"A physical entity?"
A flash of surprise crossed Steve's eyes. Without a word of nonsense, his large hand, carrying the power of a Tier 5 Peak, lunged out abruptly.
Boom!
Vitality erupted, and space itself seemed to solidify.
The Ghoul had no time to react before it was gripped tightly in Steve's hand like a helpless chick.
"Ugh!"
The Ghoul let out a pained grunt, its body struggling violently, yet it couldn't budge that massive hand at all.
"Speak."
Steve's eyes were icy, his killing intent boiling over.
"Who is this 'Master' you speak of? And what do you mean by 'nurturing a god'? Are you referring to Alex?"
"Hehehe..."
Even though it was being squeezed out of shape, the Ghoul still let out a mocking laugh, its single eye looking at Steve with pure derision.
"You fool, do you think you're clever? Do you think you're the one who found the clues from back then? Do you think you're the one uncovering the truth?"
"Wrong, you couldn't be more wrong."
It looked at Steve as if he were a clown.
"These clues are nothing more than signposts Master left behind specifically for today's plan, intended for her to retrace her own steps in the future."
"However, you really are stupid enough to jump in voluntarily and complete the process for our Master ahead of time, hahahaha!"
"What?"
Steve's pupils shrank suddenly.
At that moment, thoughts flashed frantically in his mind, bringing the most urgent deduction results from the Think Tank.
[Core Suspect Locked: Pearl]
As a witness or the mastermind of the events back then, she must be perfectly clear about all the routes and clues.
Why leave clues behind?
Conclusion: She sealed her own memories for the purpose of one day in the future, acting as an ignorant party and protector, to personally lead Alex through this final leg of the journey.
Suspected Ultimate Goal: To ripen Alex, who is the core of an SSS-level Anomaly, into a god, and then seize her body.]
Reading through these shocking lines of analysis, Steve felt a chill rise within him.
"It's Pearl..."
Hearing that name, the Ghoul in his hand clearly froze for a moment, then laughed even more maniacally.
"Hahaha, I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect you to actually guess Master's identity."
"But it's already too late."
The Ghoul's twisted face was full of the satisfaction of a successful scheme.
"Alex is already the perfect vessel for an SSS-level Anomaly. Now, with the sacrifice of all her closest kin and no fewer than four evil objects prepared long ago..."
"The ritual is already irreversible."
"She is about to become a god, and this divine body will belong to our great Master, hahahaha!"
Crack.
Steve could listen no longer. He exerted sudden force with his hand, directly crushing the Ghoul into a cloud of black and white mist that dissipated.
"Damn it."
Steve was consumed with anxiety.
Without any hesitation, his consciousness switched instantly, transferring his main focus directly to the Zombie Clone that was currently fleeing frantically in the outside world.
Meanwhile.
In every corner of the Weird World.
The Zombie Clones who were currently pitting their wits against anomalies in various Paranormal Domains to harvest cores all received a death order from the main body at this moment.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
One by one, the clones self-destructed to clear a path, then controlled the Zombies that had just emerged from the Portals, turning into streaks of light and converging toward the Haven City regardless of the cost.
High in the sky on the outskirts of the Haven City.
The wind howled as the Zombie Clone holding Alex pushed its speed to the absolute limit.
However, the orb of black light behind them seemed to have a life of its own; not only was it not being shaken off, but the distance was closing.
"Ugh..."
Alex suddenly let out a pained moan in his arms.
Her body trembled more and more violently, and strange black patterns began to surface on her originally pale little face.
In those clear, large eyes, a heart-palpitating red light would occasionally flash.
That was the restlessness of the SSS-level Anomaly source.
"Brother... Steve..."
Alex tightly gripped the clone's clothes.
She looked up, her tear-stained little face filled with deep fear and confusion.
"If... if one day I turn bad..."
Her voice trembled with a hint of pleading.
"Will you... kill me?"
Though she was small, that evil instinct originating from deep within her bloodline was constantly eroding her reason.
She could feel herself turning into a monster that even she was afraid of.
Hearing these heartbreaking words, Steve, who was controlling the clone, felt his heart skip a beat.
He looked down at the poor little girl in his arms and forced a gentle smile.
"Silly girl."
Steve freed one hand to gently stroke her hair, his tone incredibly firm.
"Don't worry, that day will never come."
"Alex is so cute and so kind, how could you possibly turn bad?"
"Brother promised to protect you, so I will never let anyone hurt you, let alone let you become a monster."
At the family residence.
A Zombie Clone smashed through the front door, and psychic power instantly flooded into the house.
However, the only response was a deathly silence and the heavy scent of blood permeating the air.
On the living room floor, a pool of red blood that had not yet dried was particularly eye-catching.
"Too late..."
Through the clone's vision, Steve's gaze turned cold.
"Pearl has recovered her memories and killed Hannah. It seems she no longer intends to pretend and has laid her cards on the table."
Meanwhile, in the western suburbs of the Haven City, at the Underground Altar.
Steve's main body was still tightly gripping that weirdly laughing Ghoul, just about to turn and rush out of the cave to support the clone fleeing with Alex.
Suddenly, his footsteps halted abruptly, and his gaze shot toward the entrance of the altar.
Tap, tap, tap.
Accompanied by light footsteps, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was Pearl.
At this moment, she wore a gentle yet eerie smile, cradling the lifeless Hannah, whose chest was still bleeding, as if she were holding a sleeping child.
"Steve, I really must thank you."
Pearl looked at Steve, her tone so soft it was hair-raising.
"If it weren't for you, I would have had to go to some trouble to bring this old woman here. Now, it's perfect; you've helped me scout the path, saving me from having to walk it again myself."
"Madwoman."
Steve wasted no words. Since the culprit had arrived, he would crush her directly.
Boom!
His figure surged forward, the power of a Tier 5 Peak erupting instantly as an ice-covered Iron Fist struck directly at Pearl's face.
However, facing this lethal strike, Pearl merely smiled faintly.
Buzz!
The space underwent a bizarre distortion.
Steve's fist actually passed right through Pearl's body, as if he had struck empty air.
The next second, Pearl's figure vanished from the spot and, as if teleporting, appeared directly atop the towering main altar.
"Teenagers these days really can't keep their composure."
She gently placed Hannah's corpse onto the secondary altar on the right side.
After finishing all this, she slowly walked to the very center of the Main Altar, spread her arms, tilted her head back, and a look of extreme fanaticism and obsession appeared on her face.
"Frost Domain."
Steve reacted extremely quickly, striking back with a blast of ultimate cold, attempting to seal her completely onto the altar.
Crack, crack, crack!
Thick, solid ice instantly enveloped Pearl and the entire altar, forming a massive iceberg.
"Too late..."
From within the ice, Pearl's muffled yet crazed laughter rang out.
*Slash*
The sound of flesh tearing was clearly transmitted through the thick layer of ice.
Within the frozen block, Pearl actually forced her right hand up, fingers curled into claws, and plunged it ruthlessly into her own chest.
Her expression contorted in pain, but the madness in her eyes grew even more intense.
