Transforming into Kanna on Terra

Before they could react, a lightning bolt as thick as a forearm, accompanied by a piercing shriek, sliced through their heads. In the next second, they all collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Kanna shook her head and once again used the positional exchange effect of Lightning Wedge, returning to the cliff top.

Section 92: Chapter 86 - Controlling the Weather Before Battle is Part of Combat

Casually turning in the quest, Kanna looked at her newly acquired skill.

Prayer for Rain: Condenses energy to influence weather changes, temporarily transforming the weather into rain. The duration, range, and intensity are controlled by the condensed energy. Within this weather, fire-elemental skills will be suppressed to a certain extent, while water and lightning-elemental skills will be strengthened according to the intensity of the Prayer for Rain. (This skill originates from the Pokémon world)

Upon seeing that water and lightning skills would also be strengthened based on the intensity of Prayer for Rain, Kanna's eyes lit up. She had just been fretting about insufficient explosion power and a lack of falling rocks. Here, the system had delivered a perfectly suited skill just when she needed it.

She leaped to the mountaintop, ready to put it to the test. At this moment, she had no idea what was about to happen.

Once on the mountaintop, Kanna stroked her chin. Although the skill's description seemed detailed, the crucial parts were vague. What concerned Kanna most was how much energy would translate into how much power.

Uncertain of the effect, she decided to play it safe and infuse five percent of her energy to test the waters, thinking she could try ten percent if the power wasn't enough.

As she gathered the energy in her hand and tossed it upwards...

"What? I thought it would start raining immediately like in the anime or games."

She saw no clouds in the sky, only that from the horizon, clouds were continuously gathering towards this direction.

Kanna, standing below, was unaware that the moment she waved her hand and used the skill, the air pressure in the entire canyon plummeted. The nearby Catastrophe Messengers looked up, their gazms filled with disbelief as they gazed towards the canyon. Directly above the canyon, layers of gorgeously colored clouds had abruptly appeared.

An ordinary person might mistake it for a natural wonder, but they knew it was no wonder; it was a warning. Those sudden clouds had a specific term among the Catastrophe Messengers—Catastrophe Clouds.

They only appeared where a catastrophe was about to erupt. However, according to the Catastrophe Messengers' calculations and observations, there shouldn't be a catastrophe occurring in this canyon, and certainly not so abruptly.

The border guards, who were rushing towards the canyon, also halted. Among them were individuals familiar with catastrophes, and they clearly saw the Catastrophe Clouds hanging overhead.

The commander of this troop felt extremely troubled. Capturing the escaped miners was a dead order from the Grand Duke, one he couldn't shirk with any excuse.

But a catastrophe was about to occur directly between him and the miners. According to the messengers in his team, the impending catastrophe was strange and rapid, and he couldn't determine its type.

If the troop continued forward, they would likely run headfirst into the catastrophe.

His unit, traveling light to pursue unarmed miners, hadn't brought much heavy equipment. If they encountered a catastrophe, they could be wiped out.

Before he could dwell on his dilemma for long, the sky ahead had already changed color. What was clear blue sky moments ago was now overcast, with countless lightning bolts flowing like fish between the clouds. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

Seeing this, he could only shake his head helplessly and ordered the rear of the formation to become the front, retreating backward.

After leaving the terrifying thunderstorm zone, he finally sent a message to the Grand Duke.

Upon learning that the troop pursuing the miners was blocked by a sudden catastrophe at the canyon entrance, the Grand Duke, enraged, smashed the water cup in his hand against the wall. Those damned miners! It didn't matter much if they escaped, or even if they killed a minor noble; they could just replace him with a new one to oversee mining operations. But they had to collapse the entire mine when they fled.

This move by the commoners infuriated the Grand Duke, which was why he had ordered his Shadow Guard and border troops to surround and capture the fleeing miners.

With that thought, he inquired if there was any news from the Shadow Guard ahead. The response he received made his heart sink.

From the moment they discovered the catastrophe and retreated to a safe zone to report to the Grand Duke, there had been no news from the Shadow Guard ahead. They didn't know their current location or situation.

The Grand Duke knew that as his confidantes, the Shadow Guard would find a way to send back frontline news as long as there was a sliver of hope. Their disappearance meant only one thing—they had been annihilated.

