Chapter 356: Night is Coming

Chapter 356 -348: Night is Coming

All of Dawn’s leadership and powerful members were watching their Master Sage. Though they had anticipated something ominous, as long as he was present, everyone remained composed.

The blood from the corners of his eyes and beneath his nose turned to red dust and vanished. It was completely necrotic, unable to return to his body.

At the garden council table, he slowly rose, and the wicker chair behind him slid away on its own.

Qin Xiaoxia was far from as composed as he appeared to others. In truth, his heart was in turmoil. It was only his complete control over his bodily functions that kept him from sweating and his heart rate steady.

An ordinary person’s heart would have already been pounding out of their chest. Anxious and uneasy—that would have been a more accurate description.

However, by the time he stood straight, he had gradually calmed himself.

“You might want to ask me what I saw, but I think you already know the answer…”

Seeing the evident unease on everyone’s faces, Qin Xiaoxia continued.

“For hundreds, even thousands of years, we have known that this moment would one day come again!”

“Anxious? Afraid? Perhaps. We are not gods. We have people we care for, so it’s only natural that we feel fear!”

The Secret Realm Wall materialized at that moment. On its surface, countless transparent, glass-like mirrors appeared, showing birds and beasts, flowers and fish from the natural world, as well as the young and old of society.

There was laughter and tears, prosperity and decline, tranquility and comfort.

“Look at the Dawn Seal in our palms.”

His words carried a powerful Magic Power, and the Day of Dawn sigil on everyone’s palm manifested of its own accord.

“As the first ray of light born in the Darkest Hour, do not forget our oath! Prepare yourselves. Announce to all of Dawn…”

After a slight pause to draw a breath, Dawn’s Staff-Carrying Sage uttered the next words.

“Night is coming!”

…

「Special Security Team Headquarters, Tactical Council Hall.」

A secret, multi-national video conference was underway. Given the urgency of the situation, the Six Nations of the World Alliance had no time to fly and gather for a discussion. A modern video conference was the obvious choice, with quantum communication technology ensuring it was both secure and reliable.

“So far, a second tremor has not been detected within our borders. I presume it’s the same for all of you.”

Tao Xingzhi stood in the hall, glancing from the map on the main screen to the bustling communications activity around him, and addressed the figures on a secondary screen.

Norton was in Washington D.C., United States, surrounded by not only the top brass of the 19th Division but also a presidential advisor and several high-ranking generals.

He spoke, continuing where Tao Xingzhi left off.

“But we all know the chances of this being a one-time event are slim to none. With our military strength and ability to maintain social order, if war were to break out in all of these locations, it would be impossible to conceal it from the public any longer.”

General Rozov, stationed at a base outside Moscow, Russia, slapped his service cap down on the table.

“By now, the sharpest minds have already caught a whiff of what’s going on. This isn’t a matter of whether we should be concerned; we have no choice but to act. The key point of today’s discussion is no longer that.”

The participants in the dialogue were all heavyweights from military and political spheres. Their minds were sharp, and they all understood what General Rozov meant.

“We’re on the same page. Now, we must not only prepare to simultaneously deal with potential high-risk anomalous incursions in multiple locations but also prevent social chaos…”

The meeting continued, but outside the Special Security Team Headquarters, a special guest had arrived.

A minute later, Tao Xingzhi received a message.

He raised a hand, interrupting a general mid-speech, and motioned to everyone on the video call to indicate a developing situation.

But soon, he saw the heads of other nations’ special departments on the call also receiving reports from their own subordinates.

A few minutes later, a mysterious, black-robed figure entered the main conference hall of each nation. It was a Dawn Guardian, the very person from whom they had been awaiting a response.

The high-ranking officials in attendance were all perceptive individuals. The moment they saw Dawn send a messenger in person rather than responding through communications, they realized the problem was likely even more severe than they had imagined.

The six black-robed figures were mostly individuals familiar to their respective national departments. For instance, the one in Hua Country was Mr. Yan, and the one in the United States was Ms. Zhen.

The Guardians all wore grim expressions. Without a word beyond stating their purpose—to deliver a message—each placed a fist-sized, special crystal on an open patch of floor in their respective conference halls.