"Come forth, the key to the Divine Throne."
*Rip.*
With a violent tug, she forcibly ripped a bright red, beating heart out of her chest cavity.
"Hahahaha."
Pearl held her heart high, blood flowing wildly down her arm and dripping onto the ancient, complex runes beneath her feet.
"The Divine Body... I actually did it. Using several evil objects below SSS-level, combined with the sacrifice of kin's blood, I have finally nurtured an SSS-level Embryo."
"Once I fuse with her, I will be the only god in this world."
*Drip.*
As the essence blood from her heart dripped, on the other side, the blood flowing from Hannah's corpse also wound its way down along the patterns of the altar.
Rumble!
The entire underground space began to tremble violently.
The previously deathly silent altar seemed like an activated ancient beast, instantly erupting with a sky-piercing red light.
The ice Steve had created was like snow meeting boiling water before this red light, instantly melting and disintegrating.
"Damn it."
Seeing this, Steve no longer held back, charging forward and throwing a full-strength punch at the altar.
Boom!
This punch hit the layer of red light surrounding the altar, but it only caused a ripple, leaving not even a single crack.
"It's useless, Steve."
At this moment, from the dying Pearl, who was collapsed in a pool of blood, a mass of extremely dense black gas suddenly drifted out.
The black gas condensed into a Massive Human Face in the air, looking down at Steve.
"This is my Paranormal Domain."
"Here, I set the rules. I am invincible. You want to break the Ritual of Divine Descent? It's impossible."
Steve looked at the distorted space around him, and his heart suddenly sank.
He actually hadn't noticed?
Just what level of Paranormal Domain was this?
To be able to hide from the perception of Fourth-Tier psychic power, and even modify physical rules within this range?
"This is definitely no ordinary Paranormal Domain."
Just then, the altar's operation reached its peak.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Countless strands of black gas, dark as ink and emitting an extremely evil aura, surged from every corner of the altar, converging into a black torrent that roared through the rock layers of the mountaintop and flew toward the sky outside.
Steve saw through their destination at a glance.
"They're heading for Alex."
"She is forcing a fusion remotely."
Inside this Paranormal Domain, Steve's attacks were infinitely weakened by the rules, making it impossible to intercept these black gases.
"Fortunately, an inescapable net has already been set up outside."
Steve's gaze sharpened, and he immediately issued an order via mental link.
"All units attention, block those black gases flying out of the mountain at all costs; they must not be allowed to escape."
Outside the Desolate Mountains in the Western Suburbs of the Haven City.
Outside, everyone was already prepared for battle.
Hundreds of Fifth-Tier Zombies hovered in mid-air, while on the ground, all of the Haven City's official Supernatural Controllers, special forces, and heavy weaponry positions were already in place.
Everyone was pale, staring intently at the collapsing mountain pass.
Just a moment ago, the Anomaly Countermeasures Bureau received the highest-level red alert: a suspected SSS-level Anomaly had emerged.
Everyone was shocked.
One must know that just a few years ago, an SS-level Anomaly had nearly turned several cities into dead zones, leaving millions of lives hanging by a thread.
If an SSS-level truly emerged now, the disaster would be unimaginable.
"It's coming."
Someone shouted.
At the collapsing mountain pass, a sky-blotting black torrent, like erupting volcanic ash, roared toward the horizon.
"Stop them!"
Steve's clone roared in the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds of Fifth-Tier Zombies attacked simultaneously.
A sky full of frigid ice spikes and spatial blades blasted toward the black gas like a rainstorm.
The Supernatural Controllers below also gritted their teeth, unfolding their respective Paranormal Domains and desperately hurling all sorts of strange abilities into the sky, attempting to construct a defensive line and crush the black gas.
However, the amount of black gas was simply too vast.
As if alive, even when parts were scattered, the rest would immediately split, reorganize, and continue their frantic breakout.
"There are too many; we can't stop them at all!"
A Supernatural Controller shouted in despair, his Paranormal Domain already crumbling under the onslaught of the black gas.
Official Command Center.
Watching the satellite footage, the High-ranking Official slammed the table, his eyes bloodshot.
"We can't hesitate any longer."
"Issue a nationwide alert, publish the news immediately, and broadcast on all channels."
"Mobilize every available force."
Seconds later, televisions, mobile phones, and radios across the country were instantly cut off, replaced by a glaring bright red background and bold black text.
[National Special Emergency Warning]
[Warning! Warning! According to the latest monitoring, a massive anomalous energy leak has erupted in the Western Suburbs of the Haven City.]
[All citizens are requested to enter the nearest shelter or stay home immediately, close all doors and windows, and do not look directly at the sky.]
[All registered Supernatural Controllers nationwide are hereby mobilized. If black mist appears in the sky in your area, please take action immediately to destroy it at all costs.]
[Repeat! This is a battle for human survival! Destroy the black gas at all costs!]
The entire country instantly went into an uproar.
Inside the altar.
Floating in the air, Pearl's Black Soul watched Steve's struggle and let out a triumphant laugh.
"It's useless; no one can stop the birth of a god."
Her face, composed of black mist, suddenly contorted and then slowly transformed into Alex's likeness.
On that cute little face, there was now a chilling expression of maternal love and greed.
She reached out her hands toward the void, her voice penetrating the Paranormal Domain and space itself, echoing directly in the ears of the fleeing Alex.
"Come back, my child."
"We were originally one."
"Give your body to me, and let us become the gods of this world together."
Although her body was temporarily frozen, Pearl's Soul Phantom still floated in the air, looking at Steve as she issued her victor's declaration.
"What do you mean by 'you were originally one'?"
Steve stared fixedly at the black shadow, trying to stall for time to find a weakness.
"Heh, my divine body is about to return to its place. There's no harm in telling you before you die."
Pearl's dark soul twisted and shifted, eventually transforming into the phantom of an ancient and eerie mirror.
"In truth, I am not human either. My true form is an S-rank evil object, the Twin Magic Mirror."
"And that innocent Alex you are holding tightly in your arms is exactly the other half that split off from my body—the Mirror Spirit possessing the evil personality."
"Evil?"
Steve's brow furrowed. Looking at the trembling little girl in his arms, she didn't look like that at all.
"Indeed."
Pearl's voice was full of frantic smugness.
"My ability allows me to absorb people into my body, inherit their complete memories, and manifest an evil personality. Therefore, if I want to ascend to SSS-rank, simple devouring is not enough. I need the most perfect emotional fusion."
"I accidentally discovered Alex. Her constitution was so perfect. I absorbed her into my body and created the evil Alex."
"Using the evil object, the Memory-Forgetting Comb, I combed away all her memories and her evil nature. Without that evil nature, she remained as the kind personality and memories that first entered my body."
"I let her grow up in the human world as an ordinary little girl, let her experience love, and then let her watch her closest kin disappear and die miserable deaths one by one. By keeping her in endless despair and pain, I obtained the perfect human emotions of both an evil and a kind personality."
Pearl laughed hysterically.
