The Chaotic Twin Cities was shrouded in a dark sky, heavy clouds obscuring the sunlight and casting a dull hue over this prosperous metropolis.
An oppressive atmosphere pervaded the air, as if heralding an impending storm.
Shiro and Hiyakura sat in a quiet café, speaking in hushed tones about recent events.
Deep worry was evident in their eyes.
The conflict between the twin cities had escalated to a breaking point.
"The current situation is worse than we imagined."
Shiro frowned and said, "The conflict between the twin cities is becoming increasingly public. The streets are buzzing with discussions about it, and some are even stockpiling food and daily necessities, fearing that conflict might erupt any day now. I was affected even when I went grocery shopping earlier."
Hiyakura nodded, letting out a light sigh:
"Yes, I've been dealing with various troubles lately due to these issues..."
A glimmer of determination flashed in Shiro's eyes. She lowered her voice and said:
"I must find a way to stop all of this. If a large-scale conflict really breaks out, Miss Tao Yao will definitely intervene."
"Her body is already weak and afflicted with demon binding syndrome. No matter what, I cannot let her overuse her demon powers again; it's too dangerous."
Hiyakura picked up on Shiro's concern and, after a moment of contemplation, spoke up:
"You mentioned that your Apostle Church has infiltrated the twin cities quite severely, right? Even as a member of the church, it's surely very difficult to catch all those hidden members who are secretly inciting conflict in a short time..."
Shiro fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up, a spark of light in her eyes:
"I have an idea. Maybe we can join forces and find a way to capture Black Rose. She is one of the apostles of the church and is the one leading this chaos. As long as we control her, we can prevent this crisis and avoid dragging Miss Tao Yao into it."
Hiyakura thought for a moment, recalling her senior's earlier assessment of the apostles, then hesitantly asked: "But she's an apostle; can we really defeat her?"
"I will think of a way."
Shiro said resolutely, "For Miss Tao Yao, I'm willing to take any risk."
...
After their conversation, Shiro returned home with a feeling of unease.
As she pushed open the door, she habitually called out, "Miss Tao Yao, I'm back!"
However, all that greeted her was silence.
Shiro froze in place, a sudden sense of unease washing over her.
The house was quiet, with no sound of Miss Tao Yao playing video games as usual.
"Where is she?"
Shiro muttered to herself, starting to search the house.
Living room, kitchen, bedroom—she searched room by room but never saw Tao Yao's figure.
Suddenly, Shiro remembered the unusual expression on Tao Yao's face that morning, as if she had something to say but held back.
A sense of foreboding enveloped her, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, chilling her to the bone.
Just then, a loud explosion suddenly broke her train of thought.
She hurried to the window, only to see a tall building in the City of Inviting Moon erupting into a massive fireball, thick smoke rising and obscuring half the sky.
Glass shards and building debris fell like rain, and chaos erupted in the streets.
People screamed and scattered, police sirens blaring in the background.
In the distance, more smoke began to rise, as if the entire city were ablaze.
...
The City of Stars and Moon had finally descended into complete chaos.
The City of Falling Stars could no longer endure the oppression from the City of Inviting Moon. Under the dark influence of Black Rose, long-accumulated contradictions finally exploded.
Once coexisting, the two cities were now like beasts tearing at each other, caught in a frenzy of slaughter.
The streets were filled with panicked crowds, shops being looted and set ablaze.
The City Defense Army of Inviting Moon tried to maintain order but it was like striking a rock with an egg.
The air was thick with choking smoke and a pungent smell of gunpowder, with new explosions ringing out now and then, shocking everyone.
What was once a prosperous city had turned into a battlefield in just a few hours.
Residents of the City of Inviting Moon and the City of Falling Stars attacked each other in the streets, years of resentment erupting at this moment.
At the same time.
On the other side.
Having just returned to her hotel and preparing to lie down for a rest, Hiyakura was also awakened by the sound of the massive explosion.
She bolted upright in bed and looked out the window.
Thick smoke billowed, flames shot up to the sky, and the entire city seemed to be engulfed in gunpowder smoke.
Distant explosions and screams made the scene even more terrifying.
Hiyakura wasted no time thinking and quickly got dressed, rushing out of her hotel room.
In the hotel lobby, she saw Jasmine, Violet, and her senior Laurel already gathered.
Laurel's expression was exceptionally serious. As soon as she saw Hiyakura, she spoke:
"The situation is dire. The lord of the City of Inviting Moon just informed me that a radical gang from the City of Falling Stars has bombed Inviting Moon; this is an act of open war!"
"Now the twin cities are caught in a full-blown conflict, with riots and destruction everywhere."
"The City Defense Army is working hard to control the situation, but they are having little effect. Worse still, the Apostle Church is likely involved in this; they are deliberately exacerbating the conflict, or else the twin cities wouldn't have reached a point of tearing each other apart so soon..."
Jasmine, after listening, wore an expression of disbelief: "How could this happen so suddenly? Didn't they just say yesterday that they could sit down to renegotiate the meteorite mine collection?"
The meteorite mine, a gift from the stars, is the root of the conflict between the twin cities.
Many years ago, a gigantic meteorite struck the City of Falling Stars, flattening it to the ground.
After that disaster, the surviving residents discovered the energy-rich meteorite mine among the ruins.
Seizing the opportunity, the City of Inviting Moon extended its "helping hand" to help rebuild the City of Falling Stars, but at the cost of controlling the rights to mine the meteorite.
Since then, the relationship between the twin cities has become unequal.
The wealth from the meteorite mine made the City of Inviting Moon prosperous, while the City of Falling Stars could only survive by selling labor to exchange for basic living necessities.
This unequal relationship had accumulated years of resentment, which has finally erupted.
Hiyakura and the others were well aware of the roots of this conflict.
