Meanwhile, outside the Crimson Realm.
Just as the Crimson Demon was being revived, a dark crimson beam of light shot up into the sky from the secret realm, engulfing the night in a bloody hue.
The dark red light completely isolated the Crimson Realm, leaving Storm King and others who were waiting outside unable to probe the slightest bit.
Storm King and the severely injured Theodore both changed their expressions dramatically, their eyes lifting to the sky.
A colossal phantom of the Crimson Demon slowly emerged above the secret realm, its presence vast and sinister.
The unrestrained release of its mighty and eerie aura altered the expressions of all onlookers.
Storm King stated gravely, "The Crimson Demon has awakened!"
Theodore's complexion was equally grim.
What House Carter desired was the Legacy of the Crimson Demon, not the revival of the demon itself.
This turn of events was of no benefit to them; they had no intention of becoming minions to a dark god.
The inhabitants of Stellarburg, too, witnessed this extraordinary phenomenon.
The massive and fierce visage of the dark god obscured the sky, its daunting aura penetrating even the barriers forged by Stellarburg's transcendent powers, barriers that were now proving inadequate against the infiltration of this dark deity's essence.
Countless residents of Stellarburg looked up in awe at this heart-stopping spectacle, utterly clueless about the unfolding events yet filled with ominous premonitions.
And then, the Dusk Sect followers, who had long been awaiting this moment, sprung into action.
Clad in black robes adorned with a dim yellow insignia, they emerged with an air of unwavering devotion from the alleys and streets of Stellarburg.
Among them were the elderly with white hair, the raggedly dressed, the refined gentlemen, the luxuriously attired, and even some students not yet of age.
Their relatives, friends, parents, and children could only watch helplessly as they donned the black robes, their faces alight with an unrecognizable fervor, then step by step, they walked out, eventually merging into the dark tide of people.
No matter how their loved ones tried to obstruct, curse, or plead, nothing could halt their determined strides.
Armed with weapons and torches, these congregants attacked anyone daring to impede them, only ceasing when their victim lay dead, then departing with their blood-stained weapons.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The officers of Stellarburg fired warning shots several times, only to be met with Dusk Sect followers fearlessly charging at them.
Blood splattered, and bodies littered the ground.
Despair and wailing filled the entirety of Stellarburg.
Whether it was the outer city, inner city, or the noble district, the presence of the Dusk Sect was ubiquitous.
These individuals hailed from diverse families, places, and backgrounds, living different lives, but what unified them was the identical zeal etched on their faces.
Gathering together, they formed a vast black sea, flowing through the streets and alleys of Stellarburg.
With devout and frenzied expressions, they collectively chanted:
"For Dusk!!!"
Their voices converged like waves crashing against the shore, profoundly stirring.
In just a brief moment, the once-peaceful Stellarburg was plunged into chaos.
In a hidden chapel situated within the abandoned sewers, all the high-ranking members of the Dusk Sect had gathered.
They stood still as wooden stakes, yet their faces intermittently showed expressions of rapture, pleasure, excitement, and joy, fluctuating ceaselessly in a bizarre manner.
Dusk Archbishop Rean stood before the deity statue, clad in a moon-white bishop's robe.
His demeanor was solemn, his hands cradling an ancient-looking copper vessel engraved with various mysterious runes, chanting the spells used for offerings.
"O sovereign of sinful desires, the Lord of Dusk representing obliteration, please open the gates of your divine realm. Allow your most devout follower, Rean, to present you with a feast of blood and flesh, a delicacy of sin and evil, a gourmet of spirit and soul…"
As Rean continued his incantations, a black viscous liquid filled with the essence of filth and desire slowly oozed from the mouth of the copper vessel, falling to the ground and swiftly flowing past everyone's feet.
Merely being near this dark, sinister fluid made the followers' faces flush with a ruddy excitement, their eyes gleaming with pleasure, their expressions turning increasingly fervent.
This nauseating black filth meandered slowly, leaving indelible dark streaks on the ground.
Upon closer inspection of the trails left by this liquid, one would notice a colossal magical circle, enveloping the entire Stellarburg, with the chapel as its epicenter, gradually taking shape...
Beneath the Dark Forest bar, the basement, long since transformed into a command center, buzzed with activity.
In the bright, spacious metallic room, virtual projections flickered with scenes from the outside world.
Members of Hidden Stars, clad in their uniforms and donning white gloves, were continuously gathering information from the outside.