"Do you think if that original evil personality knew all this, she would have reacted? No. How could a weird entity ever give birth to true human emotions? Only by doing this—letting her believe she is human, breaking her heart, and driving her to despair—can I obtain the most perfect divine sacrifice when we finally merge back into one."
"So I succeeded. All my calculations were correct. As long as I swallow her, I can complete the Laws and become the only God of this world."
Hearing these words, Steve couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
"Scheming against even a part of yourself, and even planning for the reaction of that evil personality... you really are a lunatic."
Meanwhile, in the outside world.
As the altar operated at full power, the released dark energy was like a flood bursting through a dam, completely spiraling out of control.
Rumble!
The containment perimeter in the western suburbs of the Haven City shattered after holding out for less than ten minutes.
Countless strands of dark energy, like sentient tentacles, blotted out the sun and spread in all directions.
[National Emergency Announcement]
[This is the Haven City! This is the Haven City!]
[The dark energy has breached the Haven City's defense perimeter and is rapidly spreading to surrounding areas. All cities, please prepare for Level 1 combat.]
[Repeat! This is not a drill! This is a World-Extinction level disaster!]
This announcement instantly spread across the entire country.
Supernatural Controllers in every city looked at the red alerts on their screens.
"Haven City... has fallen?"
That was the place where the country's Supernatural Controllers were most concentrated and the defensive power was strongest.
It was the holy land and final bastion in everyone's hearts, yet it was actually breached just like that?
"An SSS-rank... this truly is the birth of a World-Extinction level weirdness."
Someone slumped to the ground in despair.
"It's here!"
Suddenly, someone pointed at the horizon and screamed in terror.
"The dark energy! It's the dark energy mentioned in the announcement!"
On the distant horizon, black clouds weighed down on the city like ink dropped into clear water, rapidly staining the blue sky black.
"Go! Everyone, get up there!"
A Fourth-Tier Supernatural Controller stationed in Jiang City roared through gritted teeth, being the first to soar into the sky.
"Our home is right behind us. We must not let a single trace of dark energy escape!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless brilliant lights from Paranormal Domains lit up above the city, clashing violently with the dark energy filling the sky.
However, bad news followed one after another.
[Emergency Broadcast: Z City's defense line has fallen! The dark energy has bypassed Jiang City!]
[Emergency Broadcast: Gold City's defense line has fallen! The entire city has entered silent mode!]
...
As news of cities falling arrived one by one, a sense of despair spread throughout the world.
High up in the sky.
Steve held Alex, pushing his speed to the limit as he streaked through the clouds.
Feeling the little girl's body trembling more and more violently in his arms, Steve said in a deep voice.
"Don't worry, Alex. Everything will be fine once we escape to Another World."
His current goal was very clear: the Portal.
In this Weird World, his military strength was too small. A few hundred Zombies were simply a drop in the bucket against this world-level corruption of Laws.
"Once we get inside MC..."
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Steve's eyes.
"There are millions of Fifth-Tier Zombies in that army. I don't care what kind of dark energy you are; I'll just block the Portal and blast you. I'd like to see if you dare to chase us there."
However, plans can't keep up with changes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"So fast?"
Steve suddenly looked back to see countless strands of dark energy in the sky behind him, their speed several times faster than before.
"After the altar started running at full power, the tracking speed of this dark energy actually increased this much."
Seeing the dark energy getting closer and closer, it was already forming an encirclement.
"Sob... Big brother..."
Alex looked at the hideous dark energy in his arms, her body shaking like a leaf.
"Big brother, put me down. They're coming for me..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Steve tightened his arms.
"So many people below are fighting with their lives just to protect you. How could I possibly abandon you halfway?"
He deliberately adjusted his posture so Alex could see below.
Above the ruined cities, countless Supernatural Controllers were using their bodies to build defense lines, refusing to retreat even as they were swallowed by the dark energy.
"Do you see? No one has given up."
Watching that scene, tears blurred Alex's eyes. Along with the emotion in her heart, she felt even more endless self-reproach.
"Big brother... is this disaster caused by me?"
"No."
Steve said categorically.
"The one who is wrong isn't you; it's that madwoman who used and schemed against you."
Buzz!
Just then, Steve suddenly came to a screeching halt in mid-air.
Because in front of him, the previously empty sky suddenly distorted. Countless strands of dark energy emerged out of thin air, instantly forming an airtight black wall that completely blocked all paths forward.
From all directions, the dark energy closed in.
"It's over."
Alex looked at the suffocating darkness around them, a flash of determination in her eyes.
She didn't want to implicate Steve, nor did she want to implicate this world.
"Big brother, kill me."
The little girl looked up and managed a smile.
"As long as I die, she won't succeed, right?"
"I said I would save you. No one can take you away."
Steve roared, just about to forcibly tear through space to break out.
Swoosh!
A concentrated bolt of black energy, fast as lightning, instantly bypassed Steve's spatial shield and shot precisely into Alex's forehead.
"Ugh..."
Alex's body suddenly stiffened.
Immediately after, her body began to turn illusory and transparent, as if she might vanish into thin air at any moment.
An irresistible gravitational force of rules tugged at her, attempting to forcibly drag her back to that altar.
"Damn it."
Steve's face paled in shock; he reached out to grab her, only to find his palm passing right through Alex's body.
Watching Alex's lower body gradually disappear and seeing the smile of liberation on her face, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Steve's mind.
Steve suddenly remembered the milk.
Could drinking it clear away all the anomalous energy on her body?
"Desperate times call for desperate measures."
With a flick of his wrist, a bucket of milky white milk appeared out of thin air.
"Alex, open your mouth. Drink this!"
Steve aimed the bucket directly at Alex's already blurring lips and poured it down forcefully.
Gulp.
Alex instinctively swallowed a mouthful.
The moment that sip of milk entered her stomach—
Hum!
A strange power of rules exploded within Alex's body.
However, the summoning power of the altar was simply too strong; the effect of the milk did not seem to immediately interrupt the teleportation.
From what Steve could sense, it only cleared the anomalous energy within Alex's body—and only a portion of it, as some had already been transmitted back.
"But, she probably won't reach the level of an SSS-level Anomaly now."
Alex's body completely transformed into points of light.
"Brother, goodbye..."
With one last murmur, Alex completely vanished from Steve's arms.
The Western Suburbs of Haven City, the Underground Altar.
As that streak of light flew in, Pearl's soul phantom instantly became ecstatic, like a believer who had waited a thousand years finally seeing their true god.
"It's here! My body is finally here!"
She opened her arms and slowly rose into the air, calling out affectionately toward the approaching light.
"Come, return to my side. Let us become whole once more."
Hum!
The light converged and restructured in front of Pearl, finally taking the form of a young girl.
It still looked like Alex, but her temperament had undergone an earth-shattering change.
Her originally clear and lively eyes were now pitch black like ink, without a hint of white, filled with a shivering evil and indifference.
She floated in the air, her gaze sweeping over Steve and the others below as if looking at insignificant ants, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
"Fusion, begin."
Pearl impatiently channeled the altar's power, attempting to completely consume this perfect vessel.
However, the moment the fusion began—
Poof!
