At the Eastern District's Dragon Spirit Martial Arts Dojo;

A group of disciples was in the middle of night training, their wooden swords clashing against one another.

The old instructor barked, "Focus! Your stance must be…"

He stopped mid-sentence as the floor quaked beneath his feet. The lanterns swayed violently.

One of the disciples gasped, "M-Master, the sky… look!"

They rushed outside. Above the rooftops, a pillar of scarlet light pierced the heavens.

The master's eyes narrowed, his voice turning grim. "That… that's an intense demonic qi. It isn't just a demon. I hope it is not a Class-0 demon (>lv70)."

Taking a deep breath, he ordered. "Everyone, you are all dismissed."

*

At the Western District's Slums;

Inside a narrow alley, a young thief rummaged through trash bins for scraps. He froze as the ground shook before clutching his chest as a strange pressure made it hard to breathe.

"What the hell is that feeling…?"

Looking up, he saw the sky bleed red. His stolen bread slipped from his hands.

"It's like… the world's ending."

*

In a Meditation Hall near the Church of Light, Central District;

Priests were kneeling across the statue of the Primordess Goddess, Xea. They were in the middle of midnight prayer, a time the goddess of creation said to be free enough to listen to their prayers and bless them (well, according to their belief). The Head Priest's eyes snapped open in the middle of the prayer, glowing faintly golden as he sensed the disturbance.

"A rift in the balance… born of sin and despair. Only one being can carry such heavy sin…"

The younger Priests murmured in confusion.

"Father, what is it?"

The Head Priest murmured with a dark gaze. "The Fallen Celestial has return."

At a Mage's Tower in the Northern Heights;

A young-looking sorceress scribbled formulas under candlelight, experimenting with runes when her ink quivered across the parchment. Her crystal orb began to hum violently.

"What in the…" she gasped, standing up.

Through her window, the red beam reflected in her eyes. Her lips parted. "That energy—this isn't mortal mana. It's… primordial. Who summoned this exitence?" She pushed her round spectacles up and rummaged through her table drawer, taking out her phone. "I don't think anyone in this city can take such presence on, at least not alone. But, just in case, I need to call Ren Tianyu. With his Emperor Qilin on our side, we can defeat it."

She went on dialing the number, calling the SS-rank Hunter.

A few rings later, the call was picked up and before she gets to say anything, the voice spoke, "I already sensed it. On my way. Try to defend the city until I come there."

Skybridge District in the Downtown, 39th floor;

Atop a luxury skyscraper, Evelyn Zhou, the heiress of the Zhou Conglomerate, the richest family in was soaking in her glass-walled bathtub while sipping wine.

The flare reflected off the glass, staining her skin crimson while her AI assistant beeped, "Tier-0 Mana surge detected. Coordinates: Redlight District, South Wu City. Activate Evacuation Protocol?"

The red haired beauty smirked, swirling her wine. "A Tier-0 in this city? Now, that's interesting. Whether the casualties high or not, the civilian structures will be damaged for sure. It would be best if half of the city gets destroyed in the process. This way, when the reconstruction project will fall in my hands, we can profit tens of millions."

Meanwhile, at Guild District, Sector 1, Silvershapers Guild;

Inside the guildmaster office, a man in his early thirties, Zhao Yushang, was half-asleep on his couch with his uniform unbuttoned and a half-empty beer can in his hand. When the tremor hit, his window shattered inward. Yushang jerked awake, dropping the can. "What the hell…"

As he hurriedly reach to the window and peeked outside, toward the source of the mana surge he sensed earlier.

Outside, a wave of crimson energy shot into the sky, like a pillar. Its aura heat up the air around and even make the water boil in the river.

He rushed back to his desk and grabbed his communicator, yelling in it, "This is an order from GM's office. All units, code black! I repeat—Code Black! Everyone above B-rank is assembled in Guild hall."

*

Meanwhile, in a Presidential Suite of a five star hotel owned by Origin Group, Zhi Yan and Xuenyi sat opposite each other with a chessboard between them. The sound of ticking clocks and clinking glass filled the night air. Li Liu was sleeping in the other room.

Xuenyi spoke as she moved a knight. "You and Young Master Lin have been living under the same roof for a while. Did you find out the sources of his powers? Old Master Lin wanted me to find out about his association with his supplier. No matter how much I investigate, the only people who were too close to him, other than you is the Li family. Did you find any news about it?"

Zhi Yan frowned slightly, resting her chin on her palm. "Well, according to his phone location status, he visited Zero Guild here in Peking and stayed there for a couple of hours. And you already know that he didn't meet with any supplier during the past couple of days as he claimed. He was with that blonde."

A pause later, she asked, "Do you think she trapped him or something? Not only he kept it a secret from us but they also shared the same room. I just hope… he will be alright."

Xuenyi gave her a look, at those words. "Sometimes, your concern for him goes beyond your duty. I hope you remembered that you are a knight."

Zhi Yan's expression stiffened. "Of course, I remember that very well. I'm just worried as a friend, that's all."

But before Xuenyi could reply, both turned their heads toward the east as the demonic pillar lit the sky like a burning wound. The chess piece slipped from Zhi Yan's hand. "What… is that?"

"Something that we should stay out of," Xuenyi whispered as she glanced at the holographic screen floating before her eyes.

*Ding! You received a Quest.

Meanwhile, Li Liu stirred in her sleep. Her eyes snapped open, sensing it. "This pressure… it's suffocating…"

As she rushed out of her room, she saw Zhi Yan and Xuenyi also got up from their seats.

"What's going on?" She asked in worry.

Zhi Yan looked at Xuenyi, who then walked toward the balcony while speaking. "You two girls, Stay here. Let me go and check the situation."

Back at Four Seasons;

Just like every other hotel around, the entire building shuddered. Chandeliers swayed, glass trembled, and car alarms echoed from the streets below.

And inside one of the rooms, Lin Fang's eyes snapped open. At the same moment, Vivian sat up in bed, clutching the sheets. "What… what was that?" she gasped, eyes wide.

Lin Fang didn't respond to her as his eyes were on his holographic interface.

*Ding!

[Emergency Mission Triggered]

[The Devil has been reborn into this world. And soon, the world will plunge into chaos unless the host do something about it.]

Objective: Defeat or form a contract with the Devil.

Reward: Depends on the outcome.

His expression hardened immediately. "A devil…" he muttered under his breath.

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