Chapter 228
Ding-dong~
Her slender, jade-like fingers plucked two strings, and notes imbued with magical energy shot out instantly, shattering the black mist.
This black mist doesn't seem... that strong?
As Chen Ce watched the dissipating black mist and the fallen corpses of the Mageseekers, a sense of foreboding suddenly arose in his heart.
And Raum's subsequent hint confirmed his idea:
I found it...
[It is in... the town center...]
Upon hearing this, Chen Ce realized that he might have been tricked—he wasn't looking for Nocturne at all, but Nocturne had deliberately lured him outside.
That guy wants to devour the entire Fossbarrow...
"Many people may die tonight..." Chen Ce sheathed his longsword and rushed towards Fossbarrow at top speed.
Sona followed closely behind.
The forest was still burning, and the dilapidated the Veiled Lady statue was gradually collapsing under the scorching heat of the flames.
The sap from the vine flowed down its eye sockets, like two streams of painful tears of blood.
A pair of eyes were silently watching all of this from the darkness...
When Chen Ce returned to the town of Fossbarrow, it was already in chaos.
The fear of Nocturne gripped everyone's hearts; the nightmarish oppression made them uncontrollably think of their deepest fears—the monsters they had only ever seen in their nightmares.
People wailed and screamed as they fled wildly through the city, as if some terrible thing was chasing them. Then, more and more people inexplicably collapsed, as if life had suddenly vanished from their bodies.
As the sun disappeared completely beneath the western walls of Fossbarrow, Sona stared in disbelief. She saw black, translucent figures slowly rise from the unconscious inhabitants.
Each Black Form is unique, like a demon army clad in Noxus armor, containing giant spiders, multi-headed pythons, demon warriors wielding ice axes, enormous wyverns with black teeth and sharp claws, and all sorts of things beyond human comprehension...
These are the things that the residents fear most.
They have been visualized.
Guided by the demons, those bizarre and terrifying creatures materialized and formed a "demon army"...
"This is a bit troublesome..." Chen Ce looked at the chaotic street scene and quickly searched for the figures of the Mageseekers in the crowd.
Not found.
They've either gone into hiding or run away... the latter is more likely. Those damn guys...
"Raum, can you unleash demonic power to suppress these people's fear?" Although Chen Ce didn't have any savior complex, he would still save as many innocent people as possible.
"[That might be a bit difficult...] "Raum's voice rang out, "[This isn't my forte... besides...]"
"Besides what?"
You should worry about yourself first...
"Um?"
Before Chen Ce could react, the demonic power within him was released on its own.
The next moment, he felt everything around him go dark—as if his eyes had been blindfolded.
"[Mr. Chen Ce...]" came Sona's uneasy voice. Clearly, she couldn't see anything anymore either.
It's Nocturne "turning off the lights"...
Its strongest skill, [Paranoia]...
"Stay close to me, don't be afraid..." Chen Ce quickly pulled the girl beside him into his arms, while simultaneously using the demonic power that Raum had just released.
The devil's "spying" doesn't require the use of eyes.
In the vast darkness... in the endless black fog...
He caught a glimpse of a blue flame—like an eye.
It flew in rapidly.
"Here it comes..." Chen Ce drew his Muramana, no longer holding back, and directly used the magic power within his body.
Clang--!
The moment he swung his sword into the darkness before him, a crisp metallic clang echoed through the thick fog.
Then, a ghostly face peeked out from the darkness— Chen Ce saw it.
Sona saw it too.
And so they began to feel a nameless fear... a deep, instinctive fear... an unstoppable, uncontrollable fear...
They couldn't quite articulate what they were afraid of, but the fear was so real and direct...
It's like... the fear of something being implanted directly into the brain...
[A trivial skill...]
Fortunately, Raum, who was also a demon, intervened once again.
An even more domineering demonic power was released, instantly dispelling the fear in Chen Ce's heart.
Coming to his senses, Chen Ce immediately lowered his sword, and the slash, enhanced by magic and martial arts, easily broke through Nocturne's defense.
Swish! The blade sliced through the monster before him.
But... it seems to be just a wisp of black smoke...
A strange, low laugh echoed in his ears, lingering... Chen Ce couldn't find his target—even with the [spying] power of the demon, he couldn't locate it.
Before he could decide whether to risk breaking out of the black mist, another piece of bad news came from beside him—without the help of demonic power, Sona was no match for this fear.
Her shadow began to stretch and lengthen, and wisps of black mist emerged from it... Her greatest fear gradually materialized.
"Play the harp quickly, Miss Sona!" Chen Ce hurriedly shook the girl's shoulders and helped her set up the magic harp in her arms.
