Soon.
Lin En returned to his home within the black mist.
He had painstakingly fashioned it into something resembling a room fit for human habitation, and it was filled with odds and ends he had scavenged from the turbulent currents of the Warp over the years.
[A broken mirror (glued back together)] [Two gold coins rubbed to a shine] [Two ongoing books worn ragged from rereading (The Bizarre Tales of Catgirls from Another World)]
These were all the possessions he had.
He had spent ten whole years in this hellhole. Even scavenging never turned up anything good, and that damned woman came after him practically every day. All he could think about, day after day, was returning to a normal human world.
His body might have become monstrous, but that could never change his Chinese heart!
"Never mind whether this is Earth under a different name. Any other world will do. I can't stand another moment in this hellhole!"
Lin En immediately packed his bags, hung them beneath his eyeball, and tied a knot.
Then he glanced at the room where he had imprisoned the Valkyrie.
"Heh heh heh."
"Don't worry, Miss Valkyrie. This was just a little taste. Once I get back, I'll make sure you become mine in mind and body, through and through~ (evil laughter)"
[Ding! Your happiness +10, evil +20]
Soon.
He burst out of the black mist.
He charged toward the sun along a route he knew by heart.
Then he carefully skirted the blazing sun. This was the first time in all these years that Lin En had ventured to its other side.
"It really is a giant rift!"
Lin En was astonished.
It looked just like a split-open chrysanthemum!
This was the place he had been curious about ever since he crossed worlds. If the Valkyrie hadn't been blocking the entrance, forcing him to lie low here for ten whole years, he would probably have descended into the world under her protection and enjoyed himself long ago. Fortunately, now that he had subdued her, this gateway was completely open to him!
And on the other side, beneath the sun's light, the scenery really was entirely different.
It seemed to be an immense world. Looking ahead was like standing in space and gazing down at Earth.
But at that moment.
The land seemed shrouded in a thick red mist, making it impossible to clearly see the surface. Soon, however, Lin En froze. He realized that it wasn't red mist at all. An enormous blood moon was hanging within the Veil of Reality.
Eerie and crimson.
Almost at the same instant, a system notification rang in his ears.
[Ding! The current world is under the light of the "crimson blood moon." The energy level of the Veil of Reality is at a historic low. You have reached the border of reality. Would you like to invade immediately?]
Lin En hesitated. "Invade? No, I'm going there to settle down!"
[Ding! Command recorded. Your objective has been set to: slaughter every living being on the surface and complete your settlement.] [Ding! Automatic search completed. Your vessel family currently has: 1 remaining, vessel compatibility: 41%, current status: dead, descent cost: 500 satiety (currently waived during the blood moon). Would you like to descend immediately?]
Lin En stared, then said:
"Hey! What the hell did you just set up for me? And what's this vessel family? Explain yourself! Hey..."
Bzzzt-
But before he could even finish speaking, an enormous suction force surged toward him and dragged him straight into the giant rift.
"I haven't-agreed yet-!!"
Seven Nights World.
[Clockwork Street]
The red moon hung high, shining over the towering spires as though it had draped the entire world in a thin layer of period blood.
Thwip-thwip-
Mithril crossbow bolts struck the shadows lunging out of the darkness. The dark shapes burst apart amid agonized screams as they melted away, vanishing into ash.
On a street illuminated by streetlamps.
A girl in a pleated circle skirt wielded a one-handed mithril crossbow. Her small figure twisted and darted about, steadily killing the shadows attacking from the darkness.
"Glass Lamp! Be careful! This red moon is unlike the others. We've detected Spirit Realm incursions of varying severity throughout the city. If anything truly terrifying descends during this red moon, don't stay and fight. We'll immediately notify the entire exorcist squad to rendezvous with you!"
"Understood."
Silver light flickered in her eyes, and her blunt bangs fluttered as she spoke into the magical pendant on her chest.
"But don't worry. The threat level here isn't high. I can handle it."
The [crimson moon] was a terrifying phenomenon that appeared periodically in their world. When the red moon rose, the boundary between the real world and the Spirit Realm grew blurred. That meant many indescribable aberrations and evil spirits would seize the opportunity to breach the boundary, invade their world, and spread calamity.
Their task as exorcists was to banish the aberrations that dared invade their world back to where they belonged.
"I keep feeling that something isn't right. Blood moons are supposed to follow a cycle, but this one came without any warning, and the timing is completely wrong... It's been less than seven days since the last blood moon, and now another one has appeared. I have this uneasy feeling I can't explain."
A worried voice came from her pendant.
"Do you remember the [Red Moon Disturbance] incident in the books, the one from over a decade ago?"
Holding her silver crossbow, Glass Lamp glanced aside and killed a shadow with a single shot.
"What about it?"
"That was probably the largest Spirit Realm incursion our region has ever experienced. It happened during a red moon too. A legendary greater demon suddenly descended. If the Church hadn't sent dozens of top exorcists to hunt it down, our city would probably have been destroyed! Do you think this time..."
"Don't worry."
Her small hand put away the silver crossbow and drew a book engraved with patterns from her waist. The writing on it flashed faintly, and a delicate silver glow spread over her eyes.
"My [Eye of Illusion-Piercing] can see through any evil presence. If there's any abnormal disturbance in the Veil of Reality, I'll sound the alarm immediately."
"Besides, don't we have the [Spirit Bell]? If some monster beyond our limits really descends, the Spirit Bell will ring!"
But just then.
Crack-
An explosive report cut her off.
She whipped her head around.
In the distant darkness, a streetlamp by the roadside flickered, then exploded.
"What happened? Glass Lamp! What's going on over there?!"
Her gaze turned serious and composed, and she immediately drew the one-handed crossbow at her waist.
"The evil presence here has intensified. Information update: the threat level in the current area has increased from '1' to '3.' Over."
Bzzzt-
From the darkness at the end of the street, a Hellhound wreathed in demonic energy suddenly emerged, racing toward her at an unimaginable speed.
"Status report! A level-three Terror Demon, a Hellhound, has appeared at my location. Suspected Spirit Realm rift! Requesting banishment."
She narrowed her eyes.
Her petite figure shot toward the Hellhound like an arrow loosed from a bow. She kept her head raised, her fluttering circle skirt doing nothing to impede her.
Thwip-
The bolt shot out.
Yet the Hellhound made no attempt to dodge. It took her bolt head-on, leaped straight over her, and raced away behind her.
And perhaps she had imagined it, but when her gaze met the Hellhound's just now, she had faintly glimpsed something in its eyes...
Fear.
Fear?!
She turned blankly and stared in the direction where the Hellhound had vanished, momentarily forgetting to pursue it.
"Was it afraid of me?"
No!
Something struck her in an instant. Her hair stood on end, her scalp prickled, and a chill shot from her tailbone straight to the crown of her head.
She spun around and looked into the depths of the dark street.
Almost at the same instant.
An unimaginably calamitous presence swept toward her from that direction.
Crack-crack-crack-
In an instant.
Every streetlamp along her street exploded at once, plunging the world into darkness.
[Dong-]
From a distant tower came the thunderous toll of a bell.
Before you continue