Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Despite Archie's persuasion, Albert remained motionless. Lann frowned but had no time to wait for someone to snap out of it, so he simply ignored Albert and continued in the direction he believed in.

As he passed by Albert, the previously still blond man suddenly moved, lifting his hand with golden flames blazing in his palm, while a hint of pain appeared on Albert's face.

"Lann!" As the flames ignited, Archie felt a bad premonition and anxiously tried to intervene.

Too late.

Albert's hand touched Lann's shoulder.

Nothing happened.

Confused, Lann turned around, glanced at his shoulder wrapped in golden flames, and then back at Albert.

What's this? Some kind of trick?

Albert murmured in confusion, "Why you..."

Why are you unharmed?

"Sorry, we're in a hurry," Lann said, not understanding but still brushing Albert's hand away. "I still have to settle scores with Soren Hog. You can come along, whatever your condition, but don't hinder me."

With that, Lann, leading Edmund, continued forward.

Archie hurried over, casting a complex look at Albert, especially at his burned hand.

Ultimately, Archie said nothing and followed behind Lann.

Albert stood frozen in place for a long time, then looked down at his palm.

In just a couple of seconds, clear burn marks had appeared on his hand, the pain searing to the bone, confirming that his origin power, 'The Judge,' was indeed active.

As Amos had guessed, Albert's origin power was indeed linked to sin. By human societal moral standards, the more 'sin' the target is tainted with, the greater the damage caused.

Conversely, the backlash is significant. If Albert himself is stained with sin, this power can also harm him.

But why...

This was the first time Albert encountered someone completely immune to his power. Generally, unless it's a newborn baby or a purely good person or saint, most humans bear some sin.

It's even more so for aberrations; Albert's power, based on human moral standards, is effective on them as well.

But now, why is it completely ineffective against Lann?

Albert was utterly bewildered.

If even his abilities were ineffective... what could he do?

Subconsciously, Albert followed them, maintaining a not-too-close, not-too-distant distance.

Lann was unaware of Albert's internal turmoil. His sole focus was on thwarting the foreigners' conspiracy; he couldn’t afford to think about anything else.

He had already disrupted the hospital's magic circle, yet the outcome was still unfolding like in his previous life...

No, perhaps the butterfly had already begun to flap its wings from the start?

Lann’s feelings were incredibly complex.

Eventually, Lann arrived at the clearing.

No, it would be more accurate to say the former site of Miskatonic University.

The site had been transformed from a campus to a barren space due to the foreigners' conspiracy, and the memories of the people in Arkham City had been completely overwritten. No one remembered what this place used to be.

The teachers and students of Miskatonic University had disappeared from this world and from people’s memories forever.

This was also the fate of Arkham City in his previous life. If things continued on the trajectory he remembered, soon everyone in this city would vanish.

Such a heavy burden.

When Lann approached the clearing, he noticed a few scattered players hiding and whispering to one another.

Seeing Lann leading Edmund, the players first looked stunned, then their expressions visibly brightened with excitement.

Lann, sensing an opportunity, waved at the group.

The players eagerly approached, and before they could speak, Lann asked, “What brings you here?”

A player with the ID 'Humble Corporate Slave' answered, “We noticed this area didn’t have any anomalies, so we got curious and came to check. We saw a white-haired man inside.”

And, as expected, that should be the leader of the foreigners!

During the previous hospital disturbance, the foreigners’ leader's photo had already spread on the forum, and most players recognized that face. Humble Corporate Slave and others had come out of curiosity, not expecting to encounter such a big fish!

They were outside, waiting for friends to gather for a group battle, having already posted their coordinates on the player's forum. Players from all over Arkham City were trying to get there.

And now seeing Lann too, what was this? This was clearly a prelude to the final showdown!

Lann thought for a moment: “Perfect, I have a task for you.”

……

Soon.

The time is nearly here.

Soren sat on a large stone, eyes closed, conserving his energy, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

After a rest, he had somewhat recovered from the exhaustion of using secret magic earlier. His missing arm had regrown, but compared to a normal arm, the new one resembled a withered tree branch - dark, thin, skin and bones.

He endured waves of weakness and pain from the depths of his soul, a pain that was relentless as long as he was on this land. Just as he had heard in his homeland, the human world truly was a land of divine punishment.

But soon, he would be able to return.

