The black sun hangs high

Chapter 280 New Trends
"So, in your eyes, what will I be like in the future? Can you tell me?"

Faced with such a request, Hughes fell silent.

Hughes knew that the woman standing before him was no longer the same female scholar he had known before.

As she herself said, she is now a special creation born under the influence of Hugh's power, with the human will of Justina as the main force, sharing a similar origin with the offspring of the Dark Abyss.

Faced with such a special being, Hughes found that he couldn't seem to trust him completely.

She is simply too special. The question of defining Justine's specific nature is probably beyond all of Vanessa's existing knowledge framework. Or perhaps we could try to find the answer in the field of philosophy?
However, the terrifying howls emanating from the Dark Abyss offspring constantly outside the Legal Committee's headquarters served as a constant reminder to Hugh that this was absolutely not the right time to contemplate philosophical questions.

Seeing that Hugh did not respond immediately, Justina's face did not show any disappointment. She maintained her smile and said, "If you are unwilling to answer my question, could you tell me what kind of future vision you had previously foreseen that led you to make these arrangements for me?"

Shug had no reason to hide anything from him, so he replied, “I saw many people saved, I saw this entire encampment burned to ruins, I saw two mages die from the flames, and I saw you… you became one with them and killed your closest friends.”

Upon hearing this, a hint of sadness finally crossed Justina's face. She closed her eyes slightly, as if trying to control her fluctuating emotions.

In the blink of an eye, she had regained her composure.

Then she said, "Without a doubt, what I wanted to do was tantamount to betraying them... but from beginning to end I had only one purpose, which was to achieve that predetermined goal."

She raised her head, the dark shadows in her eyes growing even deeper: "They are far, far more powerful than any living being in Vaan today. Their methods of existence and the ways in which they manifest their power are far superior... Their potential for growth is also incredibly vast, as if there were no limits... If a direct confrontation were to occur, I would not see any possibility of victory at all."

"But then, you appeared."

At this moment, Justina seemed to have transformed into the Black Sun Society followers that Hugh had once witnessed. She spoke with utmost devotion, “When you healed me and awakened me, I sensed a power somewhat similar to theirs, yet far more ancient, powerful, and mysterious. And now, I am one with your creation, our thoughts and memories intertwined, and I am even more certain of my own judgment…”

“You are a god, you can truly see into fate and rewrite it. At least now I know that those who should have died because of me have left, and I have already asked my friend for forgiveness…”

Hugh's lips trembled slightly.

He suddenly realized that he actually strongly resisted the title of "god".

Because he knew very well that he was very far removed from this concept, and in fact, the word was not as great and wonderful as he had imagined.

Hearing the terrifying sounds coming from the outside world, Hugh sighed and shook his head, saying, "I've said it before, they are no longer the defective products I used to talk about. The black sun is about to rise, and they have formed their own intelligence and will... If you choose to merge with them, the final result will most likely be that your will will be completely erased and destroyed."

"So what?"

Justina laughed: "This is the meaning of my existence, and the goal that my will has always pursued... Even if I fail in the process, I can still attract their attention, just like your previous attempts, and always make more people live."

As she said those words, Hughes felt a distinct and clear fluctuation.

Hugh's spirit and intuition told him that Justine was not lying, and that this was her truest thought.

So, Hugh narrowed his eyes, made a decision in his heart, and the power of the Roots of Destiny surged forth.

Justina clearly sensed something. She was somewhat surprised, but then looked at Hugh with delight. She then noticed that the dark, deep color in the young man's eyes had faded, and an extremely strange luster was gradually emerging.

Like dreamy bubbles rising from the cold, deep sea.

Hugh ultimately granted Justina's wish, and as the power of the Roots of Destiny operated, a strange vision of her future slowly appeared before Hugh's eyes.

In that instant, he felt his magic rapidly draining away, so he immediately cut off the supply of magic and tried his best to preserve the brief illusion in his memory.

Although the illusion was fleeting, Hugh was certain that he had just witnessed something extraordinary.

In that illusion, the surrounding environment changed dramatically. Hugh saw a cold, snowy field and a huge frozen lake.

Justina vanished, replaced by a solitary figure "floating" in the middle of the lake. She was shrouded in a thick abyss mist, making it impossible to discern her features. Judging from her size, she appeared somewhat petite.

Around this figure, Hugh also saw many swaying, translucent shadows, which seemed somewhat similar to the Destiny Roots race in his spiritual world.

The scene ends here.

Hughes couldn't see any more details, as that would likely consume a lot of his magic power, which wouldn't be conducive to dealing with the current threat.

Even so, Hugh was able to glean a very important message from it—Justina's "fate" had clearly deviated from its original trajectory. Since he could glimpse a vague future scenario in her, it meant that she was not completely trapped in a desperate situation or facing certain death!
A jumble of thoughts flashed through Hugh's mind. After a very brief and rapid deliberation, he made a decision. He looked at Justina, who seemed somewhat confused yet also somewhat "expectant," and said, "Now that you know your 'kin' well enough, I hope you can tell me if there's any way to further increase your chances of success?"

Justina was a little stunned: "Success rate?"

Hughes sighed and slowed his speech: "What I mean is, I might be able to offer you some help so that you can more easily control and influence those guys outside... Do you understand?"

"Of course!"

Hughes immediately received Justine's reply.