They rapidly processed this data and relayed the refined intelligence to Scarlett, who was issuing commands.
Gone was Scarlett's usual casual demeanor.
Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, she wore the Hidden Stars uniform adorned with white gloves, and a golden Hidden Stars badge shone on her chest.
Her expression was serious and solemn, a stark contrast to her everyday persona.
Surrounded by several communicators, she was incessantly giving out orders, with real-time updates from Hidden Stars intelligence agents echoing from the nearby Echo Sprite.
A Hidden Stars intelligence agent, breathing heavily amidst a backdrop of chaotic noise, reported urgently, "The outer district of Stellarburg has fallen, and the situation in the midtown and core districts is grim. The number of cultists mobilized by the Dusk Sect this time is nearing a hundred thousand!"
Another agent reported, "The Dusk Sect's archbishop is in a church in the outer district; the higher-ups are still unclear about the exact location, and the investigation is ongoing."
A grave voice added, "The area outside Dark Forest bar is now surrounded by thousands of Dusk Sect followers; they are all civilians, making it impossible to disperse them forcefully. There hasn't been any extreme action yet, but their minds are clouded, and they could riot at any moment."
...
Information flowed continuously into Scarlett's ears, aiding her in swiftly analyzing the current situation.
The atmosphere in the entire basement was tense, with everyone wearing a look of gravity.
The incident with the Dusk Sect had exceeded many people's expectations, and if these individuals were to erupt and spread, the scale of the disaster was unimaginable.
Scarlett's brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes filled with solemnity.
Although they had anticipated the Dusk Sect's actions, nobody had expected Stellarburg to be so severely infiltrated by the sect, to the extent that even officials from the Federal high command were found to be cultists, passing on messages for the enemy.
The Dusk Sect had been plotting for a long time!
With her eyebrows knitted, Scarlett ended a call with a Federal official, her eyes flashing with anger.
She couldn't help but curse, "A bunch of Federal parasites, utterly useless and only good at making things worse! Once this is over, Hidden Stars will come settling scores with you!"
These officials, who only knew how to feed off the government, had such a significant problem under their watch, and they were oblivious.
Now that a crisis had unfolded, they fled faster than anyone, leaving the entire mess for Hidden Stars to clean up, completely indifferent to the millions of civilians in Stellarburg. Scarlett was understandably furious.
However, under the current circumstances, it was no longer about who was to blame.
The most crucial issue was how to resolve the problems they were facing.
A single misstep could allow the "Lord of Dusk" to descend into this world, potentially dragging the millions in Stellarburg into the abyss, with the Federal suffering tremendous losses as well.
Scarlett's gaze turned towards the direction of the secret realm, aware that there must be complications there as well; otherwise, Victor wouldn't have entered the secret realm and remained silent up until now.
A certain infuriating figure flashed through her mind, stirring an inexplicable irritation within Scarlett.
She had told that guy not to go, yet he wouldn't listen!
Now, with the situation turning troublesome, this newly awakened awakener getting entangled in such a mess was akin to marching towards death!
Scarlett took a deep breath, forcibly calming her emotions.
She understood now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts.
With Victor and other powerhouses absent, and Stellarburg's Federal officials washing their hands off the matter, Scarlett, as the captain of Stellarburg's white-glove team, had become the pivotal figure here.
She must maintain control over the situation to prevent further escalation, or the consequences would be unimaginable.
Watching the Dusk Sect followers silently standing outside the Dark Forest bar with torches in hand on the screen, Scarlett pursed her lips, her gaze shifting to an old man sitting in a corner.
The elder, probably in his sixties, had grizzled hair, wore shabby clothes, and limped on one leg.
At that moment, he lay on a resting bench, completely unconcerned about his image, snoring away.
Yet, everyone looked at him with respect, devoid of any disdain, simply because he was known as Shadowcloud.
A level 93 World-Annihilator level legendary awakener!
Codenamed "Shadow Emperor"!
He had been the vanguard general of the Northwest Citadel, defending the northwestern demon realm for twenty years, slaying countless demons and monsters.
He had once single-handedly saved a city, thwarted a Dusk Sect sacrificial scheme, and rescued hundreds of thousands of civilians.
He had attempted to assassinate a dark god and, although not successful, had made the dark god wary of stepping into Federal territory for decades.
Shadowcloud's life was filled with hundreds of heroic deeds, still recorded in the Hall of Stars to this day, with his many honors densely covering an entire wall, yet still not enough to fully enumerate his achievements.
He was a living legend!