The evil Alex's body suddenly trembled violently, as if experiencing a rejection reaction, and she abruptly opened her mouth to spit out a figure.
That figure was also a young girl—it was the kind-hearted personality of Alex.
"Alex!"
Steve, who was already prepared, flickered forward and steadily caught the falling Alex in his arms.
"Hmm?"
Pearl's movements suddenly froze as she looked at this scene in disbelief.
"How is this possible? Why did they separate? And why is only half of the returning anomalous energy here? Where did the other half go?"
Her originally perfect plan had developed a massive loophole at this moment.
What should have been a one-hundred-percent complete fusion now only consisted of half-broken energy.
Steve looked down at Alex in his arms.
At this moment, the little girl looked dazed and terrified. She huddled in Steve's arms, looking at the eerie altar and the two skeletons around her, asking tremulously,
"Where is this? Who are you? Why am I here?"
Steve sighed inwardly.
As he expected, although the milk's effect failed to stop the teleportation, it cleared her of her negative statuses—namely, the forcibly implanted false memories and the forced connection to the main body.
Alex's memories had likely returned to the point when she was first captured five years ago, before the memories were implanted.
She didn't know Steve, nor did she remember anything that had happened in the last five years.
"Don't worry, Alex,"
Steve comforted her softly.
"Once this is over, I'll tell you everything. Big brother will take you home."
Though Alex was afraid, looking at Steve's reassuring face, she nodded obediently and buried her head in his chest.
After settling Alex, Steve looked up at the evil version of Alex in the air, a mocking curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Your setup was indeed perfect, Pearl—or should I call you the Twin Magic Mirror?"
"If not for my little trick, you might have truly stepped over the threshold of an SSS-level Anomaly by now."
"A pity. From the moment I first came into contact with Alex, I knew she was the core vessel for an SSS-level Anomaly."
The Twin Magic Mirror had already preliminary fused with the evil Alex. She stared at Steve, her voice becoming layered.
"How is that possible? How could you see through my disguise? I placed a top-tier seal on her; even a Tier 5 Powerhouse wouldn't be able to tell."
"You're right, I didn't see through it myself."
Steve nodded calmly.
"When she first approached me, I thought it was strange. For an SSS-level Anomaly, her behavior was exactly like a normal human girl, and her Paranormal Domain rules were very odd."
"Based on past experience, any Anomaly above B-level is almost a guaranteed kill once a rule is triggered. But during the time I spent with her, whether I refused or agreed to her requests, no death rules were ever triggered."
"That was too abnormal."
"So I guessed there was definitely something wrong with her. The reason she could approach me in the guise of an SSS-level Anomaly must have been a backup plan you left behind, right?"
"You had Alex appear in such a seemingly harmless image so that people wouldn't have the heart to refuse her. The goal was so that in the future, she could naturally lead you—her kind 'Aunt Pearl'—to take her on this one-way road of'searching for family.'"
"As for that necklace..."
Steve pulled out the two identical necklaces from his pocket and shook them.
"The reason you sent it to yourself wasn't to transfer any curse at all."
"It was a clue you specifically left for yourself, fearing you would forget the plan after losing your memory."
"I'm guessing you must have tricked Paula back then, right? Inducing her to send the necklace to you?"
"Hehehe..."
The Twin Magic Mirror let out a cold laugh and did not deny it.
"Correct, I did trick her. That stupid woman would do anything to save that old hag."
"That necklace is called the [Embers of Affection Chain]. Its rule isn't that the wearer's mother falls into a coma, but rather, the person most beloved by the wearer's heart will be cursed to fall into an eternal slumber."
"So that's how it is."
Steve suddenly understood.
"No wonder Hannah fell into a coma; she is the most important person in George's heart. Paula mistakenly thought it was the mother who was suffering, so she sent the necklace to you, a motherless child."
"What a brilliant scheme."
Steve clapped his hands, a hint of admiration in his tone.
"However, your calculations still fell through."
"The reason she is an SSS-level Anomaly isn't because of her own strength at all, but because she is your other half-origin. As long as you fuse, becoming SSS-level is inevitable."
"But..."
Steve pointed at the unharmed Alex in his arms.
"I used a special method to directly wash away that half of the energy belonging to you inside her body."
"It's you!"
The Twin Magic Mirror was furious, her delicate little face twisting.
"Since you had the ability to clear half, why didn't you clear the other half too? Why leave this half for me to be resurrected?"
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her eyes widened abruptly.
"You're after... my core?"
"You want to get my Peak SS-level core, which is infinitely close to SSS-level?"
Steve shrugged.
"Not bad, you're not too stupid."
"Then why not wait until I become SSS-level before killing me?"
The Twin Magic Mirror was even more puzzled.
"That is god-level power."
Immediately, she figured it out herself, a look of realization appearing on her face.
"I see, you're afraid. You don't know what kind of strength SSS-level truly is. You don't dare to gamble; you're afraid you'll lose control and I'll kill you instead."
"Heh."
"But there's one thing you miscalculated. You didn't see that the person behind the scenes was Pearl. Using the Memory-Forgetting Comb didn't just comb away my memories, but also all the anomalies within me."
"Once again completing the final step, killing Hannah, and making Alex truly a perfect body."
Although the Twin Magic Mirror only had half her energy at this moment, her aura was still terrifying to the extreme.
She stood at the top of the altar, looking down at Steve from above with a faint, mocking smile.
"Steve, do you really think that with your current strength and that group of brainless monsters outside, you can deal with me as I am now?"
Boom!!
As soon as she finished speaking, a burst of black energy ten times denser than before erupted from her body.
The sky over the entire Haven City was instantly covered by a thick, eerie canopy. Sunlight vanished completely, and the world plunged into a deathly silent darkness.
"Although I haven't reached the perfect SSS-level, I far exceed an ordinary Sixth-Tier. I am a Demigod."
"With just this trash body of yours, you want to kill me and take my core? You're daydreaming."
Facing the Twin Magic Mirror's mockery and terrifying pressure, Steve didn't show the slightest fear; instead, he revealed an eerie smile.
He slowly raised his head, a glimmer of madness in his eyes.
"To deal with you, this body naturally can't do it."
"But..."
"When did I ever say I was going to use this body to fight you?"
As Steve's meaningful words fell, an unprecedented sense of crisis instantly enveloped the Twin Magic Mirror's heart.
"Not good."
Her keen intuition screamed a warning. She didn't even bother to continue mocking; her figure turned into a streak of black light and instantly soared into the sky.
Boom!
The hard rock layer was as fragile as tofu before her. She smashed directly through the thick earth, broke free from the altar's constraints, and hovered a thousand meters high in the air.
"Since you want to play, I'll play big with you."
The Twin Magic Mirror shrieked, and the terrifying energy inside her, infinitely close to SSS-level, vented out without reservation.
Whoosh!
The dense black energy instantly spread in all directions, covering the entire Western Suburbs of the Haven City in just a few seconds.
"Welcome to my world, the Twin Paranormal Domain."
In the center of the churning black energy, the Twin Magic Mirror's body suddenly twisted, then split into two, becoming two terrifying existences with identical auras and strengths at the peak of SS-level.
