Chapter 422

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Chapter 422: The Five-Person Group

Nighttime.

The weather in Tatsumi City is gradually warming, though winter hasn’t quite passed. Located in a relatively warm region, Tatsumi City has already experienced its last snowfall. Recently, the city has been plagued by cold rain, flooding the streets.

Inside a dark building, five individuals—men and women dressed in varying clothes—were engaged in discussion.

All of them were powerful, extraordinary beings.

There was a short-haired girl dressed in boy’s clothing, a bald man with four arms, an elderly man covered in scales, and a masked woman wearing a black robe.

Lastly, there was a tall man with his arms crossed. His face was obscured by a dragon-patterned iron mask, and his blood-red eyes glowed eerily.

“I never expected to find someone who shouldn’t be here in Tatsumi City,” the bald man remarked.

Dressed in a black leather coat, the bald man’s entire body had been enhanced with advanced technology. His four mechanical arms were capable of extending, and one of his eyes had been replaced with a black crystalline implant, casting his face in shadow. He hailed from the Noy Military of the Night Union, serving as the chief scientist under “the Almighty.”

In Noah’s world, most scientists held a favorable view of the Steel Throne, seeing it as a symbol of “progress.” Some radical scientists even revered it fanatically, and H1-K7 was one of them.

“I am H1-K7, the chief researcher of Noy Military,” he introduced himself.

The Noy Military, one of the three giants of the night, was based in the “Giant Hive,” a city slightly smaller than Tree City and Ring City. It was ruled by the powerful dictator known as “the Almighty.” High-ranking members in his service typically had names consisting of letters and numbers.

H1-K7 continued, “The revered White Majesty has issued a divine oracle. All loyal followers must come to Tatsumi City to lift the extremely special and dreadful seal and help Him break free from the evil god’s grasp.”

“The White Majesty” referred to the Steel Throne in the “Rainbows.”

The petite girl nodded thoughtfully and responded, “Seems like everyone has the same purpose as me. We’ve all come to this city, Tatsumi City, from all over the world by various means.”

This girl’s name was Yuling. Despite wearing boyish clothes, with short hair and a baseball cap, her beauty was unmistakable.

She hailed from Heart City and had spent recent years studying the “Flow of the Heart.” Yuling was also the adopted daughter of King Hao, the ruler of Heart City.

At just fifteen years old, Yuling had already become renowned for her exceptional talent, surpassing even the current “Flow of the Heart.” In fact, she had defeated Tao Wu in a competition that year.

She took a deep breath, her fist tightening in determination, her face set in seriousness.

“Yes, it’s the power of the Black Abyss Deep Sea that sealed the White Majesty… And to make matters worse, even the Imperial Guards and the current leader, the Leaf King, have either allied with the Black Abyss Deep Sea or fallen under its control. From what I know, the Air Alliance is even secretly hunting down followers of the Steel Throne!”

“The entire world is our enemy, but only we can save it!” she added, her voice filled with righteous anger as she clenched her fist tightly.

This was Yuling’s first time leaving Heart City, and she was filled with excitement. She was about to play a part in saving the world, and the sheer sense of mission was overwhelming.

The old man covered in scales bent over slightly, his eyes heavy with bags, his movements slow.

He wasn’t human. In fact, he was a rare descendant of a dragon.

This old dragon descendant didn’t come from the Air Alliance. He was from a remote aristocratic family in the Kingdom of Dark Light.

His voice, low and hoarse, echoed as he spoke.

“Cough… I’m over 700 years old and had given up on the world, waiting to pass away in my family. But recently, I received a divine mandate from His Majesty… If I fulfill this mandate, I will be granted eternal life. That is the promise He made.”

“I truly wonder if any of you have also been promised the fulfillment of your desires?”

“That’s right,” H1-K7 smiled and answered. “I want to become more powerful. I need war technology capable of slaughtering more people. I’ve made little progress in these years, but the great Majesty can grant me what I seek.”

Yuling frowned slightly, her suspicion growing. H1-K7, or “5k,” seemed suspicious. He didn’t strike her as someone with noble intentions.

However, instead of confronting him, she chose to continue observing.

Just then, the veiled woman in the corner spoke slowly. Her voice sounded ethereal, as though it didn’t entirely belong to the real world.

“My master is the Lord of Shadows in the Air Alliance. He desires to collaborate with the Steel Throne to ensure everyone’s safety by providing a secure route for the operation, guaranteeing that the Imperial Guards and the Night Watcher won’t find any of you.”

The masked woman did not introduce herself. She seemed unwilling to reveal her identity.

“Lord of Shadows?” Yuling thought, her surprise evident. She vaguely remembered her father mentioning this name, indicating that it belonged to a rather mysterious figure.

“This is great! We have help from others!” she thought.

According to the prophecy, they were forbidden from informing anyone of their mission. Initially, Yuling had planned to seek her father’s assistance, but she had ended up sneaking out alone.

“Who is this Lord of Shadows?” H1-K7 asked, his brow furrowing. It was clear that he had never encountered this figure in the Air Alliance’s data.

The old dragon descendant squinted his eyes but remained silent, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

The masked woman shook her head and spoke again, “You don’t need to know who the Lord of Shadows is. Just know this: He will help you accomplish a significant task in Tatsumi City. The Imperial Guards and the Sword-wielding Troop will never find you.”

Her voice was firm and certain.

Yuling’s intuition was sharp, and she sensed that this masked woman exuded a strange aura—almost as if she didn’t truly belong to this world.

Could she be a projection, Yuling wondered.

