One day, a heartbeat began echoing through a corner of Sun City.

Mithra, walking with the guards towards the Guard Station, heard it. She turned, her nose detecting a faint scent of blood.

"Is there some kind of ritual here?" she asked.

"I don't know. We don't have anything like that here," a guard replied uncertainly.

At that moment, a passerby collapsed, clutching their chest and groaning.

"Sir, are you alright?" a guard asked.

"I don't...feel well. My heart...it hurts..." the passerby whispered.

More people collapsed on the street, all Sun City residents, suddenly struck with pain.

Mithra suddenly ran in a specific direction, the guards quickly following.

In the Southwestern District, as Mithra passed by, a collapsed resident suddenly transformed, insect limbs sprouting from their back as they lunged at Mithra.

Mithra unleashed Ki Attraction, pulling the figure down and stomping on its face.

Bang!

The head exploded, but the flesh remained active.

She ignited both her hands and incinerated the remains.

After confirming it was another Chrysalis cursed creature, she turned to the approaching guards.

"What's happening?" one of the guards asked, stunned.

"Something bad has happened. It's spreading quickly. This doesn't feel like a full-scale invasion," Mithra said, looking around.

It seemed believers were unaffected, including herself and the guards, as well as the other Planet Blue citizens on the streets.

Screams and the sounds of flesh writhing echoed around them. More and more people were transforming into Chrysalis cursed creatures.

The Planet Blue citizens seemed more curious than afraid.

The transformed Chrysalis creatures attacked indiscriminately. The streets were plunged into chaos.

Mithra activated Stabilize and drew her hammer. "It seems we have to fight our way back."

The guards gripped their weapons, trying to stay calm.

Mithra led the small squad towards the Guard Station in the Southwestern District. The station was surrounded by cursed creatures. Gunshots and the flashes of miracle activations lit up the area as the guards fought.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"A fantasy zombie siege," Mithra commented.

"We can't get through," a young guard said nervously, clutching his weapon.

Mithra looked at him, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

"You can get used to this?"

"Who knows?"

Mithra shrugged, sheathed her hammer, and drew the Night Worship Swords, holding them point-up.

After forming the Fire pattern on both hands, flames engulfed the swords. But this wasn't ordinary "Ignite." The flames didn't just burn but extended outwards, flickering in the wind.

"Falling Fire?!" the young guard exclaimed.

"Oh? How did you know?" Mithra had been looking forward to trying this rarely-used miracle. She felt deflated.

"Commander Nino also knows..." the young guard, intimidated by Mithra's gaze, mumbled.

That made sense. Nino, while easygoing, was a skilled believer.

【Falling Fire: A fire miracle. Flames that reach towards the sky, bringing scorching heat to the earth, an advanced miracle. It can be attached to any tool, resulting in various transformations.】

【—As the skyfire scorched the earth, the "Blazing Man" was born from self-immolation. This miracle is based on that image.】

Mithra had learned this miracle from Safin's notes. The illustration in the book had looked cool.

It wasn't a particularly impressive or practical miracle, mainly because it took too long to activate.

But she'd seen with Night Eyes that it had a unique origin, and she liked the name, so she had learned it.

She raised the swords, flames dancing, and swung them downwards!

Blazing sword energy erupted from the blades. The flames in the air coalesced into a sea of fire, falling upon the cursed creatures below.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted at the point of impact, countless cursed creatures turning into ash.

Mithra sheathed her swords. The residual heat sizzled against her flesh, a smell of roasted meat lingering in the air.

"Hungry..." A tongue emerged, only to be pushed back by Mithra.

Mithra touched the slightly burned flesh where she had sheathed the swords, considering that she should let her fire-imbued weapons cool down before storing them.

She and the guards returned to the Guard Station.

Nino was walking towards them.

He had several injuries: cuts and what looked like torn flesh.

"It's you. I was wondering who caused that commotion," Nino said, slightly relieved to see Mithra.

Mithra, skipping the pleasantries, got straight to the point. "Was that related to the Chrysalis?"

Nino sighed and began explaining.

After Leo Duncan had identified the suspect, just as they were about to test her, she attacked. She had transformed, burst from her stomach, and then escaped from her body.

Nino and the guards gave chase. The suspect's condition seemed poor and was soon cornered.

But the transformed believer quickly recovered, shifting from its infant form back to its human-like form and retaliating.

If hit by the suspect's fleshy projectiles, their own flesh would rapidly transform. They had to quickly remove the affected area to avoid becoming a Chrysalis cursed creature.

Simultaneously, the strange heartbeat intensified, forcibly transforming nearby residents into cursed creatures.

In the ensuing chaos, the transformed believer disappeared.

"Currently, the affected area is limited to the Southwestern District. It's likely because the Xyrin energy point is still inactive. Xyrin can't suppress the curse," Nino said, blaming himself for the damaged energy point.

Mithra wasn't concerned about that. "Was the transformed believer a small person?"

"...Does a baby count as a small person?" Nino asked.

Mithra clarified, "The believer whose face was covered with handprints."

Nino suddenly realized, "Yes! Him! But the handprints weren't as extensive as you described. His face was mostly intact, only half covered by white handprints."

Mithra nodded. It seemed the transformed believer was Sheng.

Nino then explained their plan.

A team of craftsmen had already been dispatched to repair the damaged energy point. Repairing it would hopefully mitigate the effects of the curse.

And the Guard Station was searching for Sheng; they had to destroy him and the Chrysalis Heart in his possession.