"Hiss! Peak SS-level, and there are two of them?"
The powerhouses of the Haven City below felt this despair-inducing pressure, their faces turning pale as cold sweat poured down.
An anomaly of this level was simply not something these Fourth-Tier and Fifth-Tier Supernatural Controllers could contend with.
"Steve, use whatever means you have left quickly."
Both Twin Magic Mirrors spoke at the same time, their voices overlapping and echoing through the clouds.
"In this domain, I am an immortal god."
On the ground, Steve carefully handed the unconscious Alex to a Fifth-Tier Zombie Clone that had been waiting nearby.
Steve also flapped the wings on his back, turning into a beam of light that soared into the sky to confront the Twin Magic Mirror from a distance.
Looking at the arrogant Twin Magic Mirror, a playful smirk curled on the corner of Steve's mouth.
"Don't be in such a hurry; you'll see it soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Steve's current body suddenly began to become illusory and transparent, finally disappearing completely into the air.
"He disappeared?"
Seeing this, the Twin Magic Mirror burst into a fit of wild laughter.
"Hahaha, so you ran away! Steve, I thought you had..."
However, before she could finish, her voice came to an abrupt halt.
It was as if her throat had been gripped hard by an invisible giant hand.
Her gaze fixed on the western horizon. Her originally arrogant expression gradually froze, replaced by deep shock and suspicion.
Rumble!
In that direction, the sky had already been completely covered by thick dark clouds at some point.
Purple lightning danced like wild snakes, crazily striking deep into the clouds, as if something so terrifying that even heaven and earth could not tolerate it was being nurtured there.
An aura even more evil, ancient, and massive than her Twin Paranormal Domain rolled in like an apocalyptic tsunami, instantly washing over the entire world.
"What... what is that?"
The people of the Haven City below hadn't even recovered from the fear of the SS-level anomaly before they were nearly suffocated by this newly appeared aura.
They looked up and saw dozens of tentacles, as thick as mountain ranges, slowly emerging from the lightning-intertwined clouds.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg. The body, unimaginably massive, reached straight into the clouds with no end in sight; only those despair-inducing tentacles could be seen dancing in the air.
"Is... is this the trump card that lord spoke of?"
Someone swallowed hard and spoke with a trembling voice.
"Didn't Lord Steve just say he was going to change bodies to fight her? Could it be this?"
"Spanning over ten kilometers... is this really a living creature? It must be a monster from myth."
Looking at the colossal entity that blotted out the sun, everyone's worldview collapsed at this moment.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of Haven City's power center.
There was a deathly silence.
All the high-ranking officials looked at the suffocating images on the large screen, unable to speak for a long time.
"It's actually true..."
An old man set down his teacup, but his hands wouldn't stop trembling.
"They really possess this level of power; no wonder they dared to make such a boast back then."
Another general shook his head bitterly.
"It seems surrender is indeed our only choice. Such power is no longer something we can contend with."
"Once this crisis is resolved, surrender to that Huaxia Civilization immediately."
Everyone nodded silently without any objection.
In the face of absolute power, all struggles were futile.
High above in the sky.
At this moment, Steve's consciousness had completely taken over the new body that had arrived from the Western Fantasy World—a Tier 6 Abyssal Solidifier.
Feeling the endless power within his body, as vast as the ocean, Steve let out a satisfied sigh.
"Twin Magic Mirror, how is my new body? Do you like it?"
Steve's voice boomed directly in the Twin Magic Mirror's mind via psychic power, making her soul tremble.
"Why? Why do you have a body of this level?"
The Twin Magic Mirror stared at the void before her—a space she couldn't see but where she could clearly sense a fatal threat—and her voice became sharp and piercing.
"You're actually a paranormal too?"
In her vision, the sky before her was still empty.
This was a characteristic of the Abyssal Solidifier: it was indescribable. Unless Steve actively showed his form to them, like those below, one could not look directly at its true appearance. Although she was SS-rank, she still faced a cognitive barrier before an Abyssal Solidifier.
"No, no, no, I am not a weird."
Steve's voice was full of mockery.
"This body is merely something I grew using a paranormal core."
"What?"
Hearing this, the Twin Magic Mirror was stunned for a moment before letting out a fit of frantic laughter, as if she had understood something.
"Hahaha, so that's it! This time you want my core. You want to use my core to make this monster evolve further."
"However, it's still too early for that."
A fierce light gleamed in the Twin Magic Mirror's eyes.
"In my Twin Paranormal Domain, there are two of me, plus the countless people down below."
Paranormal Domain fully unleashed.
In the Western Suburbs of the Haven City below, which were enveloped in black mist, tens of thousands of ordinary people and Supernatural Controllers who hadn't had time to evacuate suddenly felt their vision blur.
Before everyone's eyes, the churning black mist suddenly condensed, transforming into a figure that looked exactly like themselves.
Whether it was facial features, expressions, or even their aura, they were perfectly replicated.
"What kind of ghostly thing is this?"
A Supernatural Controller cried out in alarm. Before he could react, his double slashed at him with a cruel grin.
Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere!
"The strength is the same too, maybe even a bit stronger than me."
For a moment, the entire battlefield fell into chaos.
Everyone was locked in a life-and-death struggle with their double; screams and roars echoed one after another.
Looking at the chaos below, Steve was in no hurry to act.
"Your Paranormal Domain is somewhat interesting."
Giant tentacles slowly stirred within the clouds.
"Why don't you try and see if you can copy me?"
Steve was also curious now.
His Abyss Body was within the range of her Paranormal Domain; logically, it should be affected by its rules.
But the Abyssal Solidifier possessed the indescribable attribute. Could she copy it?
"Hmph, since you're looking for death, I'll grant your wish."
The Twin Magic Mirror snorted coldly, and the rules of the Paranormal Domain instantly locked onto that invisible void.
"Replicate."
She pushed her ability to its limit, attempting to analyze and manifest a mirror image of the behemoth before her.
However...
One second passed.
Two seconds passed.
The sky before her remained empty, without even a ripple in the black mist.
"How is this possible..."
The Twin Magic Mirror's expression changed drastically, her eyes filled with terror.
"I actually... can't analyze it? What on earth is this thing?"
"It seems it won't work."
Steve's regretful voice drifted over.
"Since you can't copy me, I won't waste any more time with you."
"Let's end this."
Boom!
The clouds instantly exploded.
Over a thousand thick Abyssal Tentacles, carrying unrivaled and terrifying power, descended from the sky like divine punishment.
Their speed was extreme. In just an instant, they precisely pierced through every murderous black mirror image below.
Pfft!!
Dense sounds of bursting rang out in unison.
Those clones that had made life miserable for the Supernatural Controllers, being of equal strength, were like paper before these tentacles. They were instantly pinned to the ground and then dissipated into clouds of black mist.
Even the clones of Tier 4 and Tier 5 Powerhouses could not block this strike.
"This..."
The people in the midst of the bitter struggle stared blankly at the giant tentacles that had suddenly descended from the sky and instantly killed all the enemies.