Yet, these Shadow Guard members were all carefully selected elites, each capable of fighting a hundred men and holding the rank of captain in the army. For them to perish simultaneously without even sending back a single message indicated that the enemy's strength was far more ferocious than he had imagined.

Meanwhile, as Kanna was still grumbling about the skill's slow effect, an urgent and panicked voice came from JA through the communicator clipped to her shoulder.

"Kanna, hurry back, we need to leave quickly!"

???

Kanna looked bewildered. Her plan had just begun, and the enemy hadn't even arrived yet. Why was JA rushing her?

"Hurry! A catastrophe is coming for us!"

Sensing Kanna's inaction, JA's anxious voice came again.

Catastrophe?

Catastrophe!

Kanna looked at her skill in surprise.

Prayer for Rain: Success. Target range centered on the canyon, 20 kilometers. Effect: Thunderstorm, duration 24 hours, intensity—Catastrophe Level! Under this thunderstorm effect, fire-elemental arts are severely suppressed, while water and lightning-elemental arts gain a 2 to 10-fold increase! Catastrophe Countdown: 23:55:37.

A new line of text appeared after her Prayer for Rain skill, and the countdown left Kanna dumbfounded.

The previous skills hadn't had such rich effects as Prayer for Rain. She had never expected that with just five percent of her energy, she had directly triggered a "temporary catastrophe" overhead that would last an entire day.

After reading the message, she lingered no longer. With a few bounds, she darted out of the canyon and reached the vehicle JA had left for her.

Under the threat of a catastrophe, even the regular army from Victoria would have to wait for it to pass before they could continue their pursuit. The nearest road leading to the other side, besides this canyon, was two hundred kilometers away. By the time they circled around, her group would have long since left Victoria's borders.

The moment Kanna jumped into the car, it lurched into motion in a panic. The driver floored the accelerator, desperately driving them away.

Section 93: Chapter 87 - The Temptation of Home

Seeing Kanna looking up at the thunderclouds, JA thought she was worried about something and reached out to pat her head.

"Don't worry. Although the sudden appearance of this catastrophe surprised us, the range isn't that large. If we hurry, we can get out of the danger zone before the catastrophe hits. However, those border guards pursuing us won't be so lucky. If they're far enough away, they can retreat, but if they're close, who knows if their unit designation will even exist after this catastrophe."

At this, JA showed a rare smile. After all, the pursuing army being held back by a catastrophe was undoubtedly good news for Rhodes Island's group.

It avoided a potential head-on clash with the regular army.

After the team rushed out of the danger zone of the Catastrophe, the torrential rain and lightning flooded the canyon behind them, and everyone knew they were safe.

Seeing everyone relax, Kanna opened her mouth, but still couldn't say that the appearance of this Catastrophe was her fault.

After thinking about it, she decided to keep it a secret for now. Since they were already safe, whether she said it or not didn't matter. It would be better to give everyone a surprise when the time came and it was needed.

After escaping the pursuit, the atmosphere in the team lightened considerably. They quickly crossed the border and entered Leithanien.

A team arranged by Kal'tsit was waiting to meet them. After a week of winding detours, they finally returned to Rhodes Island.

Seeing Outcast waiting for her on the bridge, Kanna's eyes widened.

"Grandma, when did you get back!"

Outcast hugged Kanna and gently tapped her forehead. "Silly child, you must have been slow with so many people. We left two days later, but we were much faster and smoother than you. We got back to Rhodes Island two days ago. Your weapon has been sent back to your room. Even though you didn't use it this time, you still need to maintain it!"

After listening, Kanna suddenly understood. The speed of a large group's movement was definitely no match for a small team's rapid maneuverability. Moreover, with so many Infected in their group, they had to stop constantly for the Medical Operators to check their infection status and prevent anyone from suddenly dying on the road, which could cause a chain reaction. Therefore, it was understandable that her group was later than Outcast.

"Speaking of which, you guys were really lucky. JA said that when you were in Victoria, the border guards sent by the other side were almost on your tail, but then a Catastrophe suddenly appeared and blocked them on the other side."

Hearing Outcast say this, Kanna could no longer hold back her little secret. She quietly rested her head on Outcast's shoulder and whispered, "Hehehe, Grandma, that wasn't luck, Kanna did it!"

As expected, Outcast's pupils contracted as if she had been greatly shocked.

