SWNOVELXO Chapter 485: It Started
The woman then let out a deranged laugh. Her hands danced in the air, creating magic circle after magic circle.
The void started moving into many different worlds, one filled with toxic swamps, another filled with crystal. It kept moving until finally, it settled in front of a city with a huge gate.
In front of the gate, MingYue could see hundreds of Dragari lined up, wearing fully armored gear.
In front of the squad, there were a dozen elite Dragari, each of them giving off strength similar to the Dragari MingYue faced at the spire.
"Finally!"
The woman's hand moved again, casting out a grand spell. This time, smoke started coming out from the eyes as if they were being sacrificed.
"The All-Seeing Eye that pierces through the veils of time;
The Infinite Watcher beyond the realms of light and shadow;
Find exclusive stories on empire
The Weaver of Realities who binds the threads of every world."
It started shrinking in size to the point it became as small as a normal eyeball. Mingyue recognized it. That was the eye that Alex found in the spire.
The eye then moved around like it was alive, locking on the woman.
An otherworldly voice reverberated in the air. "Puny human, what do you wish for? Why did you summon me?"
"I want a way to gain more strength."
The eyeball gazed deeply, observing the woman. "A mana power system. I will send you to a world where it flourishes. How much you gain will depend on yourself. Do you accept?"
"Yes. How about the payment? Is it sufficient?"
"The soul is more than enough. There are more coming anyway," the otherworldly voice replied with a chuckle.
It then shone, shooting out energy toward the woman. In the next moment, it was as if the woman was never there.
The eyeball then turned its attention toward the Dragari army behind the tear. It moved, phasing through it.
Mingyue couldn't hear what happened in there. She could try to pass through the tears to the Dragari world, but she didn't want to take the risk. Now, there was something else she wanted to find out—what really happened on Alex's side.
The current information was already more than enough for her to get a picture of the cause.
The woman paid corrupt officials and used others' personal interests to make this blood sacrifice. With this knowledge, Alex would be able to make a list of potential enemies and then investigate them for a clearer picture.
The perpetrator was also still alive; they could look for them in the future.
Mingyue phased through the wall and then used her senses to look for Alex.
On the street, panic and chaos had already ensued. Mingyue now understood why the city was quickly taken down.
With the huge earthquake, many buildings collapsed, and people were in a panic, running away while sirens blared on the street. Unlike other cities, awakeners here often helped civilians.
This was because of the Suzaku Guild's influence—those with great power had greater responsibility.
Every awakener who folded their hands in an incident of this scale would be blacklisted by the guild, making their life harder to the point they would need to move to another city.
Usually, it wasn't a big problem for awakeners like them, but they had friends and family who were normal people, and this city was rare in that they could live safely without worrying about being bullied by awakeners.
The price of goods also made sense—it wasn't sky-high, allowing people to live in prosperity. This was all thanks to the Suzaku Guild. It made them heroes in the eyes of normal people but an eyesore for the elites.
Even though all subsidies came from Suzaku's own pocket and Edward's genius strategy, it raised a question among the people: why couldn't other cities follow suit?
It wasn't to the point of rebellion, but it still raised dissatisfaction, while some vocal ones would complain in public.
"With how scattered they are, no wonder they got caught off guard. The Dragari came in full force while the awakeners here fought with many burdens," Mingyue mumbled as she saw most of the awakeners were alone, only a few in groups of two or three.
She was sure they would all be massacred easily once the Dragari emerged. Reaching the mall, her eyes widened as she saw part of it had collapsed.
Alex and Emily were on top of the ruin, helping with the evacuation and trying to pull away the rubble.
"Any awakeners here? We need those with earth or telekinesis abilities!"
But before anyone could answer, another earthquake hit, this time followed by a strange phenomenon—the rubble started floating. People could feel the gravity in the area getting weaker.
One of the awakeners quickly frowned. She then warned, "Careful, this is a sign of a dungeon appearing."
But before anyone could respond, a scream reverberated in the air. "KYAAA!!! Help!"
"Monsters! They are coming, quick, run!"
"Someone call the Hunter Association!"
"Nooo! My son! They are eating my son!" A woman screamed, her voice tinged with sadness and desperation.
"Don't panic! Everyone, we have protocols in place—"
BAM! The awakener's head exploded like a watermelon before he could even finish his words. He then fell to the ground with a thud.
A Dragari with crimson scales stood, his hands dyed with the man's blood and brain matter. He then put it into his mouth like eating a delicacy.
"Exquisite. Your kind is really good to be reared as our food," he said with a menacing gaze.
"We are not your food!" young Alex shouted, without any fear. He then rallied the survivors. "Those that cannot fight, evacuate to the bunker. Those that can stand and face him."
This was part of the protocol created by the association.
At first, it was just the usual: move to a safe location, keep level-headed, and follow guidance to ensure effective and efficient movement.
However, through many cases like this one, the association perfected the protocol.