Chapter 83
A group of residents from evacuation camps coordinates 15, 16, and 20, each consisting of 15 people, including the group that had attended the previous meeting, immediately left the area under the orders of the three officers for safety reasons.
Although Moran had a large security organization called Shutdownn, only a few out of hundreds of officers were stationed along the 15 main streets to assist the citizens, and the locations of the rest were unknown.
Some said they had evacuated to Minehold for safety, while others had died while investigating the seven districts in Moran, allegedly being hunted.
But what was certain was that they would soon head to Pamlinov Station as quickly as possible along with the residents living around Street No. 1 Yahmene and those from Street No. 2 Syrp who had fled to that road. Expecting help from the central government in a situation like this was pointless, and they planned to leave for Minehold immediately.
....
Meanwhile, in the southern part of Street No. 3 Huween, by the roadside illuminated brightly by gas street lamps, six people stood, two of them women and the other four men, simultaneously raising their heads along with the citizens behind them after hearing a massive explosion and seeing black smoke rising high into the sky along with flames surrounding it.
The Devils is Here.
Their current location was several dozen meters from the station entrance and the people lining up to descend the underground stairs ahead.
The journey from Gours to this place had taken approximately five hours on foot while checking the condition of the streets and helping others get out of here.
Elmer had initially thought that the group he was searching for was behind the explosion, but after thinking it through carefully, such an act was impossible for a group like them, whose every move was precise during operations—it was unlikely they would carry out something this conspicuous.
Behind his black gloves, Elmer's hands trembled violently as he realized a great battle would soon follow.
"We should evacuate the people onto the train and send them to Minehold immediately." Elmer tried to stay calm amid the panic swirling in his mind.
"That's impossible," Ren said hesitantly. "It's been an hour since the train departed carrying the Huween group."
"Are there no other trains?" Hagi asked to be sure.
"Yes, including the two trains that left earlier," Narissa replied, her tone slightly raised with irritation.
Meanwhile, Karl stood silently, wearing a grim expression as he watched his companions discuss.
He knew or had received incorrect information about the death of Zavi Actitus in early November and had continued to relay that information to Ren.
Upon hearing that, Ren somewhat believed it. He had already expected such a fate would befall his older brother, especially since he had been with him when they stopped that ritual.
Revenge.
However, Ren did not fully believe it, even knowing Karl was skilled at gathering information. And until today, several days after the demon horse destroyed his home, he had taken his mother and younger sister to safety in Minehold, renting an apartment there for two months, while he focused on searching for Zavi and conducting further investigations in the city regarding a group suspected to be from the 'Intersection Society' and individuals sent by the 'Finiscya Sect', which might allow him to uncover the truth.
The Devils is Here.
Especially Ren, who did not know that Eistender had been involved in the hunt for Zavi in Hava and had killed a female worker there, including the incident of "The Shadows of the Citizens", people who to this day remained in the same condition as when affected by the fourth-level Prisoner ability, Punishment.
'I've kept one Avatar to transfer my soul and mind into in situations where it's impossible to continue, and regarding that sect being involved, could that be true as well?'
he thought uncertainly, but after recalling what he had done to their agents before, it was possible that Conwuqoam, a high-ranking figure of that sect, had ordered others, possibly from the Intersection Society, to destroy a city.
"Michelle," Karl said, letting out a deep breath.
"I'll go ahead. Don't worry about me, focus on the evacuation." He glanced in that direction and gave a subtle signal by adjusting his glasses.
Ren immediately understood his intention.
Elmer looked at him for a few seconds before saying calmly, "We'll finish this as soon as possible."
Karl turned his face away, the air seeming to freeze as his mind went blank. He let out a soft sigh before walking steadily away from the station.
His goal was to observe the streets around the station, not to inspect the site of the massive explosion.
"I hope this is the right choice," he muttered while opening the cylinder of his revolver.
Still on Huween's main road, along the roadside lined neatly with gas lamps, Felina and Zuhen were startled when they heard the sudden explosion, followed by black smoke rising into the sky and flames surrounding it, as if dawn had arrived early.
"What the hell is that?" Felina muttered unconsciously as she looked at it.
And after determining the direction of the explosion, the two of them immediately realized.
'Was that Actitus?' they thought at the same time.
