Chapter 1020
[Horizon War Prologue]
Chapter 1020 – [Horizon Wars (Abelio's War of Unification) - Prologue] –
The period of closure lasted for 1 year and 2 months.
In the first plane of the peaceful kingdom, winter came earlier than usual to Abelio.
The clouds in the sky no longer churned, but solidified into low-hanging stone slabs, as if pressing the whole world into a history that would never turn a page again.
At this point, there was no longer any question of a future for Abelio.
They call this period of time—the day after tomorrow.
Chasing the light in broad daylight was a calamity that belongs to no war record.
It was like the last miracle slipping through a broken myth, piercing the eastern sky in an undeniable way, like a burning blade of light slicing through the nerve center of the entire nation.
That day, Feng Hou died.
This ancient Storm King perished as the light drew near. Then, the legendary figure who chased the sun's light descended.
He stepped into the Far East City with an aura that surpassed even royal authority. No one dared to ask who he was, for they all saw the radiant wings that unfolded behind him as if they were real.
After that, the Horizon Initiative was established.
New instructions, top-down commands, and the flowing light pulses that took over the system—they were like another script sent from the heavens, forcibly covering the old order.
But what truly plunged Abelio into turmoil was not merely the upheaval caused by the change of regime.
And the reactions of the kings—the first to acknowledge the legitimacy of the horizon was the Queen of the Vermeer Ants in Jawbone City.
However, the other three Storm Kings chose to completely oppose each other.
The neutral Krangtin dwarves chose to remain secluded in the mountains, simply recalling all trading caravans that had ventured out and issuing a single message in Molten script:
"We will not participate in the struggle between the old gods and the new light."
As for the Church of St. Cuthbert—the oldest faith structure in the land—their initial stance was very clear: condemnation, opposition, and a divine decree demanding the dissolution of the Horizon.
But just three days later, the entire church fell silent.
From the bishop to the messenger knight, all fell silent, uttering no more words. To this day, no one knows whether this was a new "guidance" or another, more secret collapse.
Amidst this power shift, the entire city of Abelio seemed to be completely shrouded in something indescribable.
Interdimensional teleportation was interrupted, communication authority failed, and even divine (crown) level magical nodes failed to synchronize.
People began to say:
"We have locked ourselves into our own world."
But the inside of this cage is far from peaceful.
Within the autonomous region, people have been discovering one strangely shaped fruit after another.
They appear in ruins, in abandoned sites, and even in the same street corner that recurs in certain dreams. They have no pattern, no origin, yet after being consumed, they grant abilities that defy the logic of magic.
At first, the fruit was just a legend.
They are bizarrely shaped and strangely colored, often with indescribable structural distortions, as if something that nature has never allowed to exist has been forcibly thrown into this world.
But everything changed when the first person ate the fruit, which was as clear as crystal and had their own name floating in the center.
Some transform into flames, some into liquid, some into lightning, and some can render people speechless...
These are called the Lightbringers, or the Favored Ones of Demons.
What started as a small group of lunatics gradually developed into an untraceable gray force as the number of Devil Fruits increased.
And after each awakening of an ability, a name always quietly appears—the Fifth Church.
Thus, a chaotic situation was created by the devourers of fruit, the echoes of light, the heretics of language, and an advocacy organization located in the far east.
A new era begins this winter.
……
……
The twilight in the Far East City was still filled with the smell of iron and ash.
Sunlight is no longer the main source of illumination in the city—it has become a symbol of scarcity.
Since the [Daylight Chasing Incident], the entire Abelio region has fallen into chaos, or as the Great Lord of the Horizon puts it:
"We are imprisoned under a false starry sky, like caged birds inside amber."
The Sixth District in the East of the City is an old district that was divided after the collapse of the Chasing Light Incident. Due to the shortage of personnel, the work of organizational reconstruction has not yet been completed.
The building was broken, the rails were rusty, and fine iron filings and debris floated in the air. Every step was accompanied by a cracking sound and the friction of metal.
At that moment, a figure charged through the collapsed overpass that spanned the street.
He was nearly two meters tall, his entire body encased in semi-armor with a dark gray alloy texture. Double shock-absorbing frames on his shoulders supported the heavy load on his upper limbs, while his arms were equipped with the latest [E4 Chainsaw Sword Mount]—which could instantly deploy a 42-tooth main sprocket with a cutting power of 2700 RPM.
His visor had sharp contours, and the eyepiece was a narrow, red cross-shaped slit, like the eyes of a beast suppressed before a roar.
His name is Karen Worth.
The newly appointed Saint-Forged Warrior belongs to the Terrorist Mobile Squad, 7th Column of the Horizon Wolfpack Force.
