The black sun hangs high

Chapter 350 Encirclement and Suppression?

The moment the crystal gun fired, chaos finally descended upon the area surrounding the venue.

Even though this is Merlinle and even though this place is directly protected by the Legal Committee, the armed soldiers and mages were unable to respond appropriately to these strange attackers from the Dark Abyss in the first instance.

The deep fog created by the "attendants" within the Dark Abyss Palace not only interferes with people's perception but also disrupts the workings of magic. Under the cover of the fog, the palace hounds constantly launch deadly attacks from bizarre angles, always targeting those who are unguarded and panicked.

These terrifying hunters transformed into ferocious hyenas chasing and pouncing on lone prey. The safe corners people found often turned into the most dangerous cages in the blink of an eye. Some unlucky individuals, thinking they had found shelter, were even killed on the spot by sharp claws and teeth that suddenly emerged from their ears while they were panting against the wall.

Within two short minutes of the chaos erupting, the once orderly open space outside the venue was transformed into a bloody slaughterhouse, where several attendees from different countries and organizations perished, and many soldiers and mages who tried to resist the enemy also became additional victims in the process.

One of the legal committee's mages reacted quickly. He soon realized that what was really causing the situation to spiral out of control was not the attackers, but the black mist that could interfere with perception. So he shouted to his companion and immediately began casting a spell, trying to use the magical light to dispel the damned darkness.

A bright orb brimming with magic appeared in his palm and, supported by the magic, flew into the air. The mage was then pleasantly surprised to find that the highly concentrated magic seemed to be able to effectively suppress the fog—under the bright magical light, the constantly surging black shadows began to recede rapidly, and the two crystal lamps nearby that had stopped working due to the fog interference also regained their light!

"Lights! Keep the lights on!"

He was eager to share his discovery with the others, but before he could finish speaking, the shadow behind him suddenly trembled, and then a huge mouth full of sharp teeth and writhing tentacles tore through its disguise and bit down hard on the mage's upper body.

The mage sensed the approaching danger through his magical perception, but his reaction was a beat too slow. When he turned around, all he could see were countless eyes emitting a bloody light in the darkness.

"It's over."

As death filled his vision, the monk sighed helplessly in his heart, but the expected death did not come.

Just as the gaping maw was about to close, several slender shadows suddenly swept in from the side. Like strong lassos, they precisely wrapped around the strange beast's open mouth. As the lassos tightened and pulled, the beast's head was forcibly pulled aside, and its ferocious mouth was forced to close.

Immediately afterwards, the mage saw a huge figure leap out from the side. It was also shrouded in a light black mist, but it looked furry, and instead of the dense red pupils on the sides of its head, it had two bright green eyes.

As for the "lasso" used to bind and control the beast, it consisted of three exceptionally long tails, resembling whips.

This was an exceptionally large rat, seemingly summoned by someone present, though the mage from the Legal Committee had never seen or heard of such a peculiar magical creature before.

The next second, as if filled with immense resentment, the giant rat opened its mouth, revealing huge incisors that emitted a dark light, and fiercely bit down on the bound, strange beast. At the same time, the ends of the three tails that were tightly wrapped around and binding the beast's head suddenly rose up, and sharp, knife-like spikes grew out from them, then pierced straight into the body whose exact outline could not be seen.

As the commander of the running rats, Hugh felt the same way Sniggy, the running rat, was feeling at that moment.

The feeling was like a corporate slave who had been oppressed in the office for a long time finally losing patience with their overbearing colleague and deciding to smash their skull with a keyboard.

Although it was somewhat comical, it was also a form of emotional catharsis.

The raging rat is no longer the tiny summon that could only cower behind Hugh's shoulder and scream when faced with the palace hounds. After a long period of getting used to Hugh and many bloody battles in Seren, its combat experience and abilities are now far beyond what they used to be.

For it, the current battle is not only an emotional release, but also a good opportunity to verify its status and regain the attention of its "master".

In contrast to the rampaging rats that openly display their forms, the Mirror Messenger and the Hounds, who share a common origin with these attackers, can only operate under the premise of mutual cooperation. Under Hugh's coordination, a large amount of mist is created by the Mirror Messenger. This mist spreads rapidly and mixes with the power from the enemies.

Then came the hunting time for the palace hounds.

As a special individual that successfully devoured the Dark Abyss Spider, it was already a completely different existence from its former kind. Under the multiple influences exerted by Hugh and Theseus, the court hound naturally no longer held any intention of showing mercy to its former kin.

On the contrary, at this moment, some of the instincts inherited from devouring the Dark Abyss Spider began to awaken rapidly deep within the hound's body. The mist covering a large area formed a huge net, and the hound, stretching out its sharp pincers in the darkness, became the highest-ranking hunter on this net.

The palace servants, who arrived with the other Dark Abyss Hunters, were the first to notice something amiss.

As the lowest and most basic level of the Dark Abyss Court, they have always been greedy and cowardly. Just like the Mirror Messenger that Hugh first encountered, they show great enthusiasm when facing targets they can defeat or assassinate. However, once they encounter pressure and danger, they will retreat or even surrender at the fastest speed.

Now, this situation is playing out once again.

