"What's going on?"
Jasmine exclaimed, pressing her hands against the wall to steady herself.
The tremors came suddenly and quickly dissipated.
But right after that, a second, more intense tremor hit.
This time, even the solid hotel building began to shake, with decorations falling from the walls, creating a piercing sound of shattering.
"An earthquake? No, this doesn't seem like it..."
Laurel frowned and analyzed, her voice slightly trembling from the vibrations.
Pearl's expression turned serious, "We need to go outside and check the situation."
The group quickly left the swaying hotel lobby and stepped out onto the street.
The scene before them was shocking:
Coral Port was engulfed in chaos.
The streets were filled with panicking residents running in all directions, their screams echoing.
In the distance, the sounds of collapsing buildings were incessant.
But what captured their attention the most was the strange phenomenon that suddenly appeared on the distant skyline.
A massive rift was slowly opening, as if space was being torn apart by an invisible force.
Eerie light flowed from the rift, casting a sinister aura over the entire city.
Laurel instantly recognized this iconic sight, her voice filled with anger and vigilance:
"The Apostle Cult!"
This kind of behavior, to open a rift connecting the realms in a densely populated city,
could only be boldly and recklessly performed by the followers of the Apostle Cult.
Although the earthquake might not have been caused by the Apostle Cult,
the rift before them resembled a masterpiece of the Apostle Cult.
Just then, Jasmine's voice interrupted everyone's thoughts:
"I've identified the general location of the demon energy fluctuations, it's right beneath us, and... it's getting larger, it feels like the target is constantly approaching..."
Laurel turned to Pearl immediately, her expression grave as she asked:
"Miss Pearl, is there an underground river connected beneath Coral Port?"
Pearl nodded, her brow furrowing,
"Yes, that underground river does connect here. It's an important water source for Coral Port and part of our city drainage system. But if there's really something dangerous hidden there..."
Her voice was filled with concern.
"Damn it!"
Laurel cursed under her breath, then took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She looked around and said to her companions in a low voice:
"We may need to split up. The Apostle Cult is clearly prepared; they are creating chaos to lead us away so we can't manage that unknown Disaster Beast. That way, they can fish in troubled waters."
Pearl nodded in agreement, "Hmm, then let's split into two teams."
After a brief but urgent discussion, they quickly came up with an action plan.
Laurel assigned Hiyakura and Jasmine to handle the Disaster Beast, which had shown signs of revival, while she herself would deal with the chaos created by the Apostle Cult.
Pearl turned to Forget-Me-Not and Tao Yao, her tone filled with apology and expectation, "I'm counting on you two."
Forget-Me-Not looked at Pearl in surprise, "Aren't you going?"
This was indeed unlike Pearl's usual personality.
Logically speaking, this queen should be very eager for adventure.
Faced with a Disaster Beast possibly related to fairies, she had no reason to be disinterested.
Pearl's expression grew a bit helpless and frustrated as she held up a shell-like communication device.
"I actually want to go. But the problem is, my sister already knows what's happening here. She won't let me go no matter what and insists I stay here to stabilize the situation. She even threatened to sever our relationship... you know how my sister is..."
She sighed and took out a map from her pocket, handing it to Forget-Me-Not.
"Alright, please take care of it, Fairy Hunter. This is the map. I need to go handle the chaos over there."
With that, Pearl hurried away to coordinate the city's defense.
Forget-Me-Not watched Pearl leave.
Then she suddenly turned to Tao Yao, blinking and showing a curious expression.
She leaned closer to Tao Yao's mask and whispered:
"Mom, when did you change your appearance? You actually fooled Hiyakura Mom."
"And... what was that scar about just now?"
Forget-Me-Not's tone was filled with surprise and curiosity.
She had been following Tao Yao the whole time.
Yet she hadn't noticed how Tao Yao had added another layer of disguise beneath the mask.
What astonished her even more was that she hadn't even stopped Hiyakura from unveiling the mask, just wanting to see if Tao Yao would expose herself.
But the final outcome left her greatly disappointed.
In response to Forget-Me-Not's question, Tao Yao simply revealed a mysterious smile.
"I'm not telling you."
Upon hearing this answer, Forget-Me-Not puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
"Mom! You're so sly!"
...
On the other side, Jasmine looked at Hiyakura with worry in her eyes,
"Hiyakura, are you okay? If not, maybe I should go instead? You could stay and help everyone handle that rift."
"I'm fine..."
Hiyakura gently shook her head, her gaze unintentionally drifting towards Tao Yao, who was approaching them.
Her eyes carried a hint of daze.
But she quickly regained her focus, as if remembering something, and said firmly:
"Let's go, I have to go!"
...
The four of them, following the route marked on the map given by Pearl, arrived at the entrance of the underground river.
However, just as they reached their destination, they were blocked at the entrance.
At the entrance, a large number of members of the Apostle Cult were already occupying the area.
These cultists, dressed in black robes, stood in neat rows,
holding various weapons, their expressions cold and stern as they stared at the four.
Jasmine observed the scene before her, furrowing her brow, her voice filled with certainty:
"You are indeed here for that slumbering giant beast!"
This statement was not only a question for the Apostle Cult but also a confirmation of her earlier suspicion.
Whenever something related to fairies occurred, the Apostle Cult's shadow was always present.
With this in mind, the reason for the Apostle Cult's appearance at the entrance of the underground river in Coral Port was self-evident.
Suddenly, the cultists seemed to receive some kind of order and uniformly parted to the sides.
Slowly walking out from the middle was a figure, a woman with a massive longbow on her back.
Zhu Jin wore a faint smile on her lips, her gaze sweeping over the four, speaking casually:
"Everyone, long time no see."
The moment Hiyakura saw Zhu Jin, a flash of anger crossed her eyes, and an inexplicable flame rose in her heart.
"It's you again!"
She gritted her teeth.
The last time the Apostle Cult caused chaos, it was Zhu Jin who blocked Hiyakura's path.
Now history was repeating itself, and Hiyakura's anger was even harder to suppress.
Zhu Jin's smile grew brighter as a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes:
"It seems you remember me, the little girl with red hair."
Hiyakura clenched her fists, glaring at Zhu Jin:
"Every time you show up, it's never for anything good!"