Opening his eyes, Soren's hollow, dark gaze showed a hint of crazed obsession for the first time.

“You’ve come.”

He spoke to the mist ahead.

Lann’s figure slowly emerged from the mist, gazing directly at Soren seated not far away, then his gaze shifted, scanning the surroundings.

They called it the old site of the Mida Institute, but there was nothing left here now, just bare land.

"Do you miss it here, the place where you first descended?" Soren jumped down from the rock, his bare feet touching the ground, emitting faint wisps of black smoke from the soles.

"I don't remember."

"I'll take that as a yes," Soren chuckled. "I didn't expect you to actually come here. I underestimated you."

"Your followers, they truly were an eye-opener for me."

At this moment, Lann almost lost his typically indifferent composure.

I'm not, I don't have any, those people have nothing to do with me...

But in the end, he painfully swallowed these words back. He looked intently at Soren, surprised to find that his condition seemed rather poor. Apart from the obviously abnormal arm, there were new wrinkles and an aged appearance on his face.

Compared to last time, Soren seemed to have aged another decade, increasingly fitting the image of his twilight years.

Noticing Lann's gaze, Soren touched his arm: "Curious about this? This was the price paid to bring you to Arkham Hospital."

"I thought I might fail, but in the end, fate still sides with me."

A faint smile appeared on his lips: "I should even thank you. I don't know what you did in the hospital, but I've got the coordinates I wanted."

After speaking, he looked up at the sky. The sky over Arkham was covered in fog. Lann suddenly had a bad premonition: "Isn't the lunar eclipse three days from now?"

"Unfortunately, I had the meteorological bureau delay it a bit," said Soren. "It might be a bit underhanded, but I'm too old to wait any longer. This time, I will open the gates to the world of dreams."

Above the fog, the moon's light was gradually obscured by shadows.

The unique celestial event brought with it special magic, causing the runes in Arkham's sewer system to emit a faint glow. Simultaneously, black blood flowed from beneath Soren's feet, gradually forming a mysterious pattern on the ground.

"Do you think I will let you complete this?" Lann asked.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from behind him. Soren looked towards him, then at the dense crowd of figures emerging behind him.

They were players, their faces alight with excitement.

"Charge! The boss fight has begun!"

At a player's loud cry, the group surged forward eagerly, fearing they'd miss their chance to engage the boss.

"Of course... I don't think so."

Soren spoke as the teleportation circle beneath his feet completed. A burst of silver light flashed, and multiple adult men in black bodysuits appeared, each holding various weapons.

Suddenly appearing in an open field, they were faced with the ferocious expressions of players. Yet, this group displayed no signs of disturbance, skillfully confronting the players.

Their expressions were blank and lifeless, contrasting with their ruthless actions, like soldiers accustomed to killing, silent yet deadly.

The players initially didn't fare well, but that didn't matter. What players fear least is risking their lives.

The open field instantly transformed into a frenzied battlefield, filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions.

Amidst the chaotic combat, Soren and Lann stood at a distance, facing each other, as if by tacit agreement, neither making a move.

Suddenly, Soren tilted his head.

He noticed that the clown, who had been led by Lann earlier, seemed to have disappeared.

“Heehee hahahaha~”

Soren’s ears twitched slightly. To his left rear, the clown had, at some point, taken advantage of the chaotic battlefield to approach. His eyes focused solely on Soren, the strongest individual on the field besides Lann. With a mouth grotesquely stretched to his ears, he hurled a throwing knife directly at Soren.

Soren didn’t move, nor did he pay attention to the attack, leaving his back completely exposed.

However, the clown’s knife didn’t hit its mark. A dark figure appeared behind Soren out of nowhere, blocking the knife for him.

“Heehee, huh?”

Lann looked towards the large figure that appeared behind Soren, murmuring, “A C-class anomaly, a cannibal ghoul?”

It wasn’t just one; Algie had also tried to get close to Soren but was similarly blocked by another entity.

C-class anomaly, Stone Wall Ape

Two C-class anomalies, along with others sufficient to delay Algie and Edmund, especially Algie. In his fully crazed state, his combat ability could match a high-ranking C-class anomaly, but once out of that madness, his strength declined, making it quite challenging to face a C-class anomaly.

