Chapter 325: Chapter 322: I’ve Been Waiting for You
If the mountain will not come to me, I will go to the mountain.
For ages, the Istani Kingdom had turned a blind eye to the Shadow City. Even when a Count or a Marquis became entangled, the matter was simply closed with an anonymous file. The disappearance of commoners was even less of a concern.
Until today, when all the "lost souls" crawled back from the Shadow Land.
"It seems the Iron Crown Knight Order won’t have to investigate after all." The Queen remained expressionless, calmly issuing commands in the face of the chaos outside. "The Golden Rose and Song of Leaves Knight Orders will defend the Royal Palace. Detach two squads to escort the nobility within the Royal Capital out of the city."
"The Iron Crown Knight Order and the Royal Guard will work to restore order. Any rioters caught looting or vandalizing are to be killed on sight. The priority is to extinguish all fires. We cannot allow a repeat of the great fire of Storm City."
"The Burning Lion and White Ashes Orders are to attempt to control the unidentified creatures. Do not attack rashly; attempt to communicate first. Only counterattack if they exhibit aggressive behavior. Notify the Magic Guild, and communicate with the Tower of Storms and the Tower of Time. Request support from their Casters. Summon Sir Isaac to the palace."
After the Queen issued her commands, the commander of the Burning Lion Knight Order hesitated before cautiously asking, "Should we contact the Church?"
"The Ise Church is useless in this situation..." However, a new thought occurred to the Queen. "We can organize the general populace to take refuge in the various churches." The city was full of churches, and the faithful never spared any expense in their construction. The churches in the capital are often the highest-quality stone buildings, serving as usable civil defense shelters for now.
The colossal Shepherds moved with some difficulty in the Material Realm. Having freed all their "sheep," they proceeded slowly toward the city’s edge.
Facing the throng of Mouse Speakers, Singrev took off the Iron Thorn Crown in front of them and casually handed it to Little Coal Ball, who was standing nearby. "Everyone’s left the Shadow Land, so my job is done! I’m a Dwarf, after all. How could I possibly be a king for all of you? I don’t know the first thing about kings or kingdoms. I’m much better suited to being an adventurer."
Clutching the crown, Little Coal Ball looked utterly lost. "Then... what should we do?"
The Minstrel patted her head. "Singrev’s right. If you ask me, you all should follow the Shepherds out of here."
Indeed, the last of the hulking Shepherds seemed to be waiting for something, looking back at the Mouse Speakers.
Little Coal Ball thought for a moment, then hugged both Singrev and Freddy. "Thank you."
The other Mouse Speakers did the same, hugging the Dwarf and the Minstrel one by one before hurrying to catch up with the Shepherd’s procession. Lastly, their Elder presented the two of them with cloaks made of rat skin.
"My back!" Hundreds of Mouse Speakers had come for a hug. The Minstrel started by bending over to match their height, but eventually just squatted, leaving him with an aching back and numb legs.
Rorschach and Caroline were hovering in the air, their forms concealed by an Illusion Technique. Rorschach’s fusion was still in progress, so his power had not yet reached its peak.
Once everything was ready, various points throughout the Shadow Land would "detonate" under his control. A Technique based on the Exile Skill and the Decomposition Skill would cover the entire domain. Caught in the conflict between these two forces, the Shadow Land would simultaneously detach from the surfaces of the Material and Symbolic Realms, briefly becoming an isolated plane.
Not even the Wise Man could predict what would happen after it became an isolated plane, though he had a few theories:
Ideally, the Shadow Land, having lost its anchor points in both realms, would collapse or implode on its own. That would be the best-case scenario, as Rorschach would no longer need to worry about it. Everything would be resolved.
However, it was also possible that the residual Divine Power contained within would erupt upon collapse, either shattering into smaller fragments or forming a shockwave of pollution that would impact the Material and Symbolic Realms. That could not be allowed. This was why the Wise Man’s Illusion was still making its final stand inside the Elf Holy Statue, activating the Lord of Order’s residual power to erupt in the form of "Light" and cleanse the "filth" from the Shadow Land.
