The Kingdom's councilors weren't fools, nor was their intelligence apparatus incompetent. The situation in Hong City that day was incredibly complex, impossible to fully unravel in a short time.
However, there was no doubt that Akaman and several Alliance Negative-Energy Wielders had ambushed the Kingdom's delegation, leaving no survivors.
The councilors weren't unaware that this could have been Akaman and those Negative-Energy Wielders acting individually, but accepting that explanation meant swallowing their anger.
Furthermore, lacking proof, they wouldn't accept the Alliance's explanation. Only by pinning the blame squarely on the Alliance could they regain the initiative.
And subsequently reap greater negotiating leverage and benefits.
The ceasefire agreement fueled outrage within the Kingdom. The councilors used this to bolster troop deployments to the front lines, continuing the war with the Alliance to see who would crack first.
Within the Kingdom, the happiest person was undoubtedly Eddie, the esteemed head of the Royal Scientific Institute. The ongoing war meant a continued influx of Negative-Energy Wielders.
Which meant he could continue to profit.
"Hahaha!"
Eddie looked at the Negative-Energy Wielders contained within the experimental chambers, grinning widely: "This is the most accurate investment I've ever made!"
...
The Alliance.
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely Lia!"
Facing the question, General Kelvin affirmed, "Even though it's been years, I'm certain it was Lia, Ms. Mei's adopted daughter."
"Ms. Mei…"
Ms. Mei's disappearance had been a significant loss for the Alliance. They had always assumed she had fallen into the hands of another nation.
Lia's appearance offered a glimmer of hope. If they could re-establish contact with Lia, the Alliance might find Ms. Mei.
"You have full authority on this matter. I authorize you to select elite Negative-Energy Wielders for a covert operation. If Ms. Mei can be recovered, no cost is too great. Eliminate anyone daring to obstruct you."
"Understood!"
Kelvin quickly assembled a clandestine unit. They wouldn't participate in the war with the Kingdom; their objective was singular.
Ms. Mei.
They couldn't find Mei's trail, but Akaman and Lia were frequently active. With sufficient manpower, they were likely to find them.
Lia's exposure in Hong City and her connection to Akaman meant that Kelvin wasn't the only one searching. The Diamond Legion wasn't idle either.
Even other nations were tracking Lia and Mei, involving countless factions and nations. Ms. Mei's importance was simply too great.
Moreover,
The Alliance desperately wanted to understand why Lia and Akaman sabotaged the ceasefire agreement. Who was the mastermind behind their actions?
Could it have been Ms. Mei herself?
But why would Ms. Mei do such a thing?
This incomprehensible aspect further solidified the Alliance high command's suspicions: Ms. Mei must have fallen into the hands of some power or nation.
Otherwise, she would have no reason to sabotage the ceasefire agreement. It benefited other nations—allowing the Alliance and the Kingdom to continue fighting and depleting each other's strength.
…
Year 815 A.D.
Seven years had passed since the Hong City ceasefire agreement, and the intensifying war rapidly accelerated weapons technology development.
The advent of heavy machine guns turned the battlefield into a meat grinder, and advancements in artillery technology led to a dramatic spike in soldier casualties.
Over the years, Lia and Akaman interacted and clashed with various forces, particularly Alliance spies and special forces, who repeatedly contacted them, offering to help rescue Ms. Mei.
Lia offered no resistance.
Nor did she wish to engage the Alliance further.
Meanwhile,
In the seven years since the Illusion and Volcano event, more and more negative energy lifeforms emerged from the Negative-Energy field into the real world.
Many Negative-Energy Wielders fell victim, and after possessing their bodies, the negative entities largely congregated in the United States, turning the country into a de facto headquarters for the lifeforms.
This year.
"Hahaha!"
A mathematician in the Alliance's courtyard erupted in laughter, holding aloft a laptop filled with calculations: "I've done it! I've deduced it! I've solved 40% of the Depth Equation!"
Seven years of relentless work.
The Depth Equation was finally 40% solved.
This also meant Mei had finally completed another Upgrade Task.
[Upgrade Task 4・Complete]
[Super Burst・Upgrade]
[Super Burst・LV5⬆]
——
[Ability: Super Burst]
[Level: LV5]
[Description: Concentrates all power for an instant, devastating attack with 100 times normal power.]
——
A full-power attack with 100 times the power!
Honestly,
Mei really wanted to test this attack's power, but considering the immense commotion it would cause, she decided against it for now.
She planned to continue upgrading this ability. Sooner or later, it would grant Mei the power to transcend Tier 5, potentially even rendering Limit Break unnecessary.
At the same time,
Mei also realized that solving the Depth Equation was becoming increasingly time-consuming. She murmured, "It seems I need to seek assistance from other civilizations."
Fearing that interfering directly might attract the attention of some cosmic entity or advanced civilization, Mei had no intention of acting alone.
