Apocalypse Forecast

Chapter 625: Chapter 520 Ugly Role (Thanks to the Alliance Leader doraemons)_1

Long before the alarm sounded, Andrea’s companion, Huai Shi, lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. Amidst the anxious chaos of the students, a crisp sound resonated. The Wood Cottage, still deep in slumber, awoke abruptly, arching its body like a caterpillar and staring wide-eyed at the birdcage.

Had the cage been opened? By whom?

Then, the thing that made his scalp tingle unfolded before his eyes. Within the birdcage, the cold Source Substance, bound by countless Dream Cages, quivered slightly, as if death, having solidified into substance, began to boil once more. The out-of-control nuclear power station plunged into madness; after burning up all the cooling fluid, the frenzied reactor core began to melt down, radiating a thousandfold its former ferocity and cruelty.

In his daze, Lin Nineteen experienced a wondrous illusion: It was as if an eternal dream had shattered, and then, something within the dream started to awaken...

Behind the black cloth, one pair, two pairs, three pairs... countless pairs of crimson eyes emerged like a bloody nebula from the darkness. The black cloth began to deform, rapidly expanding.

”Get down!!!” Lin Nineteen yelled to Yuan Yuan without a second thought, then hunched down on the floor.

In the next instant, the black curtain was torn apart by a multitude of sharp bird beaks.

As thousands of misty, grey wings unfurled, shrill and piercing cries echoed throughout the entire train. When the Dream Cage abruptly opened, fluttering lights began to rise toward the vaulted roof of the carriage. Beneath these flickering lights, an ostentatious tide of mist burst forth from the cage, a hurricane erupting from the ground. Yuan Yuan instinctively raised her hand in front of her eyes and immediately felt an overwhelming tide sweep past her.

One after another, cold and fleeting silhouettes rapidly emerged, rising from the spreading mist. They spread their wings and cast their scarlet gaze downward, bestowing indifferent looks upon the terrestrial world below. In the blink of an eye, the Raven Tide spread, brushing past every individual and covering every carriage, arrogantly overlooking all the frenzied students. Under the cold and cruel scrutiny of those eyes, the previously agitated and chaotic atmosphere swiftly solidified.

When Lin Nineteen finally managed to turn over laboriously and crawl out of his sleeping bag, he saw those crimson eyes looking at him with a hint of scrutiny and judgment. The Wood Cottage froze in place.

Soon, the flock of ravens coldly shifted their gaze, looking toward the rustling sound beyond the carriage’s panels. A hint of anticipation began to glimmer in their crimson pupils. Silently, they spread their wings, shifted their sharp talons, and raised their long, keen beaks, which reflected the light, revealing the cold gleam of steel. They waited quietly, waited for the food to arrive, waited for it to obediently crawl onto their plates. And when countless toxic spiders crawled out from the crevices, they were met by eyes filled with mockery and ferocity.

In the brief silence, apart from the sharp cries, no turmoil or strife ensued. All the ravens suppressed their impulses, flapped their wings, and tapped their sharp claws, scrutinizing the food before them with patient anticipation. It wasn’t until the young man at the end of the carriage, his back to the mist, nonchalantly waved his hand.

In that instant, the gluttonous feast commenced.

With thousands of sharp, piercing cries, the dull mist instantly engulfed the endlessly swarming spiders. In the mist-covered area, one could vaguely discern cruelly fluttering wings, claws, and beaks. Sticky fluids, broken limbs, and organs kept falling from within. Rapidly shriveling, they disintegrated into torn pieces of paper before hitting the ground.

The malevolent intruders met their swift and decisive judgment in that moment—legs torn off, carapaces ripped apart, eyeballs pecked out, abdominal sacs torn to shreds. The venomous souls attached to the origami wailed silently, soon to be swallowed by the mist. Only nine high-hanging lamps soared silently in the carriage, coldly collecting the scattered Source Substance and casting it into the eternal Dream Cage.

The Candle-Holding Crow coldly patrolled the battlefield, looking down from above. A staggering figure flashed by, then quickly vanished, hiding in the darkness. Beneath his raincoat, Quin was drenched in sweat, his face pale, suppressing the urge to pant heavily.

It felt as though hundreds of bird beaks had suddenly plunged into my brain, stirring it, and my vision went dark in waves.

Although they’re only origami, the souls attached to these papers stem from the Legion Contract I signed with the Hell Swarm. They’re nurtured with my Source Substance regularly and share a faint connection with me, which allows for easy control. But now, the ravens’ attack actually managed to affect Quin through that very connection, conveying every bit of the pulverizing pain. This made him genuinely feel terror.

The spider tide tactic, which had always been unbeatable, thus faced an abrupt setback. But soon, a mocking smile spread across his face.

Eat, go ahead and eat, eat more! he thought. Even if they haven’t yet evolved into human-faced spiders and are merely juveniles, the Source Substance inside them has already transformed and become highly toxic. A single spider’s Source Substance venom is enough to kill everyone in an entire building. The more they eat, the faster they die! I don’t know what kind of Alien Species these ravens are, but there’s no doubt a lethal dose has accumulated within their bodies. Maybe even their keepers are already tainted!

