Chapter 208 – Invasion

Chapter 208 - Invasion

Boros's palm slash struck the bed beneath him, causing it to crack with a snap. The two demons instantly leaped off the mattress.

The noise was rather loud, and soon, knocks on the door echoed from outside, accompanied by Lu Rongyu's voice.

"Is everything alright in there?"

Fixing his gaze on Wen Ying, Boros stared for a long while. Eventually, he agitatedly scratched his hair, his face darkening as his mouth moved, clearly wanting to say something but unable to. His anger grew, and the surrounding demonic aura was affected by his power, gradually becoming perilous.

Outside the room, Lu Rongyu continued knocking persistently, three taps followed by a brief pause, then more knocking.

The demonic aura around Boros had transformed into a dangerous form. Uncontrollable black flames wrapped around him, eradicating the chill of early spring from the room, replacing it with a heat akin to standing at the edge of a volcano.

Lu Rongyu sensed the turmoil of the demonic aura inside. His expression shifted slightly, and noticing the powerful demonic energy that had erupted, his colleagues also emerged from their rooms, their faces solemn.

"One of you knows what's happening in there?" a colleague asked.

Lu Rongyu shook his head. "I came over after hearing some strange noises. It sounded like something was smashed, and then suddenly, the demonic aura of a hellhound burst forth."

Chang Ningsheng pushed through the crowd and approached the room's entrance. After closing his eyes to sense for a moment, he said, "The Hellhound's demonic aura conveys intense anger."

"Who provoked it?"

"They didn't seem angry when they came out of the cinema just now."

"Maybe the Hellhound watched that devilish movie on its phone…" The person's words were cut short as the room door suddenly flew out.

Literally flew out, kicked from inside the room and crashing into the corridor wall.

The exorcists who had been standing by the door felt the impending terror and immediately retreated, avoiding being hit by the flying door.

With the door gone, the exit to the room revealed the Hellhound's menacing frown. Black flames swirled around it, burning fiercely, reflecting the creature's escalating rage.

"Boros," it said in a cold, repressed voice filled with anger, "send me back to that island."

Chang Ningsheng cautiously asked, "Are you the only one returning, or is there someone… inside?"

Boros' furious gaze fell upon Chang Ningsheng, nearly forcing him to his knees under the vicious, bloodthirsty aura. Fear gripped his heart, uncontrollable and palpable.

"Only me," Beros declared firmly, striding out of the hotel with long steps.

The exorcists hurried to follow, fortunately, it was the middle of the night and there weren't many people around. However, with Cerberus's current appearance resembling an evil demon from the depths of hell, it would be difficult to manage the situation.

Chang Ningsheng promptly assigned his team to maintain order.

They had a rough idea why Cerberus was angry – it was because of the response from the Devil Mirror just now.

It was like a lovers' quarrel.

Wen Ying watched as Beros stormed out of the room, kicking the door open in anger, and let out a long sigh.

A few exorcists were still standing at the entrance. They stayed behind to clean up the mess. Without a room door, they could see the Devil Mirror standing inside, neither angry nor afraid, seemingly lost in thought with an air of tranquility.

Recalling Cerberus's furious demeanor and intimidating presence just moments ago, they suddenly felt great admiration for the Devil Mirror. He was truly brave.

The key point was that despite Cerberus's intense anger, the Devil Mirror wasn't injured at all. It was clear that the hellhound genuinely cared for him.

Considering the known temperament of the entire Cerberus race as recorded in books, the exorcists couldn't help but hold the Devil Mirror in even higher esteem.

Wen Ying was indeed lost in thought, pondering over the idea that "Beros must genuinely like him, given how agitated he was but still didn't act on it."

It was evident that Beros wouldn't be able to hold back if he stayed any longer, hence his furious departure.

Lowering his eyelids, Wen Ying felt a sense of melancholy. Previously, he had conspired with Muershi to tease the demon, leaving an impression in Beros's mind that he couldn't trust everything Wen Ying said. Now, he was reaping what he sowed.

But this matter was truly difficult for him to address.

"Would you like us to switch your room?"

The exorcist at the door had somehow entered without notice. Wen Ying's attention was drawn back by their voices. After refocusing, he replied, "Yes, please."

A few exorcists led Wen Ying to another room. Once there, he asked them to leave, closed the door, and lay on the bed, contemplating the life of a demon.

After an unknown period, half-awake and half-asleep, Wen Ying sensed a gaze upon him. He opened his eyes and casually glanced out the window, only to freeze in surprise. Sitting up as if startled from a deathbed, he stared in shock at the creature outside.

The creature had eight pairs of eyes, massive fangs, and repulsive saliva.

It was a spider, a gigantic spider monster... No, wait, the aura of magic suggested it was a magical beast.

Wen Ying's expression was filled with surprise and disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, making sure that the spider clinging to his window wasn't an illusion. Then, he quickly checked himself, confirming that he hadn't been affected by any mind-altering magic.

There were no magical beasts in the Human Realm; they only existed in the Demon Realm.

So, was this magical beast summoned by some exorcist from the Demon Realm to keep an eye on him, or... was it wild?

As if responding to Wen Ying's thoughts, various beast roars echoed outside the window, each distinct from the others.

Wen Ying's expression turned increasingly grave. There were many traces of magical beasts outside, mostly insignificant ones, but one more powerful presence was faintly discernible, like a veil obscuring its true strength, leaving only a vague outline.

