NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 239: Wonderland – 42
The demon army pushed into the heart of Card Sun with ruthless momentum.
They smashed through buildings without mercy as they advanced.
Their one-sided onslaught was made possible by the absence of obstacles blocking their path.
Thanks to the Ticketer swiftly distributing tickets for people to move to the rear, the Zakanubas were simply sweeping through empty streets.
While evacuating residents, a summons was conducted at the judiciary theater, the heart of Wonderland.
Citizens registered with an Inspira ID were required to serve in the militia at regular intervals.
And in times of emergency, they were obligated to fight to defend Wonderland.
Except for the theatre owners providing refuge to guests in the rear, summon warrants were issued to all citizens nearly a hundred thousand personas, who quickly gathered in the central square.
All of this was accomplished in less than three minutes.
Scarecrow, Minova, and Hopps couldn’t help but be stunned at the sight of Wonderland’s forces pouring into the square.
What had just been a cheerful and bustling place now emanated the aura of war.
“This is not the time. To Ruelle!”
As Minova snapped out of shock to search for his daughter, Crazy Hatter walked out of the theatre.
“Seems like you folks have been quite startled.”
“I-Is this okay?”
“It’s nothing much. It’s just a periodic occurrence in Kirku’s domain. Of course, an event of this scale is rare… Anyway, this isn’t an area where you should get involved. You should prepare to return home quickly.”
“Is the lullaby… the ensemble all finished?”
“Almost. It should be wrapped up in about five minutes.”
“But our party members are missing… Ah, there they are.”
Oberon, Lumie, and Clara dashed up the stairs from below.
They each carried a sturdy pouch on their shoulders.
They had gone to obtain the “Sand of Slumber” to use against Kirku.
“Guides, as soon as the ensemble finishes, please guide the guests to the exits! Mathias, you’ll guard the guests. Director Oberon, after the ensemble finishes, find less shielded eyes and properly close them off with the Sand of Slumber.”
He shouted this and then descended the stairs to command the militia below.
The Scarecrow divided his gaze between Lumie and Minova and shouted to the other two leaders.
“Mr Minova, Mr. Hopps, please go inside and bring out your party members!”
“Oh, alright.”
“Lord Fantastic is there too. Don’t forget.”
The two of them dashed into the theater, and Oberon exchanged what seemed like a farewell with Lumie before following others.
The rest of the people surveyed the situation in the square below.
The Zakanubas near the entrance had surged forward to just outside the square.
People realized they weren’t just rampaging aimlessly; they clearly had strategic objectives.
It was obvious where they were aiming.
People could see them getting closer and more frequent.
They were converging on the judiciary theatre.
The militia also noticed and formed a defensive line around the square.
Soon, the Zakanubas rushed into the square.
They had been bounding forward as if they were about to collide any moment, but they stopped just a few steps away from the militia.
Thud.
A simultaneous sound of feet stopping echoed through the square.
A cloud of dust swept through.
The Zakanubas snarled at the people in front of them with contorted postures.
The militia members also stood firm, facing their vicious momentum.
A few figures emerged from the demon camp and walked toward the square.
They were more than twice the size of ordinary Zakanubas, each wielding a large scythe and draped in billowing black cloth.
“Reapers.”
The muttering of the Scarecrow made everyone around him startle and look at him.
“Reapers? Are those really reapers?”
“Noiua-Zakanubas! It’s my first time seeing them in person.”
“Why would such high-ranking demons…?”
The Reapers shouted loudly so that everyone in the square could hear.
They demanded that half of Wonderland be handed over to their faction.
The incredulous reaction from Crazy Hatter alone indicated how outrageous the demand was.
It was either their first time encountering such audacious demands or they found it utterly absurd.
Instinctively, the Scarecrow sensed what it meant.
It’s a double move!
His mind quickly formulated a hypothesis.
What if that massive army is just a decoy to draw attention?
At that moment, the shout of the Boundaryser echoed in his mind.
“Sir, this is not the place to enter!”
The mechanical sound of the sentries had echoed from all directions.
The demons had to rush in from multiple directions simultaneously to make such a noise. But those voices were heard only once and never again. If that attempt and the army in front of him were all decoys?
The scarecrow turned to look in the direction where Boundaryser’s voice had not been heard.
Opposite to the archway, directly symmetrical to the point of Card Sun.
To the north.
There, on the lower floor, was a secret passage connected to the basement of the judicial theater!
The moment he tried to inform others of this fact, screams and loud noises erupted from inside the theatre.
At the same time, the Zakanuba Legion rushed the guards.
***
High-level demons were often not born through reproduction but rather through processes such as awakening, fusion, mutation, and evolution undergone by ordinary demons.
Noiua Zakanuba, nicknamed “The Reaper,” gained strength and intelligence by obtaining the artifact known as the Reaper’s Scythe.
It was a mystery when the Reaper’s Scythe came into existence in the Abyss.
However, it was clear that all existing scythes were originally one entity, which had been divided into the current artifacts carried by the Reapers.
Except for a few exceptions, only Zakanubas could wield it.
Catarophe recalled the moment he obtained the Reaper’s Scythe.
Dozens of his kin who had grabbed the scythe before couldn’t handle its power and exploded into pieces, losing their lives.
His parents and siblings all perished.
He couldn’t quite remember what he, who had been so beastly, had thought at that time.
It was just too sad and too terrifying; that much was certain.
Still, there must have been some mistake.