It was unclear how Soren managed to gather this group of fighters, who, one by one, fought like ancient warriors, never retreating, even willing to engage in life-risking tactics with the players. The battle quickly became intense.

Player Channel

Their Target: Damn, what’s up with these guys? I stabbed this guy in the thigh and he didn’t even flinch. Thought they had pain suppression activated or something.

Little Blackie: Might be puppets created by magic, or hypnotized, maybe. Man, this is tough to fight.

Courting Ritual: That's just your bad dice luck (smirking). Look how many I've taken down. Today I'm a war god favored by the Dice Goddess!

Bomb Guy: Hmph, you guys are all talk. Listen to me! We need to unite, like this...

Courting Ritual: Damn, that's harsh, but it could work.

Little Blackie: What about the rewards? Right now, we get 10 contribution points for each enemy taken down.

Bomb Guy: The system referee will distribute it automatically based on contribution.

Courting Ritual: Ok then!

What is he waiting for? Soren squinted at Lann not far away, unable to understand why he hadn't made a move yet.

He's waiting for the moment of the total lunar eclipse, but what is Lann waiting for?

Could it be... he's also waiting for the gate to open, to return to the dream world?

Soren's expression grew more serious. He noticed that the situation on the field seemed a bit off. The previously disorganized players suddenly coordinated, those who were close to penetrating his side retreated, subtly encircling the death warriors he had summoned.

Are they...

Before Soren could fully comprehend, a barrage of hand grenades was suddenly thrown into the circle. Soren's eyes narrowed as an invisible barrier instantly blocked the grenades outside.

"Damn."

A player couldn't help but curse aloud, almost forgetting that the boss could use magic.

In a rush, Bomb Guy held a grenade in his hand and charged directly into the range of the death warriors.

Surprisingly, there seemed to be no barrier stopping him. Bomb Guy was elated and then charged straight into the densest part of the group.

Bang!

The human bomb exploded, instantly taking several death warriors with him.

"There's actually this method!" The remaining players' eyes lit up.

Not all players dared to sacrifice their characters, but for some whose cards were not combat-oriented and had already been injured in previous battles, a new strategy seemed to dawn.

Keep in mind that these contribution points are directly linked to their accounts; getting a new card would also allow them to claim rewards!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

More explosions. Several players, gripping bombs and grenades, fearlessly charged into the group of fanatical fighters. One even quickly glanced around and rushed into the battlefield near Alchi, grabbing a Class-C anomaly.

Bang!

Caught off guard, the cannibalistic ghost was critically injured by the explosion and beheaded by Edmund.

Nearby Channel

I Hate Broccoli: Hahaha! A whole 100 contribution points! Hit the jackpot!

Bomb Man: Damn

Courtship Ritual: Damn

Endurance: I'm jealous again, mad

I Hate Broccoli's message was broadcasted on the nearby channel, seen by all players. They all looked covetously at the only remaining Class-C anomaly.

"Mine! It's mine!"

"Back off, it's mine, don’t you dare steal it!"

"Charge! Let’s get assists and snatch the boss."

Madness, weirdness, incomprehensible.

Watching the players' behavior, Soren couldn't help but take a cold breath, his gaze towards Lann changing once again.

Even after so long as the foreign deity's high priest, he had seldom seen such fanatically devout followers. The death squad was his creation, forged through arcane secrets, but they lacked adaptability, blindly slaughtering, just as now. The players cleverly herded them together for a bomb blast, yet these puppets only knew instinctive killing.

It's like dealing with a true deity, the terrifying speed at which such zealous faith spreads.

Soren wasn't without other means. In fact, if he focused his full attention on these players, he could annihilate them in under five minutes, two of which would be spent dealing with Edmund and Alchi.

But most of his energies were currently dedicated to maintaining the grand ritualistic magic enveloping Arkham. Just summoning two Class-C anomalies and sustaining the defensive barrier was a strain.

Of course, Soren had other contingencies, but his greatest concern remained the yet-to-act Lann. Until Lann made a move, he dared not act rashly.

Unbeknownst to him, the seemingly effortless Lann was also pondering how to take down the boss.

The current situation clearly indicated a lack of firepower...

With the players' levels not high and requiring several of them, even with weapons, to deal with a Class-D anomaly, let alone Class-C, which seemed a realm only NPCs could tackle.