Then, the joy of surviving a disaster welled up in their hearts.
They looked up at the terrifying existence whose full form they couldn't see but who had saved them, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.
"Thank you, Great One, for saving our lives."
After instantly dealing with the mirror clones below, Steve's terrifying intent, massive enough to cover the entire western suburbs, relocked onto the Twin Magic Mirror in the air.
"Next, it's your turn."
With a thought from Steve, the thousands of Abyssal Tentacles hidden in the clouds roared with the sound of tearing through the void, sweeping toward the Twin Magic Mirror's tiny body.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Although the Twin Magic Mirror could not see the Abyssal Solidifier's true body, the sense of impending death made her burst forth with unprecedented reaction speed.
"Don't underestimate me!"
The figure moved like lightning, dodging frantically within the dense web of tentacle attacks.
Each time, she dodged by a hair's breadth from heavy blows that could shatter mountains, and the space behind her was lashed into pitch-black cracks by the tentacles.
"Quite a runner."
Seeing this, Steve sneered.
"Then let's try the Paranormal Domain that comes with this body."
Hum!!
A deeper, even more indescribable and terrifying wave suddenly erupted with Steve as the center.
"Abyss Paranormal Domain."
In an instant, the already dim sky completely lost its color, as if the entire world had been dragged into a viscous, gray deep sea.
This wave spread instantly, not only covering the entire battlefield but also forcibly enveloping the Twin Magic Mirror's originally overbearing Twin Paranormal Domain in a domineering manner.
"What level of Paranormal Domain is this?"
The Twin Magic Mirror's face changed drastically.
She felt an irresistible power of rules frantically eroding her body.
Her movements began to slow down, and the energy within her body that had been as easy to use as her own limbs now became heavy, its mobilization speed slowing by more than half.
She looked down in terror.
Every survivor on the ground, whether Zombie or human, now moved as if in slow motion, incredibly slow, as if the flow of time itself had been forcibly altered.
"I'm sorry."
Steve's grand voice echoed in the Paranormal Domain, carrying a sense of absolute control.
"Within my Paranormal Domain, I am also invincible."
"Damn it."
The Twin Magic Mirror had now been pushed to a dead end.
Two identical Alexs stood back-to-back, a flash of determination in their eyes as they watched the tentacles sweeping in from all directions.
"Kill!"
Both figures lunged simultaneously, black energy gathering frantically in their hands as they struck toward the sky.
Bang! Bang!
Just as Steve's tentacles lashed out, one of the Alexs holding the Pendant suddenly raised it.
Hum!
A light screen of swirling black and white Qi instantly expanded.
The Abyssal Tentacles, capable of destroying everything, struck it and weirdly deflected, with some of the power even reversing and rebounding.
"Oh? That pendant actually has such an effect?"
Steve was somewhat surprised.
That pendant, possessing the power to invert fate, could not only be used for plotting but could actually reverse the causality and direction of attacks in actual combat.
"Bastard!"
The Twin Magic Mirror gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with venomous malice.
"If you hadn't stolen half my power, preventing me from perfectly fusing these prepared evil objects, I could kill you with their power even without reaching SSS-rank."
Her heart was full of resentment.
Originally, according to the plan, top-tier evil objects like the Pendant and the Embers of Affection Chain should have been devoured and fused into her body to become part of her, allowing her to exert 100% of their power at will.
But now, because the fusion was interrupted, she could only clumsily activate these evil objects from the outside like an ordinary Supernatural Controller, and their power was greatly reduced.
"Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs'."
Steve declared coldly.
"Since your speed has slowed down, let's end this farce."
Rumble!
Suppressed by the Abyssal Paranormal Domain, the Twin Magic Mirror's originally phantom-like speed was now significantly diminished.
Facing the siege of over a thousand tentacles from all directions with no blind spots, she had nowhere to hide.
"I can only tank it."
The Twin Magic Mirror shrieked, staring intently at the incoming tentacles, trying to defend again with the pendant.
However, what she didn't know was that physical attacks were merely the surface level of an Abyssal Solidifier.
The most terrifying aspect of this body lay in the spirit.
"Abyssal Gaze."
A sharp light flashed in Steve's eyes, and waves of terrifying psychic power as vast as the sea instantly attached to every tentacle.
The compound eyes on the tentacles, which were originally closed, all snapped open at this moment.
Hum!
Every lash of a tentacle was accompanied by an Abyssal Gaze that struck directly at the soul.
Bang!
A tentacle lashed heavily against the Twin Magic Mirror's clone.
Although the Pendant blocked the physical impact, the spiritual shock attached to the tentacle pierced fiercely into the clone's Sea of Consciousness.
"Ah!!"
The clone let out a shrill scream, bleeding from her seven orifices.
Then came the second, third, and hundredth tentacles in quick succession.
Bang bang bang bang!
The dense attacks were like a violent storm.
Every collision dealt a heavy blow to the Twin Magic Mirror's spirit.
It wasn't just pain; it was a madness enough to shatter one's sanity.
Finally.
Crack!
The clone holding the pendant could no longer withstand such high-intensity spiritual devastation.
With a crisp sound, her Sea of Consciousness completely shattered, and her body instantly exploded into a cloud of dark energy and dissipated, the now-uncontrolled Pendant falling helplessly toward the ground.
"No!"
The remaining main body of the Twin Magic Mirror let out a mournful cry of despair.
Now, she floated alone in the air, facing the still endless Abyssal Tentacles, true fear appearing in her eyes for the first time.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Every time an Abyssal Tentacle fell, another shocking crack would appear on the Twin Magic Mirror's originally pristine body.
Crack.
As the cracks spread, her body began to look like a mirror about to shatter, with fine shards of light constantly falling off.
"It seems psychic power is indeed her nemesis."
A cold light flashed in Steve's eyes, giving her no room to breathe.
Controlling the Rank 6 Abyssal Body, his psychic power bombarded the Twin Magic Mirror's already riddled soul wave after wave like a raging tide.
"Aaaaah!"
The Twin Magic Mirror screamed shrilly as her body disintegrated faster and faster.
Just as the final blow was about to fall and completely shatter her.
Suddenly, the Twin Magic Mirror stopped struggling, and a bizarre, crazed smile appeared on her cracked face.
"Hahahaha!"
"Steve, do you really think you can get my weird core by killing me? In your dreams."
"Why don't we play one last game?"
Her venomous eyes stared fixedly at Steve's clone below.
"If you win, you get the SS-rank peak weird core; if you lose, you only get Alex."
"Too much nonsense."
Steve ignored her ravings and lashed the tentacle down without hesitation.
Boom!
Just as the tentacle was about to touch her, the energy within the Twin Magic Mirror suddenly reversed, and an earth-shattering surge of power erupted!
"Not good! Self-destruction?"
Steve's pupils constricted.
He couldn't afford to continue the attack; his vast psychic power instantly transformed into an indestructible invisible wall, firmly shielding the tens of thousands of survivors below and his own Zombie Clone.
"Rumble!"
A brilliant black and white firework exploded in the sky.
