[Chapter 288: 50 Million Merit Points]
The System notification exploding in his mind made Daniel's heart tremble wildly.
Fifty million points!
This was the largest sum he had ever harvested since his Transmigration.
Adding his previous balance, his merit points had now shattered the fifty-five million mark.
This was the true value of a powerful evil spirit.
Daniel dispersed the mana coursing through his body, and his towering seven-feet frame quickly shrank back to its original size.
"Whew..."
Daniel exhaled a breath of thick, stale air. Though he wasn't injured, the weakness from overextending his Mental Energy still made him sway slightly.
Right where Pennywise had vanished...
A fist-sized orb of light hovered quietly in mid-air, emitting a piercing orange glow.
Inside the orb, three clusters of dim starlight slowly rotated, radiating an unbearably disturbing aura that could drive an ordinary person mad instantly.
The deadlights.
This was the essence of Pennywise and its Origin as a powerful evil spirit.
Daniel reached out, and the moment his fingertips brushed the orb, a cold, chaotic rush of information tried to flood his Sea of Consciousness.
These were fragmented images of fear.
Daniel instantly realized Pennywise the Clown had used this orb to manifest those nightmarish terrors.
A surge of excitement rose within him. 'Does this mean I can manifest fear in the future?'
"Hmph."
Daniel snorted coldly as thunderous light erupted in his palm.
"Behave yourself."
Under the pure Celestial Thunder's suppression, the deadlights orb rapidly shrank.
Eventually, it became an orange bead the size of a billiard ball.
With a flick of his wrist, Daniel stored it away into the System space.
...
"Mr. Cross... is it over?"
Monica's trembling head peeked out from behind a pile of stones dozens of feet away.
Her long hair was tangled, and her clothes soaked with grimy water.
But her beautiful eyes shone with relief -- the terrifying ordeal was finally over.
Daniel ignored her and looked upward.
With Pennywise's death, the invisible force keeping the children suspended had vanished.
"Waah--!"
"Help!"
Hundreds of children suddenly began falling from over thirty feet up.
Daniel's eyes narrowed sharply as he swung his right hand violently upward.
"Spirit Binding Rope, rise!"
Countless orange-red mana filaments wove together into a massive net.
Before the children could hit the ground, the net caught them safely.
Daniel shifted his mana again, gently placing the children on the ground one by one.
Trapped in nightmares for so long, their bodies were frail from exhaustion.
Though safely down, most of them slipped into comas.
Monica didn't hesitate.
She rushed toward the pile of children frantically.
"Deva! My Deva!"
She dug through the crowd.
Finally, she froze in front of a pale girl in a pink nightgown, clutching a teddy bear tightly.
"Mr. Cross... she... she..." Monica's voice trembled, afraid to touch her.
Daniel approached and lightly tapped the girl's forehead between her brows.
Still no response.
Daniel frowned.
"Her soul is gone; she needs soul summoning."
Monica's face paled.
"Then what should we do?"
Daniel said, "The aura here's too chaotic. It's not the right place for soul summoning. Let's leave first. Also, call the police -- let them handle this."
"Okay, okay," Monica agreed quickly.
Daniel eyed the sleeping children scattered around, worn out by their ordeal.
Raising his right hand with fingers spread wide, mana surged wildly from his palm.
It transformed into an immense, invisible supporting force.
"Rise."
With his light command, the children floated up on the invisible airflow, weightless.
Daniel led the children, with Monica and Deva in tow.
They flew through the gap blasted open by the "Heavenly Tribulation" and emerged at the surface.
...
"We're out."
Landing on solid ground, Monica's face lit up with joy. But seeing Deva still unconscious in her arms, the smile quickly faded.
One by one, the children were carefully laid down on the open ground.
Within moments, the wide clearing was filled with hundreds of children, eyes tightly shut in deep sleep.
Watching the scene, Monica nervously pulled out her phone.
"Mr. Cross, I'll call the police now and let them handle this..."
Daniel nodded, but just as Monica started to dial, he suddenly called out, "Wait."
Monica froze.
"What's wrong?"
Unpleasant images flooded Daniel's mind.
"Forget it. Don't call the police."
"Ah! But... what about the children?" Monica asked, confused.
Daniel said nothing.
Moments later, wind swirled beneath his feet as he rose from the ground, walking on air.
He soared more than hundred feet above the open space and looked down at the silent, decayed town below.
Taking a deep breath, mana erupted from him like a storm at the level of a Dominion Incarnate of Higher Ascendant Order.
"Your missing children are here, come and take them back--!"
"Take them back--!"
"Back--!"
His thunderous voice cracked through Derry Town like a bolt from the Heavens.
The waves of sound rippled visibly over the land, spreading ever wider.
Residents across Derry, still trapped in dreams or numbness, were suddenly jolted awake.
The cognitive barrier of "turning a blind eye" Pennywise had planted was finally shattering.
Under Daniel's roar, it completely broke apart.
"My child?"
"Didn't we lose a child here before?"
"My God, how could I have forgotten this?"
"Over there!"
"Quick, let's go get our children back!" ...
The silent town erupted.
Lights switched on one by one, and shouts poured in from all directions toward the open field.
...
Daniel watched the gathering crowd slowly from above, then descended and said to Monica, "Let's go."
He took Monica, still holding unconscious Deva, weaving carefully through the surging crowd.
Ten minutes later, they reached the modest hotel.
While checking in, the receptionist kept sneaking glances at Monica.
Though she was in her forties now and looked worn, she was still stunningly beautiful. It was impossible not to stare.
Only after Daniel reminded him did the receptionist hand over the keys.
With two keys in hand, Daniel headed up to the second floor.
...
The hotel room was cramped and stuffy.
Daniel cracked the window just an inch, letting fresh air and the clamor from outside rush in.
Cries, shouts, and honking horns all blended into a chaotic symphony.
Monica gently placed Deva on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
She then walked to the window and looked out.
In the distance, flashlight beams waved madly as shadows intertwined.
"Found him! That's my Jimmy!"
"Oh God, it's really them!"
Faint calls drifted in on the night wind.
Monica shut the window tight, shutting out the noise.
She turned to Daniel with a complex, troubled expression.
"Mr. Cross."
Her voice was low and hesitant.
"Why didn't you let me call the police? Or at least stay there to wait for them? There were so many children -- won't that cause trouble with the police?"
*****
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