Apocalypse Villainess? Nah, I'm Nice

Since Marcus Monroe and his group had already arrived in Southreach, and for the express purpose of dealing with the Vortex, the city’s inhabitants could not refuse them—not even Maisie Joyce.

But at this stage, Maisie Joyce couldn’t possibly refuse them.

In fact, she couldn’t have asked for more!

Everyone knew where they stood.

For the time being, their goals were aligned.

Whether for the sake of Southreach or Bloodfall United City, this Vortex had to be dealt with.

Seeing Paige Summers again, a flash of shame flickered in Maisie Joyce’s eyes.

However, it was gone in an instant.

One look at the group that had arrived today and she understood. Bloodfall wasn’t planning to take advantage of the crisis; she had been the one with a petty mind.

’The destructive power of this Vortex is even greater than I imagined,’ she thought. ’If the people from Bloodfall have a way to solve this, I can openly admit my mistake! Compared to the safety and interests of Southreach, what does personal pride even matter?’

With this thought in mind, she sincerely invited Marcus Monroe and his group to observe the Vortex up close with her.

Marcus Monroe and the others who were seeing the Vortex for the first time couldn’t help but gasp when they arrived on site. They could see clearly that wherever the Vortex passed, it left the area scoured clean, with nothing remaining... Now, a good portion of Southreach was completely empty. A crowd of residents whose homes had once stood there gathered at the edge, their faces etched with misery and helplessness. Not even the Guardian Army could give them back their homes.

And the Vortex was still moving slowly, already nearing the Citadel.

The Citadel had long been cleared out. Even the lumber and anything else useful and movable had been taken away.

But this did nothing to soothe the residents’ panic and confusion!

Paige Summers gazed intently at the sky, her brow furrowed slightly.

”This Vortex... its color seems a bit lighter than when I saw it a few days ago...”

The Shaman, standing beside Rhonda Rhodes, heard this, and his eyes glinted.

”I’ll go take a look,” he said, then slowly walked directly under the Vortex.

Everyone else broke out in a cold sweat. They could feel the powerful suction of the Vortex even from the sidelines, to say nothing of standing right beneath it.

Many people from Southreach were stunned.

They had never seen the Shaman before and couldn’t help but wonder when Bloodfall had managed to recruit such a formidable figure.

But the Shaman paid no mind to their thoughts.

’This power and aura mixed within the Vortex is strange,’ he thought. ’It feels... familiar... I have to figure this out. What is going on?!’

He stood his ground as the Vortex’s suction whipped his clothes and hair upward, his body seemingly rooted to the spot, not moving in the slightest.

The onlookers were filled with amazement.

The Shaman stood there, pressed his palms together, and swiftly formed several hand seals. As he finished, he flicked a finger, and a nearly imperceptible, fine wisp of smoke shot from his fingertip, drawn upward by the Vortex’s suction.

Once he was done, he walked out from under the Vortex and sent a telepathic message to Rhonda Rhodes. ”We should have an answer in a little while. I can’t stand all these people crowding around. Tell them to get back to their business and stop being an eyesore!”

His tone was extremely capricious, but Rhonda Rhodes simply smiled good-naturedly and nodded.

She then turned to Paige Summers and the others. ”Wade has cast a tracking Spell. Everyone, please move back for now. With so many people here, the jumbled auras might affect its efficacy.”

Though her words were addressed to Paige Summers, everyone heard her.

Before she could say more, Maisie Joyce had already instructed the Guardian Army to persuade the residents to leave. Marcus Monroe also gestured to his teammates, and they all withdrew several hundred meters. Paige Summers and the others in her group also backed away.

The Shaman was finally satisfied. He lifted his robes, sat cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes to wait.

Rhonda Rhodes stood guard behind him.

Paige Summers watched in silence, sensing an unspoken understanding between the two.

Besides, Rhonda Rhodes had changed so much.

She used to be so cold and indifferent to everyone, but now, she was incredibly gentle with the Shaman.

It wasn’t a superficial kindness, but a genuine, voluntary tenderness.

A thought struck her.

’Could it be... they’ve really become a couple?’

’That’s... something I never expected...’

Just then, Marcus Monroe, who was beside her, silently took her hand. Paige Summers turned to look at him, and he was already looking back. Their eyes met, and they both couldn’t help but share a small smile.

When Paige Summers turned back around, she felt a sense of relief.

’I guess it makes sense,’ she thought. ’A Cultivator like Rhonda Rhodes will probably live for a very, very long time. It’s good for her to have a companion.’

’Being alone is, in the end, just too lonely.’

Time passed slowly. After about an hour, the Vortex had shifted significantly more towards the Citadel. Just then, a wisp of light smoke broke free from the Vortex and silently returned to the Shaman’s fingertip.

His expression changed slightly.

’I never thought it would be him!’

Sighing internally, he stood up and walked over to Paige Summers and her group. ”There are two options. The first is to break this Spell directly. That will require five people with enough physical strength to withstand the Vortex’s power. They will need to set up an Array to shatter the Spell from within. Naturally, this option is dangerous. The second option is to find the one who cast the Spell and kill them...”

He hesitated for a few seconds before continuing, ”If we do that, the Spell might be broken, but it also might spiral out of control. The Vortex could become even larger and more terrifying. I cannot predict the specific consequences.”

”It’s your decision. Think about what you want to do.”

Marcus Monroe paused, then turned to Maisie Joyce. ”City Lord Joyce, why don’t you gather all of your High-level Superpower Users and let this expert take his pick? Directly breaking the Vortex would be the best possible outcome.”

Maisie Joyce nodded and immediately sent Keith Preston to summon them.

The elites of the Power Corps, including the captains of the Hunting Parties, were assembled in no time.

The Shaman’s critical gaze swept over the group. After a long moment, he shook his head and pointed a single finger at Keith Preston. ”He’s barely acceptable. The rest won’t do.”

Maisie Joyce’s expression became grim.

’In all of sprawling Southreach, he could only choose one person... How are we supposed to break the Spell with this?’

She couldn’t help but turn her hopeful gaze toward Paige Summers.

Paige Summers, however, did not look at her.

Because at that moment, the Shaman was speaking to Marcus Monroe. ”You three, plus that one over there. That should be about enough.”

He was pointing at none other than Marcus Monroe, Paige Summers, and Sean Raines, as well as Zephyr Mercer, who was standing in the back!

Marcus Monroe raised an eyebrow, admitting that the man had a good eye, but... he stepped in front of Paige Summers. ”She can’t. Pick someone else.”

The Shaman met his gaze for a long moment, then scoffed. ”What do you know? She would be fine even if something happened to you. Her body is...”

Marcus Monroe cut him off with a frown. ”She is not going! If there’s no one else, then we’ll use the second method!”