At this moment, the female scholar, who had completely merged with that offspring, seemed to have returned to her former self. Although the mist of the Dark Abyss flickered in her eyes, they also seemed to be gleaming.

She pursed her lips tightly and said, "If I were thrown directly into their ocean, in my current state, it would be extremely difficult to have a quick and effective impact on them... But if you can prolong this process as much as possible, allowing me to assimilate, merge, and absorb their power step by step, then I will have more ability to contend with them!" Hearing this, Hugh's eyebrows twitched slightly: "So, how long do you expect this process to take?"

"Ideally... ideally, we could hold out until dawn?"

Justina tentatively suggested, "Or, how about extending it to the early hours of the morning? It's up to you?"

……

Undercurrents surged.

As more and more offspring approach, maintaining the defensive line becomes increasingly tense.

When several imposing "slime hills" appeared in front of the survivors, the pressure they faced as defenders inevitably pushed them to their limits.

Although only one of these terrifying, sticky hills, like the one Hugh encountered, could fuse with the old-fashioned crystal cannon, this massive offspring was capable of providing ample protection for its kind, and its appearance attracted considerable firepower.

Although the crystal cannon's shells can effectively kill them, the ammunition and ordinary magic alone cannot completely erase the extremely vigorous vitality of the Dark Abyss offspring. Therefore, whenever these hills are severely damaged or on the verge of disintegration, other offspring will immediately rush into them to fill the gap.

Once more Dark Abyss offspring approach the defensive line under this successful cover, the magical rituals originally intended to ensure the safety of the line will immediately begin to suffer severe impact and damage.

Although most of those stationed on the front lines are former professional soldiers, they have never actually experienced such intense combat in the past. Their training was all designed to deal with residents of other countries. All their experience in dealing with the Dark Abyss Spawn comes from their past experiences and accumulation.

Courage is a concept that is difficult to measure and calculate.

Fear is the same.

The defenders here are willing to stand on the line for the lives and honor of others, but when faced with terror beyond comprehension, such courage can easily crumble. Looking at the protective rituals that have begun to suffer a full-scale attack and even show signs of collapse, the mages on these perpetually solid lines can only struggle to hold on.

After the protective ritual collapsed and the Dark Abyss offspring successfully charged into the crowd to engage in close-quarters killing and predation, the first line of defense naturally began to crumble.

These soldiers and volunteers were distinctly different from the sword-wielding hermits who were truly capable of close combat with magical creatures. Faced with these ferocious beasts of various shapes and distorted forms, all they could do was unleash the ammunition from their revolver rifles before they could pounce on them or their companions, or throw out their last few alchemical bombs when they were already in despair.

"Retreat!"

The commanders and mages had no choice but to issue the order. Then, the powerful magical rituals set up inside the defensive line quickly took effect. Amid the panicked and hurried footsteps of the people, the sturdy bunkers and fortifications that they had held for nearly three hours fell.

Meanwhile, some people are doing the opposite.

Their numbers were limited, but their composition was very complex, including the elderly, the young, and the wounded soldiers from Iris Street in the past. Among them were the two mages that Hugh had seen before, the ones playing the Dragon Tooth card in the lobby of the Legal Committee's residence.

Their task was to delay the advance of the Dark Abyss Spawn and buy more time for the rear defenses.

This was a mission with virtually no chance of survival.

The potions that would severely burden the body and even drain life force were drunk by them. At this moment, ordinary people who had never experienced a "magical miracle" could also feel the fluctuations of magic. Although this did not allow them to use magic like real mages, it allowed them to transform themselves into "energy" to drive special weapons.

"what!!"

Fear and anger transformed into shouts and curses. They raised the heavy crystal flamethrowers provided by the military of the Kingdom of Delan and began to spray raging flames at the shadows that kept rolling across the defensive line.

Even outside the battlefield, professional flamethrower soldiers, clad in armor and protected by their comrades, are among the soldiers with the highest mortality rate.

Their cumbersome equipment prevented them from escaping, and the scorching flames could not only burn the enemy but also injure themselves...

But now, these volunteers who have joined this death squad have no room to retreat. They can only grit their teeth and move forward, just like the soldiers on the previous defensive line, and do their best to unleash firelight comparable to stream-level magic on the densest areas of silt.

Among these angry shouts of those who went to their deaths, two fellow members of the Legal Committee appeared unusually calm. Their attire was no different from before, still the standard robes and magic books, except that each of them wore their favorite Dragon Tooth deck at their waist.

They also drank the potion, which made their magical power more vigorous than ever before, making them extremely "desirable" targets in the perception of the Dark Abyss offspring.

"What a pity. If we had survived these next two days, Dragon Tooth would definitely have released a new deck, right?"

"Yeah, and it's definitely related to the Black Sun... Heh, there might even be a Black Sun Society deck. I wonder what kind of guy will use it."

The two of them calmly conversed as they examined the magical ritual associated with the "War Flames" beneath their feet, as if they were simply performing routine work.

"However, after the black sun rises, will anyone still design and print the Dragon Tooth Plaque? I highly doubt it."

"Of course there is. Even if everyone had a tough time back then, playing cards was a really important pastime... If all else fails, we can just draw by hand!"

"...Ha, what did you write in your suicide note?"

"Let them turn me into a dragon tooth brand."

"What a coincidence, me too."

(End of this chapter)