He had grasped the Reaper’s Scythe and survived.
Overcoming immense pain, he gained unimaginable power.
He believed he was chosen.
He hoped other Reapers were undoubtedly noble beings worthy of the power of the scythe, like himself.
However, whenever such gatherings of Reapers occurred, he couldn’t help but question the criteria by which the scythe chose its owner.
“Katpia, Katpia! Come here and eat this.”
A plump Reaper shoved something into his mouth, looking satisfied.
Beside him was a middle-aged Reaper looking at him with amusement.
She offered a lunchbox filled with food to Catarophe.
“Katpia, wouldn’t you like to try some fairy dumplings? I made the filling from pickled fairies.”
“I’m good. You two eat plenty.”
Catarophe sighed at the sight of his comrades, who lacked the dignity befitting their nickname of “Reapers.”
“Why are you so sharp-tongued? Katpia’s charm was always being laid back.”
“He got beaten up by humans not long ago when he went to the surface.”
The plump Reaper’s words made the middle-aged Reaper cover her mouth with her hand.
“Oh my, oh my. Our esteemed Reaper?”
“Who’s esteemed? Hey, and speak directly. There were three ‘Apostles’ there! Including priests and knights from the Orthodox Church! Can you beat three Apostles? Huh?”
When Catarophe jumped up, the plump Reaper thrust his mouth roughly and muttered.
“He only gets angry at me.”
“Oh, only towards our dear Patty? Are you delusional?”
“He doesn’t even use honorifics to me.”
“Stop dreaming. You’ll never hear it in your life.”
As he was speaking up, another Reaper who had been silently watching them approached him.
Unlike other Reapers, she had a slender waist, and her curves emphasized femininity.
“Catarophe.”
“Sha, Shaanura.”
Her voice was higher and thinner than other Reapers’.
Catarophe felt his face blush as she looked him straight in the eyes.
“You should call me ‘Miss.’ There’s only a small age difference.”
“But, still, it’s more convenient this way…”
“Did you really lose to humans? With your skills? You survived, even against three Apostles.”
“I… I didn’t lose! I, I tied! If only that knight…”
At that moment, the plump Reaper suddenly intervened between them.
“Sha, come here and eat some dumplings.”
“Hey, hey! Don’t call her Sha!”
“We’re all friends here, what’s the big deal? You’re being picky, Catastrophe. Catastrophe.”
The cart carrying the four Reapers was heading through the underground passage towards the basement of the judicial theatre.
Today, nine Reapers were hired for the mission.
Five of them commanding the Zakunubas, attracted attention, while the four gathered here were supposed to accomplish what their client failed to do ten days ago.
They first sent the Zakunubas into the vicinity of the Card Sun to activate the alarms of the bouncers.
At the same time, the four of them cooperatively dealt with one Boundaryser as they entered from the north.
So-oo-on……Niii, Im……
The Boundaryser was a powerful spirit.
It was difficult even for the Reapers to confidently guarantee victory in a one-on-one fight.
However, under the surprise attack exerting all their strength, the Boundaryser collapsed without even uttering a word.
Quietly infiltrating into the Card Sun as planned by the client, they were now heading underground to the basement of the judicial theatre through the secret passage in the northern lower area.
“Come to think of it, a group of humans broke into my house not long ago.”
“Were they Heroes coming to capture you?”
“No, they were just some random scoundrels.”
“How did you deal with them?”
“The skewer you’re eating right now is made from their kind.”
“Wow! No wonder! Shall I stop eating too?”
“I’ve been vegetarian lately.”
“Vegetarian? Grass doesn’t taste good.”
Now, they were almost at their destination. Catarophe, feeling full and energetic, glanced at his friend and shouted,
“What on earth are these appearances? Are we on a picnic? Please, let’s focus! Have some dignity for client’s sake!”
At that moment, the middle-aged Reaper took out a dish from the lunch basket.
“Katpia, we’ve brought a stew made with herbs that Katpia loves.”
“Muna, please…”
“Not gonna eat? Huh? Huh?”
“Sigh… Alright.”
Reluctantly, Catarophe sat down and accepted the dish she offered. The scent of herbs and the stew were among his favourite foods.
“I knew you’d like it!”
But before Catarophe could even lift a spoon, there was a loud clang followed by the sound of a screeching halt.
As a result, the stew bowl rolled off the rail and fell down.
“Oh no…”
“What should we do? Shall I pick it up and eat?”
“Put it away! Let’s get on with the mission!”
“Katpia, I’ll make it for you again after the mission. Don’t be too upset.”
The four Reapers got off the cart with their respective scythes in hand.
“We can hear music from above. We were told to stop it if it’s being played?”
“Someone needs to go to the prisoners who are being held.”
“The final terrorist act…”
They divided their tasks and went their separate ways.
Catarophe chose the hall on the ground.
As soon as he entered the hall, he launched a surprise attack on a man who looked like a disciple.
Perhaps because he was deeply focused on commanding, the man couldn’t even attempt a counterattack and was thrown against the wall without resistance.
With a thud, the stands collapsed, and due to the aftermath of the attack, the stage where the music was playing also split in two.
Everyone screamed as they fell to the ground, but Ella, who was light on her feet without an instrument, managed to balance herself on the stage.
Catarophe checked her appearance and chuckled.
“Ah, you’re that acrobat from back then, aren’t you?”
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Chapter 238: Wonderland – 41