The entire wolf pack force is currently in a period of rapid expansion, and its overall structure has not yet been fully established.
Currently, the units are only divided into "class units," with five people per class, led by a "semi-complete" Saint Forged Warrior.
Class 7 is such a team.
One more point needs to be added here; the wolf pack's armor and equipment are all made by the Lord of the Horizon, and in addition to undergoing surgical modifications and equipment training, they must also undergo standardization and linking known as the Horizon Lineage.
At this moment, the heartbeat of Karen, the squad leader of the seventh squad, resonated with the wind noise synchronized in the tactical channel of his helmet, making him feel as if he were running deep in his chest.
This wasn't his first time on a mission, but it was his first time "leading a team."
Behind him were four fellow soldiers, all of whom were newly deployed, semi-complete Holy Forged Bodies.
Although not complete, each one has undergone core chimerism and flesh threshold reconstruction.
They became the most loyal warriors of the horizon, the wolf pack of the great Firstborn Sons.
The five-man squad charged down the upper platform, each step echoing and kicking up dust on the rubble. Their prey was nearby.
"The target escaped into the lower pipe - seven minutes ago, there was an energy fluctuation, suspected to be the activation of a Devil Fruit ability."
A team briefing came through the headset.
Karen didn't speak, but suddenly gripped the weapon in her hand.
"Crack—!"
The chainsaw sword extends.
The blades snapped shut with a roar that cut through the air.
The other four also drew their chainsaws almost simultaneously. The four figures slid into the next section of the corridor in a subtle yet highly coordinated formation. Their movements were almost entirely the result of instinctive tactical coordination, with almost no verbal instructions.
They were like a real wolf pack, automatically dividing their positions based on sight, scent, and noise, thus compressing the prey's escape space.
The wind blew through the gaps in the metal sheets, blew the plastic sheet on the ground, and stirred up a corner of dust.
The moment the dust settled—he appeared.
The man who slowly emerged from behind the broken support pillar was burly, about 1.9 meters tall, with a bare upper body covered in shimmering, greyish-silver skin. Each of his movements was accompanied by the creaking sound of hardened, crystalline joints, like rocks grinding together.
That's not skin.
It was a diamond-like crystalline structure—a transparent, multifaceted shell reflecting light, covering his entire body, as if a diamond had been carved out of flesh, with almost seamless interstices, forcibly refracting light when it shone upon it. His eyes were a pale, lifeless blue, like the surface of a frozen lake.
A mocking smile played on his lips, but the smile was devoid of emotion, like a "fake expression" reflected in a mirror.
His codename is: [Drill Thorn Kreid].
As soon as Karen looked up, the intelligent access module flashed a window in her vision.
-
[Horizon Intelligence Protocol - Adam Partition Node Response]
Target locked: Kreid (codename: Drill Thorn)
Name: Creed Jostall
Aliases: Drill Thorns, Hard-Shelled Madman, Incomplete Layers
Biological identity: Devil Fruit user / Medium-level structural contamination residue
Ability Type: Paramecia-type Devil Fruit User, Awakened [Crystal Shell - Diamond Layer Cover]
The shell hardness is determined to be 9.8~10.0 on the Mohs scale, and it possesses structural regeneration mechanisms, impact resistance, and cut rebound capability.
Hazard rating: B- (rising)
Amber psychosis: suspected early symptoms.
Evaluation tags:
High-intensity close-combat defense type
Crystal structure self-repair
In some areas, "structural penetration is ineffective."
Its adaptability to high-frequency oscillations remains unknown.
Recent Behavior Record:
[] Murdered 12 civilians in Far East City (East Second Station)
[He] repeatedly and deliberately interfered with the transportation of supplies, and left behind a signature totem (diamond-shaped cross) after the attack.
[!] had brief contact with the Fifth Church, and it is suspected that they collaborated on spreading "The Secret of the Stars".
Recommendations:
It is strongly advised against engaging in direct physical combat with him.
Prioritize using [EVE Particle Concentration Firepower] or [Chainsaw Sword - Armor Penetration Mode].
If the target enters a berserk state, at least one squad is required to provide support and containment.
No solo pursuit or attempts at communication are permitted.
Special note: If dealing with Amber's psychosis, please contact the Wolf Pack (Terrorist Mobile Squad) for suppression if necessary!
-
Drillthorn Creed smiled slightly, the smile on his lips like a crack in a cold crystal, stiff, sharp, and devoid of any emotional warmth.
His feet slammed into the ground, producing a series of cracking sounds!
With that shattering sound, the cement layer beneath the ground instantly exploded, and countless diamond-like spikes burst forth along the irregular cracks, like glass thorns rising from the ground.
