World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 225 Facing Destruction
"Boom!"

The collapsed New Tower of Babylon was reflected in the witch's light brown eyes, which widened in surprise. Anna beside her also gasped.

"My lady, this sign... I feel like something's amiss..."

"There may be some darkness before dawn," the witch said hesitantly. "My teacher wouldn't lie to me."

The next moment, a swirling, churning star wheel appeared in the sky above, its distorted aura raging across Dietrich and even spreading throughout the entire country in an instant. Screams, wails, and cries came from all directions on the wind, blowing into the swaying, dilapidated ship.

The two finally realized something was wrong. Anna grabbed the witch's arm and spoke with teary eyes.

"Can you hug me? I'm so scared."

“Sometimes, you can’t draw conclusions just by listening from afar.” The witch kissed the girl’s forehead, closed her eyes, and searched for the coordinates of the other free mystics. “I want to witness the ‘utopia’ that my teacher described for myself.”

"Witch-sama!"

Anna tried to grab her, but missed. The Dreamer activated his spatial teleportation, and the witch's figure vanished in an instant.

On the vast, azure sea, a creature with a neck as curved as an eel, which had been routinely continuing its daily life in a monstrous posture, now tucked its long neck into its chest, and a mixture of blood and tears flowed down its scales.

Foundation Gamma-002, [The Great Sea Monster].

It once attacked Foundation facilities with the Basilisk and Wendigo, rescuing some of the free mystics. Recently, it has disagreed with the newcomer Joshua, so it lingers in the waters near Maple Leaf Country, occasionally communicating with witches through the mystical arts of the Dreamer.

A beautiful fragrance filled the air. The sea monster raised its head and saw the witch floating in mid-air, looking at it with a puzzled and confused expression, as if she was preparing her questions.

"Witch, look at these." It opened its mouth, revealing a human's shattered limb, bones exposed, flesh and blood flying everywhere, entwined between its teeth. "This is my father."

“You ate him,” the witch stated the truth. “Wasn’t he good to you?”

She never pried into her companions' private affairs unless they told her on their own initiative.

"On the contrary, he was very good to me, my mother and my brothers. I remember that every time he went on a business trip, he would pick out a box of Danmick cookies for me at the flea market in West Virginia so that my brothers and I could share them."

The sea monster closed its mouth, seemingly reluctant to swallow, and wiped away the drool with the tip of its tail.

“Even in this state, I still swim to the shore every night in the deepest part of the night, take a look at the shadows shining through that small window, and then leave. Sometimes they shed tears because they miss my departure without saying goodbye, and sometimes they sleep peacefully.”

"Until just now, my father inexplicably turned into a completely out-of-control mysterious figure. My mother and another brother are already dead, and he is now targeting my last brother. So I had to intervene, otherwise I would lose even my last remaining family ties."

The sea monster lowered its head and gnawed at its rough skin with its bloodied teeth, as if destroying itself.

“I have never hated the shadow of ‘Commerx,’ which replaced my crippled legs and gave me the opportunity to travel freely everywhere; however, all of that no longer matters today. I have nowhere to go and no one to share my experiences with.”

“'Utopia'…”

"what?"

For the first time, the witch did not say goodbye to her subordinates. Her face was pale as she quickly moved to another coordinate.

This companion is a girl who recently awakened. The witch, with the help of the ghosts and white doves, found her before the Foundation.

The girl is the "Goddess of Agriculture" of the E-rank ghost story, a medium that is not very dangerous. Lin An shared a few tips with her on exploring "Comers". The witch recorded her coordinates and provided her with a platform for communication among free mystics.

At this moment, the girl was left with only half of her charred body, and her consciousness and breathing were very weak.

What's wrong with you?

The witch held her in her arms so that the girl could feel her as she died, even though her hands were trembling uncontrollably.

“It’s me, Euryale Isor. My dream world will always be your safe haven.”

The girl's body stirred, and the witch anticipated that she would reveal her name, but she did not. Her bloodied and mangled eyes stared at the witch, her concern directed at another group of strangers.

"Did the people who died in the fire... leave the building?"

The witch loved her, so before the girl died, all she wanted was for her to feel her love, nothing else.

Looking around, flames engulfed several struggling figures.

She closed her eyes, then opened them again. The dreamer's fantasy enveloped the reality of a scorched earth, where opulent luxury replaced the ruins, and loudspeakers played Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" on a loop.

"They have been saved."

Utopia...a paradise...a beautiful fantasy...

Upon hearing these words, the girl lost consciousness, her long hair cascading down the witch's arm like a delicate, blooming flower.

The witch watched helplessly as the girl died, then held her tightly in her arms.

How light her body is!

The energy of "Comers" continues to play a powerful song, fists pounding against the chest, thousands upon thousands of fists, like rapidly beating pulses, before finally falling silent.

The cheerful notes, like a handful of dust in the palm of one's hand, were scattered and gone in the howling wind.

After setting the girl down, the witch visited her other companions and then simply wandered aimlessly through the city of Dietrich.

