Chapter 1963 - 1054: Stephens’ Astonishment

Chapter 1963: Chapter 1054: Stephens’ Astonishment

Jonas City,

In the shadowy alley, the bone-chilling cold crept up through the cracks in the cobblestones, tightly wrapping around Yor’s limbs.

It was as if all the strength in her body was being gradually drained by the surrounding swirling darkness.

The shadows before her grew denser and thicker, like heavy ink spilled and completely cutting off the last remaining faint light at the alley’s entrance.

The already blurry vision shook violently, layers of haze forming, as the world quickly faded and dissolved before her eyes, leaving only the boundless, heavy darkness.

At this moment, Yor felt that the shadows around her were no longer a static presence but had transformed into a living abyss, enclosing her body with a cold and greedy pull.

An invisible force kept dragging her body downwards, pulling at her consciousness.

It was as if the abyss extended countless pitch-black tentacles, wrapping around her neck, limbs, and soul, trying to drag her entirely into the depths of the endless darkness, devouring her last bit of clarity and vitality.

A strong sense of dizziness repeatedly assaulted her mind, as drowsiness swept over like a tide.

Each blink sapped her last ounce of strength, her consciousness teetering on the brink, ready to completely dissipate at any moment.

But Yor did not succumb; even though her body was imprisoned by the darkness and her consciousness was on the verge of collapse, the determination in her heart had not yet extinguished.

She gritted her teeth, her fingertips seemingly clawing desperately at the cold and rough wall.

The pain in her fingertips kept her awake, forcing her to maintain clarity and struggle with all her might against the erosion of darkness.

Her gaze penetrated layers of shadows, locking fiercely onto the direction of the alley’s entrance not far away.

That was the direction where Cole and the others were, the only hope in her desperate situation.

She waited silently, hoping.

Hoping that Cole would notice something amiss, would look back, and find her trapped in the shadow’s grip, on the verge of fainting.

As she struggled to hold on, a steady footstep suddenly echoed at the alley’s entrance.

Stephens’ figure slowly walked into the alley, barely a meter from Yor curled up in the depths of the shadows.

His posture was upright, his eyes sharp, as he meticulously and cautiously examined every corner of the alley.

His gaze swept over the walls, the ground, and the shadows in the crevices, not missing a single suspicious trace, his expression solemn and focused.

Within arm’s reach, close enough for Yor to clearly hear his steady breathing.

But the thick shadows layered in the alley acted like a natural shield, perfectly concealing her presence.

Stephens surveyed repeatedly, his Magic Power scanning the area, ultimately failing to discover her, completely enveloped and immobile within the abyss-like shadows.

Stephens paused in the alley for a moment, then left.

Seeing this, an intense despair surged in Yor’s heart in an instant, a sense of powerlessness and sorrow born from the endless darkness that lured and urged her along every layer.

The rescue so close to her slipping past, her desperate struggle in dire circumstances unnoticed by anyone, the intense helplessness pressing down on her almost suffocated her.

She still struggled with all her might, the shadows around her slowly writhing and surging.

The subtle movements hidden in the deep dark didn’t attract anyone’s attention throughout.

The exhaustion of her body, the depletion of her spirit, and the layering erosion of darkness crushed her last outward strength.

Yor took a deep, heavy breath, the cold air filling her lungs, bringing her chaotic consciousness a brief clearness.

She slowly closed her eyes, stopped the futile searching, and instead concentrated all her willpower in her heart, silently fighting against the shadows’ mad assault on her consciousness.

The darkness tried to break her will, exhaustion tried to defeat her persistence, but her heart continued to guard a glimmer of hope.

She told herself, she couldn’t fall, couldn’t give up.

As long as she held on, she could surely wait for hope to arrive, for the moment of rescue!

Could Cole notice her?

Her entire being immersed in standing against the darkness’s erosion, she didn’t notice any commotion at the alley’s entrance.

Just as she closed her eyes, concentrating to resist the erosion for a moment, Cole, who had walked some distance away, suddenly felt a sense of unease, abruptly turned around, and looked back into the depths of the alley.

He carefully scanned the pitch-black alley, earnestly searching for that familiar figure.

But within reach of his sight, there were only the dead silent shifting shadows, empty and without anomaly.

After several fruitless glances, he ultimately set aside his doubts, turned around once more, and left the alley completely.

...

In the days following Yor’s mysterious disappearance, the entire Jonas City was shrouded in an invisible oppressive haze.

Though the association was controlling the news, the abrupt disappearance of many still stirred some waves of unease.

Stephens remained stationed in the city, dedicated to meticulously investigating the hidden peculiar crisis.

As a top-tier figure standing at the pinnacle of arcane powers and having touched the Demigod Domain, his perception had long surpassed the limit of average mages.

Day after day, he continuously infused the area with immense Magic Power coupled with a boundless ocean-like spiritual power, penetrating layer upon layer of spatial folds, gradually widening and extending along the spatial network throughout the entire city.

And gradually enveloping all the streets, alleys, array nodes, and hidden dark alleys of Jonas City within his scope of investigation.

With the assistance of the Floating City, no slightest abnormal magical fluctuation, spatial tremor, or transcendent occurrence could escape his perceptual capture.

At the same time, the Black Cat was also tirelessly investigating and gathering all abnormal clues day and night.

With days of relentless searching and compiling, a shocking disaster finally surfaced completely.