[3RD POV INITIALLIZE]
[10 minutes ago]
A giant floating island located at the center of the city known as Sector 0 was protected by a dome shield, the island was surrounded by a dark, eternal artificial night sky filled with gleaming stars.
Within the dome itself was illuminated by the vibrant lights of skyscrapers on numerous other floating islands adding on to the artificial stars above, giving it a breathtaking view that spanned hundreds of kilometers.
The central floating island, known as the Zero Zone, housed various forms of entertainment such as performances, bars, clubs, and a pop culture park resembling Jurassic Park. Amidst the jungle-like environment of the island, there stood a single towering structure, a 400-meter-tall tower that housed the largest entertainment company in the vibrant city.
Although the citizens of the Singa Sanctuary continent nicknamed it the Vibrant City, its true name was Sector 0. As a neutral sector, it did not strictly adhere to the rules of the world government, instead being governed by multiple powerful guilds, each with its own floating island.
Within the Zero Zone, a linear street stretched for kilometers, surrounded by the lush jungle on one side and the cliff on the other side.
Here, hundreds of people shouted with speakers and raised signs in various texts attacking the world government, demanding the world government to reopen TWOD. Most of these individuals relied on TWOD as their source of income and were burdened with debts. They feared the consequences imposed by international banks or loan sharks in the underground criminal world.
While some protesters sought to hold the world government accountable for their failures in protecting the people, others simply wanted the opportunity to play TWOD again. Despite their different reasons, their motivation was united – to rebel against the government that wielded fake justice.
Not everyone on the floating island agreed with the protestors. Many citizens preferred a carefree life rather than risking trouble by participating in social justice movements. However, there were countless individuals who felt compelled to protest, even if they had no noble obligation to do so. For them, TWOD was their only means of income, and they needed it to repay their debts.
In the midst of the crowd, a red-haired man could be seen asking a fellow protestor, "Isn't it hot here? I hope the world government sends their agency soon to negotiate with us."
The man beside him replied, "No one expects them to send an agency. We are here to raise awareness."
The red-haired man appeared defeated and replied, "Damn, I'm only here to demand the game be reopened so I can do quests for coins."
Though he was aware that many people had loved ones who fell into a comatose state due to TWOD, his ego had won over his empathy, and he felt guilty for it.
The man beside him responded, "You're being honest. As for me, I don't even play TWOD. I believe it's a waste of time when I can focus on reality."
On the street, those who blocked the way were mercilessly pushed aside. Non-participants stood on the side, recording the protestors. Suddenly, the muscular man with brown hair, dark skin, and a fashionable jacket, who seemed to be the leader of the protestors, froze in shock.
"Do you see it?" he asked a woman standing next to him.
The woman, with long brown hair, momentarily froze as if she had seen a ghost. However, the people behind her continued to push forward, leaving her no choice but to move along with the crowd.
Opposite the protestors, a figure materialized out of nowhere, as if time itself had paused. The woman's heart raced, pounding with each step. Even the man beside her felt an unknown sense of unease, as if they were prey approaching a predator.
However, since the people behind them couldn't see the figure, they continued to push forward. Until the man with brown hair urgently shouted, "Everyone, stop!"
He shouted as if his life depended on it, now able to see the lone figure standing opposite the crowd. The figure seemed demonic in nature.
The protestors at the front line halted their advance, but those from behind remained unaware of what was happening, continuing to push forward and creating an unstoppable wave of force that even the front line had to move with.
"Shit!" The man with red hair felt suffocated as the people behind him pushed him forward.
Meanwhile, their leader, the man with brown hair, felt his heart race faster and faster with each step, as the force from behind pushed him closer to the figure.
"Idiot! I said stop!" The protest leader felt a strong urge to run away now that the figure standing away from them became even more visible.
Approximately 50 meters away, a man stood, towering at around 2 meters in height. His skin was purple, adorned with a crown of horns, and behind him spun a red chakra at incredible speed. He appeared like a demonic force, something that shouldn't exist in reality.
"Shit, this guy isn't even human!" The woman with brown hair ran away, tears streaming down her face.
Suddenly, a small sphere of blue particles floated above the man with purple skin.
Grinning widely, the purple-skinned man whispered something to the sphere, "Narrative energy activate."
As if by some mystical force, a system materialized before the man, visible only to him.
[Curse System: Replica Magic activated within a 500-kilometer range.
Exclusive archetype: Maya Asura, Demon of Illusion]
Suddenly, the world lost all its color, and time itself seemed to warp and distort. When color returned, everything was bathed in hues of purple and red.
The man with purple skin bellowed with all his might, "Narrative Descending Domain, Phantasm of Eternal Agony!"
[World System: The Phantasm of Eternal Agony is descending]
The ground beneath him transformed into a swirling spell of blue particles, encircling him and growing larger by the second. Soon, multiple massive spells manifested above each floating island in the vibrant city, spinning and hovering within the dome.
From each of these colossal spells emerged gigantic serpentine demons, their bodies predominantly colored in a grotesque blend of red and black. Their twisted forms appeared as if their flesh was melting, fused with swirling blue particles and coursing veins. Additionally, each demon possessed a skeletal horn protruding from its head.
These demons seemed to have emerged straight from the depths of hell itself. Their immense size should have caught the attention of the millions inhabiting the vibrant city, but only the protestors and those present in the Zero zone could perceive their presence.
Those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the Zero Zone island were destined to die, cursed with the ability to witness these horrifying beings as if glimpsing into the depths of hell right before their instant demise.
Chaos erupted among the protestors and the inhabitants of the zero zone as they gazed up at the sky, unspeakable horror reflected in their eyes. Their minds struggled to comprehend the true nature of the unfolding catastrophe. The instinct to flee, to somehow survive in the face of these supernatural entities capable of instantaneous death, overwhelmed their thoughts. However, all that remained was sheer terror as screams echoed throughout the island.
Meanwhile, on the other islands, the gigantic serpents remained motionless. However, countless blue particles were being drawn out from every human present, gathering their narrative energy.
Although this extraction wouldn't kill them, their memories of this day would fade, making it difficult for them to recall the events. Most importantly, these unaffected individuals couldn't see the massive serpents in the sky, as they were not under the curse like the people and protestors in the zero zone who were destined to die.
The man with purple skin let out a sadistic laugh as he swiftly pointed his finger at the hundred protestors. With a command, the giant serpents descended and devoured numerous individuals in an instant.
Even the recorders who were not participating in the protest ran away, knowing that they too were in danger of impending death. As they looked up at the sky, they witnessed thousands of giants, with six arms and three eyes, descending from the swirling spells above. The sky seemed like a portal from which these terrifying beings emerged.
One of the giants plummeted onto a recorder, crushing him instantly. His organs splattered onto the grass and nearby tree branches.
"This can't be happening! This is fucking hell!" screamed a man with red hair in horror and disbelief, he always thought the world he lived in was akin to a science-fiction but now it turned into pure horror fantasy.
But before he could react, the person beside him was already crushed by another giant, descending with incredible speed and shaking the ground violently. Some unfortunate individuals were squeezed into meatball-like shapes, their blood spilling out to become the juice that the six-armed giants eagerly drank. The man with red hair sprinted as far as possible, forcefully pushing people aside in his desperate attempt to escape. Others could be seen running into the jungle, seeking any semblance of safety.
However, what awaited them in the jungle were more giants, patiently waiting for their prey to enter their hunting ground. There was nowhere to hide or run at this point. The entire Zero Zone island had become a hunting ground for these demonic creatures, and people ran mindlessly, driven solely by the instinct to survive.
The island was filled with screams of horror, a stark contrast to the carefree society that had enjoyed decades without war. The sheer terror they faced now was unimaginable. Cries for help echoed through the air, but no amount of pleading could bring salvation in this hellish situation. Even a mother who tried to shield her child was devoured by a giant, its mouth gaping wide on the stage.
On another stage, a band was in the midst of a live performance, unable to comprehend the horrors unfolding before them. But when they turned around, they were met with a giant, smiling as if it had finally found a delicious meal after waiting for centuries.
The vocalist, in a desperate bid for survival, leaped from the stage and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. However, the guitarist was not as fortunate. One of the giants seized him by the waist with two of its arms, while another two grabbed his head, lifting him up. In an instant, the giant bit off half of his body, tossing the remains onto the nearby ground.
The drummer and bassist met a similar gruesome fate. Even as the vocalist managed to temporarily evade death, he was swiftly caught by another giant. Its wicked smile sent a chill down his spine as his head was bitten off in an instant, blood splattering onto the ground along with fragments of his flesh.
As this was all an illusion, affecting both the cameras and observers, it appeared as if the people on the island were losing their minds, committing acts of violence and murder against each other. In reality, it was the demonic beings that were slaughtering these innocent souls.
This was the power of the narrative domain, a formidable form of replica magic that rivaled true magic. It created an illusion for both the affected individuals and the observers, shaping their reality to align with the desires of the user. To those under the curse, it was their reality, while the observers could only witness the cursed individuals seemingly losing their minds, engaging in mass suicides and brutal acts of violence against one another, all under the influence of the same curse.
*
As chaos continued to consume the island below, a lone figure stood atop a tower, observing the unfolding events. This man had white hair and wore sunglasses that concealed his eyes. A smile played on his lips as he witnessed the mayhem.
"Sometimes, you don't need a celestial being to punish a fool who is ignorant of the hierarchy of power in this cosmos," he remarked to himself.
This man was the same person Einsamer had encountered earlier that morning. Now, he stood alone on the tower, watching as the world beneath him descended into madness.
Despite the mystery of his mission, he couldn't simply stand by and do nothing. Someone had unleashed their narrative energy to disrupt the world, and he couldn't ignore it.
It wasn't a sense of obligation that drove him, but rather his own way of punishing those who acted as villains by becoming an even greater villain to them. A beautiful black mole adorned the left side of his cheek, adding to his enigmatic appearance. With an excited voice, he declared, "Narrative Descending Domain, 13!" and leaped from the tower, chanting the words and number.
As the universe vibrated and the very structure of reality shifted, a planetary system responded to his incantation, bringing his words to life.
[Divine system: 13, a secret code in the Divine Omnistream has been unlocked on Planet Tellus,
Sequence of timeline: 1.23
13 = Restart, Reboot, Resurrection, Recreation]
While he free-fell, he relaxed his body and extended his arms and legs. With a snap of his fingers, a tiny purple ball materialized in his palm. Taking aim at the sky, he launched the purple magical ball, watching as it soared through the air and exploded into a massive purple spell, surpassing even the size of the blue magical spell. This giant purple spell hovered above the revolving blue spell on the multiple islands.
From the purple spell emerged a colossal eye, adorned with countless purple stars. Its pupil resembled a giant clock ticking backward. Fixing its gaze upon the blue spell, the spell disintegrated into blue particles, gradually fading away. The red and purple world that had been conjured, allowing the demonic beings summoned by the mysterious purple-skinned Asura, also vanished.
The demonic beings, both the serpents and the six-armed giants, disappeared as if they had never existed. Even the bodies of the fallen returned to their normal state as time began to rewind. The world reconstructed itself down to the smallest atom, as if nothing had ever happened.
The music festival, the protests, and everything else on the island returned to what it once was. However, one thing remained unchanged—the horror of the experience had become encrypted within their subconsciousness. Even though their memories and physical bodies had been reset, the lingering effects of what they had endured still had a spiritual impact on their minds.