Then, in perfect unison, they channeled their Magic Power to activate the Light and Shadow Crystals.

“BZZT…”

WHOOSH~

After a moment of distortion, the crystal projected a human figure.

The figure had long hair streaked with both crystalline silver and lustrous black, a face that was luminous and majestic yet impossible to read, and held a peculiar, round-headed metal staff. He was dressed in a signature, loose-fitting robe.

If they hadn’t known it was a projection of light and shadow, they would have thought the Dawn Sage had come in person.

The projection nodded to them and then spoke directly.

“Regarding your inquiry, I apologize for not being able to respond immediately. The matter is of grave importance.”

“The Dawn Association has no desire to interfere in politics, but we must advise you: it is time to warn the other nations.”

Even though he had a bad feeling, Norton asked instinctively.

“How serious is it?”

The Dawn Sage projected by the Light and Shadow Crystal seemed as real as a living person. He looked toward Norton, just as the other projections turned to face the crowds in their respective locations.

He waved an arm, and an illusion of the sky appeared before them all.

In it was a radiant star, nearly the size of the sun. Though it was only an image, it filled them with a primal sense of dread.

“The Mother of the World has given me a warning. The Star of the Dark is about to fall, and the Dark Tide surges forth. A year at the longest, six months at the shortest, and the end of days will be upon us once more.”

Though the Master Sage’s words struck them like a sledgehammer, the representatives of the World Alliance nations were, surprisingly, not overly shocked.

Perhaps they had been steeling themselves for the worst ever since the tremors appeared simultaneously around the world. Or perhaps their suspicions had been aroused when Dawn failed to respond, only to show up in person at this very moment.

It was just that the timeline was even more difficult to accept than their own pessimistic estimates.

Only after the members of Dawn had taken their leave did many sigh and mutter to themselves,

“Less than a year…”

The direction of the video conference shifted completely from its original purpose, and the troops that had been deployed were ordered to return to their bases.

…

September was a pivotal month for the world.

This wasn’t because of any holiday, nor the start of the school year, but because the United Nations General Assembly was being held.

This was destined to be a conference unlike any other. The nations of the World Alliance were preparing to publicly disclose the doomsday warning to all the world’s countries.

As permanent members of the Security Council, five of the World Alliance nations wielded significant speaking rights and influence at the assembly.

In years past, the assembly was always broadcast live on television. This year’s assembly, however, was different. After the long, formal conference concluded, a new, private meeting was convened.

Unsurprisingly, when the Six Nations of the World Alliance issued a joint statement revealing the information about the end of the world, the representatives of the United Nations member states erupted in an uproar.

Although most major nations were now aware of the strange changes occurring around the world, to suddenly be told of the apocalypse was still unbelievable, even absurd.

But the ones releasing this information were not just anyone. They comprised several of the world’s most powerful nations, and the announcement was made at the United Nations General Assembly, of all places.

In the face of doubt, the representatives of the World Alliance nations offered only a few cryptic words.

“If the events of the past few years are not enough to convince you, then there is no proof of doomsday we can offer that will.”

“We are simply passing this warning on to you out of a sense of international humanitarian duty. We have no intention of debating it with you. Night is coming, and we intend to save our strength to watch for the dawn!”

By the time this United Nations General Assembly concluded, all the participating nations were deeply troubled.

On a level unknown to the common person, a tidal wave had been set in motion. The eyes of every nation were fixed on the Six Nations of the World Alliance, and many of the more astute countries dispatched delegations to the nations that had made the declaration.

It was also at this assembly that the term “The Alliance of the Global Convention Against the Dark Tide” was publicly mentioned for the first time, and a number of shocking anomalous incidents were cited.

The World Alliance had said it had no obligation to debate the matter, but it still did its due diligence. After all, in a situation like this, one had to explain things in painstaking detail, as if to fools, to ensure the other nations understood the gravity of the problem.

It was unlikely, but if this still wasn’t enough to convince some nations, then they were truly fools.

In the opinion of the World Alliance’s expert panels, the continued existence of such a “fool’s gene” would only drag humanity down, and there was no point in bothering with them any further.

PS: First chapter for Wednesday.