After the Chaos

Then, Hui struck while the iron was hot.

“And my tail.”

Li Yuan sighed.

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“You'd better.”

Hui rested her head on her front paws, her tone finally slowing down.

“Since that little girl now has a Demon Emperor Body, her future cultivation won't be lacking. However, she isn't a native of Kyushu after all, so she has to learn many things from scratch. If you truly plan on letting her walk the path of cultivation, you must take proper responsibility.”

Hearing this, his expression grew a bit more serious.

“I understand.”

Hui glanced at him.

“You understand plenty of things, but there are very few you actually care about.”

Li Yuan did not argue. Hui wasn't wrong.

It wasn't that he didn't understand many things; he was simply too lazy to care, and too lazy to actively get involved. If it weren't for the karmic ties staring him right in the face, he would try his best to avoid most troubles.

But the matter with Setis was different. Regardless of whether it started because of the peace talisman or that inexplicable stroke of fate, she had now completely embarked on a different path because of it. Naturally, Li Yuan could not abandon her halfway.

Seeing that he remained silent, Hui assumed he had taken some of it to heart.

Thus, she stretched lazily, her voice returning to its usual sluggishness.

“Alright, stop being an eyesore here. Things are probably a complete mess on your end. Aren't you going to take a look?”

Li Yuan looked out toward the world outside. The aftermath in the royal capital would naturally be handled by others; it wasn't as if they couldn't stabilize the current situation.

But it was indeed not very suitable for him to remain here. If he stayed any longer, Hui would likely bring up old scores again.

At this thought, Li Yuan stood up and lightly smoothed out his rumpled clothes.

Hui looked up at him and began to mock him again.

“Planning to run away?”

Li Yuan's expression remained calm.

“There are still things to attend to at the teahouse.”

“The teahouse isn't even open during the day.”

“Even so, I should go back and tidy up.”

Hui sneered, obviously not believing him. Li Yuan did not explain further, merely nodding slightly to her.

“If I have to trouble you regarding Setis, please do not refuse.”

Hui flicked her tail in annoyance.

“I get it, I get it. Just leave already, looking at you is annoying.”

Li Yuan smiled, and in the next instant, his figure dissolved in the yard. Hui stared at the spot where he had left for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly.

“He certainly runs fast.”

She lay back down, closed her eyes, and slowly wrapped her tails around her side.

After losing a tail, her energy had been somewhat depleted. She needed to get a good night's sleep.

...

The next morning, the royal capital finally recovered its long-lost peace.

The disaster last night had come suddenly, and it had ended just as suddenly.

After the abyssal rift vanished, the shadow looming over the royal capital disappeared. As the sky brightened, many people plucked up their courage to push open the doors that had been tightly shut all night, carefully poking their heads out.

The usually bustling streets were empty, scarred everywhere by the aftermath of battle, though the actual extent of the damage was much lower than during the previous Blood Moon Cult incident.

At least... there were no large-scale collapses of buildings.

Compared to the outcome everyone had initially feared, such losses were already a blessing in disguise.

Most of the abyssal monsters had been intercepted mid-air, and very few had actually fallen into residential areas. The few damaged houses were quickly cordoned off by the City Guard, and the injured were sent to temporary treatment centers.

While the common civilians were not heavily affected, the high-level professionals in the royal capital suffered heavy losses.

More than half of the court mages who participated in the defense last night, the high-level warriors in the Kingdom's army, the guards temporarily mobilized from various noble estates, as well as many academy instructors and garrison mages, were lost in the chaos.

Some did not even leave behind a corpse, as everything in the path of the monsters was consumed.

After the abyssal monsters dispersed, the palace and the Magic Tower quickly regained control of the situation.

The remaining Imperial Guards split into several squads to blockade the main districts, the City Guard Captain led men to begin clearing the roads, and multiple temporary treatment centers were opened. The Royal Magic and Martial Arts Academy also dispatched instructors and upperclassmen who were still capable of moving to assist in maintaining order.

Everything was relatively orderly, and most ordinary people in the royal capital had no idea what had actually transpired last night.

They only remembered the sky splitting open, monsters falling, and then the appearance of golden text that everyone could understand. After that, those monsters had turned to ash in an instant.

To the vast majority of people, that was a divine miracle.

Thus, as soon as dawn broke, people knelt on the streets to pray. Some elderly folk even led children to bow in the direction of the temples, murmuring words of thanks for the protection of the gods.

Although none of this had anything to do with those so-called gods, as long as it could soothe the public's emotions, that was enough.

For the royal capital right now, keeping the populace at ease was far more important than letting them know the truth.

Over at the Imperial Embassy, the situation was similarly grim.

Almost all the accompanying imperial mages stationed in the embassy had been killed in action, and the remaining personnel were all injured to varying degrees.

When the chaos broke out last night, although the embassy had not been the primary target of those attackers, the magic shockwaves from the battle had still reached it.

Inside the hall, the wounded were temporarily placed against the walls. Members of the Inquisition and accompanying warlocks bustled back and forth, and the unique scent of potions permeated the air.

Venus sat in the main seat. Her complexion was much better than last night, but there was still a trace of fatigue between her brows.

The recovery ability of a Heroic Spirit rank powerhouse was extremely potent; her physical wounds had already mostly healed. The reason she was fatigued was not her body, but her mind... the events that had occurred since she arrived in the Kingdom were already enough for her to write a full-length novel.

Every single day brought her a new “surprise.”

Baron stood before her, reporting the delegation's current status in a low voice.

“Only three of the accompanying mages are confirmed alive, two of whom are heavily injured but currently stable. In the guard squad, eleven are dead, seven are heavily injured, and over thirty have sustained light injuries.”

His tone was steady, but his voice was much lower than usual.

“Regarding supplies, most of our potions have been consumed, several cargo carriages were destroyed, and some records have been lost, though the core documents remain safe.”

Venus listened quietly, her thoughts unreadable. Baron paused, then added:

“The Kingdom's side has already sent representatives to ask if we need assistance. Considering the complexity of last night's situation, I temporarily declined on the grounds that the embassy needs to conduct an internal inventory.”

Venus nodded gently.

“You did the right thing.”

Baron looked up at her, hesitating before speaking.

“Regarding the deaths of the accompanying mages, His Majesty will likely require an explanation.”

Venus fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly.

“The abyss is the enemy of all mankind.”

She raised her head, her tone much steadier than before.

“I will personally explain the situation to His Majesty. This is no longer just an issue with the Kingdom, nor is it a common diplomatic incident. Facing the abyss, no one can remain unaffected.”

Baron's silence served as agreement with Venus's words.

Although he had not directly participated in the main battlefield high in the sky last night, he had once stood on the front lines against the abyss in the Empire, so he had truly experienced the terror of the abyss firsthand.