Chapter 197
Inspection Bureau Attacked
“Beginner supervisors, protect the documents and citizens first! Settle all citizens into my office!”
The new director of the Red Queen District Inspection Bureau, Tai Ya, clad in armor, gave orders in a very loud voice amidst the crowd. “Law Masters, continue to maintain the barrier, and supervisors, check your firearms and ammunitions!”
Her voice carried authority and a sense of reassurance.
She felt somewhat overwhelmed and incredulous. Since the establishment of the Red Queen District Inspection Bureau, this was the first time it had been directly attacked by illegal extraordinary individuals! Her first reaction was: “Are you insane?”
But soon, Tai Ya realized that the other party had premeditated. They waited for the Inspection Bureau to be at its weakest! Just moments ago, a mixed curse with no warning descended directly into the Inspection Bureau. It wasn’t a lethal curse, but for that very reason, it was even harder to resist. Tai Ya easily identified the type of curse.
First to descend was the “Fear Curse.” The sudden fear caused the ordinary people working in the Inspection Bureau – reporting cases, being arrested, paying taxes, and fines – to instantly go mad. Some weaker Law Masters also fell victim. The profession of supervisor, due to enhanced willpower, possessed considerable resistance to curses that involved mental resistance.
However, the ordinary people driven mad by the curse were either screaming incessantly, fleeing in all directions, randomly attacking the nearest person, or smashing things… some with mixed symptoms. The Inspection Bureau couldn’t directly attack these ordinary people, yet they lacked the ability to dispel the curse instantly. Normally, a shout from them would be enough to shock and awe them with their authority. But under the Fear Curse, their minds were vulnerable. Using their authority might accidentally scare them to death. In an instant, the Inspection Bureau descended into chaos.
The number of Law Masters in the Inspection Bureau was not large; they usually worked in the Court of Justice. They attempted to use Law Spells to control the out-of-control civilians – the effect was excellent. Ordinary people were completely unable to resist the binding of Law Masters; even the lowest-level spells could control them one hundred percent. But there were too many people… this caused the Mana of these Law Masters, whose levels were not high to begin with, to drain rapidly. They soon realized they couldn’t continue like this and could only have the supervisors move the civilians crowding the hall away – at least to places where they wouldn’t be in the way.
Next came the potent curse of “Weakness.” The curse master’s identity was unknown, but a deep, crimson magic circle flashed and instantly spread throughout the Inspection Bureau. This curse did not conflict with the fear; about seventy percent of people were hit. The only advantage was that at least the frenzied civilians quieted down, no longer wasting the Law Masters’ Mana. Although the curse’s effect was greatly diluted by being spread among so many people, it was still enough to put the supervisors into a sluggish state during combat. Specifically, it felt like someone used to wielding a sword with their right hand suddenly having to use their left – that awkward feeling. For ordinary people, it caused them to instantly collapse onto the ground, unable to move. However, carrying them also became more difficult.
Just then, a pack of Demonic Hounds, drooling foul saliva, rushed in and began to bite at these people. This immediately allowed the Inspection Bureau to guess their identity and purpose. These were Demon Scholars from the Noble Red! They had come to break prisoners out! Why at this particular time? Only today… the Grand Guardian was coincidentally not home, and his calls went unanswered. Mr. Dawn had also been invited to the Prince’s memorial service. Director Tai Ya had no choice but to call the Silver and Tin Hall for reinforcements, hoping they could find someone quickly. But at that moment, they discovered the phone line had already been cut.
Most supervisors in the Inspection Bureau were Second Tier, with a few at Third Tier. Only Director Tai Ya, former director Gordon, and Law Chief Dawn were Fourth Tier. Utilizing the Authority granted by her position, Tai Ya easily slew three Demonic Hounds in mere seconds. After her intervention, the situation was immediately brought under control. Thanks to Director Tai Ya buying time and stabilizing their minds, the Law Masters, who had undergone contingency drills and had only momentarily forgotten, activated the defensive barrier, preventing internal personnel from leaving and external personnel from entering. With the barrier’s resistance, they couldn’t directly charge in. If attacked from the outside, the barrier could intercept.