The latter responded with difficulty; her once incredibly nimble fingers were now stiff, and the speed and fluency of her playing were far inferior to before.
A less-than-pleasant melody began to play, barely managing to keep her in her current state.
The shadow behind her was almost no longer materialized, but her condition was still poor... She probably wouldn't last much longer if things continued like this.
But she still gritted her teeth and made her only contribution to Chen Ce —playing a piece called "Song of Celerity".
With his enhanced power, Chen Ce no longer hesitated, and with the Muramana in hand, he charged towards the demon army at top speed.
The first thing he encountered was a "crying woman"... her body was twisted beyond recognition, like a corpse that had fallen to its death from a height.
The second is a "three-headed python," which seems to be a ferocious beast unique to the northern border of Demacia. There are many cases of humans being swallowed by three-headed pythons.
The third was a "Noxus soldier," over two meters tall, holding a bloodstained axe, with a cruel smile on his face... probably an executioner or something similar.
The thirty-seventh one is something like "meat spirit mushroom"...? Uh...
People have all sorts of fears...
However, these monsters, which were conjured from the townspeople's greatest fears, were quite powerful and not easy to kill.
While protecting Sona and allowing her to enjoy the enhancements from <Song of Celerity>, Chen Ce relentlessly slaughtered the demon legion.
But just as he was about to wipe out the demon army, a situation that left him helpless occurred—
The townspeople, who seemed to have lost their minds, suddenly all rushed towards him.
"Murderer...!" a townsman shouted, pointing at Chen Ce, his voice filled with fear—as if he were about to scream.
"You killed Aldo...! You murderer...!" someone else shouted, "You deserve to go to hell...!"
"You killed my son...!"
"You're a madman...!"
More and more people gathered around, constantly accusing Chen Ce of being a "murderer."
Apart from the Mageseekers who was "possessed" earlier, Chen Ce believed he had not harmed anyone in Fossbarrow, let alone killed anyone—besides, that Mageseekers wasn't named Aldo, nor was he the middle-aged woman's son.
They've gone completely mad. Their eyes and even their consciousness have been blinded by the fear of Nocturne.
They viewed Chen Ce as the "murderer" they feared and hated most.
In such a situation...
"This is a bit troublesome... Let's retreat." Chen Ce picked up the terrified and trembling Sona and ran towards the other side of the town—he really didn't want to kill these innocent townspeople unless absolutely necessary.
The townspeople, driven mad, gave chase.
"Don't run... you murderer...!"
"I'm not afraid of you... I'm not afraid of you...!"
"I want you to face the judge's judgment...!"
"You can't escape...! For Fossbarrow... for Demacia...!"
The frantic screams and shouts were deafening. Chen Ce could only run while continuing to unleash his demonic power, trying to find Nocturne hiding behind the scenes and end it all.
He closed one eye, and the darkness quickly connected with the Raven's Eyes.
The demon's inquiries into the material world were reflected back to him without any hindrance.
He began searching for the hiding guy... that damned demon...
Unfortunately, before he could find Nocturne, the townspeople of Fossbarrow had already surrounded him— Nocturne had blocked all visible vision, and he had unknowingly escaped into the midst of hundreds of people.
The townspeople screamed and surrounded them, each one with a hideous face and contorted movements, as if brutally bent by some powerful force—some even crawling on the ground like spiders, using both hands and feet to move.
Chen Ce wanted to escape from above, but the girl in his arms was also about to give up—the music gradually faded, Sona's trembling became more and more severe, and deep fear filled her beautiful blue eyes.
It seems that we've reached a point where we have no other choice...
Chen Ce hesitated before holding the sword horizontally in front of his chest, and powerful magic slowly accumulated.
He never considered himself a hero. He would help others within his ability, but he would never sacrifice his own life to save complete strangers...
He's not that great.
And so his sword was about to be swung.
And just then...
His closed left eye—the eye that connected to the raven's vision—suddenly caught sight of a dark shadow.
That was a person... She was unaffected by the demons... She didn't succumb to fear, go mad, or panic like the others...
She...
She had a pair of black wings chained up behind her.
She raised a slender hand.
Then he began to speak:
"Is anyone going to stand trial? I don't think the time is right."
A powerful magical force emanated from her body and traveled along her raised arm throughout Fossbarrow.
Countless dark "Lightshield" protected the townspeople.
It also protected Chen Ce and Sona in his arms.
In an instant, the fear subsided rapidly, like the receding tide.
A veiled woman emerged from the forest. Her black wings lay quietly behind her, and her bare feet, devoid of any clothing, were spotless.
"The angels of judgment will not protect you, but fallen angels are willing to help the world..."
Chapter Eighty-Eight: Angels? Twin Sisters?