And Soren... frankly, Lann had no idea of his combat strength, but judging from his ability to summon and control Class-C anomalies, he was obviously a force beyond the current version's scope.

Could players of that time really defeat such a boss? What was the game's official stance on this apparent bug? Wouldn't players protest?

Or perhaps, the narrative already provided a glimmer of hope to defeat the boss?

Suddenly, Lann had an idea and glanced back.

Albert's figure had disappeared.

It seemed there was no need for his reminder; the undercover agent from the Inspection Bureau clearly knew what to do.

The Class-C anomaly exploded under the players' assault, and with the last mini-boss downed, the advantage finally swung back to the players.

The remaining players now eyed Soren Hog, the remaining big boss, with renewed determination. The success of the human bomb tactic greatly boosted morale, even stirring them to try if the same method could be used to take down the boss.

Just consider that even a minor boss could yield over 100 contribution points. Who knows how many might be earned from defeating Soren.

As Alchi and Edmund freed themselves up to confront Soren, the foreign deity’s boss finally began to lose his composure.

Black shadows spread from his feet, and anyone touched by these shadows developed black spots on their face. The players at the forefront fell down in confusion.

[You have been afflicted with the Shadow Curse, debuff effect: Constitution permanently decreased by 5, HP and MP decrease by 2 per second, strength decreased by 10 points…]

Player Channel

Courtship Ritual: Damn, what is this thing! So cheating, it even applies debuffs!

The players were already near death after that round. This effect was like adding fuel to the fire. Many couldn't last more than a few seconds before falling dead, raging helplessly in their deathly stasis.

Bomb Man: Too much cheating, how do we even fight this (annoyed

Odd and Even: Is the game developer kidding? They never intended for players to clear this dungeon, did they?

Green on Top: No, wait, look at the boss!

After releasing the wide-reaching curse, Soren paid the price for his distraction. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, mixed with viscera. Black blood containing something wriggling within, his teeth falling one by one to the ground. He couldn’t help but cover his mouth, his complexion growing even more ghastly. The barrier that stood before him vanished, indicating his diminishing strength.

An opportunity!

Those hidden in the mist realized this at the same time.

Albert couldn't hold back any longer. Emerging from the mist, he lunged towards Soren.

Soren, who was half-kneeling and coughing, sharply turned his head. His nearly blind eyes seemed to catch a glimpse of Albert’s conspicuous blond hair, a flicker of apprehension in his eyes as he extended his hand towards him.

But he couldn't cast his spell.

Just seconds earlier, as Soren’s gaze briefly shifted away from Lann, a player with the ID 'Humble Office Worker' emerged from stealth and excitedly approached Lann.

"Mission accomplished, we've set it up!"

A hint of a smile finally appeared in Lann's eyes as he nodded at him: "Well done."

Before entering the old site of the Secret Society and meeting Soren, Lann had assigned this player a task: to set up a ritual formation.

This formation was the same one Amos had previously used in the apartment to capture Lann. Lann had memorized it, preparing for the day it might be useful.

The ritual was complex in description, yet not so intricate in practice, feasible even for an ordinary person, albeit with less effectiveness.

But this could be compensated by another ritual involving human sacrifice.

Designating the target for sealing was quite simple: placing an item carrying the target's essence, preferably blood, nails, or hair, in the center of the formation would suffice.

The players found Soren's lost hair on a large stone he had been near and carved the formation in an area shrouded in mist.

Lann had been waiting for their message of completion. With so many deaths here, including two Class-C anomalies, the conditions for activating the formation were met, breaking through the original requirement of a specific time.

The sealing had begun.

Soren failed to cast his spell, his usually fluid magical energy suddenly becoming unresponsive. Albert sensed this and knew who was creating this opportunity.

Golden flames reignited around his entire body, turning Albert almost into a man of fire. This pain was akin to being consumed by fierce flames, but Albert endured without breaking his ability. He lunged at Soren, embracing him to let the flames that burned sin sear him too.

"Ahhhhhh!" Soren let out an agonizing scream, struggling to break free, but Albert held him tight. The flames scorched both their bodies, their souls seemingly crying out in anguish.

"It's you! Aiken... let go!"

"So you do know about my ability."

A brief, pained smile flickered across Albert's face, then it twisted into ferocity again, his eyes resolute: "Cancel the opening ceremony!"

"Impossible!"