Since civilians were still crowded in the hall, heavy as if drunk, and difficult to move, the supervisors couldn’t directly shoot at the Demonic Hounds. Fortunately, they wore half-plate armor at the Inspection Bureau, allowing them to contend with the Demonic Hounds even with melee weapons. They could only use their own weapons and bodies to block these Demonic Hounds. But under their masters’ commands, the Demonic Hounds completely ignored the supervisors and focused only on biting civilians. This made it difficult for the supervisors to divert their attention, requiring them to pay a greater price to protect them. Their charges were hard to resist, and their tattered iron armor inflicted severe pain and tearing wounds. Basically, it required supervisors of Third Tier or above to quickly slay the Demonic Hounds.
However, the Demon Scholars never showed themselves. Even after all the dozen or so Demonic Hounds were slain, none of them approached the barrier. They were just buying time! Tai Ya understood, but she was powerless to do anything about it, as her subordinates were too weak.
Just then, a deep purple magic circle flashed and disappeared, replacing the initial Fear Curse. This was the third curse, hitting everyone without exception. Even Director Tai Ya, despite her immunity granted by her position, couldn’t resist. Stacking curses was incredibly difficult, yet the opponent seemed to have mastered this art. He could cast one more curse than others dared, and each subsequent curse became harder to resist. And this curse was the most fatal.
Ritual Curse: Energy Drain! The Mana of all cursed extraordinary individuals began to drain at a visible rate, even if unused. Approximately one standard unit of Mana would be lost every ten seconds. In just one minute, the Law Masters’ Mana would be depleted. At that point, the barrier, which required Mana to maintain, would collapse on its own, and the supervisors could at most hold out for a little longer. This caused a slight commotion within the Inspection Bureau, which Tai Ya immediately suppressed. “Remain calm and continue to maintain the barrier! Hold your formation and await reinforcements!”
But there were no reinforcements. Even as she said it, her heart sank. If she directly said, “We have no reinforcements,” these young supervisors might lose control. The enemy had prepared too thoroughly, as if they knew exactly what the Inspection Bureau feared most. Furthermore, the location of the Avalon Secret Chambers was top secret, known only to a few high-ranking officials besides Director Tai Ya herself. Ordinary people wouldn’t think that these repeat offenders would be imprisoned underground in the Inspection Bureau; they would only target the disguised cages at the Arbitration Hall. Moreover, not all the detention sites were underground in the Inspection Bureau. The selection rules for the various secret chambers were all different. All procedures and document locations pointed towards the Arbitration Hall, including interrogation records. There were no issues except that the people were indeed not there.
Not to mention, the Red Queen District was a university district. The largest building in the area was the Royal Law University. The best university in Avalon harbored the most dangerous criminals… normal people wouldn’t think of that, would they? But first, Alistair had infiltrated somehow and killed the people. Now the Noble Red had attacked with such force. How should they interpret this? Was Alistair not one of them?
Now, their phone lines and power cables were cut, making it impossible to contact the Grand Guardian or get help from the Inspection Department and the Arbitration Hall. They had no stronger weapons, only the security pistols that might not even kill a person, and Elven Short Swords that were essentially staff-like daggers. Even their partners, the Gryphons, were kept outside by the hastily erected barrier.
Supervisors essentially only handled ordinary people’s cases. Most supervisors had never seen a living demon in their lives. After all, stronger extraordinary individuals had transferred to the Inspection Department and the Arbitration Hall, and when encountering more troublesome cases, they sought help from the Inspection Department. After all, Avalon had never had such audacious individuals who dared to directly attack the Inspection Bureau. And their preparation was too thorough – to be self-deprecating, they were taking them too seriously. Could they not have Alistair sneak in and take care of them again?