She pulled Kanna into a small room nearby. "How could you say you did it?"

"Kanna invented a new move before that can temporarily change the weather. It was Kanna's first time using it, and she didn't control the power well. It was a bit too strong, and then... hehehe!"

Kanna said this with a sheepish look and touched her horns.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" Outcast asked nervously.

"No! Grandma, you're the first to know!" Kanna had no intention of hiding her abilities. In her opinion, only the weak needed to hide their trump cards to turn the tables in battle.

But she was confident that she was strong enough. Every new move only gave her more combat options and choices, and she didn't need to hide what she had to achieve the effect of a trump card.

The reason she chose to tell Outcast quickly was precisely this. She believed that Outcast would report this important information to Kal'tsit, but this information would at most circulate among the top few people and would not spread.

In future operations, Kal'tsit would consider Kanna's abilities and combat methods, so that every battle she participated in would not be like a wild horse running out of control.

Hearing Kanna's words, Outcast nodded, then put her finger to her lips in a silencing gesture.

"This ability is very important. Don't tell anyone else without my permission. Remember, anyone, understand!"

Kanna nodded. "Understood! If you don't mention it, I won't tell anyone."

Hearing Kanna's promise, Outcast smiled slightly. "Alright, your friends know you're back and have been waiting for you upstairs for a long time. Go play with them!"

After saying goodbye to Outcast, Kanna skipped back to Rhodes Island.

Because many people were entering this time, Rosemary and the others were not allowed to meet Kanna at the entrance. They were waiting in the passage leading to the Operator area. Soon, they saw Kanna skipping over.

"Amiya! Popukar! And Eyjafjalla, it's you!" Kanna greeted the three at the entrance one by one.

"Huh? Where's Rosemary? Is her body acting up again?" Kanna suddenly noticed that Rosemary wasn't there. Of course, she wouldn't think that Rosemary's feelings for her had faded in just a few days. The only possibility she could think of was that Rosemary's body had a problem again and she was being treated in the Medical Department, so she couldn't come to pick her up.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, Rosemary is on a mission! Not long after you left, Rosemary found Kal'tsit and said she wanted to go on an external mission too. Kal'tsit considered it and agreed. She should have gone to Siracusa with Logos. They should be arriving at their destination by now." As Amiya, who was studying management under Kal'tsit, she had the clearest information about Rosemary.

Kanna was slightly stunned. She recalled the introduction to Rosemary in the game: "Rhodes Island's Machine of Annihilation, Siracusa's Calamity, Kelvin County Butcher, Enemy of Infected Rebels..." Siracusa was mentioned among them.

It seemed that Rosemary's mission this time would not be as easy as Amiya said. After all, not to mention Rosemary, who later received such a bloody title, there was also Logos in the team.

If it were a normal mission, even with Rosemary, Kal'tsit would not have sent Logos along. Therefore, this mission to Siracusa must be extremely dangerous.

Chapter 94 Chapter 88 007 May Not Be a Spy, But a Long Working Hour

As Kanna and the others were about to head to the healing courtyard, a red figure descended from the sky and landed in front of them.

Seeing Red suddenly appear, Popukar defensively stood in front of Kanna.

"It's Red! Popukar, don't be nervous, Red is a comrade!" Although Popukar hadn't met Red before, Amiya knew Red and knew that Red, as Kal'tsit's hound, would not appear before others easily without permission.

Her sudden appearance must be an order from Kal'tsit.

Red silently nodded to Amiya as a greeting, then looked at Kanna.

"The situation is urgent. Kanna cannot be seen by more people. Come with me, Kal'tsit is waiting for you in the control room..."

After speaking, she walked to the side and pressed lightly, and a brand new path appeared before them.

"This is Rhodes Island's emergency secret passage. Only a few elite Operators know about it, and the condition for using it is that two out of three people – myself, Doctor Kal'tsit, and Miss Ascalon – must agree before it can be opened. And I haven't approved its use recently... It seems there is indeed a very urgent situation. Kanna, you go in with Red first. Amiya and I will take the main path to the control room."

Amiya paused halfway through, as if she had guessed something. She let Kanna go in with Red, then pulled Popukar, who wanted to follow.

"The use of this emergency secret passage is very strict. Since Red didn't say we could all go in, we can't go in without permission. However, since we know Doctor Kal'tsit is in the control room, we'll take the main path. We might even be faster than them."

