The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Morian, breathing heavily, suddenly turned his head sharply to look at Charlotte, who was following closely behind, and said in a rapid voice:

"Where are the church's helpers in the Hall of Phenomena? Haven't they arrived yet?"

"They haven't arrived yet." Charlotte shook her head, her eyes also showing bitterness. "But I've already informed them."

Upon hearing this reply, Morian's expression turned even more unpleasant.

With just over a minute left, the probability of reinforcements arriving precisely at the last minute and resolving the problem is so slim it's practically a miracle.

This means they must find a way to solve this "trouble" that could destroy the city on their own.

Calm down! Think of a solution...

The immense pressure was almost suffocating; Morian suddenly turned and stared intently at Charlotte.

"Charlotte, can your 'wish' work on it? For example, can you just wish for this relic to stop?"

The girl was momentarily taken aback by the sudden question, but then a resolute determination, like burning one's boats, shone through her always clear, emerald-green eyes.

"Okay, I'll give it a try!" Charlotte nodded vigorously without backing down.

Before she finished speaking, she raised her left hand again, closed her eyes, and summoned the golden staff.

When she opened her eyes again, a pure light, imbued with a sacred meaning, shone deep within them:

"With my will as the fuel...with my spirit as the bridge!"

This time, the gathered light did not transform into a tiny butterfly, but instead outlined a pale golden figure radiating a soft glow. The figure had no facial features, but it clearly carried a more powerful and purer "willpower".

"O spirits of prayer, please restore peace to these relics before us!"

After receiving the command, the pale golden humanoid phantom slowly floated toward "Grey Paradise" in the back seat of the car.

It slowly spiraled around the "Rubik's Cube," extending arms made of light, seemingly trying to "touch" or "wrap" the relic.

But it lasted for less than two seconds before the phantom let out a silent sigh, and the light rapidly dimmed.

"Uh..."

Charlotte let out a muffled groan, her face turning somewhat pale.

It is clear that this prayer not only failed, but also caused a certain degree of backlash.

"I'm sorry, sir, this relic is far too valuable." Her lips were pressed tightly together, her eyes filled with resentment and sadness.

"Ugh—!"

The long-suppressed gale finally raged, coming from all directions with a mournful howl, whipping up sand and gravel that flew everywhere, and flattening withered grass.

At the same time, the dark clouds in the sky completely swallowed up the last glimmer of light, plunging the world into complete darkness.

All the signs seemed to foreshadow that final destruction was inevitable.

Morian stared blankly for a few seconds at the girl in front of him, whose eyes were dim and who was trembling slightly with frustration, and then at the "Grey Paradise" that was lying quietly in the carriage but was affecting the entire city.

Time slipped away relentlessly amidst the howling winds.

Suddenly, all the urgency on Morian's face vanished, replaced by an unusual calmness, and he spoke softly:

"It's alright, Charlotte."

"You've done enough. Now give me the Key of Chaos," he said softly, extending his hand.

Charlotte instinctively reached into her pocket, then mechanically handed over the silver key.

Her lips were still tightly pressed together, as if she hadn't mentally prepared herself for failure and was somewhat at a loss.

The moment he took the cold key, Morian's fingers trembled almost imperceptibly, but he immediately gripped it tightly.

He stopped looking at the girl before him, afraid that he would regret it because of fear and loneliness, and be unable to complete the decision he was about to make. Instead, he pointed the key forward and said without hesitation:

"Open up new paths."

As the spiritual essence was injected, starlight-like lines rapidly intertwined, and a "door" leading to the distant city of Bet quickly took shape before them.

The next moment, Charlotte suddenly felt an irresistible force on her shoulder. Before she could react, she lost her balance and involuntarily fell backward.

They leaned towards the newly opened entrance to the passageway, where starlight flowed.

Just as her body was about to disappear into the portal, her beautiful emerald eyes widened, filled with the pain of realization, and some other complex emotion.

The final image that the gaze lingers on is Morian standing in the howling wind, with the ominous gray sedan beside him...

"01 minute 00 seconds"

Watching Charlotte's figure completely disappear into the starlight tunnel, Morian didn't hesitate to use the key to make a swipe across the tunnel.

He could stay and try to deal with the "bomb" that could destroy the city, but he couldn't let Charlotte stay too; there was no need to add any more unnecessary sacrifices.

Even if the destruction sphere of "Grey Paradise" truly covers the entire city, keeping her as far away from the center of its arrival as possible might reduce the damage by a tiny bit.

Even a tiny bit would be fine.

Having done all this, Morian took a deep breath and focused on dealing with the relic before him.

He first tried the most direct method, attempting to use the "closure" effect of the "Key of Chaos" to terminate the process of "Grey Heaven".

As expected, it ended in failure.

Perhaps in the future, the "growth" or "completion" of the key will be able to achieve "closing" at the conceptual level, but it is not enough in the current state.

One minute... no, less than a minute left! What do we do?!

What should we do?! Think quickly! Think of something fast!

Morian's mind raced, one idea after another flashing through his mind, only to be quickly rejected.

"Record of events"...no... "Absorption"...no...

As all his abilities were eliminated one by one, a sense of despair gradually crept up his spine.

No... even if it's the most extreme method, we have to try!

Having figured this out, Morian suddenly drew his revolver from his waist and fired several shots at "Grey Paradise"!

The bullet struck the metal surface with a crisp clang and was easily deflected.

