Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 467 - 418 Moonlight Flame vs Crystal People

Chapter 467: Chapter 418 Moonlight Flame vs Crystal People

After shifting high-pollution industries to peripheral cities such as Anjiu City and Akasumi City, the sky over Shangjing turned into a tile blue.

Under the blazing sun, humanoid monsters covered in crystals emerged from the ground at various locations. Crystal Colossi led the way, and poster bearers motivated from behind while Mini Crystal People charged forward, adorned in crystal armor glittering with iridescent lights, their morale high, heart full of infinite devotion, determined to fight for Suzukawa Kiyo!

"Ah, ah!"

"Monsters!"

"Help—"

It was morning, and the rush hour hadn’t ended when the monsters appeared, causing pedestrians on the streets to panic and scatter in all directions. Leather soles clacked on the red ceramic walkways as people made sure to look back and capture the monsters’ images as evidence to request exemption from fines for being late.

Many, fearing to be spotted by the Crystal People, darted towards the skyscrapers on either side, hiding inside stores and using glass curtain walls as their last barrier while rapidly checking if being killed by a monster on the way to work would qualify as a work-related injury.

Most perilous was the vehicular traffic; the sudden emergence of the Crystal People drastically worsened transportation efficiency.

The traffic conditions in Shangjing are intricate and complex, with road capacity almost always at its limit. Now, with the attacked areas under lockdown causing congestion, it hindered not only logistics transportation but also the daily commutes of corporate employees.

With the Crystal Colossi wreaking havoc, many subway tunnels also collapsed, causing delays. The city was in an emergency!

To corporate capitalism, the operation of a modern city resembles assembling a terminal machine, with security contractors, energy suppliers, retailers, manufacturing companies, and logistics businesses like scattered hardware, utterly oblivious to each other before being pieced together, each operating within their strictly delineated, high-threshold domains.

Shangjing, this giant metropolis catering to continental capital, was all the more so. After Kyoto Infinity removed the labels of gigantic corporations, companies relied on thick contracts to coexist. Facing the Crystal People crisis, all enterprises uniformly issued warnings and demanded accountability from Shangjing United Security Company, insisting they fulfill the contract and quell the threat without delaying production and business activities.

At this point, the management also had secret regrets.

They had previously feared Nestor Corporation’s involvement in Shangjing affairs and had not accepted the contract offered by Lila Nestor. Now, it seemed a true mistake. Had they invited them, even if they couldn’t completely resolve the Crystal People crisis, they could at least have helped shoulder the public opinion pressure.

As the name "Shangjing United Security Company" implies, this security company is backed by many capital giants of Shangjing, mainly the New Xisheng Group. If they mishandle the affair, it might look bad in the continental public opinion.

This is, after all, the largest super-gigantic corporate city in the Northern Archipelago, watched by countless eyes around the world, with numerous businesses, think tanks, and strategic AIs calculating its situation. At this point, the death and injury of the city’s inhabitants are actually the least of their concerns; after all, the attrition of tools and materials already has a quota.

Thus, the subterranean threat of the Crystal People officially became a major event in Shangjing, and the crisis level was escalated to a regional crisis.

From traditional information media and short video platforms to the Kyoto Infinity barrage network, news about the Crystal People rapidly went viral, momentarily eclipsing the buzz around Wei Shiyue, with many noticing their connection to Suzukawa Kiyo and quickly spreading related topics.

"These monsters of olden times are now utterly lawless." Wei Shiyue picked up her tablet, browsed images shot by frontline journalists, and listened to the rumbling from all directions.

As in previous battles, the Crystal People were covered in crystalline substances solidified from beliefs, no longer bound by physical laws, causing trouble everywhere. Their backs sprouted many rhomboid structures capable of emitting Crystal Fragments to cause damage, serving as both offense and defense.

Ordinary people simply couldn’t fight against the Crystal People. After all, the Crytal People moved in groups, full of fighting power, now building wherever they pleased, leaving devastation in their wake, with everyone desperate to avoid them.

In this series of attacks, even gigantic Crystal Monsters appeared, comparable in size to buildings, with the most notable being a 20-meter-tall Crystal Colossus in the Dream Island Botanical Museum area!

"Moonlight Flame can eliminate the Crystal People," Xu Yang conveyed Farosa’s wisdom.

"Yes, it’s the Pure White Flame. The so-called crystal entity simply cannot withstand the burning of the Moonlight Flame," Wei Shiyue summoned the moon flame in her immaculate right hand, burning the Dewdrops she had obtained with the Moonlight Flame to slowly purify away impurities, leaving behind only the refined essence for use.

"Master," Lila sent a message, "Even if we raise our price by 70%, Shangjing United Security Company is willing to pay the security fees, wanting to hire Nestor Corporation’s forces to control the Crystal People situation. But the penalty for breach of contract is also extremely high, and if we fail to defeat the Crystal People, we could possibly lose the entire company. Lila wants to ask if we have the capability to defeat the Crystal People?"

