The black sun hangs high

Chapter 221 Late Night Visit
So Hugh repeated what he had done before.

Under the thick darkness of night, as Hugh watched the Dark Abyss offspring being wantonly torn apart by the Touch of Karron, and the broken corpse enveloped in slime, Hugh suddenly realized that he seemed to have really changed a lot.

He probably wouldn't have been able to do these things in the past.

Deception, slaughter, feeding one's enemies alive to inhuman monsters, and then appropriating the monsters' power for oneself...

Throughout this process, Hughes found that he didn't experience much emotional fluctuation.

The horrific scene unfolding before their eyes was as commonplace as eating and drinking.

Some unnecessary pity, sympathy, and compassion flashed through my mind, but they were immediately ground to dust in front of the slowly rotating metal disc, leaving no trace.

Hughes silently felt the subtle vibrations emanating from the massive, complex metal disc, much like a child who had never known time hearing the chimes of a clock for the first time.

"Time is of the essence, time is of the essence..."

He repeatedly warned himself in his heart, and then the Mirror Messenger surged out of the mist, devouring the shattered Dark Abyss offspring.

Such actions naturally provoked a fierce reaction from the main bodies of the Dark Abyss offspring.

In the dead of night, their actions became more intense and ferocious. Faced with Hugh, the bandit who repeatedly hunted his own kind and wantonly "seized" his power, the terrifying offspring finally came to a deeper understanding of the emotion of "anger," and a terrifying wave of death appeared once again.

The clouds obscured the moonlight, and amidst the scattered snowflakes, a three-tailed giant rat, its entire body shrouded in the mist of the dark abyss, ran wildly along the road.

Having successfully fought against the death tide of the Dark Abyss' offspring, Hugh had a considerable psychological preparation for this terrifying phenomenon. With the help of the scattered rat swarms, he precisely and quickly devised a route.

Thus, Hugh successfully avoided the neighborhoods where survivors lived. He deliberately led the pursuing Dark Abyss offspring in a wide circle within the city of Seren. After confirming that the conditions were right, he released as much magic as possible to obscure the Dark Abyss offspring's senses, completely erasing his and the Runaway Rats' tracks and presence.

In the early hours of the morning, the terrifying chase that had shaken almost half of the city of Seren finally came to an end.

Hughes finally managed to reach the vicinity of the Legal Affairs Committee branch.

Hughes was very familiar with the buildings here.

He also recalled that, before the armistice celebrations, he had a direct confrontation with a dangerous sword-wielding hermit in this very neighborhood…

This place isn't too far from the old Schubert's beer hall... Of course, there's neither a beer hall nor anyone drinking here now.

Hugh gently patted the running rat's head, then jumped off its back.

Faced with the encouragement and gratitude from its summoner, Sniggy yawned nonchalantly and then vanished into thin air. It had already consumed quite a bit of Dark Abyss Power Essence, which Hugh had allocated to it earlier. This kind of stimulating run was just a post-meal digestion exercise for it, not hard work at all, and even somewhat enjoyable.

There are noticeably more traces of magic in this neighborhood.

In Hugh's magical perception, there were subtle traces of ritual everywhere. At the crossroads ahead, he even saw an abandoned bunker. Just as Bourwa had said, the members of the Legal Committee branch had taken many measures to deal with the terrible situation in the city, but unfortunately, all of these attempts had ultimately failed.

Not far away, the buildings belonging to the Legislative Affairs Commission's branch stood silently under the night sky.

Unlike the other survivor settlements, these buildings still had scattered lights at night, indicating that there were indeed still people active inside the Legal Committee's premises.

Hughes slowly walked toward the wall that had been subjected to the ritual of permanence.

In his memory, these walls used to be very splendid, but now their surfaces have become dilapidated, with traces left by the Dark Abyss' offspring climbing over them everywhere. Hugh even saw burn marks from alchemical bomb explosions and bullet holes left by crystal bullets.

Hugh had no way of tracing the origin of these traces. They might have come from the city's bandits and thugs, or from ordinary survivors who had nowhere else to turn and were hoping to get some supplies from here...

However, it's pointless to study these things now.

Hugh walked toward the faint lights in the distance and soon arrived at the main gate of the Legal Affairs Committee's residence.

Presumably for the purpose of facilitating defense and consolidating the encampment, the originally spacious gate has been completely transformed. A solidified wall made of metal, brick, and mud has sealed off the entire gate, leaving only a door that is barely passable. This door, like the surrounding walls, is also covered by layers of protective rituals.

Unlike in the past, these protective rituals have been extended underground, apparently to prevent potential threats from entering the base through underground pipes.

Hughes looked up and glanced at the dark sentry post behind the gate of the encampment. Then he raised his cane and summoned a bright ball of magic light.

In this dark street, the magical orb of light was so conspicuous that it immediately brought about change.

The sentry post, which had been shrouded in darkness, was immediately illuminated by a faint glow of crystal lamps. Then, Hugh felt something "locking onto" him, probably a crystal gun.

A somewhat immature voice came from behind the door, but it was muffled by the interference of the magical ritual.

"Wh...who are you?"

Hearing this, Hugh shook his head helplessly.

He snapped his fingers, and the floating ball of magical light immediately became even brighter. It floated directly in front of Hugh, illuminating everything nearby.

Under the watchful gaze of the sentry, Hugh frowned and said, "Of course it's a mage. Or is it some lump of mud that's come to life and is talking to you?"

"..."