At that moment, the Twin Magic Mirror's final voice echoed like a curse.
"Steve, Alex has been in my body for so long that she's already tainted with my origin aura."
"I die, but all my strength will transfer to Alex."
"This is my curse. You want that SS-rank core you've been dreaming of? Then go and kill Alex with your own hands, hahahaha!"
"This is the last game I'm playing with you."
As the laughter faded, mirror shards fell from the sky like rain.
However, these shards didn't hit the ground; instead, as if drawn by some irresistible attraction, they turned eerily in mid-air and transformed into streaks of light, flying straight toward Alex in the arms of Steve's clone.
"Stop them!"
The surrounding Supernatural Controllers were shocked and tried to intercept them.
But a strange sight occurred: all attacks passed right through the mirror shards, as if they didn't exist in this dimension.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Countless shards entered Alex's small body without hindrance, causing no external injuries, not even a drop of blood.
"Alex."
Steve's expression changed, and he immediately channeled his most delicate psychic power into Alex's body to investigate.
He was truly afraid that the Twin Magic Mirror would play dirty and directly seize Alex's body through reincarnation.
However, after a careful scan, Steve breathed a sigh of relief.
There was no body-snatching.
What those fragments contained was merely that surging anomalous energy and the vast, dark memory fragments belonging to the Evil Alex and the Twin Magic Mirror.
At this moment, although Alex's original soul was weak, it still firmly held the dominant position.
"Ugh..."
Alex, in his arms, suddenly let out a groan of pain. Her tender little face instantly crumpled, and cold sweat poured down like rain.
As a massive amount of memories were forcibly poured in...
She remembered.
All the images flashed back frantically in her mind like a slideshow.
She saw how her father and mother died in despair in that cave.
She saw how her grandmother, who loved her the most, fell in a pool of blood.
She even saw how Aunt Pearl, who had always been gentle and considerate to her, sacrificed everything at that final moment with a crazed smile just to become a god.
"Ugh..."
Alex slowly opened her eyes. Those large eyes, which were originally clear, were now filled with sorrow.
As the Twin Magic Mirror completely dissipated, the Abyssal Solidifier in the sky also slowly faded into the void, preparing to return to the Portal.
On the ground, Steve's Zombie Clone held Alex tightly, gently patting her back and comforting her in a low voice.
"I'm sorry, Alex. brother couldn't come sooner..."
Alex buried her head deep in Steve's embrace, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"Sob..."
"Brother, Daddy and Mommy... they're all gone..."
"Only Alex is left, sob..."
Her voice was very small, carrying an endless desolation.
But the ten thousand-plus survivors present were terrifyingly quiet at this moment. Everyone watched this scene silently, their eyes slightly red, not knowing what to say.
Looking at her, Steve also felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
She's only nine years old.
An age that should be carefree and full of yearning for the new world.
From her first wobbly steps, with her parents' hands carefully guarding her sides...
...to her first run, with her parents' encouraging smiles. Now, those hands that protected her were gone, and that warm smile had disappeared forever.
And every step of her growth had actually been a meticulously calculated chess game by others.
Growing up in pain, forced to inherit the memories of her enemies, witnessing her loved ones die tragically by her own hands... how cruel is this for a nine-year-old child?
Furthermore, the Twin Magic Mirror's final move had forcibly infused Alex with the power of an SS-level peak anomaly.
Right now, was she considered a human or an anomaly?
The crying lasted for a long time, gradually becoming weaker.
Steve was in no hurry to interrupt, nor did he say any empty platitudes.
Because he knew that when a person is in extreme grief, what they need most is not comfort, but a shoulder to lean on and a complete release.
It wasn't until Alex's emotions had calmed down a bit that Steve lowered his head and asked softly.
"Alex, are you willing to go home with brother?"
Alex slowly raised her head, her tear-stained little face covered in marks.
At this moment, having attained SS-level strength, she actually saw through the true face of brother Steve before her at a glance.
That wasn't a human at all, but a green Zombie.
But she didn't scream, nor was she afraid.
In this world, this was the only person willing to risk his life for her and give her a hug at this time.
"Go home?"
Alex reached out her small hand to rub her red and swollen eyes, her voice hoarse.
"Yes, go home."
Steve's tone was firm.
"I come from another world. There are no anomalies there, no schemes, only many special friends just like you."
Alex stared blankly at Steve. After a moment, she nodded heavily.
Steve's heart settled.
He did not intend to do as the Twin Magic Mirror said and kill Alex to take her core.
If this were a complete anomaly, he would have killed it.
But Alex was a living human, a victim with human emotions and a tragic experience.
Moreover, having inherited the power of the Twin Magic Mirror, if she could be brought back and nurtured, she would definitely be a great asset in the future.
"Let's go."
Steve was just about to take her away.
"Brother..."
Alex suddenly grabbed the corner of Steve's clothes and said softly.
"Can I... bury Daddy and Mommy?"
Steve was taken aback, then nodded.
"Okay."
A moment later, at the ruins of the underground altar.
Steve controlled the Zombie Clone, standing quietly to the side.
Alex refused Steve's help, insisting on doing it herself.
With her delicate little hands, she dug out a deep pit in the soil beside the altar bit by bit.
Even though her fingernails were full of dirt and her fingers were raw, she did not stop.
She carefully placed her parents' skeletal remains, which had long since turned to bone, inside.
Next was Hannah's cold corpse.
Finally, she placed Pearl's mangled corpse in as well.
As the last handful of earth fell, a small grave mound was piled up.
Alex knelt before the grave and kowtowed three times heavily.
"Goodbye... Daddy, Mommy, Grandma."
She stood up and took one last look at the spot where Pearl was buried.
"And, Aunt Pearl."
After doing all this, she turned around and walked toward the long-waiting Steve, her small hand tightly grasping Steve's cold, large hand.
"Brother, let's go."
Steve led Alex by her small hand. Their figures shuttled through the clouds, flying toward the Portal.
"Alex, can you tell brother in detail about the Twin Magic Mirror's plan? I want to know exactly what happened over these ten years and if there's anything missing."
Although the Twin Magic Mirror was dead, Steve still wanted to thoroughly review this layout that could be called perfect.
Alex was silent for a moment, organizing those memories in her mind that did not belong to her yet were incredibly clear. She began to tell the story that spanned ten years in a childish voice.
A few minutes later, the Think Tank in Steve's mind quickly sorted out a hair-raising timeline report based on Alex's account.
[The Twin Magic Mirror's Ten-Year God-Making Plan]
[2015: The Beginning of the Curse]
[Paula and George's Wedding]
[The next day, Paula wore George's family heirloom, the Embers of Affection Chain, according to custom]
[The truth revealed: The rule of the Embers of Affection Chain was not that the wearer's mother would fall into a coma, but that the wearer's beloved would fall into a long sleep. Paula deeply loved his mother, so Hannah was affected and fell into a coma]
[2016: The Vessel is Born]
[Alex is born]
[2018: The Switch]
[The Twin Magic Mirror discovered that Alex possessed an SSS-level anomalous potential constitution]
[That same year, while George was taking Alex back to her parents' home, the Twin Magic Mirror took action and imprisoned the real Alex's soul within its own body]
[Key Operation: Split an evil personality from the main body and inject it into Alex's body, then use the evil object Memory-Forgetting Comb to comb away its evil memories and abilities. The Evil Alex without memories is just like a normal person.]
