Annus Street.
A domed house with a courtyard sat nestled within the curtain of rain.
Inside the hall, the furnishings were complete and appeared exceptionally new. On a leather sofa sat a young girl.
The girl had long pink hair tied into twin-tails and azure eyes. She wore a magnificently layered princess dress, making her look like a porcelain doll.
She held a brown teddy bear in her arms, and a map lay on the coffee table before her.
Annie Spoorberg was staring at this map.
"Twilight has never left, the end will surely come, and death is the destination of all..."
She whispered softly. Beneath her cute exterior lay a mind consumed by the madness of chasing death.
The altars on every street had been set, and the necessary sacrifices were prepared. The designated time was almost here.
Certain rituals had specific worldly requirements; they could only succeed if completed at a precise moment.
The many altars arranged by the Twilight Council to welcome the descent of the Death Sovereign's will also required a specific time to be activated.
It was close.
That time was almost here.
Annie looked at the map with immense anticipation—a map known as the "King's Domain."
Suddenly, Annie's brow furrowed.
Her gaze fell upon the area representing Huys Street, noticing that the region on the map seemed to have changed.
On the square of that street, a massive altar was depicted on the map. Originally, the altar had been emitting an aura of death so thick it practically seeped out of the map, allowing one to feel it clearly.
But just now, the death aura on Huys Square had abruptly vanished. The altar standing there on the map now looked like an empty shell.
What was going on?
"Huys Street... let me think. That seems to be the area Dalia was responsible for."
Annie thought of the Necromancer she held in high regard. What was she doing?
She was about to use the functions of the King's Domain to transmit her voice and inquire about the situation, but she suddenly stopped.
After a moment's thought, she simply reached out and traced an area on the map, encompassing all of Huys Street.
"King's Domain, tell me who the ten strongest transcendents in this area are."
On the map, ripples of golden light immediately converged, forming ten names sorted from highest to lowest.
First place: Olivia Melianne, Sensate class rank.
Second place: ...
As the ten names emerged, even Annie's face inevitably showed a look of stunned disbelief, almost thinking she had misread it.
Who was the first place? She didn't recognize the name.
In Huys Street, shouldn't the first place be Dalia, who had already become a Transcender? Where was Dalia? Was she dead?
And who were the people starting from second place? Annie was extremely unfamiliar with these names; she was certain they were definitely not members of the Twilight Council.
Most importantly, starting from the second rank, the class ranks dropped all the way down to Pilgrim.
What did this mean?
It meant that in the vast expanse of Huys Street, there was only one Sensate present!
But the number of Sensates the Twilight Council had stationed there clearly exceeded ten!
"Where are Dalia and the others? Dead? How did they die?"
Annie's expression shifted rapidly, unable to accept the changes in Huys Street.
It was impossible for Dalia, a dignified Transcender leading a group of Sensates and Pilgrims, to be unable to defeat the people currently displayed on the map.
That would be too ridiculous.
"No, perhaps the enemy also had powerful individuals who died, so they aren't being displayed," Annie whispered.
Regardless, she finally knew why the altar on Huys Street had lost its death aura. Her side must have been defeated, and the enemy had altered the Sylvan Runes on the altar, causing it to lose its original function.
"Fortunately, I discovered the problem in time. It doesn't matter if there's a problem; my existence is meant to set things right." Annie wasn't particularly worried.
No matter what, there were no longer any irresistible enemies in Huys Street. As long as she acted personally, all problems would be easily resolved.
She placed her hand on the King's Domain, preparing to teleport directly to Huys Street.
The King's Domain had appeared multiple times during the battles between the Twilight Council and the Church, but even so, the Church had failed to master all of its functions.
Of course, this was also due to the Twilight Council's intentional concealment.
For example, one effect of the King's Domain was teleportation.
The holder of the King's Domain could teleport themselves to any location within the area covered by the artifact!
But just as Annie intended to teleport...
Knock, knock, knock!
A sudden knocking sound came from the door, causing Annie to pause and look toward the entrance.
Who was knocking?
Annie couldn't help but frown.
As the Twilight Council took control of the streets, most ordinary residents had been seized as sacrifices. How would the few who slipped through the cracks dare not to hide?
As for unaffiliated transcendents, they should be hiding even more. Who wouldn't be afraid upon hearing the reputation of the Twilight Council?
In any case, it wouldn't be someone from the Twilight Council itself.
So, who was it?
Annie was in no hurry to go to Huys Street. Holding the map, she walked over unhurriedly and opened the door.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky outside, its incandescent light reflecting off the heavy rain.
The rain poured down, creating ring after ring of ripples on the ground.
Standing at the door was a little girl, drenched to the bone. She looked to be less than ten years old and appeared extremely thin, her long light-brown hair plastered to her face from the wetness.
Her small face carried a hint of timidity, and her large dark-brown eyes looked at Annie as she opened the door. She spoke in a small voice.
"Please... could you give me something to eat? I haven't eaten for a long, long time. I'm so hungry."
Question marks popped up in Annie's mind.
She didn't sense any threat from this little girl; the child seemed to be just an ordinary human. But how could such a girl still be walking the streets at a time like this?
While the thought flashed through her mind, Annie raised her hand with slight impatience, intending to simply strike the girl dead on the spot.
The designated time was approaching. She had to go to Huys Street to restore order and had no time to waste on such a child.
Her palm was small and delicate, yet it contained a condensed surge of magic as she struck directly at the little girl's head.
Slap!
The little girl, having been struck on the forehead, dazed for a moment before she couldn't help but ask, "Little sister, are you bullying me?"
Rate on N.U.
