Basar was slowly becoming more brazen.
It was understandable, however.
Over several months, He had done nothing but plot and scheme for this very moment when BoneHaven would be on its last legs.
It brought joy to his soul to know that despite interferences, his work was almost complete.
"Where do you plan to evacuate to and more importantly… Who will go with you?" He inquired in a loud voice.
Unrestrained killing intent leaked out of his body, choking all the nobles present.
The guards they brought along, mostly mercenaries that dealt with the supernatural, pulled out their weapons and attacked.
At least, they tried to.
A massive eye appeared above Basar's head and as bright light exploded from it, all those that dared to move were petrified, turning into stone almost immediately.
Ana bore witness to this with shock written all over her face.
Just when she thought she understood the scope of Basar's powers, he would pull out yet another card.
Was this the perk that came with being the Apostle of not just any Evil god, but a Fallen Angel?
Creatures of myth said to once have been attendants of the Absolute.
They fell for reasons unknown and after getting corrupted by the Abyss, ran mad.
Fallen Angels were vastly different from Evil gods since their authority alone was at an unfathomable level.
Ana couldn't help but feel fear well up deep within her heart.
Then, instinctively, she made eye contact with Basar.
"Is that fear I sense, Lady Ana?" Basar questioned in a mocking tone.
Ana clenched her fist. "You may be the Apostle of a Fallen Angel but that doesn't mean you have all its powers!"
It felt more like she was trying to convince herself.
Basar found the sight amusing as he chuckled. "You are right. But what can you do about it?... If I want to, I can always sacrifice more and gain even more access to my lord's powers. Do you dare to face me without knowing the extent of what I'm capable of?"
"Go to hell!" Ana bellowed as time froze in Parliament building.
Leaping over, she landed in front of Basar and threw a fierce punch, blowing a hole through his chest.
By the time resumed, Basar, or at least… his clone was dead and Ana stood over him, her reptilian irises narrowed to a thin line.
"Is that it?" Then the annoying voice came again.
Gritting her teeth, Ana turned around to find Basar… yes, Basar floating above Parliament.
Above him, a crack in space existed from which a pungent aura flowed out.
All it took was a mere glance before Ana panicked. "Get out of here!... That's a crack into the Abyss!"
Basar cackled wildly as he watched the so-called nobles run for their dear lives.
It was a sight to behold.
Wasn't there a time when he had to run away whenever nobles were close?
When he had to watch commoners like him suffer all because of nobility.
Now seeing the terror in their eyes as they trampled over one another… it truly was a joyous occasion.
He glanced at Ana. "The Miracles bestowed on me by the Eye of Truth are not what you can comprehend."
Then, pointing at the crack above him, he remarked. "As you can see… my work is almost done."
Then with the same finger he used to point, he used it to gesture.
"One more day, Anastasia… 24 hours remain before not just BoneHaven… no, Zion Empire will crumble to its knees."
"You won't win." Ana retorted.
Basar chuckled. "You don't believe that now, do you?... Anyway, I'm sure you'd try to stop me so… try your best, o great Guardian. I would like to see what magic you can pull off in the space of 24 hours."
"Tch." Ana tried to attack but paused as a flurry of voices invaded her psyche.
"Ah!" She screamed in pain before dropping to her knees.
By the time she recovered, Basar was gone and the Parliament building was filled with groans and the pungent aura of the Abyss.
Ana tried to calm her nerves as she understood that the voice she heard was the Eye of Truth warning her not to touch her anointed.
If she had dared move, her psyche breaking apart won't be a mere threat.
"What do I do?" She muttered as fear completely muddled her senses.
***
Nighttime quickly arrived in Eventide with the Nighteye unleashing its glorious white light on the world below.
In the small village of Townsend, a terrible plot seemed to be brewing with unknown forces at play.
"Let's go." Alex and Douglas prepared to move as they went over their plan one last time to prevent miscommunication between themselves.
With that, they quickly made their way to the gates of Townsend and took the first step inside.
Unlike earlier in the day, there was no barrier to stop their entry.
However, there were some changes compared to the last time they entered.
For one, the citizens of Townsend were no longer laying in bed and instead, were out on the streets, dancing to their heart's content.
But the eerie part was that there was no song and their complexions were so pale, they were akin to ghosts
More than that, some moved with unnatural flexibilities to the point where the sound of bones breaking and muscles rupturing could be heard.
Watching people he was once familiar with dance wildly, Douglas couldn't help but feel bad for them.
"Do you think this is Mrs. Granger's plot?" Douglas inquired.
Alex watched the scene with his spirituality already active.
"Their pneuma has returned but… they are still not the ones making the decisions."
"What does she hope to achieve?" Douglas questioned in annoyance.
Thud
A young lady, no older than 28, had collapsed on the ground with broken bones jutting out of her shoulders and ankles.
There was a look of agony in her eyes despite the weird smile plastered on her lips.
While on the floor, she continued dancing with blood spilling out with each faint movement.
Then after a bit more, she stiffened after which white gas escaped from her body and rushed toward a certain direction.
Just like that, two more collapsed and then the gas escaped their bodies again.
"Do we stop them?" Douglas questioned.
Alex shook his head. "I don't think we'd be able to. Focus on the mission for now… the quicker we end Mrs. Granger, the quicker we can save these people."
"Alright." Douglas nodded albeit unwillingly as he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing.
A moment later, he pulled out a pocket knife and slashed his open palm before clenching it.
As blood slowly dropped, green veins appeared all over his body while his eyes glowed emerald.
Watching the peculiar transformation, Alex had questions but withheld his curiosity.