CHAPTER 215: LILITH’S INVITATION || GATHERING OF THE STRONG - SILVANUS’S PART

"Hurry up, there are still people here!"

"Bring in more vehicles!"

"Confirmed: no one is injured, but all of them are unconscious," Layla reported, wearing a simple raincoat as she wrote in her log.

A torrential downpour had started right after the dungeon completely closed.

Humanity had all but lost hope when they witnessed everyone inside the dungeon disintegrate along with it. However, those people were transported back outside after the dungeon’s closure.

They were alive—completely intact. Even the wounds on their bodies had disappeared. But every single one of them was unconscious, brows tightly furrowed, expressions twisted as if enduring unimaginable mental torment.

Barely five minutes had passed since the dungeon closed, yet the logistics unit had already mobilized and was working at full speed.

"Why hasn’t the black cloud dispersed yet? It should’ve cleared up by now!"

No one knew who shouted that, but the already heavy atmosphere grew even more suffocating. The dark, oppressive sky loomed above as if sunlight would never shine upon them again.

"Alert the esper teams to remain on high alert. Given the current situation, we can’t afford to let our guard down."

But the moment Layla finished her sentence, a clap of thunder suddenly roared across the sky.

Lightning split the heavens like a blade. Many people recoiled in shock, some falling backward, staring at the sky in disbelief.

And there—on the pitch-black canvas of the sky—bright red letters appeared, like a wound bleeding into the clouds:

[Humans, you have received an invitation from The Dark Night Princess. The invitation will now be automatically accepted! Prepare yourselves well!]

Not even ten minutes had passed since the previous dungeon closed!

Humanity hadn’t even had time to recover, let alone prepare for anything. This system notification was utterly absurd!

But no matter how outraged humanity might have felt, glowing rings of light had already begun to manifest. A vortex formed within the darkness above, twisting into a small black hole in the sky. Beams of light shot up from the ground, drawn straight into it.

At the same time, live broadcast frames appeared before everyone once again.

"That person..."

Layla stared in shock at the live footage appearing in the sky. Cries of alarm erupted from the people around her.

[Hahaha, The Dark Night Princess is always this fast. That’s why I love her!]

[She doesn’t even give humanity a chance to breathe.]

[But I haven’t even recovered from the last dungeon. That final scene—it’s haunting me. It felt like my mind got shattered.]

[Yeah, huhuhu... Now I understand why Degenerate is called Degenerate. It’s unreal. He’s so beautiful and yet...]

[Just seeing him through a screen was terrifying enough. If I were in Ron’s group, I’d probably be mentally scarred for life.]

[Thank goodness this stuff isn’t real.]

[Degenerate is both gorgeous and powerful. What do you normies even know!]

[Hubby! He’s exactly my type, hahaha!]

Just then, the mist parted—and the viewers caught their first glimpse of the scene inside the new dungeon.

[Oh? Why does this person look kinda familiar?]

"All familiar faces, huh."

Cocona glanced at her companions as she spoke.

It was true—at the moment, there were five of them: herself, Silas, Drake, Leonard, and Alice.

They were all among the top espers on the continent, now gathered in one place.

Leonard was visibly agitated, wringing the hem of his shirt. His long hair, still uncut, had grown to his neck. The fabric in his hands was twisted so tightly it looked like it might tear.

Drake frowned, clearly annoyed by Leonard’s behavior. No matter how he looked at it, it grated on his nerves.

Without warning, Drake raised his foot and kicked Leonard in the shin, causing the latter to stumble slightly. Leonard’s eyes snapped wide open—bright crimson beneath his curtain of hair—as he stared directly at Drake.

The atmosphere instantly thickened, a savage pressure descending like a beast about to shred its prey, suffocating everyone around.

Drake glared. "What, you wanna go? Do it. I’ll cut Please do it. half right now and crush your cowardice!"

At the exact moment, a massive blade materialized in Drake’s hand, its tip pressing against Leonard’s nose as if ready to slash down at any second.

Silas furrowed his brows. "Drake, this isn’t the time to lose your temper."

The veins on Drake’s forehead pulsed, bloodshot lines creeping into his eyes. His heart pounded wildly, every drop of blood in his body boiling, as if screaming for bloodshed to sate his rage.

Cocona narrowed her eyes slightly at the sight of him in that state.

Suddenly, blood trickled from the corner of Drake’s mouth—he had bitten his tongue. At the same time, he withdrew his blade. The veins on the back of his hand bulged visibly, as though they might burst open at any moment.

"Captain Drake, are you alright?"

Alice stepped forward in concern when she saw the blood, clearly wanting to treat him.

But Drake merely lifted his eyes and snapped coldly, "Get away from me!" A faint spark flickered from his body.

Alice flinched and dared not take another step.

Drake turned his back to them and walked ahead, eyes shut tightly. It took a while before he opened them again, voice hoarse and raspy:

"Now I finally understand why Asta and Ron could explode with such overwhelming power."

That was all he said before striding off, taking the lead. The others followed, keeping a deliberate distance behind him.

"Don’t worry," Alice whispered, supporting Leonard, whose legs were visibly trembling. She lowered her eyes, a hint of pity flashing through them. "Drake just lost control a bit. He didn’t mean it."

From the side, Cocona chuckled.

"Oh, Alice, don’t waste your breath. If Drake hadn’t put away that blade, Leonard probably would’ve torn his throat out first. They’re not that different, honestly."

Cocona didn’t like Drake—but she didn’t want Leonard either.

Leonard kept his head down, lips tightly pressed, as if he hadn’t heard her, still anxiously twisting the edge of his shirt.

Silas walked silently at the side, eyes shut tight, not saying a word. It was as if closing his eyes had blocked out everything—sight and sound alike.

Alice glanced at each of them, then looked toward Drake’s tall figure ahead. She felt an almost overwhelming urge to sigh and rub her temples.

This time... it felt worse than any of the times before.

These were supposed to be the strongest individuals on the continent, yet the future seemed dimmer than any ordinary group’s.

Just then, Drake—still leading—suddenly came to a halt.

Cocona raised an eyebrow.

"What, found more of our teammates?"

With that, she broke into a run toward the front.

The mist had yet to dissipate—clearly, the dungeon had not opened, or perhaps they hadn’t reached its boundary, or maybe the dungeon had yet to summon enough participants.

But the moment Cocona saw the figure lying on the ground, she couldn’t help but pause.

Black hair was as dark as ink, skin was paler than snow, and lips were red like blood. The young man lay with his body straight, hands folded over his stomach.

Tiny, strange white flowers sprouted from the earth around him, as if trying to envelop him. But they were too small and could only sway gently, brushing lightly against his form.

Even lying there with his eyes closed, he looked like a precious gem displayed behind glass—so beautiful he seemed unreal. It made one wonder if they had somehow stepped into the domain of the ancient elves and stumbled upon one of their sacred treasures.

[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I’ll never forget him—Silvanus!!!!!]

[Silvanus, oh my god, hubby has finally appeared hahahahahaha!]

[Silvanus? Who’s that? Never seen him before.]

[Yeah, but I gotta say, his looks are insane. Kind of hard to look directly at him.]

[Someone finally said it! He’s beautiful, but the longer I look, the more uneasy I feel.]

[Am I the only one who noticed something weird? Silvanus isn’t even supposed to be on this server!]

[But it feels like the others already know who he is...?]

"Sleeping Beauty, is that you?"

Cocona suddenly spoke, then chuckled half-jokingly, half-seriously. "Shall I wake him with a kiss?"

The others ignored her.

"Let’s try waking him up first," Silas said calmly.

Just then, as if sensing the stares directed at him, Silvanus’s eyelids twitched. Moments later, he opened his eyes. Emerald green, his gaze shimmered with a soft brilliance, like starlight reflected in flowing water—gorgeous and dazzling, yet devoid of any emotion.

At that moment, it felt like he wasn’t looking at the space before him, but into some faraway void—into the soul of whoever met his gaze. Everyone instinctively froze on the spot.

It was a long while before the chat resumed.

[Please, why did I suddenly think of Degenerate?! Are their eyes too similar or what, huhuhu]

[I nearly choked on my drool just now. It felt like he was seeing us.]

[Goosebumps +1]

Silvanus blinked, and the eerie sensation of being soul-read faded with it. The others exhaled instinctively, only then realizing a thin sheen of sweat had formed on their backs. It had only lasted a few seconds—how could it feel so intense?

Leonard stared blankly at Silvanus, his eyes hidden beneath his thick hair, lost in thought.

Silvanus, on the other hand, was utterly dumbfounded by the faces suddenly surrounding him.

What the hell? Why didn’t I return to the galaxy realm—why am I here?!

And where is this place anyway?!

Also, could these people please stop looking at me like that?! It’s seriously stressing me out!