Everything about this group felt increasingly odd. She couldn’t help but question if it was right for a team of world-saving heroes to be so complicated.

Finally, everyone turned to the silent man with the dragon-striped iron mask.

The man, his face concealed behind the iron mask, finally spoke with a deep voice, “You can call me Victor.”

“Victor?” Yuling repeated in her mind. She had never heard of this name before, yet his presence radiated an undeniable power.

After speaking, the man remained silent, his stance calm and imposing among the group. Yuling felt a strange instinct deep within her—it was as if he were the most powerful among them.

Could he be a being of Apocalypse-level strength? Her heart skipped a beat.

But, there were only a few individuals in the world at that level, and it didn’t make sense for one to suddenly appear.

Just then, H1-K7, the bald man, asked, “So, if what you say is true, do you have a way to keep us from being found by the Imperial Guards and Night Watchers? What about those from Babel Tower?”

The Babel Tower, Yuling knew, was a legendary and mysterious entity active in Tatsumi City. Its power and the Savior’s role were widely understood.

All extraordinary individuals knew that the Babel Tower was a threat not to be taken lightly.

Everyone turned their gaze toward the masked woman, who had claimed to be from the Lord of Shadows. Even the dragon-striped iron mask man looked at her expectantly.

What no one anticipated was that the masked woman apologized gravely.

“I’m sorry, but even we cannot escape the attention of Babel Tower. Perhaps they’ve already found us… I fear the people from Babel Tower will be here to kill us all very soon.”

The mood shifted instantly, and Yuling’s heart raced. She noticed that a white-haired woman, dressed in black, had appeared among them.

“The bad guy is here!” Yuling thought, her fists instinctively tightening as nerves flooded her.

“One Apocalypse, four Crown… very tricky,” the woman in black said, calmly observing the group.

Despite being surrounded by many powerful individuals, she showed no fear.

The others—except for the stoic man and the masked woman—were all on edge.

H1-K7 let out a snort, his black crystalline eye flashing with a red glow as it scanned the newly arrived woman. “So, you’re the Hound of Babel Tower, right? The companion of ‘Mr. X’?”

The Hound of Babel Tower. Yuling had heard of her—a formidable fighter capable of freezing time, with powers beyond imagination.

Last month, she had watched a video of this woman in action. At the time, Yuling had felt that she would not be able to defeat her, and now, this opponent seemed even stronger.

“Can I kill her with just one punch?” Yuling thought, still uneasy.

Yet, something felt off. Why was Babel Tower, which claimed to be the world’s savior, aiding the Black Abyss Deep Sea in sealing the Steel Throne?

Although Yuling had been told that Babel Tower was merely stopping the arrival of the Pupil of Chaos to pave the way for the true belief of Black Abyss Deep Sea, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Mu Ling, the Hound, regarded the group coldly.

Her fiery cloak, ignited by a grand phoenix flame, illuminated the dark night sky, evaporating the rain as it danced.

The flames transformed into a majestic, fiery feathered cloak that perfectly framed her graceful figure. Yuling stood, momentarily stunned by the beauty and power radiating from Mu Ling.

The sound of the Phoenix’s cry filled the air, as Mu Ling’s voice reached everyone’s ears.

“The Steel Throne is a betrayer in the Rainbow. It has been consumed by the Outer God. If you release the seal, you will unleash the Black Abyss Deep Sea and doom the world.”

“You have one chance to leave Tatsumi City.”

Yuling could tell that Mu Ling believed the group had been deceived, yet, Mu Ling didn’t strike immediately. The task of the Savior was to “eliminate threats,” but Mu Ling didn’t want to kill “brave souls fighting to save the world.”

Everyone was silent as the Old Dragon Descendant spoke.

“Ahem, the Hound of Babel Tower, are you so naive? Do you expect us to abandon our gods and believe in you?”

“I’ve come too far to turn back now because of your words.”

Yuling, after a pause, shouted in frustration, “Your so-called Savior might just be the embodiment of the Outer God Black Abyss Deep Sea. You’ve all been deceived! If we unlock the seal of the Rainbow, maybe we can still make things right!”

At that moment, Yuling caught sight of Mu Ling’s cold gaze fixed on her.

The murderous intent was palpable.

Yuling felt a chill run down her spine. She had never been so close to life-and-death danger before. The intent to kill radiating from Mu Ling made her tremble.

“How many have you killed?” she thought, frozen by fear.

“Now I understand,” Mu Ling said, her voice growing cold. She realized that for these individuals, her words would never outweigh the power of the Steel Throne.

The battle was inevitable.

Mu Ling nodded to herself. No more words were necessary.

The decision had been made: they had to fight.

Without hesitation, she unleashed the Phoenix Fire.

As the Phoenix Fire roared into existence, time itself seemed to freeze. The flames raged, consuming everything in their path, and the five figures were burned away in an instant.

The fire was not just a flame; it was destruction incarnate, capable of both regenerating flesh and annihilating all life.

When time resumed, the building trembled violently as the scorching flames engulfed the space.

Mu Ling, doing her best to control the flames, ensured the building wasn’t completely destroyed. Innocent lives remained within.

“Hopefully, that guy finished evacuating everyone…” Mu Ling mused as she prepared for what was to come.

The five figures had been reduced to charred remains. But something was off.

They were… faceless puppets?

Mu Ling advanced cautiously, dispelling the flames and collecting them into her palm.

“This… a demonic aura? High-level demon lords?” she murmured, stunned by the discovery.

“No matter their motives, I must stop them from breaking the seal and prevent the Outer God’s arrival.”