A refined noble youth, codenamed 'Prince'.
Much like his codename, he was currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Super Combat Department, commanding numerous awakened individuals.
Partially due to the support of the family behind him, he had ascended to the chief position, but he was genuinely an extremely powerful individual himself.
Double awakened, with formidable abilities and unparalleled talent.
His subordinates respected him greatly.
This time, the Super Combat Bureau had realized that something was amiss in Snowdrift City, and 'Prince' Anderson was not far away.
He personally came to investigate.
However, compared to the cultists, Prince Anderson was more interested in the young lady named Silver Bell.
Soon, Anderson met the young lady named Silver Bell.
Intelligent, elegant, and gentle, her sweet smile seemed capable of dispelling all unhappiness from one's heart.
His eyes immediately lit up.
He flicked the dust from his clothes, placed his left hand on his chest, and greeted her with the elegant etiquette of a nobleman. He was like a proud peacock.
The female awakened individuals in the Super Combat Team had stars twinkling in their eyes.
But Silver Bell knew nothing of such etiquette, nor did she have the inclination for it.
"You don't seem to realize the seriousness of the situation."
"Oh, no, no, beautiful lady. Regardless of the seriousness, this is an internal matter of our Wave Country. Strictly speaking, for you, as official awakened individuals from Eastern Radiance, to interfere in our Wave Country's affairs is to risk international dispute."
Anderson smiled, "Of course, as a gentleman, I would be most delighted to have dinner with such a beautiful lady."
He indeed acted like a refined nobleman.
But he was not a competent executive.
Silver Bell showed signs of impatience, increasingly unwilling to speak. Her mentor's mission was already fraught with so much trouble! It was infuriating!
She gave a signal.
Phantom Eye produced the video recorded during the interrogation of the cultist. The methods they used were omitted, but the cultist's confession was intact.
It was now presented before the members of the Super Combat Department.
More than ten gray-robed cultists, all double awakened!
That was more than their own Super Combat Department!
This single piece of information caused them to turn pale with shock.
Anderson fell silent, then after a long pause, he spoke, "Alright, this was our oversight. Now, please allow us to discuss this anew, formally."
"I represent the Super Combat Department of Wave Country. And you, from the Investigation Bureau or the Special Operations Team?"
But he was also somewhat puzzled.
This era was different from the past; all countries lacked awakened power. While the Eastern Radiance might have more strong individuals than Wave Country, the population and territory of Eastern Radiance were also much larger.
They had insufficient manpower to deal with the strange incidents within their own country, so why would they travel thousands of miles to Wave Country?
And they were sending a 'pillar-of-the-nation' level expert.
It made no sense.
Among the renowned strong individuals of Eastern Radiance, there seemed to be no one matching the description of this Miss Silver Bell.
Yet, Anderson genuinely sensed a strong threat from Silver Bell. This was due to his talent; he was very certain that Miss Silver Bell's strength was no less than his own.
She was indeed a pillar expert!
Another young man from the East also gave him a considerable sense of crisis.
He was also a strong individual.
This made him even more perplexed.
"Official from Eastern Radiance? Not exactly."
"We come from an organization not influenced by secular power."
Named 'Hearthflame.'
Luo Rui added in his heart, with pride and self-respect.
...
In a small country in Europa.
Compared to major powers like Wave Country and Sunset Country, these small countries were in an even more difficult situation, countless times more challenging.
Strange entities roared, buildings were in ruins.
It was already a scene of doomsday.
Only a few towns maintained superficial safety, but it was only superficial. Order was no longer maintained; looting and murder were rampant, and the powers of many awakened individuals were used against their own people.
The ugliness of human nature was fully exposed.
"Hehehehehehe..."
The lewd laughter of an awakened individual abruptly stopped.
The person was grabbed by the neck and lifted.
He was violently flung away.
Boom—
The figure was thrown like a sandbag across the street, crashing into a wall on the other side.
"Scum!"
A large man appeared, shaking his hand.
Along with the large man came four other men and women. A young woman helped up a little girl in tattered clothes, comforting her softly.
"Roland, the situation in Brite Town seems to be even worse."
"Do you guys feel like the fog is starting to thicken around us?"
"It's the gray fog. Something's not right."
"Be careful!"
In this somewhat dilapidated town, fog suddenly surged.
Within the fog, the grotesque figures of monsters began to appear.
Unknowingly, the town was filled with the figures of monsters; they were already surrounded.
The large man, Roland, drew his greatsword, his expression grim, "Stay close to me, and let's fight our way out together."
Humility! Honesty! Mercy! Courage! Justice! Sacrifice! Honor! Soul!
A dazzling white light emanated from his greatsword, cleaving a grotesque monster in two with a single strike.
As they fought their way through, almost no monster was a match for him.
However, the number of monsters was still too great.
If it were only the large man Roland and his companions, they could have broken out of the town. However, Roland could not abandon the survivors who had followed them and repeatedly turned back to save people.
They were gradually surrounded by monsters.
"I'm sorry, but if I had another chance to choose, I would probably still do this."
"Hey, what are you saying? Heroes can't be just one person."
"You want us to be cowards? Not a chance."