"We can," Xu Yang replied in secret, "Rest assured and take on this crisis contract, and prepare for reinforcements. I’ll experiment with an idea."

"Understood," Lila agreed.

Nestor Corporation intervenes in the Crystal People disaster.

Amid the rumbling noises and chaotic alarms surrounding her, Wei Shiyue picked up her coffee for another sip, then thought of some brilliant lyrics, scribbling them on the draft before her—completely indifferent to the catastrophe unfolding.

"Monsters from the underworld..." Du Qianqian watched the footage shot by a vlogger risking their life on the streets, then turned to gaze at the Shangjing metropolis.

All the corporations had sealed off their buildings, installed automatic defense cannons, and threw their neighbors to the wolves, ensuring that their own staff continued production undisturbed within, while other dispersed citizens ran frantically in the streets, desperately seeking a safe haven.

Conventional weapons couldn’t destroy the Crystal People. Xu Yang thought to himself. If these Crystal People continued their mindless slaughter, the number of innocent casualties would skyrocket. But Wei Shiyue, with her arrogant and aloof nature, was unlikely to take action herself.

"I would like to borrow the Pure White Flame and attach it to Da Pan’s weapon," Xu Yang inquired, "The Crystal People from underground are wreaking havoc blindly, and innocent civilians are getting caught in the crossfire. Someone must intervene, and Nestor Corporation is now formally getting involved."

Still caring about the so-called innocent lives. Hearing Xu Yang’s words, Wei Shiyue chuckled softly. It was hard to believe that such people still existed in this era.

"Sure," Wei Shiyue nodded, "I hope these Moonlight Flames help you overcome your adversaries."

Pan Ruiyi brought out her Star-Chasing Spear, and Wei Shiyue attached a wisp of Moonlight Flame to its tip, instantly brightening the spear’s color. The eerie star magic intertwined with the divine white flame, becoming immensely powerful.

"This is Nestor Corporation’s chief Battle Witch," Wei Shiyue observed Pan Ruiyi, nodding again and again.

"That it is!" Pan Ruiyi spoke with confidence.

Now armored and spear in hand, Pan Ruiyi stood ready; her sturdy Witch Armor had been reforged and redesigned by Miyazato Kazama, equipped with an adaptive evolution feature, constantly optimizing support modules, and offering multiple layers of combat support. It was specialized for long-range protection and mobility to facilitate her penetration into enemy lines. The Iron Wings were also repainted and recalibrated, significantly boosting their power.

The highlight was her new helmet, a fully enclosed design with extended horns on either side, resembling a great Specter. In battle mode, her pitch-black visor would reveal the fierce and angry spirit of a Prajna Specter, exuding a formidable menace.

"The largest of the Crystal People are in the Dream Island Botanical Museum," Xu Yang assessed the situation, "and the greatest number of Mini Crystal People follow it. If we take it down, the citizens should feel more at ease."

"Time to fight," Pan Ruiyi’s voice emerged from deep within her armor, altered to sound like a Specter, "The Battle Witch is born to kill the enemy, without a second thought!"

Her Iron Wings extended behind her as she set off toward the Dream Island Botanical Museum, ready to slaughter the reckless Crystal People.

Meanwhile, Kyoto Infinity was closely monitoring the Crystal People incident.

Nanase Kizuna walked towards the window as hundreds of machines flew by at high speed. These weren’t war machines designed to restrain the Crystal People, but reconnaissance drones from Kakuya Media, Blue Sky Communication, Daily Broadcast, All-State News, and the Corporate Alliance.

They continuously scanned the city’s battle situation, crafting sensational news, likening the emergence of the Crystal People to the Rat Tide from fifty years before, when the angry Ratmen had surged out just as ferociously.

The times had changed; these Crystal People were clearly the kin of some much more powerful beings. Nanase Kizuna couldn’t help speculating. They seemed to have a clear source of power and a hierarchy of advancement, from the Mini Crystal People to the Colossus, and perhaps something else beyond.

The signs were there before, as the AI Hundred-eyes Demon had already deduced the presence of supernatural entities underground, but Kyoto Infinity lacked the funds to exterminate them, let alone expect them to become such a scourge today.

They did possess high-level combat capabilities, but the problem was the difficulty in setting aside disputes and banding together against a common foe. Moreover, their magic power was incompatible.

The most powerful Witch in Shangjing was Tenjouin Shino, but even halting the entire city for half an hour would be futile, even if they hanged all these Crystal People and threw them into the sea, they would return again.

There was also Witch Yuan Zhenzhen, close to Dominator Level, strong indeed, but her abilities were more mental, and not a solution for an immediate crisis.

Herself? Nanase could certainly reveal her true form and use sorcery to shatter a large group of Crystal People, but once her identity as a Monster was exposed, she too would become the next target of pursuit.

"Yuan Zhenzhen." Nanase Kizuna dialed Yuan Zhenzhen’s contact, "Send the Quantum Warrior into battle."