The guard at the Legal Affairs Commission's headquarters was taken aback by Hugh's words, but then he looked at Hugh seriously and said, "I'm sorry, sir, it's late at night. No normal person would visit at this hour!" "So I'm an exception."

Hugh Ernst stood there, leaning on his cane. “If you can’t make up your mind, go ask the others in the camp and let them decide. Of course, I can stay here until dawn… Oh, by the way, my name is Hugh Ernst. Don’t forget to tell the others.”

Upon hearing Hugh's words, the young guard fell silent instantly.

After a while, a ball of magical light suddenly appeared in the sentry post, and then a strong and powerful figure walked out from the illumination magic.

This was a middle-aged man in his forties with short hair and a horrifyingly large scar on his face that almost ran diagonally across his entire face.

On this man, Hugh saw heavy silver armor, clearly indicating that he was not a mage in the traditional sense, but a sword-wielding hermit from Merlinle. Hugh could not forget the bloody aura emanating from these special individuals.

"Shug Ernst?"

The swordsman's voice matched his ferocious appearance perfectly; when he uttered the name, Hugh almost felt as if the man was about to transform into a beast and pounce on him.

Hughes nodded calmly: "Yes, it's me."

He raised his head, looked directly at the other person, and said in a calm tone, "I am the illegitimate son of the Ernst family, the 'wild mage' on your wanted list. Is my answer satisfactory?"

Hugh's generous attitude surprised the sword-wielding hermit on the sentry post. He stared at Hugh for two seconds, then asked in a somewhat astonished tone, "What... are you doing here?"

"Of course, I want to cooperate with everyone."

Hughes remained silent as he slowly revealed his purpose. At that moment, the magical orb hovering beside him finally attracted the covetous eyes of several Dark Abyss offspring. These viscous clumps gathered together and began to slowly approach Hughes.

The sword-wielding hermit on the sentry post had obviously noticed this as well. He frowned slightly and was about to speak to warn them when he saw Hugh gently shake his cane. A blazing whip immediately shot out and struck the writhing Dark Abyss Spawn precisely. The bright flames, propelled by the force of the whip, were sent directly into the bodies of the Dark Abyss Spawns.

Immediately afterward, under Hugh's smooth control, a series of fire spells were constructed, and the flames turned into a torrent, completely engulfing the sizable "mud" in the blink of an eye.

After completing the clean and swift kill, Hugh turned around and smiled at the sword-wielding hermit, saying, "I know that the members of the Legal Committee must have many doubts about me, after all, I am still on your wanted list... But if you still want to protect the remaining survivors in this city and clear away the monsters hiding under our feet, then please open the door in front of me."

"Anyone can say nice things, and maybe those who have turned from 'mud' can say them even better."

The sword-wielding hermit stared at Hugh: "If you want the followers of the goddess Mel to believe the words of a wild mage, then you'll have to show some sincerity."

Hughes then revealed a satisfied smile: "Sincerity? Very well, then do you know... Bourwa?"

Upon hearing the name "Berva," the swordsman's expression visibly changed. The hideous scar seemed to come alive, twitching violently twice, like a ferocious python trying to crawl out of the soil.

In the oppressive atmosphere, the sword-wielding hermit spoke in a cold tone: "Of course I know you, a shameful and despicable traitor... a maggot who has betrayed his faith and failed to live up to the favor of the goddess Mel."

"It's good that we know each other."

Hughes nodded, then summoned the Mage's Hand and opened another new bag he carried with him.

Under the watchful gaze of the sword-wielding hermit, the mage's hand deftly reached into the baggage and retrieved a spherical shadow. Then, the mage's hand slowly floated up until it was level with the magical orb used for illumination.

Hugh's voice drifted over slowly: "Look, isn't Master Burva right here?"

……

This night was truly special for the entire city of Seren.

The survivors living near the headquarters of the Legal Committee heard the terrifying death tide of monsters moving through the night. However, this time, the tide that should have brought death and despair did not rush towards people's hiding places. Instead, it continued to surge through the uninhabited streets, as if it were angrily chasing something.

For the dozens of members trapped inside the Legal Affairs Committee, this night held even greater significance.

When the mages in the camp heard that a wild mage on Merlinle's wanted list had come to them, they found it both funny and strange. But when they saw the "gift" the wild mage brought, they fell into a long period of shock and silence.

The mages have already examined it, and what the young man, famous for his unusual "literary works," brought is indeed the head of the traitor, Bourwa.

After a brief discussion, Gene, the current interim leader of the Legal Committee branch and the sword-wielding hermit who was responsible for questioning Hugh, brought this special visitor to the central hall of the Legal Committee's headquarters.

In this hall, which had once handled countless important matters and was now adorned with a solemn statue of the goddess Mel, Hugh finally saw the members of the Legal Committee who were still steadfastly holding their posts in this location.

The image of these monks is no longer as glamorous as it once was.

Thanks to the magic, the mages looked relatively clean and tidy, but the robes they wore as standard robes of the Law Council were already worn out and the simple protective rituals that should have been attached to these clothes had been completely destroyed. Some of the mages had already changed into other clothes, but they still wore the badges that symbolized their status as members of the Law Council.

The information provided by Bourwa was very accurate.

There are indeed very few mages left remaining in this camp. Even if Hugh includes the soldiers who are willing to continue following the Law Committee, the number of people in the camp cannot exceed fifty. Moreover, most of the remaining people have been injured. Even the young female mages have some minor scars on their faces and bodies.

In the past, such flaws would naturally have diminished their charm.

But now, these figures, with minor scars, wearing tattered robes, and with a resilient glint in their eyes, are more striking than ever before.

(End of this chapter)