Lord of Prayer

Chapter 122: Chapter 102: Outbreak (Part 2)

Jiang Che silently took a sip of her coffee. “My past was basically just that. Monotonous, repetitive, and all for the sake of revenge.”

“I have one last question… That mastermind, are they a council member now?” Zhou Chen asked.

“It’s about time. You should go get Erin. Remember, it’s best not to stray too far from the Star Association.” Jiang Che changed the subject, offering no answer.

Seeing that she was showing him the door, Zhou Chen took the hint and didn’t linger. He left the office and went to pick up Erin from downstairs at the women’s dormitory.

“Mr. Zhou Chen, let’s go to the zoo to see the giant pandas today,” Erin said, her face full of anticipation.

’The zoo isn’t too far from the Star Association…’ Zhou Chen nodded. “Let’s get breakfast first. We’ll need our strength for all the walking.”

“Okay! I want to have porridge for breakfast!”

For the next two days, an atmosphere of an approaching storm descended upon all of Jinzhu.

The number of contamination incidents was rising rapidly. Sometimes, there would be seven or eight in a single morning, and over the course of a day, there could be more than twenty. The frequency was terrifying.

If one had enough intelligence to view the entirety of Jinzhu from above, they would discover that these contamination incidents were merely the result of the Birdmen detonating their Corrosive Gu—nothing more than insignificant appetizers.

Many more things, hidden in the fog and lurking in the darkness, had yet to bare their fangs.

Zhou Chen could also feel the atmosphere within the Star Association growing heavy. Solemn-faced strangers appeared from time to time, and Jiang Che’s daily meetings became more frequent. Everything felt like the calm before the storm, as if something major was about to happen.

He decisively went to redeem two Alchemy Tools, so he could escape with Erin if something happened.

The first was the [Helandy Flying Boots], which he had been eyeing for a long time. By injecting Essence, one could truly fly, and at a decent speed. It only took him half an hour to completely master the technique, and he even let Erin play with them for a good while afterward.

The second was a suit of Alchemy Armor. His previous Defensive Armor was damaged beyond recognition. Although it was still usable, he didn’t know when it might finally give out, so he figured he might as well get a new one now.

This suit of Alchemy Armor wasn’t purely for defense; it was an upgraded, all-around enhancement type. It could boost the user’s Power and speed, while also possessing Defense Power and shock absorption comparable to a Defensive Battle Armor. It even came with an Alchemy Matrix that resisted mental contamination. With its black and gold color scheme, it looked very cool.

After that, he spent another three million to buy an Alchemy Necklace capable of resisting Curses.

Its effect was to block any Curses cast on him or existing in his vicinity, unless the Curse was so powerful that it exceeded the necklace’s limit.

As for Erin, he didn’t have to worry. She was a rich girl with more Alchemy Tools than he could count.

To be on the safe side, Zhou Chen also found a large backpack and put the Bloodthirsty Chainsaw inside, just in case.

“Erin, Jinzhu has been chaotic lately. Let’s not go out for the next few days.”

In a mall where foot traffic had significantly decreased, Zhou Chen sipped his milk tea and suggested they lay low in the Star Association for the next few days and wait for things to blow over.

“Mhm, we’ve pretty much seen everything these past few days anyway. I want to go back and play some games.” Erin also knew that things had gotten dangerous recently, and it was safer to stay inside the Star Association. Besides, they had explored most of Jinzhu City and had done all the fun things there were to do.

Just as the two were about to leave the mall, Zhou Chen suddenly looked up and saw a figure in the distance leap from the fifth floor.

SPLAT.

A heavy body fell from the sky, smashing into a pile of gore in an instant. Blood pooled on the ground. Since it had landed headfirst, all sorts of viscous fluids splattered in every direction, drenching the nearby passersby.

Immediately after, one, two, three… like falling rain, several more people jumped from the mall’s top floor. They lost their lives the instant they hit the ground, leaving behind nothing but mangled flesh and ever-flowing blood.

Screams erupted as countless shoppers fled in all directions.

’Human rain?’

Zhou Chen frowned. These people were all wearing the same style of mysterious black robes, as if it were an organized mass suicide. And the patterns and symbols on those robes…

His eyes suddenly widened. On the black robes, he saw a familiar flame pattern—the symbol of the Eternal Fire!!!

He hurriedly pulled out his phone and called Jiang Che. “Runfa Mall! Cultists from the Eternal Fire are committing suicide!”

At that moment, the blood on the mall’s marble floor seemed to come to life. Like countless tiny scarlet snakes, it automatically converged in one direction, gradually revealing a wicked Ritual Array formed from an Abyss Curse. The temperature plummeted instantly, and a bone-chilling cold descended upon the entire mall, as if it had been plunged into an ice cave.

BOOM!

Zhou Chen conjured a ball of Aluminum Thermite and threw it toward the array. However, as if obstructed by some Mysterious Power, the Aluminum Thermite detonated in mid-air, bursting into a brilliant, firework-like flash of light.

Only a few specks of Cyan Flame landed on the Ritual Array, but they were quickly extinguished like candlelight, causing no real damage.

’This isn’t the main Ritual Array, just some kind of projection…’ Zhou Chen looked around and then suddenly down at the floor. ’The real array is probably underground!’

He tried again, conjuring and throwing an Alchemy Bomb concentrated with Cyan Flame. But the result was the same as with the Aluminum Thermite. It was stopped by an unknown force and detonated in mid-air. Although some Cyan Flame landed on the Ritual Array, it caused no damage whatsoever.

“Let’s go, back to the Star Association!” Zhou Chen yelled, pulling Erin as he ran for the exit. Behind them, a thick Darkness gushed out from the Ritual Array like a geyser.

It was as if the gates of Hell had been thrown open in the mortal world.

「In a dark, abandoned factory.」

A group of black-robed Cultists wore looks of pious devotion. The factory floor was covered in twisted, bizarre abyssal characters painted in crimson pigment.

The same scene was playing out in many other places: abandoned buildings, hidden residences, forgotten basements…

「In the Garden.」

“Grand Steward, the ritual is beginning. It is time,” Li Xiaoxiao said respectfully.

“Begin,” the old man on the lounge chair said, opening his eyes. Black flames burned within them.

The next moment, the sources of contamination placed throughout Jinzhu erupted simultaneously. A shrill alarm blared inside the Star Association as glaring red dots appeared one after another on the large map display.

“The Eternal Fire has made its move. Should we begin as well?”

In the living room, Lover looked at the message on their phone and asked Gentleman.

“Wait a little longer.” Gentleman tapped his Walking Stick unhurriedly. “We act only after confirming their position. It must be a Thunderbolt strike; we absolutely cannot get bogged down. I have a strange and very bad feeling about this.”

“I do too.” Lover rubbed their chest and quipped, “A tightness in your chest, hard to breathe, right? It’s perfectly normal. Just like how swallows know it’s about to rain, Ascenders have a certain sense for impending danger. Especially for what’s coming… a grand carnival.”

Yes, a carnival.

A grand carnival to make the world witness the might of Fallen Paradise once more!