# 679
Chapter 680: Paradise Changes Hands
The four Oracle Envoys were slightly stunned when Yuzuri Kurotetsu fled so decisively.
The paper cranes, bolstered by illusions, scattered in all directions, making it impossible to determine which way he had actually run.
The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy stood amid the fluttering paper cranes, brow furrowed, as if deep in thought.
"Split up and chase him?"
The other Oracle Envoys exchanged glances and were about to scatter in pursuit of Yuzuri Kurotetsu when the Black-Robed Oracle Envoy suddenly spoke:
"Wait."
All three Oracle Envoys turned to look at him simultaneously.
"Something's off." The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy's eyes narrowed. "Before, he was so confident about rescuing Test Subject No. 0—why did he run so decisively now..."
He seemed to have thought of something and glanced in the direction Yuzuri Kurotetsu had been looking. Above Tokyo, the silver disc floated silently in the air, showing no signs of abnormality.
Something felt wrong...
The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy pondered for a moment, and a black ring of light suddenly illuminated in his left eye. He spoke in a low voice:
"'Hanezu,' is anything wrong with the Pure Land?"
"Szzzzzz..." A faint electric crackling echoed in his ear, but the electronic voice did not respond, as if the signal had been completely lost.
The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy's expression instantly darkened.
"'Hanezu'?"
"Szzzzzz..."
"This is bad!"
The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy reacted instantly, his pupils contracting sharply. He soared up from the ground, flying toward the Pure Land suspended above Tokyo. The other Oracle Envoys seemed to sense something was wrong too and followed closely behind!
The four Oracle Envoys charged into the sky, arriving directly at the entrance to the Pure Land. The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy stood before the scanning device, his gaze grave.
The scanning light swept over the Black-Robed Oracle Envoy, and a voice rang out from the screen:
"Identity verification failed. No entry access."
"????"
"I'm an Oracle Envoy! How can my identity not be verified?!"
"Identity verification failed. No entry access."
"I'm the—!"
"Stop with the 'I'm's already. No access means no access. Go on, scram." The cold female voice in the screen sounded somewhat impatient. "From now on, this Pure Land has a new surname—An. You can go wander elsewhere."
"...?????"
At this moment, ten thousand wild horses galloped through the Black-Robed Oracle Envoy's heart.
During their time away, what exactly had happened to the Pure Land?!
What about 'Hanezu'? Who was this girl who inexplicably appeared on the screen? How had she gotten into the Pure Land? And how had she obtained the highest-level access to the Pure Land in such a short time, locking them out?!
They never would have imagined that in the time it took them to go hunt a Most Wanted Fugitive, their home had been stolen by someone else—and that someone had successfully locked them outside!
All four Oracle Envoys stood stunned in the wind simultaneously.
"This is ridiculous?!"
Fire burned in the White-Robed Oracle Envoy's eyes as he abruptly raised both hands and slammed them heavily onto the silver plating of the Pure Land's surface. Invisible blade marks radiated from his palms, striking down with tremendous force!
DONG—!!
A translucent silver light shield materialized in the虚空 before the plating, barely withstanding the blow. The shield merely trembled slightly without being damaged, let alone affecting the silver disc itself within.
This strike hadn't even shaken the Pure Land.
"It's useless. Before we left, we activated the 'Auto-Defense System.' This light shield can resist all attacks below god-level—even the four of us working together couldn't break through it..." The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy shook his head.
At this moment, the White-Robed Oracle Envoy seemed to recall something!
"Earlier! When No. 2 and the others left earlier, this 'Auto-Defense System' was mysteriously shut down, which allowed Yuzuri Kurotetsu to slash through the Pure Land with one strike. At the time, I thought it was a system malfunction with 'Hanezu'..."
"Looking at it now, they must have been hiding inside the Pure Land all along." The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy narrowed his eyes, continuing from the other envoy's words. "To infiltrate the Pure Land without us noticing and remain hidden for this long...
If I had to guess, the person who tampered with the Pure Land's access is working with Yuzuri Kurotetsu.
That person secretly shut down the 'Auto-Defense System,' after which Yuzuri Kurotetsu arrived at Tokyo and forcefully breached the defenseless Pure Land, becoming a Most Wanted Fugitimate as expected... This was all part of his plan, because he knew very well that once he became a Most Wanted fugitive, all Oracle Envoys would mobilize to hunt him down. This would give the person hiding in the Pure Land the perfect opportunity to modify the access permissions!
Once that person had completely obtained the Pure Land's permissions, they could exile us Oracle Envoys while freeing Test Subject No. 0 from within, allowing Yuzuri Kurotetsu to reunite with his child.
If I'm not mistaken, just now Yuzuri Kurotetsu received news that Test Subject No. 0 had successfully escaped, which is why he retreated directly..."
"So this allowed Yuzuri Kurotetsu to reunite with his son as he wished, drove away the Oracle Envoys, and directly gained control of the entire Pure Land?!" The White-Robed Oracle Envoy's expression had completely changed. He sucked in a cold breath, saying in disbelief:
"Were we all being manipulated? Who in the world is inside the Pure Land to have orchestrated such a terrifying scheme?"
"I don't know." The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy paused. "But I believe whoever is inside is an invader... I don't think anyone in this country would dare to seize the Pure Land."
"Then what do we do now?"
Yuzuri Kurotetsu, the Most Wanted fugitive, hadn't been killed, and they had lost the Pure Land. This time, the Oracle Envoys had suffered a complete defeat.
Direct assault couldn't penetrate the Auto-Defense System, and 'Hanezu' was completely out of contact. Could they do nothing but watch as the Pure Land changed hands?
The Black-Robed Oracle Envoy thought calmly for a moment, then spoke:
"Leave first. brute force won't break through the Pure Land. Let's go after Test Subject No. 0 who has fallen into the mortal world. As long as we can control him, we can easily regain control of the Pure Land."
"But will he乖乖 listen to us?" The White-Robed Oracle Envoy expressed some concern. "All along, we've been luring him into the Pure Land with games. Now that he's returned to human society, he might not obey our commands anymore."
A slight smile curved the corners of the Black-Robed Oracle Envoy's mouth. He shook his head:
"No, he will listen.
He is a monster we built up with drugs. Once he leaves the Pure Land, without drug support, his body won't last long..."