Contrary to expectations, those who gained the power of "Commons" experienced no joy or laughter, but rather endless pleas, sorrow, and despair. Collapsing buildings, rampaging, out-of-control monsters, and people driven mad as they fought against them…

The Messiah did not extend a helping hand to the world.

Conversely, without order and management, and without the gradual process of adaptation, humanity was instantly overwhelmed by the shadow of another planet.

They had almost no choice but to passively accept the fate of "Commerx".

A strong perfume scent wafted over, and the witch raised her eyes to look at the slightly disheveled woman before her.

"Teacher, this is not the new era you described to me."

“Your stupidity surprises me, Isol.” Adria wiped the dust from her face with a silk scarf. “You actually think that humans can be changed? Well, let me tell you, humans are born selfish, wicked, and despicable.”

“Society is cynical, the weak are questioned and plundered by the wealthy who traffic in the necessities, and there are victories for the unscrupulous everywhere. Do you think they can be saved? No, their souls were corrupted at the beginning of creation.”

"Your mistake is that you assume the biggest difficulty, 'human nature,' is surmountable, and then you fantasize about solving smaller difficulties with 'alien technology.' First, assume that no one will want to exceed his share, and then consider whether his share will be delivered through candy or balloons."

Adria launched into a tirade, venting her terrible hatred and regaining some of the confidence she usually displayed on the podium.

"Of course, that doesn't mean I don't like you. Your naive fantasies are the sustenance I need. Precisely because we've never been together, in your memory, I'm a savior, a beautified, merciful Mother of God."

"We never spent time together?" The witch's pupils contracted. "But I clearly remember..."

"You saw me chatting with your director in the mental hospital, and because you admired my temperament, you fabricated a beautiful story in your mind," Adria said cruelly. "After all, you couldn't survive without delusions."

Amidst the surging truth and delusions, the witch clutches her head as her evil returns, bursting the colorful bubble.

"And I needed a 'dreamer' to do something, and you, with your simple mind and innocent nature, were the perfect choice. So I used a little trick to help your story replace your real memories."

Adria reached out and lightly covered the woman in front of her, coldly watching through her fingers as her beautiful face gradually crumbled, distorted, and began to sob.

"Logically speaking, your mother is so poor, how could she possibly afford to hire an internationally renowned professor like me? And I would never pass by your dilapidated apartment in the slums of the United States."

"This is all...my delusion..."

The witch uttered broken, incoherent sentences, and her forelimbs fell to the ground with a thud, like a lamb crawling before Adria.

"Hahaha, so there was no redemption after all... I was just left in the attic by my stepfather and stepbrother... and ended up as a helpless, mentally ill person..."

"Utopia can only be approached by crossing a real sea of ​​blood; you who only dare to dream about it will never reach it."

Adria clenched her fingers, the tearing pain tormenting the witch's throbbing head. Her memories were forcibly stripped away, and the bloody reality replaced the past that exuded the scent of lavender and baguettes, causing her to let out a low, hoarse whimper.

“Now I’m going to reclaim your memories, which allow me to further solidify the image of ‘Adria Hughes’—oh, noble and elegant, just like my image.”

"Do not!!!"

The witch, who had been silently enduring everything, suddenly cried out, "At least... don't take away my last dream, let me live on with my longing and love for you... Mr. Hughes, please have pity on me..."

"You should wake up, darling."

Adria completely erased the witch's memories of her, tilted her head slightly to savor the moment, then left her behind and walked away without looking back.

Surrounded by endless darkness, Euryale Isor began to fantasize.

She imagined a place different from the existing world, a place full of justice, heroism, and honesty, where everyone is free, where restrictive rules no longer exist, resources are inexhaustible, and love is the only currency.

She swore she could see it, rushing past on the crumbling, destroyed sidewalks, gleaming on the faces of fleeing people, rising from the hollow, stiff corpses.

Everyone was laughing and talking, and there was no more hunger, disease, or suffering.

Ah, this is how the world should be.

The thin mist that was about to engulf her was surely preparing to take her to this eternal dream.

That small black boat wasn't just some discarded junk on the riverbank; it was a paradise, where hot springs, mist, and colorful mosaic tiles accompanied the "dreamer's" self-created dream, swaying and drifting toward the inevitable dawn.

…………

List of St. Annilovian Anomalies, No. A-003 [Laughter and Joy].

Since April 1, 2038, we have been collecting reports of encounters with "laughter and joy" from various places.

A black goat with three women's heads suddenly appeared somewhere, emitting a clear and melodious laugh, and then quickly disappeared.

Its range of activity is within the city of Dietrich, and it occasionally appears in nearby towns or rural areas, rarely leaving Michigan.

It has a bizarre charm that always gives hope to anyone who witnesses it or hears its laughter.

Those who experienced it claimed that once they saw laughter and joy, their optimism overcame the pain of reality and gave them the motivation to keep living.

Since it does not cause substantial harm to survivors, we are requesting that its rating be downgraded to B.

Thank you to Fujian Xishan, Beisu Qingfeng, and Moxin for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for the recommendation tickets and subscriptions.
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(End of this chapter)