"Sir?" Felina gripped the edge of her clothes tightly while glancing sideways.
"I know," Zuhen replied, continuing to smoke.
White smoke escaped from his mouth, lingering in the air for a few seconds before fading from sight.
"Staying quiet is the best option, and I won't move until I receive his signal."
"I see," Felina murmured in relief, not because she cared about Zavi, but for some reason, she couldn't deny her concern for the man she had called a stalker.
On the other side, atop the roof where Aaron rested while waiting for Zavi's signal and preparing to trigger the trap they had set together, he observed a rather breathtaking view from above.
His gray eyes, like deep wells, became moist as he witnessed the massive explosion from that distance.
'Was that him? Or someone else?'
His face showed no excessive reaction. His purpose for being there was simply to sit on the rooftop, enjoying the calm of the early dawn and the striking view ahead.
....
Meanwhile, his awareness, thoughts, and fleeting perception from when he saw the gas explosion earlier began to be drawn back to Zavi's current body at the intersection.
Absorption had occurred. He could not ignore that fact.
He let out a faint laugh after realizing what he had done.
But not long after, a sudden cold sensation emerged from above, moving rapidly toward him and instantly forcing his shoulders to drop under the pressure.
His jaw tightened, his eyes widened, his fingers gripping the knife in his coat pocket as he stared at something strange staring back at him with a terrifying gaze.
From the front, behind, left, and right, a group of restless spirits with transparent forms and various types of ghosts revealed horrifying faces as their gazes locked onto Zavi standing in the middle.
With just a single clap from one of the ghosts dwelling underground, specifically within the drainage channel—a powerful gust of wind erupted, instantly sending Zavi flying and crashing into the building where he had been moments ago, followed by another violent wind that seemed to pull at his face.
The building emitted cracking sounds from every direction, followed by debris beginning to fall.
He was completely unaware no, more precisely, he was afraid. It felt as though those restless spirits had invaded his mind, leaving it blank for a moment. Meanwhile, the ghosts froze his legs, his heart pounded violently, and his shoulders felt crushed under hundreds of kilograms of pressure.
"Damn..."
Zavi still managed to channel spiritual energy through the basic ability of Prisoner to protect his spine, which had previously been cracked by Resse's attack.
He stood unsteadily, staring at the iron fence in front of him that had been destroyed upon impact, realizing that the restless spirits and ghosts were approaching him.
He finally began employing his psychological tactic from moments earlier, binding himself with flowing spiritual energy as he summoned several foxes in front of him.
Zavi stood still with his mouth slightly open, thinking as he commanded the foxes to move toward them immediately.
As the foxes ran, leaping from the fence debris to a small tree within the building's area, they prepared to strike the restless spirits and ghosts with a shrill growl.
Seeing that, Zavi quickly released the binding; the energy within the foxes began to disconnect and fade as he staggered away from the previous spot.
But before the foxes vanished.
Snap...
A finger snap triggered the foxes, their forms made of dark purplish-black aura shrinking before being followed by an explosion no different from before.
Boom!
Zavi ran out through the building's main door, glancing back to see those creatures beginning to dissipate, vanishing from this world.
And as his attention shifted to the street, just a few steps past the edge of the building, he was startled by two men wearing similar suits, one with a fedora and the other with a bowler hat.
One of them, the man in the fedora, quickly aimed his silver revolver at Zavi.
He pulled the trigger calmly.
Bang!
Zavi's pupils shrank. He wanted to draw his knife to deflect the bullet. And given their close distance, he could dodge by moving sideways.
Zavi clicked his tongue as he realized he had been surrounded.
'What should I do?' he thought, staying alert for the next attack.
The smoke from the earlier gas explosion began drifting toward them, and upon seeing it, Zavi formed another plan to defeat them all and escape immediately.
And if not, he would take this opportunity to recite the fifth-level fear manipulation spell on both of them.
He began pulling the knife from his coat pocket, rushing toward them as fast as possible. In a single motion, he was already behind the man despite his weakened condition.
Zavi aimed the knife at the back of the fedora man's neck.
But just inches before it pierced his neck, the knife was knocked away by a bullet he had just fired.
A harsh metallic clang rang out as it ricocheted several times before landing five meters away from their current position.
Zavi's eyes widened as he realized the man's reaction.