Sensing the danger, the court attendants reached a consensus almost instantly. Within their interconnected minds, one idea was swiftly unified—abandon all the hounds they had brought, retreat immediately, and bring the message back to the Dark Abyss Palace. However, what these court attendants could not have foreseen was that the one "betraying" the Dark Abyss Palace was not just a ferocious hound, but also a higher being far more powerful and insidious than themselves.

A complex thought entered Hugh's mind—the "request" from the messenger in the mirror, hoping to gain Hugh's approval to use the black mask that served only Hugh.

After a moment's thought, Hugh approved the application.

During this delicate and special period, he was also eager to see just how much power these Dark Abyss creations, who were subservient to him, could unleash.

Then, the Mirror Messenger, standing in the mist, bowed slightly to Hugh. Its image and appearance had completely transformed into Hugh's own. Immediately afterward, it raised its palm and waved it gently in the mist. The strange mask containing the knowledge and memories of countless dead immediately appeared in the Mirror Messenger's hand.

It silently sent the mask to its own face, and in the next instant, the two became one.

In that instant, the Mirror Messenger's influence on the surrounding Dark Abyss Mist reached its peak. The originally dynamic, invisible mist was completely brought under its control, and the Dark Abyss Palace attendants who were hiding in the mist and preparing to escape were instantly frozen into helpless fish.

The mist began to tighten, and the vast web of dark abyss power immediately revealed everything hidden within it. This crucial information was then carefully transmitted to the extremely ferocious wolfhound.

For those still trapped in the foggy area, the current situation appears eerie and sinister.

The monsters that were hunting them seemed to have stopped, but from the nearby mist, a series of painful and mournful groans began to emanate. These sounds were usually short-lived and would be immediately silenced. Accompanying them was an even more terrifying sound, which sounded like the bite of a ferocious beast, or like the rapid leaping and crawling of enormous, invisible worms.

For the bewildered soldiers and officers, every second here felt unbearable, but for the mages who were already trying to fight the attackers, the situation was exhilarating.

Because under the illumination of those gathered magical orbs, a figure was efficiently "dealing with" those dangerous enemies.

They saw a young man wearing a dark trench coat and holding a cane and a gun, dragging one heavily wounded beast after another, shrouded in mist, out of the shadows. The young man's identity was quickly confirmed by those present.

Someone recognized him; it was Hugh Ernst from the Dawn Order.

The metal cane was enveloped in some kind of magic, which transformed it into a sharp sword with deadly power. The crystal gun he casually picked up from the ground would occasionally emit a roar, and the bullets made of magic would always accurately hit the bodies or heads of those strange beasts. Then, he would forcibly pull these twisted figures out of the mist and slam them hard onto the open ground.

Beside him was a swift three-tailed giant rat. Those beasts that were still trying to escape after being severely injured would often be attacked a second time by this giant rat. These incredibly smooth and seamless attacks left the beasts extremely weak.

Their red eyes on either side of their heads became incredibly dim, and their bodies, which were originally hidden in the mist and whose outlines were completely indistinguishable, became twisted like rags. But even so, these beasts did not die. They seemed to possess unimaginable vitality and resilience. Even in this state, they continued to struggle and try to launch another counterattack.

However, their actions were ultimately futile.

While the beasts were weakened, Verin quickly constructed several layers of sturdy cages made of magic. These magical cages were different from ordinary prisons. As a spellcaster with keen observation skills, Verin had noticed the monsters' unusual behavior patterns.

Therefore, relying on her control over magic, she forcibly adjusted the magical structure inside these magical cages, making them as round and smooth as possible, and forcibly erased the sharp edges used to mend the magical lines.

Soon more mages joined the work, including many with strength at the valley and lake levels. As a result, a large number of special magical cages were temporarily created, and all the monsters that had been severely injured by Shug were imprisoned.

Apart from Veraine, no one knew that the one who truly turned the tide was not Hugh himself, but a more ferocious beast lurking in the shadows.

With each attack launched by the wolfhounds and the messenger in the mirror, the chaotic scene was quickly brought under control. After the last ordinary hunting dog that tried to attack the area was pierced through the body by its sharp claws, Hugh silently gave the order to retreat in his mind.

So, the wolfhound, engrossed in the slaughter, swung its pincers forcefully, throwing its former kind out of the mist, and then quickly disappeared into the spot. The Mirror Messenger, who had been constantly oppressing and controlling the court attendants, chose this moment to "close the net."

The fog began to shrink.

The shrieks that existed on the spiritual level continued to come, the wails of the palace attendants as they were swallowed by the mist. Immediately afterwards, Hugh felt streams of cold "water" flowing into his spiritual world. Unlike in the past, these devoured and assimilated powers were not piled up roughly, but were carefully categorized and piled up by the Mirror Messenger, becoming information waiting to be reviewed and examined, as well as power resources that could be absorbed and distributed at any time.

Just as the mist was about to dissipate, the Mirror Messenger removed its black mask, bowed respectfully to Hughes once more, and then vanished into the mist.

Then, all the crystal lamps lit up again, and amidst the bloodstains scattered on the ground and the magical cages of different colors, Hugh Ernst's figure seemed to become even more eye-catching.

(End of this chapter)