[Vol. 8] Chapter 255: The Shattered World Barrier
When the two arrived, they saw countless people trying to escape in this direction, but they had nowhere to run. In the middle of screams and cries, they became prey. Slaughtered, torn apart, and chewed on. Flesh and blood were everywhere, to the point that their original appearances could no longer be recognized. What was once a thriving city had now become a living hell.
Seeing such a brutal and bloody scene with their own eyes, and smelling the thick scent of blood in the air, Sasha turned pale. Waves of nausea rose in her throat, followed by a deep and uncontrollable anger from the bottom of her heart.
“These monsters… The people behind all this deserve to die! Aren’t they afraid of getting punished!?”
Ricardo’s face also looked terrible, but he still tried to stay calm. After checking the situation around them, he looked back at the dozen or so "[Flesh Eaters]" chasing after them, who were growing in number. He gritted his teeth.
“The city gates are sealed. It looks like they’ve already decided to turn this city into a hunting ground. There are too many enemies that way, so we can’t leave by normal means. At this point, we have no choice but to risk it.”
“You mean…?”
“Go into the city. Team up with the strong people still inside and look for a small chance to survive!”
…………………………………………
Saint Laos City, Manor
Standing by the large clear window, Miss Priestess quietly stared at the dark crack opening in the sky. The red tea in her cup was already gone. Miss Vera, who had been personally entertaining her, had to leave due to the chaos that had just erupted, heading out to take command of the situation.
At this moment, the large drawing room was so quiet that only faint screams and roars could be heard from below.
Similar strange events were also happening in this city. Just like the power sealed inside Blue Butterfly, this was something Violet had already expected. That’s why she had secretly helped a bit earlier. At least this manor would stay safe.
“The world barrier… it’s really starting to break. This is no joke anymore.”
In the girl’s beautiful silver-blue eyes, a faint black-and-white light glowed, as if she could already see through the mysterious truth above the sky. Soon, a streak of light floated out from her chest and turned into a lifelike figure with green hair and eyes, standing beside her, also full of emotion.
“Yeah… If not for the barrier that suddenly appeared a thousand years ago, no one knows who made it, then with how much weaker the Origin Realm became after the [Divine Catastrophe], they wouldn’t have been able to stop strong invaders from other worlds. The demon race is the clearest example.”
“Even with all the restrictions, and only being able to come here through summoning or portals, even the weaker demons still caused several huge disasters in the strongest countries. If there were fewer restrictions, or if other races from beyond joined them, this world would’ve been turned upside down long ago.”
The black-haired girl only smiled and didn’t comment.
“Hiding inside a turtle shell can only delay disaster, not solve it for good. Whether it’s the Origin Realm or the Ancient Spirit Realm, it’s all the same. The world has been peaceful for too long, people have no idea what real danger looks like. Even though the you has already warned that a world-ending disaster is coming, the countries are still fighting civil wars for land and profit… Hah.”
“The barrier breaking might not be a bad thing after all.”
Sethlin turned to look at Violet. Her eyes, glowing gently with green light and divine power, were still soft like water, but her question seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
“Are you really not planning to help with what’s going on here?”
Miss Priestess glanced sideways at her.
“Why should I? There are already two Heroes here, and that Sword Saint surely won’t just stand by and watch. If even they can’t deal with this small Saint Laos City, then what about the rest of the world? Are we just going to let it all be destroyed?”
"Maybe they’ll solve the problem in the end, but a lot of people will definitely die."
"Then let them die. It’s not like we’re the ones killing them. Protecting others has never been a duty or responsibility. Helping is kindness, not helping is freedom. If something bad happens, people should blame the attackers, not those who had the power to help but chose not to."
The priestess casually corrected her, and seeing that the Goddess of Life stayed silent, Violet could only sigh, having already expected this kind of reaction.
"Sethlin, something like a ‘world-ending disaster’ isn’t some child’s play. The barrier around the world has already started to crack. The peaceful days are about to become a thing of the past. Maybe you and I can keep this place safe for now, but what about the places we can’t see?"
"Even a god’s sight has limits. Just like how you’re already exhausted from trying to protect that Azure Sky Kingdom, I also can’t, and never planned to, be the guardian of this nation."
"Don’t think I’m being heartless. But overprotection is like poison. We can offer some help after the disaster is over, but right now, only after going through wind and rain, after feeling pain and loss, will people truly grow strong and fight to survive."
"And only then will the chosen heroes really grow up. We’ve already given them a lot of protection. And this… this is just the first bit of hardship that leaks through the cracks when the sheltering tree opens slightly."
"You… really are someone who talks tough but is soft inside."
Getting lectured with all these big ideas, the goddess didn’t get angry. Instead, she just smiled and shook her head.
"If that’s how you feel, then why did you give the [Tears of Light] to that girl, Violet? You even attached a bit of your divine spirit to the bottle. Don’t tell me you actually enjoy spying on people~?"
"Ahem… hey, hey, don’t say things like that! I could sue you for slander."
Maybe because she remembered accidentally seeing a certain beauty taking a bath recently, the priestess looked a little embarrassed and rubbed her nose, still trying to defend herself.
"It’s just a magic potion. It’s normal to give small gifts between friends, right? As for the divine spirit I added, at first it was just a random thing. Now I just want to run a little test. Once again, I don’t go around spying on people’s private lives for fun, okay?"
"You really… still act too much like a human."
Sethlin gave a helpless smile but didn’t say anything more. What Violet chose to do was her own decision. Even though emotionally, Sethlin wished fewer lives would be lost, she would never force her friend to act a certain way.
Besides, this person in front of her had never actually said she would just stand by and do nothing. Sethlin knew her all too well, always saying cold things but with a soft heart inside~
Shaking her head slightly, the green-haired girl got back to the main topic.
"Violet, I came to tell you something. Do you remember the Goddess of Desire we talked about before, [Dysaer]?"
The priestess raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Of course I remember. A certain god made me personally go to the Holy Empire and pretend to be a goddess, just to carry out that whole Chosen Hero trial thing. Hmph, one day I will get my revenge... So what now? What kind of tricks are you up to this time?"
"No, actually, it’s the opposite. [Dysaer] has withdrawn."