Their surprise attack was too swift. As a result, the Inspection Bureau, without making any sound, was completely enveloped by the protective barrier. Normally, Gryphon Knights from the Arbitration Hall would be patrolling the sky. If they saw the barrier, they would likely understand what was happening… But only today, at this exact moment, would they not be patrolling… There must be a traitor. Director Tai Ya narrowed her eyes. The notification call from the Silver and Tin Hall had come less than two hours ago. Before that, no one had received any notification. Tai Ya had also been invited, but she was feeling unwell today and thus did not attend the memorial service, as she felt it was inauspicious. However, the time required for the ritual to summon these Demonic Hounds alone was longer than that. Not to mention the numerous curse rituals they had prepared.
Seeing the barrier flicker out as the Law Masters’ Mana was depleted, Director Tai Ya’s heart sank. This time, something truly bad was going to happen. She stood straight at the forefront of the crowd, her expression solemn as she watched the bizarrely shaped demons surge forward. In the distance, several missiles emitting frost and emitting shrill screams like infants locked onto their target and flew towards her. Red, scalding tentacles suddenly erupted from the ground, unexpectedly binding the people closest to them and seemingly intending to crush them. Unknown hidden imps, who had infiltrated stealthily, attacked the Mana-depleted Law Masters, their poisoned daggers and short swords piercing their chests or lower backs. Several dark orbs spun and flew towards the hall, emitting ominous dark fluctuations. Tai Ya saw, from afar, a bald man in a Red Robe holding a staff pointed at her. He chanted incoherently, and the items placed before him disappeared one by one, while a terrifying chill accumulated.
She showed no fear. She directly threw her short sword! The short sword arrived first, before the fatal spells, and like a meteor, flashed a white light, piercing through the bald man guiding the spell directly through his chest. The next moment, violent lightning exploded outward from his center, instantly burning him to a crisp. His maintained ritual spell immediately lost control, and the accumulating cold wind erupted, instantly covering the ground around him with frost.
“You have quite a lot of nerve,” Tai Ya sneered. “And you dare to guide a spell without taking cover?”
With her left hand, she tore off the Director’s badge from her chest and held it high above her head. Without needing to say a word, the silver triangle, the symbol of Avalon, suddenly shone with white light. Those spells classified as forbidden paths instantly disintegrated and vanished in mid-air. Tai Ya raised her right hand, and the short sword embedded in the charred corpse trembled, then flew back into her hand on its own.
Next, one Red Robed Man after another stepped forward. The street had become incredibly empty; they moved like crimson ghosts, densely packed. Tai Ya scanned them and roughly estimated their number. Those who stood out in the open numbered at least forty-something. Her heart sank as she gripped her short sword.
“Fight for Her Majesty the Queen! Fight for Avalon!” she roared loudly and launched her final charge.
But just then, an invisible giant suddenly materialized before her, reaching out to grab her shoulder. It was five meters tall, like a mountain. Its movements seemed slow but were actually fast. With a single push, it used her momentum to lift Tai Ya off the ground, spinning her around in the air with elegant and natural grace, like a discus thrower, before flinging her back again! During the entire process, Tai Ya felt as if time had frozen; she was completely unable to resist. Her body was thrown heavily onto the Avalon insignia, and blood suddenly spewed from her mouth. Splashes of her blood stained the silver triangular insignia red. The giant slowly materialized, its expression calm.
Behind him, another slightly shorter giant, only a little over three meters tall, also appeared. “Stop playing around,” the three-meter-tall giant immediately commanded loudly. “Squad One, continue the dispersal ritual. Squad Two, prepare the Silent Magic Circle, activate in four minutes. Squad Three, go to all possible secret door locations and plant bombs, timed for five minutes. Activate the bombs in five minutes!”
Update complete! I wrote over eight thousand words today!
