the people I know and run right away. That's all."
Convincing herself like this, Alba put on shoe-type Magic equipment to boost her speed and rushed toward the city. It was true that this was a simulation environment, and the Simulator was still glowing, but this situation was completely different from before.
This could be the work of beings like Evil God that the Simulator could not interfere with. In such a case, even in a simulation, Alba would not dare rely on luck. Last time, after something like this, she had ended up with another book in her arms.
If those two were unlucky, they might really be gone. With that thought, Alba charged into the city. The distance was nearly ten kilometers, but with her legs, constant self-healing using Holy Light, and the speed boost from her shoes, she made it back in a short time.
The outer walls had already become a battlefield. Countless bodies lay scattered, and traces of combat were everywhere. Huge craters, slash marks, burns, and elemental damage covered the ground.
The tall walls had collapsed in multiple places, flames roaring skyward. Fire climbed tens of meters high, clinging to towering spires like demons. Under the pitch-black sky, the once pure and sacred Cathedral City was burning.
What raged within was true evil. Without any doubt at all, this place had become Hell.
Both feet stepped into Hell.
The gaps between the stone tiles were packed with dried blood burned by fire, then layered over again by fresh blood. Crimson runes crawled through it like tadpoles, slowly writhing along the ground. Flames burned everywhere, swallowing ordinary homes and former churches alike, leaving only charred remains whose shadows looked like twisted faces.
There was no sun here, no light except fire. A curtain of night sealed the area shut, as if nothing inside could ever escape. Every sound of emotion reached the ear at once, screams, Maniacal Laughter, roars, and wails.
Black-robed figures filled the streets, wielding blades, cruel weapons, and tools empowered by Profane Art, pouring their desires across the city. Shouts rang out from every direction. Panic and disbelief broke apart in midair.
The first to fall were unarmed pilgrims and ordinary believers who had come to worship, along with a few adventurers and guards who had only minimal weapons. Under the effects of unknown and twisted spells, their bodies went limp, blood seeped from their pores, and they were beheaded with eyes still wide open. The assault came too fast, as thousands upon thousands of Abyss Cultists with strength and strange abilities flooded in.
Alongside them came modified flesh monsters, and large-scale Magic Array enhancements laid down by high-ranking figures such as Priests and Cult Leader. To prepare for this sacrifice, they had dragged out many of their most precious hidden resources. The result was a completely one-sided slaughter.
This was not just one Abyss Church acting together, but multiple groups joining in, turning the area into a joyful killing feast. Even those with some ability to resist were surrounded or targeted by enemies who already knew their weaknesses. Many died without believing this was real, unable to understand why so many rats had crawled out at once.
"Praise our the Lord! Offer the blood of lambs!"
"Blood! Souls! Flesh!"
The Abyss Cultists laughed and raised their blades, hacking down again and again. It no longer mattered who they struck, ally, enemy, or even themselves, as every blow drove their smiles further into madness. The ritual had to be completed as fast as possible.
This night would not last long, and the gods would not wait forever. Even though Elfido had promised to hand this region over, that did not mean appearances could be ignored. Everything had to be finished before the delayed reinforcements arrived, especially with such an event happening right under the eyes of Church of Holy Light.
Elfido might allow chaos, but the foundation of Church of Holy Light still had to be preserved. Once things reached a certain scale, intervention would be unavoidable. That brief gap of inaction, the short White Tier period, was the rare time meant for celebration.
So the Abyss Church chose the simplest and most brutal method. They laid down massive Magic Array again, forcing blood and flesh, anchored by souls, into constructing summoning arrays. It was wasteful, but it was fast.
It also fit the ritual requirements. The high-ranking figures like Cult Leader knew that the lower believers of Church of Holy Light would never follow precise orders anyway, but a single unified command to slaughter was easy. After the killing ended, the various factions could fight among themselves for the spoils.
The city had almost no real ability to resist. Under Elfido's deliberate adjustments, much of Cathedral City's combat strength had been reassigned elsewhere. What remained was not helpless, but it was far from strong.
When Alba entered, she nearly vomited. Heads were smashed open, bodies split apart, people butchered alive right in front of her. This direct, blood-soaked brutality was nothing like what she had seen on dissection tables.
Luckily, after playing with Assassin's Codex for so long, she had already cracked open many enemy skulls herself. She managed to keep her composure, though the thick stench of blood filled every corner. The outer areas were especiallyBrutal, and after walking a short distance, she saw no living person other than Abyss Cultists.
Surrounded by scenes too awful to ignore, Alba felt not only sadness but rising anger. She wanted to shout that they were treating life like nothing. But knowing her limits, she swallowed it all and quietly moved toward Raina's manor.
She could not fight them head-on. Charging in would only get her hacked apart, and then she would save no one at all. Endurance was the only choice.
The deeper she went, the denser the crowds and the bloodier the scenes became. Piles of corpses stacked up, with burning, killing, and looting everywhere. Some of it was not even done by Abyss Cultists, but by people who had broken down or taken advantage of the chaos.