Assassin

Suzanne watched as Lumian, engulfed in crimson Flames, charged toward her. She frantically drew energy from the vendors, pedestrians, and tenants hanging from the trees, trying to regain her fighting ability as quickly as possible.

During this process, she wasn't worried that Lumian would actually hurt her, because she was at the top of the Canopy, and the other party couldn't climb up at all. Moreover, she was now essentially one with the "Shadow Tree," so attacks without Divinity would at most cause her minor injuries, but wouldn't kill her, or even seriously injure her.

With a thud, Lumian rushed to the area overrun by branches and Vines, where a hundred or two humans were already hanging.

The brownish-green things tried to Entanglement him and pierce him, but they were all ignited by the crimson Flames on his body and Queen.

At that moment, a rumbling sound came from Underground, and the giant brown-green Giant Tree suddenly sank down, instantly shrinking to only seven or eight meters in height.

This caused the entire Wilderness to shake violently, and Lumian staggered from side to side, unable to move forward for a moment.

A loud rumble, like Earthquake, caused the Crystal chandelier in the Banquet Hall to sway. Most of the people present showed expressions of fear, and those who reacted quickly even hid under the long tables covered with white tablecloths.

Today's shift protecting Yugh Artois consists of the half-breed Imre, Valentine, and a "Warrior" via Beyonder Pathway named Antoine.

They both noticed something was wrong and, without thinking, sent Imre to the window to look at the Source of the problem.

Imre saw that in the direction of Messy Street, Nightingale Street, and White Coat Street, many houses were tilted to some extent, but not yet collapsed. Their surfaces had more or less brown and green branches and Vines remaining.

But compared to them, the giant brown-green Giant Tree, probably located in Messy Street, is more eye-catching. It is covered with many Tree Burl and Flowers and is continuing to sink.

This scene lasted only a few seconds before returning to "normal," like a failed Oil Painting being covered up by another artwork.

"What happened?" Hugues Artois walked to the window and asked calmly.

Imre didn't hide anything, lowering his voice slightly as he answered frankly, "There have been unusual events in the area of Messy Street, Nightingale Street, and White Coat Street."

Messy Street, Nightingale Street, White Coat Street... Jenna, who had just approached a nearby window and failed to witness the scene, froze in place.

Two names immediately popped into her mind:

Charles, Franca...

Had they encountered something unusual? Jenna's heart sank, and she instinctively turned her gaze to Hugh Artois.

She noticed a subtle upturn at the corners of the Member of Parliament's mouth, as if he could hardly contain his inner joy.

It was him... it was him and those Evil God followers who did it! Jenna made the judgment instantly, her vision blurred, and an overwhelming sense of Despair welled up in her heart.

Faced with a well-prepared attack by the cultists of the Evil God, and given such an anomaly, can Franca and Charles escape unscathed?

With my current abilities, am I capable of getting Past to offer assistance? Would I be a burden to them?

At this moment, Jenna felt that the pillars that supported her life were about to lose two more friends who stood firmly by her side, after losing her mother.

And all of this is the fault of the followers of the Evil God, it's Hugh Artois's fault!

This reminded her of Franca's words when she specifically warned her not to come into contact with Evil God after she took the Potion and became an "Assassin":

"Contact with Evil God will inevitably bring Calamity."

"Such a person will not only go insane and lose their original personality, but will also drag those around them, whether they know them or not, down into darkness."

"Unless those people are eliminated, the influence of the Evil God will persist, Pain will come again and again, never ending."

And now, Hugues Artois is the Source of all the Calamity in the Market District.

Jenna lowered her head, not daring to look at Hugh Artois again, afraid that the undisguised Pain and hatred in her eyes would be noticed.

She hated it so much!

But she could only tell herself that her brother Julian was still alive and well, but he had some mental problems that could be cured. If he lost his sister in this situation, he might really go crazy and there would be no way to save him.