This task required the intervention of this planet's humans, a plan she'd formulated long ago. One of the purposes of the scientific research organization she'd established years earlier was precisely this.
Signals designed to attract extraterrestrial civilizations had also been sent into space years ago, though even the staff of the organization didn't believe their signals would be received.
They didn't even know who their boss was.
...
"Another boring day."
Hidden deep within the mountains stood a large signal transmitter and receiver. A man and a woman sat before the control panel, listlessly monitoring the signals.
The once-young man was now showing signs of balding. He sighed wearily, "Staying here every day, a person's bound to get moldy."
The woman beside him seemed unconcerned.
"In this situation, finding such a relaxed job is something to be grateful for. At least here, you don't have to worry about not having enough to eat."
"That's true."
"Do you think what we're doing is meaningful?"
"Meaningful?"
The man had no real sense of the vast cosmic expanse. "I don't think civilizations besides humanity exist in the universe. Perhaps it's just our one-sided wishful thinking…"
Bang!
As the man continued his rambling complaints, the woman, listening to his grumbling, suddenly stood up, staring at the control panel, the chair falling to the ground with a resounding thud.
"What is it?"
The man asked, his pupils contracting, his scalp tingling.
Tzzz—
A distant signal from the cosmos responded, traversing over five light-years, and after being processed by the receiver, appeared on the screen.
[Greetings, humanity.]
...
Mei secretly possessed a research team with technology far surpassing its time. Simply by revealing the principles and structure to Mei, she could instantly create any machine.
The energy she controlled could be transformed into any substance. She could even construct neutron stars and black holes, let alone ordinary machinery.
Based on this,
The research team's research on the negative energy affliction progressed incredibly rapidly. They easily found a way to permanently eradicate the negative energy corrosion.
Each cured patient was equivalent to patching a hole in the Negative-Energy field's corrosion of the real world. Mei didn't believe Gaia's consciousness would remain indifferent.
Negative energy affliction patients were easily found; their global numbers were vast. It was always a debilitating disease, and no one wanted to remain afflicted.
While those who became Negative-Energy Wielders were a minority, the vast majority were ordinary people. Faced with the opportunity for a complete cure, ordinary people rejoiced.
Years ago,
A research facility in a neutral country announced that they had developed a cure for the negative energy affliction. Subsequently, a continuous stream of patients arrived for treatment.
Mei, hidden behind the scenes, carefully observed everything. All her plans were proceeding flawlessly.
...
The dimly lit building was deserted. An Alliance spy stealthily slipped inside, beginning a search for any clues.
Creak!
Charles barged in, directly pushing open a door. The spy, searching for leads, bumped into Charles, and visibly relaxed upon recognizing him.
Interestingly,
Charles was a double agent, simultaneously holding spy identities for both the Kingdom and the Alliance. He was welcome wherever he went.
Kuang Shan and his team had been tracking Mei for years, not relying solely on Civet for intelligence gathering; other Void Wanderers also displayed their abilities.
The spy shook his head at Charles.
"We're too late."
"Sigh."
Charles sighed, "Another wasted effort."
At that moment,
A message arrived via comms.
Kuang Shan: "Civet has a lead. Also, a breakthrough in the experiments. Return immediately to participate in the Negative-Energy Wielder experiments. We need to boost our combat power."
"Received!"
Good news!
Charles's mood immediately brightened.
The patients wanted to be rid of the disease, while the Void Wanderers were devising ways to contract it, hoping to become Negative-Energy Wielders through experimentation.
As Negative-Energy Wielders grew stronger, they, the Void Wanderers, seemed insignificant. But becoming a Negative-Energy Wielder would easily solve their combat power issues.
He still couldn't forget the overwhelming pressure Akaman had exerted on them in Hong City, along with Lia. Those two alone had made their group of Void Wanderers hesitant to act rashly.
...
The Diamond Legion assembled, and within a month, Kuang Shan, Charles, Starry, and the others underwent the Negative-Energy Wielder experiments.
They successfully became Negative-Energy Wielders.
Using their intelligence, they easily reached the 40% penetration of the Depth Equation, achieving the top tier of Negative-Energy Wielder combat strength.
Combined with their original abilities and power, Kuang Shan and his team immediately surpassed other Negative-Energy Wielders.
"This is the power of a 40% Depth Equation Negative-Energy Wielder?"
Charles felt the power coursing through his body; only the word "overwhelming" could describe it. He originally possessed extremely powerful regenerative abilities, and after the infusion of Super Active Cells, they naturally became even stronger.
Now, solely in terms of regenerative abilities, he was undeniably number one in the Diamond Legion, reaching the initial template level of the Super Active Cells.
Even if reduced to a single piece of flesh, Charles could regenerate completely.
"Epic-level enhancement!"
Charles was ecstatic.
"Everyone,"
In the secret base, Civet spoke, "I have good news. After becoming a Negative-Energy Wielder, my abilities have advanced. I can now arrange a meeting between everyone and the mastermind, but only within a simulated, fictional space. I can't create contact in reality."