With such a sneer, he once again painfully spurred the spider tide. Time after time, the piercing pain brought moments of dizziness. His movements involuntarily paused slightly, his mind filled with countless tumbling, colliding thoughts. Inexplicably, he blurted out, ”Holy!”

BOOM!

The Howl of the Mountain Monarch sounded as the giant sword roared, descending.

It missed.

In an instant eruption of movement, Yuan Yuan covered dozens of meters. Her Sword Blade tore through rows of seats and the floor like a hot knife through butter, embedding deeply into the decking. Everyone was stunned, staring at her in astonishment.

”What happened?” Lin Nineteen asked.

An illusion? the girl in the gray skirt wondered, furrowing her eyebrows as she recalled the strange voice that had suddenly appeared in the carriage. She turned around and ordered, ”Everyone return to your seats and follow the emergency protocols! Wait for rescue in your groups until the teacher returns. Unless necessary, do not run around in the carriage!”

Having said that, she drew her greatsword and stood at the entrance of the carriage, propping the oversized blade at the doorway. Seeing her slender figure step forward, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

It was essential for someone to take the lead in a critical moment. No matter who took on this responsibility, it wasn’t the time for others to hold back. The restless atmosphere in the compartment quickly dissipated under the watchful presence of the ravens and their hunt, returning to a state of calm. With their senses regained, they began to tend to a student who had accidentally been bitten by a spider. Order was restored.

Passing by Yuan Yuan like a Phantom, Quin, under his raincoat, moved his hand slightly, then sulkily lowered it, choosing not to harm this group of students. Instead, his gaze fell on Andrea’s location. Two Curved Swords silently slid out from the scabbards at his waist...

”Spider Tide Tactics.” After the spiders invaded the carriage, Andrea rifled through the remains before her. Using tweezers, she picked up a piece of patterned paper and nodded knowingly. ”It seems an old friend is behind this.”

”You know him?” Huai Shi asked.

”Harry Quinn, the jester in the troupe, a troublesome fellow.” Andrea tossed away the tweezers along with what she held, dusted off her hands as she stood, and said, ”He must have already slipped inside the carriage. Be careful. That man is a grandmaster from the French Foil Association. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to—”

Before she could finish, a sharp metallic glint, like a shooting star, pierced through the torn decking and flew towards her. Like Blooming Flowers in an instant, the Sword Blade flitted about erratically, making it hard to discern its trajectory. Yet, in the blink of an eye, it slashed towards Andrea’s throat.

Faster than the flash was Huai Shi.

The Banner emerged from nowhere and descended. The rolling darkness instantly howled and expanded, engulfing everything around it. The Buried Sacred Place had descended upon this location. Candle-Holding Crows rose from the darkness, plunging down towards Harry Quinn like a waterfall.

The moment the darkness swept over him, Quin’s vision darkened, and he twitched involuntarily. Fearful spasms. An overwhelming panic surged from deep within his consciousness, as if he were once again seeing endless blood intertwined with a ferocious silhouette rising from the Abyss, a thousand Evil Eyes casting a cold glance at him. Scenes from his nightmares resurfaced, shaking his consciousness.

When he regained his senses, he did not hesitate and quickly retreated. The raven’s blade-like feathers had already torn through his raincoat, leaving a deep gash on his arm. He staggered back, desperately fading into the air. The sound of the breaking Curtain of Sands suggested it would not hold out much longer.

Quin, still reeling from the shock, looked towards the young man in the swirling darkness, his eyes filled with deep caution. So much Source Substance poison, and he hasn’t died? Soon, the prickly itching on the wound, where small eyes and grotesque lumps of flesh were rapidly growing, answered his question. The Abyss’s fierce venom had parasitized his wound and was starting to spread rapidly. My opponent... he’s even more poisonous than I am!

Harry Quinn clenched his teeth, drew his Curved Sword, and struck down. An arm was severed. But what fell to the ground turned into a length of brightly colored sleeve. His injuries were clearly severe, his complexion growing paler.

But when he looked up, his face now bore a grotesquely exaggerated Roman mask, its corners curled in a perpetually mocking smile. Yet, cold killing intent loomed in the eyes beneath it.

With so many students present in the narrow confines of the carriage, they’re living hostages, a natural restraint for Andrea. Even though she could easily burn me to ashes with her terrifying Firepower in a direct confrontation, here she can’t use her Power without restraint. Therefore, the biggest threat to me is that unfamiliar young man... If I’ve guessed correctly, the Crow Flock was summoned by him.

In my mind, countless Stigmata records are rapidly being compared... yes, I’ve locked onto the features of a Soloist from the Heavenly Kingdom Genealogy. That Banner is clear evidence. A Stigma leaning towards support and command means there are probably more Legions hiding in his darkness... but it also means that once I bypass his Legions, that young man will be the easiest target!

On the mask, his smile grew more ferocious. His Curved Swords unfurled like wings from beneath his raincoat. He lunged!