90: carnival

The massive screens in every city suddenly lit up, their light like meteors piercing the night sky, instantly drawing the gaze of every citizen.

On the screens, the news anchors stood still, their faces beaming with undisguised joy and excitement.

Their voices carried through loudspeakers to every corner, echoing in people's ears.

"Respected citizens, we have just received a signal from the City of Monsters, which represents a victory for us humans! This is the first step toward glory!" the anchor excitedly proclaimed, their voice filled with hope and pride.

"Legend has it that ever since the Magical Girl left, we humans have lived in dire straits every single day. Now, through our unremitting efforts, we have finally changed the world and ushered in a new era for humanity. On this great day, I..."

Unable to hide their excitement, the anchors finished rattling off a bunch of empty platitudes before loudly announcing: "Now, we are about to connect to the City of Monsters, allowing everyone to witness this great moment!"

The citizens stared unblinkingly at the screens, anticipating the upcoming footage.

A flash of light suddenly appeared on the screen, and the scene switched to a battlefield in a wasteland.

A monster appeared on the screen, resembling a werewolf, with two pairs of horns on its head, six pairs of bone wings on its back, a snake-like tail, and a body covered in scales.

People were startled, their hearts filled with terror and confusion, not knowing what had happened.

Then, they heard the monster speak, its voice sounding a bit bewildered: "Ah, are we connected already? Oh, oh, has the broadcast started? Okay, okay, I get it."

The monster's colloquial opening made quite a few people stifle a laugh.

Many subconsciously assumed this was likely a Jinchuriki who hadn't managed to shift back into human form yet, having been hurriedly pulled in to connect and contribute their strength.

People's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and some even waited with a playful attitude to see what would happen next.

Who would have known that the next second, the monster adopted a serious and steady tone, its voice like thunder instantly resounding through the entire city: "I am the Monster Emperor, the supreme ruler of all Monsters!"

The deep, oppressive voice seemed to come from an ancient abyss, causing the eardrums of everyone present to ring.

"My subjects, my trial is complete!"

"I know that for the past fifty years, my subjects, you have lived in stifled frustration. For my sake, you had to endure the repeated trampling of lowly humans; for my sake, you had to pretend to be weak and easily bullied; even for my sake, you had to offer up your precious lives."

"But today! Everything will return to the right track!"

"In the name of the Monster Emperor, I declare—"

The Monster Emperor's tone suddenly became high-pitched, like a bolt of lightning piercing the sky, shattering the fog in everyone's hearts: "The revelry begins!"

The air seemed to freeze.

The citizens were stunned at first, their expressions of excitement instantly stiffening, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fear and unease.

The voice was like a curse, striking heavily at their Soul, dragging them from the false joy of victory back to a cruel reality.

Revelry? What revelry? The Monster Emperor? What on earth was he talking about?

Countless questions exploded in people's minds, and panic spread rapidly like a plague.

Before the people in the various cities could fully react to the Monster Emperor's words, some individuals nearby who were also watching the broadcast suddenly erupted into fanatical cheers.

"Long live!" "Long live His Majesty, the Monster Emperor!" "Haha! Finally, this day has come; I must kill to my heart's content!" "Vile humans, damned livestock, are you ready to return to your cages?!"

Immediately after, a hair-raising scene unfolded—the bodies of those cheering people were twisted by an invisible force, their bones making teeth-grinding "crack" sounds as they bloated and tore open into a bloody mess.

In the blink of an eye, familiar faces hideously transformed into Monsters of various shapes.

The once bustling streets instantly turned into a living Hell.

The Monsters bared their bloodthirsty fangs, brandished their sharp claws, and lunged mercilessly at the humans beside them.

Screams, cries, and desperate wails resounded through every corner of the city, like a symphony announcing the apocalypse.

Blood stained the ground, severed limbs flew everywhere, and the once prosperous scene was now reduced to nauseating gore and death.

"Ah—! Monsters!" "Help! Save me!" "No! Don't kill me!"

Fear spread like a plague; people fled in all directions, only to find there was nowhere to escape.

The once kind and friendly neighbors and colleagues had now turned into man-eating demons.

A feeling of despair surged like a tide; many collapsed to the ground, only able to watch helplessly as the Monsters approached and their claws tore their bodies apart.

Meanwhile, the Jinchuriki who bore the heavy responsibility of protecting the cities also sensed an unprecedented crisis.

They roared, wanting to activate the holy relic within their bodies, wanting to transform to fight against these sudden Monsters.

However, the moment they gripped their holy relic, a desperate event occurred—"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The crisp sound of shattering rang like a death knell in the ears of the Jinchuriki in every city.

Those holy relic that they had once regarded as the source of their power, used to suppress the power of the Monsters, now shattered instantly like fragile glass!

The Monsters bound within the holy relic grinned, broke free from their cages, and without hesitation, extended their demonic claws toward their former masters.

"How could this be?! This is impossible!" "The holy relic... the holy relic has failed?!"

The Jinchuriki widened their eyes in terror; they could not believe everything happening before them.

All along, they had relied on the power within the holy relic to fight against the Monsters and protect the hope of humanity.

But now, the holy relic had betrayed them, releasing even more terrifying enemies.

Amidst the hideous smiles of the Monsters, their sharp claws ruthlessly pierced through the bodies of the Jinchuriki.

Blood splattered, staining the battle robes they once took pride in.

Resentment and despair spread like poison in the hearts of the Jinchuriki.

They never dreamed that they would die in such a way, becoming sacrifices for the Monsters' revelry.

The Monsters that had broken free, like a pack of unbridled beasts, joined the slaughter of the city.

They wantonly destroyed and crazily slaughtered, completely turning the once beautiful city into a living Hell.

The air was thick with the pungent scent of blood, nauseating to the senses.

The entire city was shrouded in the shadow of death.

On the other side, the Jinchuriki armies that had previously fled from the City of Monsters met the same fate.

Blood splattered everywhere, and screams and wails resounded through the night sky.

The soldiers' hearts were filled with despair and helplessness; they knew this would be the most tragic battle.

Even the bravest warriors could not withstand those Monsters that had lost their restraints.

The battle quickly turned into a one-sided massacre; human resistance was like a candle in the wind, ruthlessly blown out.

Before they died, their hearts were filled with despair and worry for the fate of humanity.

The revelry in the cities and the slaughter in the forests wove together into a tapestry of the apocalypse.

The fate of humanity seemed to have plunged completely into darkness overnight.

This day was humanity's darkest hour.