Although the emergency secret passage had strict requirements for who knew about it and the conditions for its use, it was also designed to be winding and convoluted to hide its location. Even if Kanna and Red were fast, they couldn't match Amiya and Popukar on the main path.

When Amiya and Popukar arrived at the control room, they saw that Kal'tsit, Ascalon, and several elite Operators were indeed there.

Upon seeing Amiya enter, they all nodded in greeting, and Amiya returned the greetings one by one.

Then Amiya walked to Kal'tsit's side, and Kal'tsit handed her a piece of intelligence. After Amiya quickly scanned it, she appeared a little flustered.

On the other side, Popukar, who was standing by the door after entering, was usually emotionally unstable. However, in this room, even though she felt flustered and scared inside, when her emotions reached their breaking point, someone beside her looked at her, and for some reason, she calmed down again.

The control room then fell silent again.

After another two minutes, with the sound of footsteps from above, the ventilation fan above was opened, and under everyone's gaze, Kanna and Red jumped down from above.

"Ouch! This secret passage is too small. Besides kids, normal people would have to crawl through it!" Kanna, who had just emerged from inside, wasn't nervous despite the surrounding atmosphere and couldn't help but complain about the conditions of the secret passage.

"It's a secret passage, after all. It wasn't meant for regular use. As long as a person can get through, it's fine. Being able to establish a secret passage in Rhodes Island's cramped space is already a stroke of genius in terms of layout and technology. We don't need to be overly demanding about the environment." Kal'tsit, with unusual energy, started chatting with Kanna.

"Click!" With the sound of a door opening, Outcast entered with confusion. Upon seeing the situation inside the room, she instinctively felt that something must have happened.

"Kanna, during the previous retreat, in front of that canyon affected by the Catastrophe, did you happen to kill pursuers sent by the enemy?" Kal'tsit asked after everyone had gathered.

"Yes! I was planning to use lightning to destroy the canyon road. When they discovered this, they rushed out, but I should have dealt with all of them! I'm absolutely certain there were no survivors left around."

Before and after attacking, Kanna had carefully inspected the surroundings, leaving no stone unturned. Coupled with the subsequent Catastrophe, any traces of the battle would have been completely destroyed. Therefore, she believed that, under normal circumstances, her target wouldn't have been exposed. But was Kal'tsit saying that she had been exposed even in this situation?

"Sigh~ Actually, it's not your fault. Those people left a positioning message nearby before engaging you. After the Catastrophe, the enemy sent people to investigate the area. While it's true that traces shouldn't remain after being destroyed by a Catastrophe, their team happened to have a Caster who could use their skills to reconstruct events that occurred near the target location..."

When Kal'tsit received this intelligence, she felt like cursing. Why did everything have to coincide like this? It was truly enraging.

"Now, the enemy has issued a warrant for Kanna's arrest through Victoria's official channels. Since the convoy has entered Rhodes Island, we've just received word that the Grand Duke has pulled strings with Leithanien and will exert international pressure on Rhodes Island, sending people to search. The official notification should reach me within three days at most.

Rhodes Island is currently in no position to fall out with Victoria, so this search is unavoidable. We can only limit its scope. Therefore, the simplest solution I can think of is for you, Kanna, to not be in Rhodes Island. While the opposing force is powerful, one cannot stay in Rhodes Island indefinitely. As long as they can't find you for a short period, we'll have grounds to expel them."

Kal'tsit said calmly.

"No wonder you had me come through the secret passage. It was to minimize the number of people who saw me enter. That way, even if the other party has extraordinary abilities, they'll have a hard time detecting my presence. So, where do I need to go next?"

Kanna accepted Kal'tsit's proposal with composure. After all, such a situation was quite baffling, and not giving the enemy any leverage was the best course of action. She also trusted that Kal'tsit wasn't planning to "expel" or "exile" her.

"Do you know Specter!"

"I've met her a few times. Is something wrong with her?"

"She's been acting a bit strange for the past few days and has repeatedly mentioned Rock Bay Town in Iberia. I'm very interested in this and plan to go there personally to investigate. Since this operation needs to be covert, I can't bring many people. Your strength is sufficient, and I need a bodyguard, so Kanna, how about you accompany me?"

Kal'tsit blinked, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips.