After the Lord of the Abyss Awakens - Chapter 33.1

Xiu Si watched as the two people walked away, then turned his head to see more people in solemn military uniforms continuing to exit the Hero Memorial Hall.

They must all have been high-ranking figures, as evident from their attire alone. Each wore medals and emblems on their shoulders, exuding the unique pressure of those in high positions. The military personnel who had experienced battlefields, in particular, emanated varying degrees of killing intent as they emerged.

Connecting the words mentioned by the few people earlier, along with this scene and atmosphere, and the undisguisable grief and despair in people’s eyes, Xiu Si could only think of one thing.

— The world’s last remaining hero, Luo Jie, had died.

Xiu Si’s whole body tensed, his calm expression showing ripples, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Luo Jie… how could he possibly be dead?

Didn’t the history books say he was immensely powerful and revered by the world? How could he suddenly die?

Without any warning, how could this be believed?

Xiu Si couldn’t accept it for a moment, and didn’t understand how Luo Jie, who should have been in seclusion elsewhere, could suddenly be said to have died in the Aust Empire, and in the Imperial City no less, a place where the nation-protecting great magic permeated every corner of the city.

How was this possible? And judging by their reactions, it couldn’t have been a natural death, but rather an assassination or something similar.

Hero Luo Jie was assassinated last night?

Faced with this too sudden event, the first thing Xiu Si thought of was — to verify whether this was true or false.

What if he had misunderstood?

Xiu Si’s gaze changed abruptly, and he immediately picked up the two cats on the ground and walked quickly towards the Hero Memorial Hall.

People passing by on the way barely noticed him, their faces all showing expressions of grief and despair, as if their only hope had been extinguished, leaving only an unstoppable doom.

With even Hero Luo Jie dead, what hope did they, the Aust Empire, have left to speak of?

How could Hero Luo Jie, who had lived through the Gods Era and the Demons Era, die precisely in the Humans Era, and in such a lonely manner in a place where no one had noticed?

Sadness, shock, disbelief, as well as frustration and anxiety at being powerless to change the situation, were clearly displayed in these people’s eyes.

The imperial high-level officials had reminded them to keep this matter confidential for now, but could it be concealed? Could everyone control their emotions?

Despair was the easiest to spread. They never imagined that Hero Luo Jie would be the first to fall.

Hero Luo Jie’s sudden death undoubtedly disrupted their morale, making them waver and despair.

…They no longer knew what to do next. Did their Aust Empire still have hope?

Xiu Si walked to the Hero Memorial Hall, only to see police lines set up all around, with several layers of isolation magic cast. Some people nearby were curious about what had happened inside, especially those who originally worked at the Hero Memorial Hall, but ordinary people were no longer allowed to enter, so they had to turn back, knowing nothing about what had happened inside the Hero Memorial Hall.

Xiu Si looked at the military personnel on guard outside, wondering what to do. He wanted to go inside to see Luo Jie’s situation, but if he told them he wanted to enter, would they let him in?

Xiu Si knew it was impossible, because he was just an ordinary foreigner, and at a glance, this was clearly a site of national secrets, involving intelligence about Hero Luo Jie, closely guarded by the military. How could they allow him to enter?

Xiu Si couldn’t just leave like this either; he needed to know what had happened to Luo Jie.

He took a few steps forward, intending to communicate directly with the guards.

At that moment, the cats in his arms jumped down.

What’s wrong? Xiu Si looked down, only to see the two cats running one after another on the street.

Then, both cats turned their heads to look at him simultaneously, as if saying, “Father, follow behind us.”

Xiu Si understood. His children must have some abilities, and might be able to find a way to get inside.

When they were in the abyss, they had been very clever, always able to find various hidden resources.

It seemed they understood his confusion and wanted to help him.

Xiu Si turned his head and looked once more at the entrance of the Hero Memorial Hall. The distant scenery was obscured by magic, shrouded in black mist, with no visible landscape. Even the most conspicuous statue of the hero was completely invisible.

A great event must have occurred, one that the Empire absolutely did not want to see.

Xiu Si’s gaze became solemn as he turned around.

A few minutes later, he followed behind the two cats, winding through an unknown path, and before he realized it, they had successfully entered the Hero Memorial Hall. As for why the spatial isolation magic had no effect on him, he no longer had the leisure to care about that now.

The Hero Memorial Hall was similar to a park, with buildings, forests, and a large lake in the center.

The two cats were heading towards the lake in the forest. Whether by chance or design, they encountered no one along the way. The military personnel were also absent, allowing them to proceed unimpeded.

The veil of information monitoring magic occasionally swept over them, causing the cats’ fur to glow with a cyan light.

In Xiu Si’s memory, few people came to this area, and those who did were mostly there to admire the scenery.

But now was not the time for scenery appreciation.

Because, just a few steps in, Xiu Si saw it.

The ground had been eroded by ominous magic, turning a dark greenish-black, emitting a heavy aura of curses.

The trees in the forest were also severely affected, with large areas withered, decayed, and dead. Animals were completely absent.

It seemed they had sensed the crisis early on and left in advance. Otherwise, the place would have been littered with animal carcasses, presenting a miserable sight and unbearable stench.

Looking at the thick black mist before him, the ominous premonition in Xiu Si’s heart intensified wildly, and he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

Luo Jie, you must be alright.

Xiu Si disregarded everything else and followed directly behind the two cats. The scene ahead became visibly more horrifying.

The super-grade magic veil had been intensively cleansing the curse for at least two to three hours, but the curse still wouldn’t dissipate. It was like an unquenchable fire, burning the soil and woodland.

Traces of battle became increasingly evident – sword slashes, craters from magic bombardments… This area, neither large nor small, had experienced an extremely high-level battle. Even space itself had been shattered, leaving countless spatial rifts.

One could faintly see creatures from subspace peering through the rifts into the mortal world, revealing their strange eyes and enormous, ferocious bodies.

Xiu Si had seen such situations before. During the Gods Era, he had witnessed even more terrifying battle scenes, but none had made him as apprehensive as this one.

Because the one in trouble wasn’t just anyone, it was Luo Jie, one of only six old friends he had in this world.

The other five had disappeared, their fates unknown. If Luo Jie were dead, he would have lost even the last of his old acquaintances.

Xiu Si followed behind the two cats, the ominous premonition in his heart intensifying.

Then, the scene before him changed, becoming increasingly ominous and terrifying. The chilling curse was everywhere, making one’s skin crawl.

Ahead was a suffocating silence of death.

Suddenly, the two cats stopped, gazing at the scene not far ahead.

Xiu Si, sensing something, also stopped. He then raised his eyes to look, and was instantly stunned.

Under a huge dead tree leaned an old man with white hair.

The old man’s head was bowed, his expression unclear. He slumped against the tree, disheveled, with two black daggers piercing his chest. His body was covered in horrific wounds, seemingly drained of all blood. His life force had long since been extinguished, his entire body emanating the aura of death.

And death, as if not content with taking just the body, seemed intent on dragging the person down to an even more terrifying hell, to torture and ravage from afar.

No matter how one looked at it, there was no possibility of survival in this situation.

Nearby magicians were doing their utmost to dispel the curse. Each of them was sweating profusely, their bodies shaking, almost unable to withstand the backlash of the curse. But they had to endure, because the deceased was none other than Hero Luo Jie, the hero who had once saved the world. Each of them had benefited from his grace; how could they allow their benefactor to suffer under a curse even after death, to be eternally tormented?

In this situation, for some unknown reason, they did not notice the black-haired young man in the forest.

Having witnessed the death of his old friend with his own eyes, Xiu Si stood frozen in place.

This scene undoubtedly shocked Xiu Si, leaving him rooted to the spot, his mind blank, then chaotic.

He certainly recognized that old man. So Luo Jie had been in the Aust Empire’s Imperial City all along, but he had never managed to encounter him. He hadn’t expected that after thousands of years, when he finally reunited with his old friend, his friend would already be…dead.

Xiu Si paused, his eyes changing.

Meanwhile, in the Aust Empire’s military conference hall.

Around the round table, everyone wore grave expressions. Some had red-rimmed eyes, while several sat at the table clutching their heads, their wavering and despair evident.

This incident was too sudden; they couldn’t process it at all.

However, they all knew who was responsible.

Seeing everyone’s heavy silence, Philip gritted his teeth and chose to be the one to break it.

Philip stood up and said in a strong voice, “It was done by the apostles of the otherworld god. They managed to infiltrate the Imperial City undetected, killing Hero Luo Jie in the Hero Memorial Hall without alerting the magic tower.”

This was terrifying, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

Do you know what this means?

It means those apostles could kill their people anytime, anywhere, whether in the heavily guarded Imperial City or the even more heavily guarded palace.

All their lives hung by a thread at the whim of the enemy, with no exceptions.

They couldn’t escape; the entire nation’s people were cursed. Death would follow them to the ends of the earth.

Was there anything more despair-inducing than this?

Now the person who could help them most was dead. What could they do?

After Philip finished speaking, the conference room remained silent.

Philip’s face darkened as he asked the dispirited Eilinson across from him, “Does…Her Majesty know about this?”

Eilinson’s gaze dimmed, her eyes full of fatigue as she replied. “Of course Her Majesty knows.”

