The Great Ruin

A feast of fear and despair.

Amidst a melody of wails and screams.

A wicked flower made of flesh and blood bloomed in Arkham.

Today is destined to be an unforgettable day.

One night passed.

The Otherworld begins to fade away, Surface World begins to return to the Land of New Life.

A ray of dawn, composed of the world's rules, shone upon Arkham.

Finally, it brought a touch of warmth to the cold, metallic city, and made things clear again.

Warmth dispelled the cold Mist of Lost Direction and all negative emotions.

All the Eldritch Beings and bizarre creatures vanished.

The bloody ending left only devastation everywhere.

Flesh and blood covered every inch of Arkham.

The vibrant red color is like delicate rose petals carpeting the earth.

Those who were still alive lay motionless amidst their flesh and blood.

His eyes were filled with numbness, fear, and confusion as he stared at the sky.

In the sky, the steam-powered airship continued to hover, with red, festive banners hanging from it:

Celebrating the 101st anniversary of the founding of Arkham!

It was so glaringly obvious at that moment.

"Clang~ Clang~ Clang~"

The dull chimes, driven by intricate gears, sounded at six o'clock.

The chimes emanated from the enormous wall clock, echoing throughout every corner of the city.

Some people finally regained their senses amidst the tolling of the bell.

Crying, wailing, helplessness... a smile.

A different melody began to intertwine.

Of course, it wasn't anyone in Arkham who was smiling.

There is always happiness built on the suffering of others.

This smile came from Shen Hui, who was observing all of this from a godlike perspective.

In Arkham, everyone was able to once again recall their deepest, oldest fears.

Sadako, the Pig-headed Butcher... all of Shen Hui's Eldritch Beings and fantastical tales and Hero.

In this bloody night, a great deal of negative emotions and flesh and blood were harvested.

Their power will grow stronger from this.

Next, we arrived at the final stage.

This event was referred to by those who survived in Arkham.

--Great Ruin.

The reconstruction work following the Great Ruin took ten days to complete.

According to the headcount, nearly 20,000 people died in the Great Ruin.

This was undoubtedly a devastating blow, an event they will never forget and will remember in history.

For some time afterward, none of the Eldritch Beings and eerie creatures reappeared.

It's as if it has completely disappeared.

But Arkham has always seemed lifeless.

It's better than the occasional appearance of Eldritch Beings and eerie creatures than the Great Ruin.

And nobody knows whether the next Great Ruin will come again, or how long it will take.

This sense of unknown fear is like the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

It made them restless and unable to eat or sleep.

Furthermore, the Great Ruin event began to change the landscape of Arkham.

Fewer and fewer people are bolstering the conservative camp.

Simply showing awe is not enough to make them feel safe.

More and more people are joining the radical faction.

They began to investigate this world, to investigate Eldritch Beings and bizarre creatures.

Although it conflicted with their fears, they had no choice but to continue.

Six months later, the Eldritch Beings and eerie creatures that had been there during that period gradually reappeared.

However, it doesn't occur very frequently and hasn't had a significant impact on them.

The progress of the investigation into this world and the Eldritch Beings, bizarre creatures can only be described as extremely slow.

They cannot enter the world shrouded in mist, or they will get lost and their lives will perish.

These are Eldritch Beings and fantastical creatures, beings that their steam technology is powerless to counter.

However, during this period, a large number of people suffered from mental disorders due to the Great Ruin.

I started having the same type of dream, a dream made up of the deep sea, whispers, and Unspeakable tentacles.

This is undoubtedly related to the artworks created by the radicals at the very beginning.

Some people even descend into extreme madness and arrogance because of these dreams.

They claimed to have seen something, but couldn't quite put their finger on it.

Therefore, Arkham Asylum was established.

They locked all those lunatics up.

The radical faction further evolved into two categories.

One interpretation is that the dream was a call to them.

They believe this is real, and that it must be a projection from somewhere.

And it is a place that can protect them and provide them with safety from this world.

The other side, of course, believes that this dream is an ominous sign.

Just like those Eldritch Beings creatures from legends, they should not be touched.

We shouldn't even dream of finding it.

Time passed once again, and the year was drawing to a close.

The frequency of appearances of various Eldritch Beings and fantastical creatures is increasing.

It was exactly the same situation as before the last Great Ruin.

Everyone began to prepare for the situation, but none of the preparations were substantial.

Because they simply don't know how to deal with it.

Until the annual Arkham founding celebration.

As expected, Great Ruin ensued.

This time, no one celebrated in the streets; instead, everyone stayed in their homes in fear.

By the time the city was bathed in the light of dawn the following day, most people were safe and sound.

Only some areas suffered damage and casualties.

According to statistics, the number of deaths and missing persons is around five thousand.

Compared to the 20,000 deaths in the Great Ruin the previous year, it was a world of difference.

The survivors were incredibly grateful that they had stayed home on the day of the Great Ruin.

If you're lucky, you'll be safe; if you're unlucky, you'll be one of those five thousand corpses.

But even with such a low probability, there is at least some hope.

However, the fear of the unknown and uncertainty still lingers in Arkham.

This was naturally the restriction that Shen Hui set for Sadako and the others.

After all, this day marked the transition from the Surface World to the Otherworld, a day known as the Great Ruin.

It was all just to harvest fear and to pave the way for the later Cthulhu cult.

If it's just for the sake of killing, then the meaning of their growth is lost.

Three more years passed, and nothing much changed in Arkham.

The only change was that the number of people being held in mental asylums increased.

Shen Hui felt it was about time; the next step was to completely connect Arkham and the Sea of Sea of Death.

The World Origin Power began to intertwine in space under Shen Hui's control.

The rules have changed; the fog of death and negative emotions are now being repelled.

The area of Land of New Life expanded again, eventually reaching a diameter of 107 kilometers.

It has been completely connected to the Sea of Death.

Meanwhile, the Deep Ones in the Sea of Death continue to build their cities.

Although they discovered some changes outside, they preferred to stay in their own sea.

I have no intention of leaving the country for the time being.

However, it's different in Arkham.

The people of Arkham have always been watching this world closely and have tried every means to investigate.

The expansion of the Land of New Life was discovered immediately.

This immediately attracted great attention, and personnel were dispatched to investigate.