The refracted light beams shot out in the narrow ruins, flashing blades of light at crazy angles, making the walls look like they were about to be sliced apart!
But Crad himself suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, his voice tearing through the air, as if a closed gate in his skull had been opened, releasing a ball of burning madness.
This is one manifestation of the rampage caused by Devil Fruit users.
This condition is referred to by researchers at Horizon Papers as "Amber Psychosis".
This is a rare "rule-consciousness overload syndrome." After the Abelio mutation, some people's mental threshold becomes extremely unstable, resulting in personality fragmentation, logical breakdown, and manic states.
The pathology is currently unknown. Anyone who discovers such patients must contact the Horizon Wolfpack's Terrorist Mobile Squad for suppression.
"Damn it!! Hahahaha—"
Kreid whirled around, pointing at the closing group of Class 7. His face was like a transparent mask hardened by light, revealing a crazed and comical expression:
“You’re just Abraham’s dogs, aren’t you? You lick the soles of his shoes, you kneel and pant under his raised finger! Do you think you’re so great?”
He stomped his foot on the ground, sending up a shower of shattered crystals: "You are nothing!!"
He spread his arms, and behind him, the crystal blades unfolded, like dozens of scattered light blades, swirling in the air.
"Abraham, he's a complete bastard!!!"
The amber psychopath uttered some extremely disrespectful words, and the next second, he stomped his foot on the ground.
"Click click click click!!"
The diamonds exploded beneath his feet, the shattered hard crystal fragments surging out of the ground like waves, forming streaks of crisscrossing, upward-rising diamonds that hurtled towards the Seventh Squad's front line.
"Disperse the formation!"
Squad leader Karen of the Seventh Squad gave the order in a deep voice.
The five-man squad quickly disbanded into a semi-circular assault formation. The roar of chainsaws activating echoed as metal gears, sparks flying, slammed into the enemy's diamond attack.
"Number 4, cut in diagonally to the right; Number 5, press him from the left rear, don't let him turn and jump!"
"Come on! Come and bite me!!" Crazy Drunkard, like a completely out-of-control madman, kept sprouting crystal spines from behind him, and with a backhand slam, he cracked a wall in half.
His sprint was incredibly fast. After withstanding the chainsaw strike from Number One, he suddenly turned to the side and sent one of his men flying with an elbow strike.
"Don't fight him to the death! Focus your attacks on the thinnest parts of his crystal shell—his right shoulder and knee—and crack his outer shell!"
Karen saw it clearly and let out a low growl.
He took the lead, leaping from the side, his chainsaw sword instantly shifting gears and entering armor-piercing frequency mode!
"Smash it—!!"
boom--! !
The sharp teeth, accompanied by high-speed vibrations, slammed into Kreed's right shoulder, sending sparks flying a meter high. Kreed roared, his entire right arm instantly cleaved into a spiderweb of cracks. But in his frenzy, he actually swung his entire injured right arm and smashed it down on Karen...
Karen couldn't withstand the attack and was thrown to the ground.
"Monitor!"
Seventh Class Number Three roared, hacking wildly with his chainsaws, and fiercely wrapped them around Creed's waist.
"Are you here to die too?!"
With a sudden burst of strength, a new crystalline spinal needle emerged from his spine, stabbing fiercely at Number Three's face like a mantis's blade.
Just at this moment.
"Initiate terminal vibration!!"
After Karen got up, he pressed the vibration button on the chainsaw sword's terminal with his backhand. The others did the same. Instantly, a violent shockwave erupted from all five of them.
Then, the five pounced on Amber, the mentally ill man, like wolves, and began hacking wildly at him.
Clang clang clang clang——
Clang clang clang clang——
Kreid's crystal layer was cleaved into fragments. He collapsed helplessly to the ground, blood mixed with crystal shards flowing everywhere, still muttering under his breath:
"I... am... the only light..."
Before he could finish speaking, number two from class seven walked over, raised his foot, and kicked him in the jaw.
"Shut up."
Click!
The other person was immediately muted.
"Target suppressed." Squad leader Karen of the Seventh Squad slowly exhaled and sheathed her chainsaw sword.
"The five are in good condition. Contact the Horizon Shepherds to prepare for the retrieval of Amber Mental Illness."
Then, looking at the rebellious man lying on the ground before him, he said coldly:
"His Majesty Abraham is very concerned about you lunatics. You scoundrel, you should feel honored, for you will have the opportunity to face His Majesty directly."
Remember, if your dog mouth dares to utter any disrespectful words before His Majesty, Lord Lupercal will personally cut out your tongue and feed it to His Majesty's holy hound.