After this banquet ends, after those Factory owners "give" me compensation and pay off all my debts, I'll take Julian and leave the Market District and the Botanical Garden District to live somewhere else, to avoid the Pain that will follow... Jenna kept Soothing herself with these words, trying not to let her emotions explode.

"What strange thing is happening again?" Hugues Artois questioned Imre, Valentine, and Antoine.

Imre gave a bitter smile, "I just saw that tree. It's appeared several times throughout Trier's long history, but the problem has never been completely solved."

Since joining the "Purifier" of Trier, he knew that many dangers lurked beneath Trier that were difficult to truly purify, and the brown-green Giant Tree was one of them.

He, his superiors, and his teammates couldn't understand why they had built Trier on top of those structures in the first place.

This does not mean that Gustave Artois is questioning again. Imre added, "Now that the anomaly has been discovered, it will be quelled soon."

As a member of the "Purifier" elite squad, he knew that Trier was different from other countries' capitals because of the long-standing dangers Underground. Therefore, both the Past royal family and the current parliamentary government agreed that the two major Church would secretly send one Angel or place one "0" level Sealed Artifact in Trier to prevent any accidents.

Of course, periods when the monarchy and government were very powerful would also cause the Church's Angel to avoid the area, such as during the reign of Emperor Roselle.

Once the anomaly caused by that strange Giant Tree is exposed, it will soon face a devastating blow. Although it cannot be completely destroyed, it can at least keep it quiet for a long time.

After the brief but violent subsidence of the "Shadow Tree," the Wilderness stabilized again. Gabriel, Pavar Nissen, and the others were still hanging from the branches, their faces turning pale and then black, as if from extreme exhaustion.

Lumian steadied himself and, still engulfed in Crimson Flames, continued his run towards the large, brown-green Giant Tree that was not far away.

At this moment, Suzanne Matisse had recovered considerably, and Lumian's figure was reflected in her Eyes. She waited for him to enter the range of her current abilities before launching an attack.

Behind Lumian, a shadow broke away from its original owner and silently pounced on his vest.

That's Charlotte Calvino, she's "Acting" the shadow!

She wasn't the one presiding over the Ritual and was far from the Canopy. Having not suffered any backlash or severe Corruption, she wasn't much weaker. Seeing Lumian turn around, she immediately hid, displaying her acting skills and waiting to launch a sneak attack.

Just then, a gunshot rang out in the distance.

The Iron-Black bullet, being too far away and Precision, Past Charlotte's body, but prevented her from attempting anything.

Wearing Lady’s shirt, light-colored riding breeches, and red boots, and wielding a Brass-Colored Revolver, Franca appeared at the edge of the Wilderness, cursing and shouting at Lumian's retreating figure, "Damn it, don't you consider me a teammate?"

Seeing that the street scene had returned to "normal," Hugues Artois, holding a glass of pale Golden champagne, returned to the center of the Banquet Hall, stood in front of everyone, and began his speech according to the established procedure:

"Lady and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to have you here at this luncheon. Please allow us to first observe a minute's silence for those who have tragically passed away..."

"As you just saw, another accident has occurred in the Market District. We can't continue like this. We must rebuild a more effective and flexible mechanism to deal with similar situations."

"I imagine you all feel immense hatred and fear about the accident, because your loved ones may have died in it, suffered severe injuries, or been traumatized, experiencing a mental breakdown and becoming Madman..."

Upon hearing this, Jenna abruptly raised her head and looked at Hugh Artois again.

He just said, "He was provoked, suffered a mental breakdown, and became a Madman!"

Under normal circumstances, even if you list possible scenarios, you shouldn't go into too much detail; a simple statement like "mental disorder" would suffice.

So, did Hugues Artois know that someone would suffer a mental breakdown and go Madman because of the Chemical Factory explosion, and then deliberately mention it explicitly in his speech, as if he was afraid others wouldn't know what he had done? Is this like a Criminal who likes to return to the scene to admire his masterpiece? Jenna's heart was instantly filled with absurdity, hatred, and fear.

If her suspicions are true, Julian's mental breakdown could very well be influenced by the followers of Evil God!

