The piercing alarm sounds triggered panic and screams within every shelter. Amidst the chaos, there were constant cases of trampling and crowding.
But all the noise and clamor came to a sudden halt at that moment.
As Morando raised his hand, a bronze-colored bell appeared in his grasp, swaying gently.
The clear ringing of the bell spread through the night, carrying with it the lingering echoes of nightmares.
In that instant, countless red eyes opened in the darkness, bursting forth with overlapping whispers, narrating a tale from the Abyss.
"Nightmare."
The old man murmured hoarsely, "A nightmare is hatching..."
The teenage girl cried out in horror, "A woman, an ill-omened woman walks in the darkness."
An infant in the cradle opened its naive eyes, staring at the phantom world before it as it blurred into flesh and blood, uttering the piercing language of the Abyss, "The affectionate mother opens her arms, embracing this despair in full..."
"It's a fine night," someone called out softly.
"Yes, it's a fine night—"
Behind Yuan Yuan, the stupefied Yuan Zhao opened his hollow eyes.
"—The fine night at the end of the nightmares is waiting for us."
On his fingertips, which had once touched a bracelet, the dark breath of the curse unfurled, beckoning the arrival of nightmares.
What followed were laughters: hoarse laughters, clear laughters, laughters mixed with coughing, and the laughters of maniacal fear.
"Paradise!"
Hundreds and thousands shouted in unison, "Paradise is coming!!!!!"
At this moment, at sea, time seemed almost congealed.
Within the clefts carved into the sea trench, rigid and fractured shadows violently trembled, emitting sharp cries mixed with joy and sorrow.
Writhing, writhing, writhing!
From within the broken scars, a pitch-black fountain burst forth from the sea, heeding the call of the Believers, howling towards the silent Group Star.
It was as if a writhing black hand firmly gripped the edge of Group Star, crossing that line of despair.
Discarding the bulk of its shell and might as if they were worn-out shoes, the Ruler from Hell descended upon Group Star—
And right at the edge of Group Star, next to that writhing hand of darkness, the middle-aged gentleman leaning on a cane raised a finger and slightly tipped his hat, greeting the uninvited guest embarking upon the vessel.
The writhing darkness paid him no attention, not even pausing for a moment, and desperately flowed toward the deeper parts of the vessel.
Matthes smiled faintly, unconcerned, merely glancing briefly before retracting his gaze.
He raised his cane, and with the sharp eagle's beak at the tip, he slit his index finger.
Bracing against the acrid sea breeze, he lifted his finger and stretched it forward, letting that single drop of crystal-clear blood fall from his fingertip into the sea, vanishing without a trace.
As if admiring a breathtakingly beautiful scene, he opened his arms wide and chanted loudly in adulation, boasting to the world of this unparalleled achievement of his own.
"—S Rioghail Mo Dhream!"
How noble is my blood!
And thus, the Endless Sea boiled over, as if unable to bear the too-precious blood within.
With every deception and seal unveiled, this power from [Golden Dawn] operated unobstructedly in the sea, sprouting and multiplying rapidly, as if to reap the fruit immediately after planting the seed.
This single drop of blood, carrying the endless genealogy of the Abyss, began to rapidly take root and germinate, expanding and corroding, causing the entire shattered sea to boil.
With earth-shattering roars, countless bright lights emerged from the sediment of the Abyss.
They were the sharp crystals breaking forth from the sea.
Numerous sharp and angular crystal pillars tore through the ocean's cover, soaring skyward, spiraling upwards, until at last, they formed solemn massive columns that stretched dozens of kilometers high.
In a perfect double helix, the spiraling pillars of crystal shone with scorching light.
Thousands of columnar stones crisscrossed each other, forming a defense, a fortress, or perhaps more accurately... a prison, isolating the inside from the outside.
At this very moment, both Group Star and the Rotten Dream Queen were completely engulfed within this spiraling cage spawned by the blood of the Abyss!
Three minutes had passed since the first explosion.
"Checking the time, it should be about now, right?" Matthes mused, slightly lifting his eyes, gazing at the exterior of the crystal prison, the dark sea beyond, waiting quietly.
「Meanwhile, outside Central Decision Room No. 4 of the Asian Jurisdiction Bureau.」
Flames blazed, but they didn't dance.
The vast buildings disintegrated, but there was no collapse or rumbling.
This was because the instant the explosion occurred, everything was forcibly frozen in place by the laws of physics. As if a supreme decree had been issued, every molecule was locked in place, unable to move.
Time stood still at the instant of the explosion.
A semi-transparent projection emerged from the void, looked up at the spectacle of the explosion before it, nodded, then turned to the approaching rescue team and instructed, "Follow the established procedure for gradual unlocking and rescue. Hurry to salvage the losses and personnel. From here on, I leave it to you."
The Scholars presiding over the Border framework saluted and assented.
The projection then vanished without a sound.