Roland leaned on his greatsword.
The repeated use of his awakened abilities to slay monsters had greatly depleted him, and he was panting.
In his field of vision, a massive monster appeared, and a terrifying roar echoed in his ears.
Was this the end?
He prepared for a final desperate struggle but suddenly noticed a figure slowly walking out from the end of the street, shrouded in the gray fog.
The approaching figure was clad in white robes, his face obscured.
But as he walked, a light emanated from him.
Golden light!
It shot straight up into the sky like a pillar of light, dispelling the thick gray fog.
The strange entities in his vision pounced towards the golden figure as if sharks smelling blood, but before Roland could feel any worry, an even more brilliant light erupted in his eyes.
He felt as if he were seeing a god.
The filth of heaven and earth was swept clean.
...
"I didn't expect to stumble upon a Gate of the Abyss."
Fang You shook his head.
He had come to Europa to find a suitable location to establish a branch of his organization and open an entrance to a secret realm.
This way, it would be more convenient to travel to and from the country.
When dealing with cultists, it would also facilitate the deployment of forces.
He hadn't expected that a Gate of the Abyss would appear directly in the center of a town; this was a very rare occurrence.
Moreover,
Just now, for the rewards from the Gate of the Abyss, he had quickly used himself as a coordinate to set up a 'map anchor,' and through this, he had seen the situation around this town.
The map was faintly gray.
It was a contaminated area.
And it was intermediate level!
Even though the Gate of the Abyss had closed, wisps of gray fog still permeated the air.
Not only were there cultists in foreign countries, but the disasters of strange entities were also severe.
Fang You frowned.
Thinking of the cultists made his head ache even more.
Silver Bell had already reported the situation to him. There were so many cultists in Snowdrift City alone, and what's more... the most crucial point was how little time had passed!
If this continued, this cult of evil gods would grow exponentially, spiraling out of control.
After all, they were truly backed by an evil god, even if the evil god might not pay them much attention.
"Now that we have contacted the official departments of Wave Country, they also understand the seriousness of the situation. With the involvement of local departments, the development of the cult can be curbed."
"However, finding that priest and the stronghold where the ritual was held remains difficult."
As long as the priest was not found, he would not rest easy.
The description of the Maggot Man priest was a 'Throne' level avatar, and he now understood what level 'Throne' represented.
Sixth Awakening - Throne Level!
The King of the Mortal Realm!
Above that were Mythological Species!
A Throne-level priest was on Blue Star, which was terrifying to even think about... and there might be more than one.
"While the Super Combat Department in Wave Country is collaborating, they are not entirely reliable. We need to dispatch more of our Hearthflame personnel to investigate more areas and gather clues."
"And not just in Wave Country, but also in other key towns, we need people to investigate the situation."
"But the manpower is far from enough."
He pondered.
For now, he could send Master Mingdeng and Luo Jianxing.
And Silver Bell...
Silver Bell had reported her mission status to him in two minutes but had complained for eight minutes.
He was getting a headache; he was truly a little scared.
Silver Bell's 'bitter' medicine was a specialty of Hearthflame!
"Silver Bell's skills and abilities are very suitable for interrogation. Others, like Phantom Eye, can only hypnotize ordinary people for now, which is not effective."
"But Silver Bell is not wrong. She is a physician, and several of her potions are about to be developed."
"I'll bring her back and have Black Blade replace her."
As for the others?
Xing Jinglei, Pei Hongjing, and Yiluoxi all had their own missions; their schedules were packed.
From top to bottom, there was a shortage of people.
He withdrew his thoughts and looked at Roland and the others he had just rescued, primarily Roland. "What have you considered? You are someone with potential and a sense of justice, but individual strength is ultimately too limited."
Too limited?
Roland admitted his strength was limited, but the magnificent lightning that swept away all the monsters in an instant was by no means weak. Furthermore, after the battle, the light that showered down from the sky allowed those survivors who were foaming at the mouth and mentally unstable to gradually recover.
These were miracles!
This left him in awe.
He had also learned many secrets from the powerful individual before him, who seemed like a god.
"Strange entities, Gates of the Abyss."
"Our world is being devoured. I truly... do not want to be powerless, do not want to watch disasters unfold. I am willing to embark on this path, to contribute to the future of the world, to be a torchbearer in the darkness!"
"We are too."
"How can saving the world be without us?"
Roland's companions all spoke up.
Fang You smiled.
"Hearthflame welcomes your joining. You can call me... Mentor."
"Next, Hearthflame will establish a base here, and we will provide you with some equipment and material support, as well as teach you more abilities."
Candidates for subordinate apostles were not lacking in Hearthflame now.
The reason he chose these individuals was the fated encounter, their upright character, and...
—Roland (Double Awakened)—
—Identity: Subordinate Apostle—
—Mystery: 55.9—
—Talent: Knight's Heart—
—Ability: Judgment of Justice—
— —
—Knight's Heart—
—Description: Justice, courage, sacrifice, honor... Those with a Knight's Heart have unique advantages when learning and using 'martial arts-type' skills. Their minds are strong, and they can transmit positive emotions to those around them.