202. Worsening

Nia City.

The buildings surrounding the street appeared somewhat surreal, and the fog continued to thicken.

The three figures exchanged a few words before dispersing and each choosing a direction to escape.

Sulu remained silent, his figure flashing past.

What happened in the sewer just now frightened him a bit.

Although I didn't turn back at the time, the feeling remained.

Moore, a fifth-tier professional, couldn't even withstand the terrifying presence behind the 'door' for a second before he was defeated.

Is this the power of the gods?

Even if... he was just a fallen god?

What's behind the door?

Various thoughts swirled in his mind.

At the same time, there was also a sense of powerlessness.

What should I do to escape this dream?

"That Gate of Flesh in the sewers has been proven... not to be a way out, but rather a path to an even deeper level of terror..."

He prepared to head to a safe area to carefully consider his next steps.

After passing through a fog, a dark figure suddenly appeared on the street ahead.

It was a humanoid Nightmare Demon. Upon seeing Sulu, it immediately pounced, its black tongue flying like an arrow.

"Disgusting monster!"

Sulu casually pressed down, and terrifying Spirit Pressure concentrated into a beam, pressing the Nightmare Demon to the ground. Layer upon Spirit Chain, like a net, bound the opponent to the spot.

"Given the current atmosphere of despair and fear pervading the entire Nia City... killing them probably wouldn't make much of a difference; they can still be resurrected!"

Sulu sighed, stepped past the struggling black humanoid, and prepared to leave.

Just then, Inspiration struck him, and he looked in another direction.

The fog parted, revealing a figure—it was Freddy!

Behind him, several spider-like, segmented giant legs were hot on his heels, moving at breakneck speed!

It's that Nightmare Demon, as big as a small mountain!

Somehow, it set its sights on Freddy, one of the three separated.

Freddy was clearly outmatched and forced to flee in a sorry state. When he saw Sulu, his eyes lit up and he ran over.

From the ecstatic expression on his face, Sulu knew what he was planning.

As long as he can hold off that spider monster for a while, Freddy can at least go back into hiding.

'You're just unlucky enough to run into a monster, and you want to drag me down with you?'

Sulu's expression turned cold, and a pale yellow Thaumaturgy Card appeared in his hand. "Release!"

A beam of light appeared and Expansion towards Red and the spider monster.

--'Slow Technique'!

This was deliberately sealed by Sulu to limit the enemy's abilities.

The two, who were originally moving at incredible speed, now seemed to be in slow motion. Although the time lasted only a few seconds, it was enough for Sulu to quickly widen the distance between them.

"You..."

Freddy was furious. He raised his hand, and a strangely shaped pistol appeared, which he fired instantly.

Bang!

The bullet hit the ground, blasting a small hole.

Sulu, with [The Rogue] fully activated, moved swiftly between the buildings. Suddenly, he raised his hand again, and a pale yellow Thaumaturgy Card flew out, exploding in mid-air and turning into a fireball that hurtled towards Freddy.

--Fireball!

"What kind of strange ability is this?"

Freddy covered his face with his hands, frantically trying to avoid the flames.

Although I knew the other party was a spellcaster, why were their spells so comprehensive and their casting speed so fast?

Even wearing the Curio boots, his speed was inevitably slowed down.

The next moment, eight enormous spider legs descended from the sky, casting a shadow.

It's that spider Nightmare Demon!

Numerous compound eyes emerged from the monster's abdomen, seemingly suppressing emotions such as anger, hatred, and hostility.

"Ah... I'm not reconciled!"

Freddy, cornered, roared.

He was certainly unwilling to accept this.

When he encountered the extraordinary era, he finally advanced to the third rank and became one of the top figures in the Mystic World. Even the Church of the Goddess of Light had to speak to him in a consultative tone when they approached him.

And, very fortunately, he escaped from the near-certain death situation in the sewers.

Unexpectedly, because he was targeted by the spider monster, he originally just wanted to save himself some trouble, but he ended up being tricked by that kid and died here!

He couldn't understand how the other party could happen to have a spell that countered his own!

Boom!

Behind them, a huge explosion was heard, followed by a terrifying shockwave that shook the surrounding buildings.

Sulu continued walking, "As expected of a Tier 3 [Gunpowder Master]..."

That last burst was clearly a self-destruction by the opponent before they died.

If I hadn't Quick-Eyed and Nimble-Handed and acted immediately, and hadn't chosen the method that most limited the opponent's abilities, I might have been the one who got tricked and killed.

Once the distance is closed, with this last resort, the other party could very well drag you down with them!

"Human nature is treacherous..."

Sulu sighed.

Unbeknownst to him, he had already escaped the East District and hidden in an empty building.

"Nobody's here... that's perfect... we can't go to the Church, who knows if Moore left any arrangements..."

Sulu randomly found a room and began to sit in meditation, essentially passively waiting for Inspiration to return.

"Once that door opens... the changes in Nia City will inevitably be even more drastic... and it will be unstoppable..."

Even if reinforcements from outside were to arrive, and even if a few more Legendary Professional did come, what could they possibly do against the terror behind that door?

To contend with such an existence, even if it's just a dream left behind after its death, is nothing but despair!

"Next, we need to seriously consider our options for retreat."

Sulu counted all the possessions he had on him.

The most valuable items are naturally the Demon Hunting Dagger, the Book of Nameless Necro-Spirits, and the Evil Spirit Knight Card.

In addition, there are more than twenty Thaumaturgy Card.

Originally, he planned to bury or entrust the <Book of Nameless Necro-Spirits> anywhere, but before he could make up his mind, this unexpected event occurred in Nia City, and he had no choice but to carry it with him.

At this moment, he stroked the cover of the mysterious book in front of him, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

Church of the Goddess of Light

The power of the sanctuary transformed into a circle of light, protecting the main church building and a small square outside.

Billy huddled in a corner, feeling extremely anxious.

"I hope Ian and Ron succeed... Ron is so amazing... Wait, why do I think he's amazing? Who's Ron?"

He muttered to himself, unaware that even a thin wisp of mist had forcefully seeped in; the holy light of the church could not completely block it.

His body, after absorbing some of the mist, turned extremely pale, as if all the color had been lost.

Amidst this bizarre shift, Billy suddenly remembered even more. "That Ron... no... that day... he was that arrogant brat I met at Memorial Park that day... he... he tampered with my memories! What... what an evil and terrifying power! I'm going to report him to the Church and the Federation..."

Just as he stood up, the outside world suddenly trembled.

An octopus hovering in mid-air had already broken through the defenses of the holy light, and a large number of tentacles with suckers swept through, carrying away the survivors.

"Oh no! The church's defenses have been breached!"

Shouts erupted, and unrest inevitably spread...