If a magical beast of that level appeared in a human city, the casualties would be significant.

Back at home, Wen Ying's true self stirred from sleep, his gaze icy cold and devoid of any initial confusion upon waking up.

He threw off the covers, walked over to the window, and peered outside. In the dark cityscape of the night, several columns of flames shot up into the sky, drawing attention like fireworks. Distant cries of fear and sorrow reached his ears.

"Little Ying!"

Lin Tianbao and Wen Qinxue entered, both dressed in their pajamas.

"What's going on outside?" Lin Tianbao was extremely nervous. "Demons?"

"No," Wen Ying's expression was grave. "It's magical beasts, a great many of them."

Wen Qinxue looked out the window. Despite her efforts to suppress it, her voice still trembled as she spoke. "Little Ying, where did those magical beasts come from? Did the Extremists do this?"

Wen Ying's first thought was also the Extremists.

While the original Wen Ying was speaking with his parents at home, his mirror clone had efficiently dealt with the spider-like magical beasts trying to enter the hotel. He then took out the phone that represented his identity as an intern Chief Justice and called Ye Wang.

Ye Wang was also bewildered. He immediately contacted his subordinates, and soon they provided him with preliminary investigation results.

"Wen Ying sounded astonished. "No sign of the Extremists? Investigate more thoroughly."

The sudden incident caught Mu City's Disaster Control Department and the Church off guard. They promptly dispatched personnel to deal with the magical beasts appearing within the city. Medical exorcists equipped themselves to save the injured.

Though these randomly appearing magical beasts weren't of high rank, they posed a deadly threat to ordinary citizens. In just a dozen minutes, the death toll in Mu City skyrocketed to a horrifying number.

Fear gripped the population as panic spread. Countless terrified cries for help mixed with the scent of blood, turning Mu City into a veritable hell on earth.

Attacked in their homes, people panicked and rushed towards the Disaster Response Department for protection, but before they could go far, their throats were slashed by the sharp claws of swift magical beasts.

Several drones hovered above the city, their loudspeakers attached to them broadcasting an impassioned man's voice: "We've already requested assistance from the Disaster Response Departments of neighboring cities! Please, everyone, do not panic. Seek shelter nearby!"

"Our city's Disaster Response Department and the Church of the Archangel are currently dealing with the magical beasts. Help from other cities is on its way!"

The drones flew over the city, their excessively loud speakers drawing the attention of many beasts. Many were quickly shot down, their speakers destroyed by the creatures. Soon after, a new batch of drones was deployed, not only delivering notifications but also indirectly luring the magical beasts away, providing more opportunities for people to escape.

Perhaps it was the lingering aura of Berros that intimidated the magical beasts, for at the Auspicious Hotel, apart from a spider-like creature, there were no other beasts present.

The hotel manager dispatched staff to reassure the guests one by one. Two exorcists remained within the hotel while the rest ventured out to handle the beasts.

Wen Ying was in a terrible mood. He anxiously awaited Ye Wang's call inside the hotel, but when it didn't come, he hesitated for a moment. Hearing screams from outside, he leaped out of the window, unfolding his bat-like wings to fly toward the source of the noise.

His white figure streaked across the sky, causing those who witnessed it to believe he was a new predator. They cowered, seeking refuge wherever they deemed safe, trembling with fear and praying that the hunter wouldn't spot them.

These were all low-level magical beasts. Wen Ying retrieved enchanted weapons from his spatial bracelet, a whip unfurling from its staff form. Upon spotting a beast attacking humans, he swung it, coiling around the creature's tail and launching it into the air. From his platinum ring emerged a magic card that froze the beast in mid-air.

The frozen magical beast plummeted to the ground, shattering into ice shards upon impact.

Two figures huddled together in fear on the sidewalk, staring in astonishment at the non-human creature that had suddenly appeared before them.

"You..."

Just as one of them was about to speak, the white demon flapped its bat-like wings and vanished from their sight within seconds.

An Meng listened to the preliminary report of casualties coming through his earpiece, his brows knitted tightly in irritation. These magical beasts were no match for him, but the problem lay in their scattered nature – some hidden in the shadows. Ordinary people were utterly defenseless before them, and many lives had already been lost before exorcists could locate and deal with the beasts.

He had ordered higher-ranking exorcists to release their aura to intimidate and disperse the magical beasts, but in their panicked flight, there was a chance they would attack unsuspecting civilians they encountered. Such incidents had already occurred several times.

"The Extremists," An Meng pronounced each word in a hushed yet seething tone.

There were still far too few exorcists to cover the entire Mu City effectively.

Troops stationed in the outskirts of the city had been dispatched, and the sounds of gunfire and grenades echoed through the night. These noises ignited hope in the hearts of the ordinary citizens who heard them.

"Too scattered! Order the subordinates to clear a safe zone and gather the civilians nearby for protection."

"Report! Demonic presence detected!"

"Definitely the Extremists. Hurry up..."

"No, no, that demon is slaying magical beasts. It seems to be helping us."

"Isn't that the Demon Mirror from the live broadcast? It's the same one, right?"

As Wen Ying's mirror image was engaged in battling magical beasts outside, a butterfly, about a meter tall, silently flew into Wen Ying's residential area.

Wen Ying noticed the uninvited guest, and his furrowed brows could almost drive away flies. In this state, he couldn't make a move.

The mirror image swiftly flew back home.