My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 427 When Ashes Spread

Underworld.

The Grim Reaper, who was teaching Elena how to care for flowers, stood up and looked up, as if sensing something.

Has the disaster already occurred?

It seems I chose to close the underworld a little too late... I wonder if the backup plan I left behind will work as intended.

However, since that person still exists in the world of the living, it's not something she needs to worry about.

Before the ashes dissipate, the underworld must be completely shut down.

Otherwise... if the underworld is invaded by that great enemy with whom I have very poor compatibility, the trouble then will not be easy to resolve.

In the worst-case scenario, the entire underworld would have to be completely destroyed.

Now, we can only hope that person can resolve the troubles on the ground as soon as possible, and not let the boundary between life and death get out of control for too long, otherwise it will also be a troublesome matter... There are not many people in the underworld, and if Elena is forced to work overtime, the child will also throw a tantrum.

Irene also noticed the Grim Reaper's unusual behavior and asked, "Sir, what's wrong?"

"Hmm... the disaster we foresaw has come, but this time it will happen sooner than before."

"Perhaps this is the variable that comes with starting over. After all, not everything can be done exactly the same way again."

"As that person takes action, there will certainly be more and more of these unexpected changes."

"Irena, spare some of your power and deposit it in your oars and in that girl."

"Just in case."

Death began to give his serious instructions, his expression unusually grave: "You must prepare for the worst."

"From this moment on... the boundaries of the world will become increasingly fragile."

"The Dragon God's energy has been worn away over hundreds of thousands of years. Things that are repeatedly repaired and patched up will eventually become impossible to repair one day."

"Unless that person can..."

Death fell silent, looking up at the sky above the underworld, but his gaze was fixed on something even higher.

That's a tiny dimension above the sky.

Ordinary people in the world generally refer to it as the Temple of the Gods.

Although it's just a title marketed by the Vatican, there's nothing wrong with saying it that way.

The gods do indeed reside in that small, independent dimension.

After the end of the Age of Gods.

Mortals usually believe that the gods have disappeared, and even those powerful ancient magical beasts have vanished from the world, because of the decrease in the concentration of magic power.

That is indeed one of the reasons.

But in reality... it was all because of the damage to the world's boundaries. As time went by, a huge, irreparable hole finally appeared.

The Temple of the Gods was like a small patch; the gods, through their strong connection with the world, injected their power into it, thus plugging the leak.

As time passed and the cracks widened, the gods fell silent one by one, as they had to devote all their attention and strength to plugging the leaks.

Even now, only the most powerful goddesses of earth and fertility, and of truth and wisdom, are able to spare some of their strength and attention when under pressure.

But just like the Papacy City which suddenly spiraled out of control, no one knows how much longer the gods can hold on.

Maybe next year, maybe in the next second...

Hopefully, that person can learn a lesson from this incident.

If he had set off for the Papacy two days earlier, perhaps things wouldn't have deteriorated to the way they are now.

Death opened his eyes, which were closed most of the time, and waved his hand to summon a water mirror, reflecting the scene of reality.

The rapidly spreading ashes not only created twisted monsters, but also transformed the dead and the lingering souls of the dead into powerful and distorted puppets.

Ashes fell from their bodies, while the corpses, with their limbs and heads intact, were still burning with faint gray flames, stiffly moving their dead bodies to attack the living.

The mutilated corpses, with their missing parts engulfed in raging gray flames, are far more dangerous than those with intact limbs.

This phenomenon continues to spread.

Death's gaze continued to sweep across the city of the Holy See, piercing through the still-blazing Holy Temple.

Twelve saints, four cardinals, eight regional archbishops... almost all of the Vatican's top fighting force still stubbornly maintains the final seal.

They knew what was happening outside and the severity of the disaster.

But they cannot leave.

The absence of any of the Nine Rings Legendary powers would cause the already fragile seal to collapse instantly.

Then, an even more terrible disaster will occur.

At this very moment, outside the Papal City.

Following the orders of Blood Lord Danso, the demon team that delivered the large stabilizer to the Papal City had not yet returned. If Roland were here, he would immediately recognize this as the Thorn Team, with whom he had cooperated several times before.

Captain Cologne looked at Vice-Captain Reinitz: "Still can't get in touch?"

“No.” Reinitz shook his head: “Even the stabilizer is barely effective… but it can guarantee safety within a radius of one kilometer.”