"Can he still be cured? Can he still be saved?"

"If we can't cut off the Source, even if I leave the Market District with Julian who has been cured, there may still be hidden dangers and problems!" Jenna had never felt so Despair. It seemed that no matter which way she went, she could not escape the darkness.

Her pupils gradually dilated, clearly reflecting Hugues Artois's figure.

Upon hearing Hugues Artois subtly point the finger at the two major Church, Imre, Valentine, and Antoine's expressions darkened, and they lowered their eyes slightly.

The Alternate Dimension that the "Shadow Tree" possessed was in ruins everywhere, either flowing with Pitch-Black slime or missing a piece altogether, as if it had been thrown into the endless void.

Suddenly, a point of light appeared at the Starlight Gate, which had shrunk back to a crack.

It grew brighter and brighter, like the Sun, illuminating every part of the space with exceptional clarity, leaving no shadows.

A Women figure dressed in a white robe embroidered with gold thread appeared at the source of the light. She seemed to be composed purely of light, and was translucent. Her Eyes were emerald green, her Blond Hair, and her appearance was beautiful yet holy.

Saint Viève, the Patron Angel of Trier.

Amid applause, Hugues Artois, having finished his speech, continued to move among the different victims' families, holding a glass of champagne, his demeanor warm, friendly, and credible.

Jenna closed her eyes, slowly walked to the long table covered with a white tablecloth, picked up a plate, put some food on it, and then took a long silver fork to use.

As she ate, she slowly and somewhat bewilderedly approached Hugues Artois.

After closing the distance between them to two meters, she adopted the posture of wanting to have a chat with the Mr. Member of Parliament.

Surrounded by his team members and protected by the Official Beyonder, Hugh Artois noticed Jenna, smiled kindly, and waited for her to come closer.

Jenna walked past Secretary Rhone and stood a step away from Hugues Artois.

Before the two could even begin to speak, another tremor and roar came from Underground, and the area in front of the Messy Street and the White Coat Street seemed to brighten considerably.

Concerned about the outcome, Cassandra, Hugh Artois, and others instinctively turned their bodies and looked out the window.

Seeing this, Jenna closed her eyes again, then stepped forward and raised the silver fork in her hand towards Hugh Artois!

The emotions that Accumulation inside her for so long finally erupted:

You despicable politician who brought Calamity and darkness to the Market District!

You heartless follower of that Evil God god!

You bastard who killed my mother and drove my brother insane!

Go die now!

If you don't die, the Pain in the Market District will never end, and darkness will forever shroud this place, preventing the Sun from rising.

Yes, you have followers of Evil God gods around you and protection from Official Beyonder, which can kill anyone who tries to deal with you here, thus Intimidation them and preventing them from launching an attack.

But what if an Assassin didn't intend to leave alive?

Even if I can't kill you, I'll make sure your people expose the Evil God's Gift and are captured by the Official Beyonder!

Jenna poured all the hatred, resentment, and Pain in her heart into the long-handled silver fork in her hand, unleashing Assassin's "Full-Force Strike" as she stabbed at Hugh Artowain's exposed right eye as he turned his body to the side.

At that moment, she saw the surprise, confusion, and fear on the other person's face, and saw Hugh Artois frantically looking at Cassandra, trying to seek help.

Cassandra's view was blocked by Imre the Purifier, who had somehow stepped out to her side, and she didn't immediately realize what had happened.

With a soft thud, Jenna's long-handled silver fork plunged deep into Hugh Artois's Eye Sockets, penetrating directly into his brain.

Hugues Artois's expression froze; the surprise, bewilderment, and fear he had felt earlier remained on his face, not yet Change much, only replaced by a deep sense of Despair.

Jenna watched as bright red blood splattered and gushed out, watched as Hugh Artois's face, illuminated by the lamplight, gradually collapsed, watched as Crimson sparks erupted around her—whether from gun barrels or Extraordinary Ability —and smiled as she closed her eyes, giving up all resistance.

Mom, I saw the light.