Everyone drew in a sharp breath, not daring to imagine how Her Majesty must be feeling.

Not to mention Her Majesty’s respect for Hero Luo Jie.

The assassination of Hero Luo Jie by the otherworld god’s apostles in the Aust Empire was currently known only to those in the Aust Empire, but in a few days, the whole world would know. It would undoubtedly cause an uproar, with accusations and criticism against the Aust Empire only increasing, possibly even leading to diplomatic issues and difficulties in resource circulation.

But… could they cover this up? Was it even possible to cover up?

If they did cover it up, it would surely become a major stain for neighboring countries to attack them with.

If it fermented further, it might even lead to outrageous claims like “Aust Empire betrayed Hero Luo Jie” and so on.

At this moment, Philip said gravely, “This news can be controlled for at most ten days. After ten days, the whole world will know.”

Everyone’s expressions darkened further.

The Aust Empire was already in a difficult situation, and now things had gone from bad to worse. Did they have any methods left? Any strength they could rely on?

The Eldest Princess had not returned from the subspace. Had she also…become unable to return?

A military advisor couldn’t help but speak up, “Even if Hero Luo Jie’s power had declined and was not what it once was, at full strength he still had level 90 power. With various super-grade artifacts, he could reach at least level 94. The fact that this level of power was confined within the veil without leaking out, without being detected as abnormal by the nation-protecting great magic, indicates that the apostle who assassinated Luo Jie was at least level 95.”

And may I ask, among those present, who has reached level 95?

The answer is no one.

Eilinson had only just advanced to level 90 a few years ago, already an exceptionally young super-grade magician. Including the one guarding the palace, the highest level in the entire Aust Empire was only 92.

Against a being of at least level 95, what chances did they have?

A level 95 human could establish or destroy countries; a level 95 monster would only be stronger and more difficult to deal with.

Their lives were at the mercy of the enemy’s whim!

They never imagined that while they were preparing for war, the apostle who had snatched Duke Feman was also growing stronger, reaching divine realm at a terrifyingly rapid pace beyond their imagination.

At this rate, forget resisting the descent of the otherworld god, they couldn’t even stop the apostles. How could they fight against the otherworld god?

“…Should we still investigate their meeting place?”

Another advisor suddenly spoke up, his voice trembling.

A monster above level 95 was holding a gathering. Even if you investigated it, what could you do about it? Would you dare to go and kill it? Wouldn’t that be like running headfirst into death?

They felt more desperate, realizing that whatever they did seemed useless now, and they could only be at the mercy of the enemy.

“No, it might not be that strong.”

Another middle-aged advisor couldn’t help but argue. “Hero Luo Jie was injured. What if he was caught off guard and ambushed? It might not be level 95. Don’t scare yourselves. If it were level 95, it wouldn’t need to resort to assassination.”

Philip also agreed. “That makes sense, but it must be above level 90.”

Even if a hero was in decline, they couldn’t be killed by a monster below level 90. But even if it was just level 90, it wasn’t something they could easily deal with. Among the citizens of the Aust Empire, those who could handle monsters above level 90 did not exceed three people.

At this time, the Second Legion Commander Gil spoke with a grave expression. “What’s the point of discussing how strong it is? Didn’t you all go to the scene? Seeing that scene, do you think any of us would have survived if we were there?”

Everyone’s expression changed, and the atmosphere became tense again.

Old Gil sighed, “Hero Luo Jie might have known early on, so he chose to face death alone.”

The hall suddenly fell silent.

So, was Hero Luo Jie willingly going to his death… knowing that death was approaching?

The silent Eilinson suddenly stood up, her eyes determined as she said. “No, I believe Teacher Luo Jie couldn’t have died so easily.”

Everyone was stunned. You don’t believe it… but with that curse-ridden scene, and Hero Luo Jie’s body, how could there be any other possibility?

But Eilinson insisted. “Teacher Luo Jie has experienced multiple god wars. What crisis hasn’t he encountered and overcome? Since he said he would save the Aust Empire, he will definitely save the Aust Empire. He couldn’t possibly leave us behind so easily.”

Philip paused. Everyone’s expressions changed.

Eilinson persisted. “The proof is that they haven’t made any moves until now. If they really killed Teacher Luo Jie, leaving no one in the entire Aust Empire who could deal with it, why has it now calmed down and remained inactive?”

As her words fell, many people’s hearts began to race.

After a long while, someone raised a doubt, “But it’s also possible that Hero Luo Jie inflicted damage on it at the cost of his life, forcing it to rest and recover, rather than immediately advancing to destroy the country.”

This doubt was also reasonable. After all, how could it possibly emerge unscathed from a battle with Hero Luo Jie?