"It doesn't matter whether those vermin from the Vatican believe in us or not. Even if it's just for our own protection, we have to take action."

"The others have already started setting up forward defensive positions. Fortunately, they didn't leave their weapons behind when they came."

“Those things that crawl out of the ashes are also manageable, and they won’t actively approach the range of the stabilizer’s influence.”

Cologne nodded: "The first goal is to protect the stabilizer. The second is to also insert the personal stabilizer and see if it can stabilize the situation."

"Besides, isn't there a single one of these guys who escaped from the Papacy who can get things done?"

Reinitz shook his head: "It is said that almost all of the Vatican's Ninth Rings are still in the city and have not yet come out. The situation is unclear."

"Those with eight rings are now going to two nearby towns to rescue people."

"We can't find anyone to communicate with."

"I can make the decision."

A somewhat disheveled Galileo approached and then presented his two credentials: "Whether in the name of the Papacy or the Society, I can make the decision; at least for now, there's no problem."

"Hello." Cologne politely extended his hand, a stone hand that was exaggeratedly large for a human.

Galileo paused for a moment, then grasped the other's hand and asked curiously, "What kind of machine is this? Why can it block the spread of those ashes?"

"This is His Majesty the Demon King's invention. Don't ask any more questions." Cologne glossed over the topic: "How many combat personnel do you have left?"

"We must hold on until the rescue arrives."

“My squad doesn’t have a lot of weapons and ammunition. As you can see, simple attacks can’t kill those creatures crawling out of the ashes, or those burning zombies.”

"However, it's clear that they're afraid of water. Water elemental attacks are often more effective, as are earth elemental spells."

"But we only have these elemental bullets. There are more and more things outside now, although they don't seem to be getting closer to the stabilizer's range of influence."

"But in my experience, if a stabilizer works, the object that makes it work will also have similar characteristics."

"For example, the development stage..."

As Cologne was speaking, a squad member came over: "Captain, the individual stabilizer isn't working."

"...Understood. Go and set up the defenses. Carve as many defensive barrier formations as possible. Don't worry about the money. After that person left, His Majesty the Demon King approved a large sum of funding! We can always get reimbursed when we get back!"

After dismissing his subordinates, Cologne turned to Galileo, whose expression was complicated, and said, "At present, if only the large stabilizer is effective, then it means that the situation has become serious to the third stage."

"Once it develops to the fourth stage... it won't be a simple matter to resolve then."

“A really serious situation will happen here then.”

As Cologne spoke, he looked up at the spot where the ashes were still emitting a faint, blinding light: "What is that place?"

“The Temple of the Azure Sky,” Galileo replied. “What is it?”

"If nothing unexpected happens, the fourth stage of the disaster will arrive once the light there goes out."

"Then we can die together."

"Heh, what a novel experience. I'm going to die in the same trench as humans. Interesting."

Galileo wiped the cold sweat from his brow and looked at the gargoyle before him, asking, "Is there really no way to solve this?"

Cologne shook his head: "The last time Enva experienced a fourth-stage disaster, it was only achieved through the sacrifice of the entire royal court."

"Even now, the entire Carrion Kingdom is still fighting against the disaster."

"The disaster was never resolved; it was simply dragged into another battlefield... This wasn't information I was supposed to know; it was told to me by that lord."

"If that person were here, they should be able to stop the fourth stage of the disaster, right?"

"After all, dealing with a three-stage disaster like this is a piece of cake for him."

"That sir?" Galileo became curious, his scholarly curiosity prompting him to imagine what kind of person was behind that title.

So much so that even the gargoyle of the extraordinary level in front of him dared not call him by his name directly, but only dared to use "that person" as a substitute.

Cologne nodded: "Although I was only fortunate enough to be assigned to his command and carry out two missions, he was already able to stop the fog disaster that had lasted for three hundred years in Enva."

"Although the plan has not yet been implemented and is still in the preparation stage, since His Majesty the Demon King has agreed to the plan, it proves that it will definitely work."

"So, the Demon King really has been resurrected?" Galileo asked in surprise. "I thought it was just a sensational story made up by bards."

Cologne gave Galileo a disdainful look, answering him with his eyes, before changing the subject: "Let's talk about reinforcements and defense now."

"Perhaps he will ultimately not escape death."

"But I'll live as long as I can."

(End of this chapter)