’This old man is so powerful, and he really honors his agreements. He’s giving it his all, even after... well, he died and became a ghost, and he’s still stuck doing cleanup.’ Rorschach was genuinely moved.
"Rorschach, can we begin now?" Caroline asked, worried. Storm City was a scene of chaos and turmoil. She began trying to locate a Space Anchor on the continent, ready to grab Rorschach and flee at a moment’s notice.
Her student’s aura was already extraordinary. The most immediate sensation was the Magic Power in the environment converging on the young man beside her, a vortex that seemed to encompass the entire city.
Within the "eye of the storm" of Magic Power, Caroline didn’t feel immense pressure—a result of Rorschach’s control. But when she tried to prepare the Super-distance Teleportation Technique, she found the Magic Power difficult to command.
It felt like trying to breathe while walking into a gale.
"Wait a little longer. The degree of overlap between Storm City and the Shadow City is too high right now." ’If I set it off now, Storm City will suffer massive collateral damage. I’d be the supervillain who blew up the capital of a major kingdom.’
However, Rorschach’s brow furrowed as he realized things were not going according to plan.
On the bank of the Tams River, a magnificent building sprouted from the earth like a mushroom after rain, directly across from the West Church. It was the Inverted Church. Charred, thatched roofs appeared atop the burned-out buildings of Storm City. The waves of the river seemed to take on a life of their own, forming tentacles that grabbed passing ships, crushed them, and dragged them underwater.
Billowing smoke from the massive fires, laced with the glow of flames, dyed the sky the orange-red of twilight.
All signs indicated that the Shadow Land was being forced into the Material Realm... ’No, that’s not it,’ Rorschach realized. ’The entire Storm City is sinking into the Shadow Land!’ He sensed the earth beneath him boiling as a foul, restless power surged upward. He was all too familiar with it. It was Mother Earth!
The tall warhorses of the Iron Crown Knight Order galloped through the streets, only for thick tentacles to burst from the ground, snatching riders and their mounts into the air.
The Knight felt his chest about to be crushed through his deforming breastplate, the air forced from his lungs. He struggled to draw his longsword and hacked at the tentacle. To his horror, the pustules on its surface ruptured, instantly blanketing the entire street block in a toxic fog.
This Evil God had been lying dormant, waiting for Rorschach to break the seal and open the Teleportation Gate. At the last moment, She had greedily opened Her gaping maw. She was no longer content with just a piece of the Shadow City; She was trying to devour the entire Istani Royal Capital along with it.
Now, giant tentacles burst from the ground all over the city, rising high. Some spewed poison gas, while others shot countless fine needles, like a deadly cloud, from spiky sacs, slaughtering the charging Knights and gun-wielding lobster-men.
Rorschach could only divert some of his power, opening a Blue Light Barrier as large as he could manage. He expanded it to its limit, covering an entire city block. The fleeing crowds, discovering this sanctuary that could repel the tentacles, rushed into the safety of Rorschach’s protection.
’She’s invading from below... The Wise Man’s Illusion is still in the Deep Diving Area. If I detonate the Lord of Order’s power now, I can get rid of this disgusting creature...’
Rorschach tried to contact the Wise Man’s Illusion, reaching out with his senses toward the depths, but his perception was obscured by the chaotic fluctuations created by Mother Earth.
’Should I return to the Deep Diving Area?’
As he was weighing his options, space was suddenly torn open by another fissure, which pulsed with an immense suction force. Rorschach resisted it for a moment before the fissure’s pull ceased, and an old man appeared.
His appearance was one of extreme decay. His wavy hair was thin and withered, his hairline having retreated so far it nearly exposed his entire scalp. But the old man’s eyes were as wide as copper bells, brimming with endless vitality. He was dressed in the outdated traditional attire of Istani.
He raised a prism. As the scattered light swept past, it refracted unnaturally before Rorschach and Caroline’s illusion.
"Found you! Are you the source of this disaster?" The old man smiled. "Regardless, you’ve certainly accomplished something remarkable. So, please allow me to introduce myself: Sir Isaac, here on official orders!"
