The sleepless night dragged on endlessly.
All of London seemed submerged in this hidden turmoil and upheaval.
While ordinary people slept peacefully in their dreams, the struggle in the darkness spread like a raging tide. Through the Phantom Agency's authority, looking down from above, all of London seemed ablaze with the fires of war.
After Solomon issued his declaration of war, a brief silence—less than a day—followed. Then, without any further concealment, he struck in every direction after midnight.
In just six hours, more than a dozen battles erupted across London. Highways, sewers, buildings, slums...
To Ai Qing, Solomon seemed as though he had long been ravenous with impatience. Once he received some opportunity or news, he stopped hiding entirely and began purging the other participants with horrifying efficiency.
That was right.
Not fighting, not annihilation, but purging.
Equipment, tactics, efficiency, speed, coordination, and discipline—the elites of the Four Great Legions displayed the killing arts they had brought back from the battlefield with ruthless perfection.
There had been twelve battles in total: nine ambushes and three pursuits.
Whether they faced elite mercenaries, handpicked institutional combat forces, or any kind of Ascender, all were instantly washed away without a trace like grime beneath a high-pressure water jet.
The All-Realm Post Office, the Education and Propaganda Department, the Tax Department, the Record Management Bureau, the Abyss Development Bureau, and the Office of the Director...
The agents of six departmental institutions across northern and southern London were attacked one after another. Of them, the All-Realm Post Office suffered the greatest losses. Its agent was surrounded at the first encounter. After negotiations failed, all available operational forces were wiped out, and the agent died while fleeing, exiting the field.
The Education and Propaganda Department was attacked during a secret meeting with the Office of