Then he conjured a blazing white spear and thrust it with all his might at "Gray Heaven," but the flames dissipated without leaving even a spark.

It was all a waste of time.

[00 minutes 30 seconds]

Is it really possible that we can only watch helplessly as the countdown reaches zero and wait for the end to come?

Under the intense pressure of urgency, Morian suddenly thought of a possibility that might be the "optimal solution".

Containment space!

Since it can seal off beings of that level, it means that the space is of an extremely high status.

Although it is unknown whether it can suppress "Grey Paradise", this is the last and only method that has not been tried and may have the corresponding "qualification"!

At least, it's an independent space isolated from reality. Even if things really take the worst turn, you can be confined to that space and kept out of the city.

However, this idea is full of unknowns and risks. Throwing "Grey Paradise" into it, who knows what chain reaction will occur?

Let's take a gamble! It's worth a try, and we absolutely must!

As his thoughts raced, Morian no longer hesitated and reached out to grab the ominous "Grey Heaven" Rubik's Cube.

At that very moment, the "end" arrived.

A raging hurricane swept across everything, and tiny snowflakes fell like a blanket of pale ashes, obscuring all vision.

Not far away, countless bolts of lightning struck the outline of the city of Bet, and all the buildings in the city began to silently crumble and fall apart.

Not just buildings, everything is falling apart, turning into countless black, tiny fragments that drift towards the inky black sky.

The whole world is losing all its original colors, rapidly turning into a lifeless gray and white!

In this world that is heading towards ultimate grayness, a "figure" that is indescribable and so vast that it occupies the entire sky slowly descends.

It was the outline of a creature with countless wings on its back, the feathers not pure white, but interspersed with streaks of bright red against a grayish-white background.

It has no torso in the conventional sense; at the center of its wings is a huge, cold pupil.

That pupil looked down down at the gray world, down at Morian, who was as insignificant as dust.

Faced with this incomprehensible being, Morian trembled uncontrollably, and even had an impulse to kneel down and worship on the spot.

To disrespect is to blaspheme!

That's not fear, but rather the instinctive sense of awe and insignificance that living beings feel when faced with a higher level of existence that they simply cannot contend with!

Just by gazing at that silhouette, Morian felt that all courage and schemes seemed so ridiculous and meaningless in the face of absolute disparity.

But this overwhelming spectacle did not last long before it began to recede like the tide.

Color returned to the world, and the surrounding scenery returned to the dim wilderness. The broken-down car was still tilted and parked on the side of the road, as if the scene had never happened.

Morian instantly regained his senses, gasping for breath, the shock and emptiness in his eyes gradually replaced by reason.

It's an illusion!

What you just saw was a final illusion created by "Grey Paradise" as it approached its final stage! But if it is not stopped in time, the illusion will soon become a reality.

Damn it... how long was I just spacing out?!

Morian gritted his teeth and looked sharply at the countdown timer flashing at the edge of his vision.

[00 minutes 10 seconds]

Only ten seconds left!

In other words, the illusion that just appeared wasted twenty precious seconds!

There was no time for fear, no time for regret; the instinct for survival overwhelmed all physical and emotional responses.

In a flash, Morian grasped the "Grey Paradise" and took seven steps forward steadily and swiftly.

When that familiar, unknown murmur rang in his ears again, he immediately opened his eyes, and seven large doors with strange patterns stood before him once more!

They stepped into that strange alternate dimension once again.

Without any further hesitation, he raised the "Grey Paradise" in his hand and threw it far into the depths of this boundless darkness and mist.

...Go talk to my alternate dimension.

Having done all this, Morian didn't dare linger for even half a second. He took seven steps back, just as he had come in, and silently prayed to return.

The surrounding darkness and mist gradually dissipated, and the fierce winds of the wilderness blew in our faces once more.

He returned to the real world, his hands empty!

The rest depends on whether the alternate dimension can accommodate "Grey Paradise".

"5..." Morian stared intently at the fluctuating numbers, silently counting down in his mind.

"4..."

"3..."

"2..."

He closed his eyes.

"1..."

zero.

……

A devastating energy eruption, and the apocalyptic scene from the illusion reappeared before our eyes, including the arrival of terrifying beings with wings on their backs.

None of these things happened.

Morian tentatively opened his eyes slowly.

The sky was still dark, but the low-hanging clouds began to recede at a visible speed.

The howling, fierce wind had weakened considerably, transforming into a cool, refreshing night breeze that gently brushed against my collar and the black hair on my forehead.

All around was quiet, except for the rustling of the wind through the grass and the gradually calming sound of my own heartbeat.

He won his bet.

The crisis is over.

Yes, he did it. He temporarily resolved a crisis that could have destroyed the city in the most risky way.

An indescribable sense of relief washed over him, and Morian's legs went weak. He leaned against the cold car body and slowly slid to the ground.

At this moment, all he could think of was how wonderful it is to be alive.

Just then, the roar of engines and blinding flashes of light came from the distant highway, and several black vehicles came to a stop at the edge of the grass.

The stern-faced Phenomenon Hall operatives and clergy dressed in church robes quickly and orderly emerged, instantly aligning themselves with the gray sedan.

Morian slumped beside the car, watching the belated officials take over the scene, and chuckled to himself.

The tired smile carried a sense of absurdity, as if he had survived a catastrophe, and a feeling of relief from a strong urge to complain.

So it turns out that in Hollywood movies, professionals always arrive only after the crisis is over... that's all true.