Sequence Users were people known for having awakened their talents, while those known as ranked Sequence Users had all developed their talents to the utmost.
Black mist continuously billowed in and out of the enormous magic box, and the beast claw protruding from it seemed to twitch.
Monkey Captain Shen's gaze hardened. He drove his staff into the ground and shouted, "Twelve Zodiac members, prepare for battle!!"
Roar~
A roar filled with overwhelming pressure erupted from the magic box.
The beast claw vanished in an instant, and a black figure shot upward.
It was too fast. In the blink of an eye, the shadow had soared into the sky.
"Where is it?!" Monkey Captain Shen's eyes darted around, searching for the figure.
Suddenly, a teammate's scream rang out beside him.
The creature held itself in an utterly bizarre posture, its hand plunged into the teammate's chest. Its body was not that of a beast, but more like countless human bodies stitched together.
"Captain, hurry and get him!! I'm not dead yet!" the bleeding teammate shouted, determination in his eyes.
But the creature seemed to understand him. The beast claw embedded in his chest slashed upward, splitting his body in two like tofu. His voice stopped abruptly.
"Xiao Xu!!" Monkey Captain Shen roared, a trace of red appearing in his eyes.
That was his teammate!
Every one of them was a comrade who had been through life and death with him countless times!
He gripped the pitch-black staff in his hand, boundless rage erupting from his body.
Boom~
A tremendous bang rang out. A sniper lying in ambush nearby had pulled the trigger, his eyes bloodshot.
Smoke spread in an instant, but the shadow did not budge. The attack seemed no more than a scratch, merely a pat on its back.
But its beast claw lashed out, sending a blood-tinged gust toward the place from which it had been attacked.
Monkey Captain Shen was like a god of war. Tufts of hair had appeared on his body and clothes. He appeared before the gust in an instant and swung his staff.
A phantom emerged from his body: the figure of a giant ape, radiating pitch-black pressure.
"Break!!" Monkey Captain Shen roared in fury.
The collision was like a missile exploding. In an instant, the buildings around them were struck by a tremendous shock wave.
That was merely the collision from a single attack.
Suddenly, the creature vanished as though it had teleported. It seemed to know its attack had been blocked.
Monkey Captain Shen tightened his grip on his staff. His arm seemed to still be trembling. This collision had spanned an entire major realm.
His expression grew grave, and he suppressed his earlier rage. Anger would only hasten his death. He was no fool; only by remaining rational could he find a sliver of opportunity.
But he had also underestimated the creature's strength. It was nothing like an ordinary Withered Sea Realm human.
"Activate the Rules Formation. We can't let this monster escape from here. Reinforcements are already on the way!!" Monkey Captain Shen pressed his earpiece and spoke.
The Rules Formation was a special item developed by the Special Affairs Bureau through experiments with many abilities. It was designed specifically to deal with Sequence Users who were exceptionally good at escaping, and also to protect the city's residents from harm.
"Captain, the formation we use isn't much use against a Calamity Realm creature!" a voice came through the earpiece.
Monkey Captain Shen frowned deeply, keeping an eye on the monster as he thought.
Suddenly, the creature appeared before him, bringing an overwhelmingly foul stench with it.
Bang!
A single blow sent Monkey Captain Shen flying who knew how far, collapsing several buildings along the way.
"Activate it! Lives are at stake. Even if it can only hold the monster for one second, that's still one second. Prepare to fight to the death!" Monkey Captain Shen shook the stones off his limbs and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Four pillars of light shot into the sky, gradually joining together to form a square wall.
At the very top, an engraved circular pattern glowed and circulated.
"Now, let us deal with you, you motherfucking monster. Let's see whether my staff is harder or your head is!!" A trace of golden light appeared in Monkey Captain Shen's eyes, and several circulating golden rings of light seemed to appear around his staff as well.
He stared intently at the creature, which had not moved since striking him.
Outside the formation, countless Special Affairs Bureau personnel had noticed what was happening. They also knew that a Twelve Zodiac team was carrying out a mission inside, and every one of them looked worried.
They knew there was a Calamity Realm monster inside.
"Lord Seventh Sequence will be here soon. Hold on!" Many of them stared at the barrier that blocked their view and murmured.
Canglan Academy.
Many students who were at the academy but came from Magic City were feeling down.
He blamed himself. Why had he awakened an ability? His home was now under attack by a cult organization, yet he could not help. What use was all his strength?
Why had they become Sequence Users? Hadn't they come to the academy in the first place to protect their families and make their future and their lives better?
But now they were powerless.
Li Chen stood by the window. He could still feel the restlessness inside him. He looked up at the sky, where torrential rain poured without pause.
Just now, he had felt the pitch-black door inside him open once, only to close again quickly. In that instant, he had sensed an exceptionally powerful pressure.
There was definitely a monster of terrifying strength locked up inside, or perhaps... a person...
He had not seen what was inside. It had closed before he could even react.
"Forget it." Li Chen sighed. He did not know what had happened in Magic City. Although he had grown up there, he had little attachment to it. He had always been alone.
He did not have that much rationality to view the world. Perhaps he had once wanted to protect the place where he grew up, but he no longer did.
Suddenly, the television in his bedroom turned on.
On the screen was a woman wearing black glasses, her expression grave. She seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before saying, "A Calamity Realm creature has appeared in Magic City. Students whose homes are in Magic City, please do not leave Canglan."
"Canglan Academy has dispatched Sequence Masters to Magic City to confirm whether your families are safe. Please wait for further notice!!"
"I repeat, under no circumstances leave Canglan, ..."
"..."
"Calamity Realm!!" Li Chen was somewhat shocked. He had only heard Jianping speak of this realm, but now a creature of that realm had appeared in Magic City.
More importantly, the creature had appeared only after the cult organization showed up. Didn't that mean Magic City was now in imminent danger?
And now Canglan was trying to keep the students from Magic City calm. Otherwise, they would risk their lives rushing to Magic City to save their loved ones.