Recently, Manju Academy had been attempting to mediate, hoping to ease the tensions between the twin cities.
Originally, the City of Inviting Moon had expressed a willingness to compromise and was ready to negotiate with the City of Falling Stars, agreeing to some conditions.
However, the sudden deterioration of the situation shattered everyone's hopes.
"It's impossible to predict everything, and I did not expect such a situation to arise."
"But no matter what, we must take action immediately,"
Laurel took a deep breath and continued:
"Regardless of what the Apostle Church aims to do, we cannot let the situation worsen. Otherwise, the entire Star-Moon Twin Cities will fall into disaster."
The others nodded in agreement.
Just then, another loud explosion was heard, shaking the glass in the hotel.
A thunderous explosion echoed, and the whole hotel trembled violently.
The glass windows emitted an ear-piercing cracking sound as if they were about to shatter at any moment.
Laurel's expression immediately became more serious. She clenched her fists tightly, her brow furrowed.
"The situation may be worse than we imagined."
Laurel scanned the surroundings, her gaze lingering on Violet, Jasmine, and Hiyakura one by one, "Classmates, I need your help."
Jasmine immediately straightened up, her eyes shining with determination: "Senior, whatever you need us to do, just say it! We will do our best!"
Violet nodded as well; though she did not speak, her clenched fists and resolute gaze indicated her determination.
Hiyakura also expressed her agreement: "Yes, Senior. We cannot sit idly by and let the entire Star-Moon Twin Cities fall into chaos. If there is anything I can do, I will give it my all."
"Good, then we'll split up!" Laurel took a deep breath and began assigning tasks: "Violet, Jasmine, and Hiyakura, you three will form a group and be responsible for handling the direct conflicts in the streets."
"Remember, you must try to calm the crowd and stop violent actions. Use force if necessary, but be mindful of controlling the situation to avoid unnecessary casualties."
She paused and continued: "As for the Apostle Church hiding in the shadows, they must be plotting something, so leave that to me!"
"And if there are any new discoveries or if you need support, I will contact you immediately via my phone."
The three responded in unison: "Understood!"
Laurel nodded, a hint of gratitude in her eyes: "Remember, no matter what happens, protecting your own safety is paramount. If you encounter an unmanageable situation, withdraw and contact me immediately. I wish you safety."
Having said that, Laurel turned and quickly left, disappearing around the corner of the hotel.
Violet, Jasmine, and Hiyakura exchanged glances, reading each other's determination and concern in their eyes.
Without saying much, the three quickly exited the hotel, heading into the chaotic streets.
The situation outside was worse than they had imagined.
The streets were filled with panicked crowds, distant explosions and screams ringing out non-stop.
Thick smoke obscured the sky, a pungent burnt smell hung in the air.
The trio had not gone far when they encountered their first wave of trouble.
A group of angry residents from the City of Falling Stars was vandalizing a shop in the City of Inviting Moon.
At that moment, the shop owner was curled up in a corner, trembling.
"Stop!" Hiyakura shouted, trying to gain their attention.
However, the group had lost their rationality and could not heed any advice.
One tall man even charged at the three, wielding an iron rod.
Violet was quick on her feet, drawing her katana. With a gleam of the blade, the iron rod shattered.
Jasmine quickly drew her twin guns and fired two shots into the sky.
The loud gunshots brought the rioters back to their senses, if only slightly.
"Calm down!" Hiyakura shouted, gripping her great sword, "Violence won't solve any problems; it will only make things worse!"
Under the intimidation of the three, the rioters finally settled down.
Violet contacted the nearby City Defense Army and handed the situation over to them.
Thus, the trio began a busy journey.
They wove through the chaotic streets, stopping violent conflicts, calming terrified civilians, and assisting the injured.
In the process, they also noticed some suspicious figures.
At a street corner, they discovered a sneaky-looking man.
He was whispering something among the crowd.
Whenever he finished speaking, the people around him would become angrier.
Hiyakura squinted and stealthily approached.
Soon, she clearly heard the man's words:
"Brothers of Falling Stars! We have endured the oppression of the City of Inviting Moon for too long! They have taken our resources and exploited our labor, and now it's time to fight back! Let's destroy this city and reclaim what belongs to us!"
Hearing such remarks, it was hard not to suspect that this person was intentional.
Hiyakura immediately realized that this man was likely a member of the Apostle Church.
She exchanged glances with Jasmine and Violet, and the three quickly surrounded the man.
It was confirmed at last.
This indeed was a member of the Apostle Church.
Moreover, there were also some people among the crowd in the City of Inviting Moon stirring up trouble.
Taking this Apostle Church member, they had barely gotten a few steps when they saw a woman speaking to the residents of Inviting Moon:
"Civilians of the City of Inviting Moon! The rioters of the City of Falling Stars are destroying our beautiful home! We must unite to completely eliminate this threat! Don't go easy on them; for the sake of our future, eradicate all from the City of Falling Stars!"
...
In the end.
The three subdued the instigators.
When they interrogated these people about their intentions, the responses were nothing short of mad.
The man laughed maniacally:
"Hahaha! You capturing me is useless! It's too late...It's all too late! Before long, our great Fairy Monarch will descend upon the human realm, and she will thoroughly purify this dirty world!"
It seemed to validate his words.
As his voice fell, a beam of light shot up from the horizon not far away.
Seeing that dazzling beam, Jasmine paused for a moment, hesitantly murmuring:
"That is...the rift!"
At the same time.
Jasmine's phone rang.
Laurel was calling, her voice urgent and pressing on the other end:
"Not good, the Apostle Church has placed many devices to open rifts between the twin cities; they want to create a disaster larger than the last one in Qingyang City."
"I was stopped by Black Rose! I can't break free for now."
"You all hurry there! Go stop all of this!"