[From then on, the Alex living in the outside world was actually the evil Mirror Spirit who had lost her memories.]
[Year 2020: The first pawn falls.]
[Alex was four years old and starting to become sensible; the Twin Magic Mirror initiated the plan.]
[Sent its subordinate, the Truth-False Anomaly, to contact Paula.]
[Truth-False Anomaly's Rule: One sentence of truth, one sentence of lies.]
[Rhetorical Trap:]
[Hannah's illness was caused by your family's necklace (True).]
[The antidote can be found in the Appalachian Mountain Range (True).]
[There is an ownerless treasure there that can break the formation (False).]
[Touching the Embers of Affection Chain with the Pendant can save people (False, it actually absorbs and converts abilities).]
[Paula believed it to be true and headed to the Appalachian Mountain Range. She obtained the Pendant, but due to the wrong method of use, she utilized the pendant's power to reverse fate, turning the Embers of Affection Chain into the Evil Chain.]
[Pendant Rule: The person the wearer hates most in their heart falls into a coma.]
[According to the Truth-False Anomaly, someone must wear the necklace to transfer it.]
[Paula didn't want the necklace to stay and harm Hannah, nor did she want to harm others, so she thought of her best friend Pearl. Believing in Pearl's feelings for her, she sent it to her.]
[At this time, the Twin Magic Mirror devoured the real Pearl and used the Memory-Forgetting Comb to wash away its own memories, perfectly taking her place.]
[The Twin Magic Mirror regarded Hannah as the person it hated most.]
[Paula wore the necklace, the curse took effect, and she fell into a coma far away, subsequently being taken back to the altar by the Truth-False Anomaly.]
[Although the necklace went wrong, the outcome was as Paula had thought—she fell into a coma, but Hannah did not wake up.]
[Alex witnessed her mother's disappearance with her own eyes. Overwhelmed with grief, her desperate emotions began to nourish the evil seed within her.]
[Year 2021: The second pawn falls.]
[The Truth-False Anomaly repeated its old trick, deceiving George, who was desperate to save his wife.]
[George entrusted Alex to his most trusted Aunt Pearl and set off alone.]
[Vicious Scheme: Have Alex build deep feelings for her mother's killer to pave the way for ultimate despair in the future.]
[George encountered Harold in the Appalachian Mountain Range, confirming the news that Paula had been there, and was eventually lured to the Haven City Altar.]
[There, he saw his deceased wife and was subsequently killed.]
[Sacrifice achieved: Both parents were dead, and the curse powers of the Embers of Affection Chain and the Pendant remained in their respective bodies, making them perfect sacrifices.]
[Alex spent the remaining few years in grief once again. With her parents gone and her grandmother bedridden for years, she felt even more pain as she grew older.]
[Year 2025: The End.]
[In the original plan, Alex was supposed to go to Pearl to look for her parents, and after seeing the clues she left behind, Pearl would lead Alex all the way to Haven City.]
[At the same time, the Truth-False Anomaly would bring Hannah to the altar to be killed.]
[Inside the altar, the dark energy would awaken the Evil Alex, instantly giving birth to the idea of killing Pearl, forcing the Alex inside her body to watch herself kill Pearl.]
[Then, the Twin Magic Mirror would appear and tell Alex the truth.]
[Sacrificing the Memory-Forgetting Comb as well, the Evil Alex could not believe that she too was part of the main body's calculations.]
[The Truth-False Anomaly would also be sacrificed.]
[The Twin Magic Mirror would devour the completely blackened and despondent kind Alex and Evil Alex.]
[With four people sacrificed and devouring three evil objects and one anomaly, it would become an SSS-level Anomaly.]
[Involved evil objects: Embers of Affection Chain, Pendant, Memory-Forgetting Comb, Truth-False Anomaly, Twin Magic Mirror, Alex.]
[Sacrifice list: Paula, George, Hannah, Pearl, Alex, Evil Alex.]
After reading this report, Steve only felt a chill run down his spine.
"What a Twin Magic Mirror, what a peerless scheme for godhood, to sacrifice a full three top-tier evil objects and one top-tier anomaly."
Steve couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Everything is interlinked, exploiting the weaknesses of human nature, utilizing rule loopholes of evil objects, and even calculating one's own behavior after losing memory."
"If it weren't for me, a variable, forcibly intervening and breaking her rhythm, she might have truly stepped into that legendary SSS-level domain by now."
"Unfortunately, the heavens do not grant human wishes."
Steve looked down at Alex, who was flying beside him.
The little girl kept her head down. Although her expression was calm, her tightly clenched hands revealed the turmoil in her heart.
After learning all the truth and possessing these dark memories, how should this nine-year-old girl face the future?
"Whew..."
Steve took a deep breath, temporarily putting these heavy thoughts aside.
Ahead, the giant Portal emitting a faint purple light was already visible in the distance.
It was the gateway to MC.
Steve tightened his grip on Alex's hand and said in a relaxed tone.
"Let's go, Alex, come home with big brother."
"Come see big brother's world. There are many interesting things there; I think you'll like it."
Alex looked up at the giant light gate, a hint of anticipation and nervousness flashing in her eyes.
"Mhm."
She nodded obediently.
Steve suddenly remembered something and said with a smile.
"By the way, I also have a younger sister named Stephanie. She's a bit older than you, and her personality is... well, very lively. Maybe you two will get along well."
"Sister..."
Alex chewed on the word.
"Let's go."
Steve no longer hesitated and, leading Alex, plunged headlong into the purple vortex.
Buzz!
A violent ripple surged across the surface of the purple Portal as two figures stepped out, landing steadily on this Blocky Continent.
"Is this big brother's world?"
Alex's eyes widened as she curiously looked around.
"Director."
Seeing Steve's return, the surrounding Zombie soldiers stood at attention and saluted in unison, their voices deafening.
"Yeah."
Steve nodded and, without staying for long, pulled Alex's hand.
"This is just a transit station. We're going to the Overworld; that's where home is."
The two turned into streaks of light, flying toward the Portal leading to the Overworld.
On the way, Steve contacted Randy at the Starry Sky Base directly through a spiritual connection.
"Randy."
"Steve? You're back? How did things go?"
Randy's voice carried a hint of concern.
"Yeah, it's settled, but I brought a child back with me."
Steve glanced at Alex beside him and asked with a slight headache.
"Randy, what about Alex? Her situation is special now, and her identity is also an issue."
"What's there to ask?"
Randy laughed heartily on the other end.
"Since you brought her back, Steve, then you take her back yourself. Do you expect an old man like me to help you babysit?"
"As for the paperwork, don't worry. I'll get a special approval for you. Identity information and such are just a matter of a word. As long as she doesn't cause trouble, who would dare investigate someone Steve brought back?"