"That's enough,"
Kuang Shan nodded, then asked, "What's the bad news?"
Civet spread his arms.
"The bad news is that I need a massive amount of negative energy to perform this. The negative energy we Negative-Energy Wielders can collect is far from sufficient."
Starry asked, "How many more people do we need?"
"It's not a matter of numbers. I need a massive negative energy storage battery. From what I understand, the Alliance is attempting to utilize this technology in the war."
"Simple,"
Charles confidently stated, "I have connections within the Alliance. Besides, aren't they also looking for the mastermind? Including them in this is perfectly acceptable."
"Agreed."
...
A fortnight later.
In a secret Alliance facility, before a massive negative energy storage device, Kelvin and his clandestine unit stood before Civet. "Begin."
The entire Diamond Legion was present.
Civet nodded, and began drawing upon the immense energy within the device. With the mystic's power, the team's consciousness was instantly drawn into a fictional space created within the void.
Simultaneously,
A sliver of Mei's consciousness was also pulled into Civet's fictional space. Given their capabilities, Mei didn't mind meeting them.
Hum—
Invisible forces surged through the void, creating a dimly lit, fictional space. The Diamond Legion and Kelvin's team arrived, their appearances unchanged; the environment seemed indistinguishable from reality.
Their curiosity focused on one thing: the identity of the mastermind. The anticipation of finally confronting the puppet master filled them with nervous tension.
Footsteps echoed.
Everyone's expressions hardened.
A subtle pressure accompanied the approaching footsteps, chilling them to the bone. This wasn't a psychological effect; it was a tangible energy pressure.
Civet, Kuang Shan, and Charles, all possessing strong Danger Sense abilities, felt a shiver run down their spines, like bristling cats.
General Kelvin, a normal human, felt the pressure more slowly, but he likewise tensed, staring into the hazy space ahead. Then, his pupils constricted.
A figure entered his sight.
Mei smiled.
"At last, we meet."
"Ms. Mei!!!"
Kelvin was incredulous. The Alliance, including himself, believed Mei was under duress, but she was the true mastermind!
Thump! Thump!
Civet's reaction was even stronger. Upon seeing Mei, he clutched his chest and fell to his knees, his expression filled with terror: "Everyone, I might be wrong… we may have offended someone beyond our capacity to handle!"
Crack!
Powerful energy surged through the fictional space, causing cracks to appear in the void-constructed environment; it was beginning to collapse.
Big trouble!
Civet, while able to glean information from the void, received it piecemeal. He knew of terrifying entities in this world, but never suspected that the mastermind was the being behind it all—the probability was too low.
It wasn't until that familiar, stinging sensation returned that he understood they'd attracted the attention of an absolutely untouchable entity.
"Ms. Mei, why are you here?"
Ignoring the Diamond Legion's fear, General Kelvin's face darkened as he questioned Mei: "The one who sabotaged the ceasefire agreement...it was you, wasn't it? Why?"
"General Kelvin, long time no see."
Mei nodded to Kelvin, but didn't answer his question. Instead, she turned to Kuang Shan, Charles, and the others, praising them: "You've truly shown your abilities."
Then, her gaze fell on Civet; the ability was truly well-utilized.
Suppressing his primal fear, Kuang Shan closed his eyes and said, "Ms. Mei, we mean no harm. We only hope to obtain some information from you…"
"I know."
If they had malicious intent, Mei would have already dealt with them. Mei pondered, "I have some matters to attend to. So, I'll give you a chance. Defeat me here, and I'll give you the information you desire."
"You're joking…"
Charles offered a strained smile, wiping the sweat from his brow. He thought to himself that this fictional space was far too realistic, almost indistinguishable from the real world!
If his sense of danger could be converted into an electronic signal, it would be blaring incessantly like an alarm. Mei's oppressive aura was truly overpowering.
Mei held up a finger.
"I'm only using one-millionth of my power. How about that?"
With that said,
Mei retracted the released energy. The oppressive feeling in the fictional space vanished instantly. Starry was the first to draw his longsword.
"Are you sure?"
"Sure!"
In an instant,
Blades flashed with azure electric arcs. Starry struck with lightning speed. Kuang Shan and the others knew they only had one chance and attacked immediately.
However,
Their opponent was Mei.
Even at one-millionth of her power, it was energy on the scale of thousands of stars—far beyond what Kuang Shan and his team could withstand. Not a single one of them could even reach supernova levels.
Time in the fictional space froze, then exploded in blinding light, followed by the violent destruction of the space itself.
Boom!
...
"Haah… haah…"
The moment their consciousness returned to their bodies, Charles, Starry, and the others lay on the ground, gasping for breath like drowning people.
Kuang Shan was terrified, drenched in sweat.
"I thought I was going to die!"
Charles collapsed onto the ground, recalling their encounter. They had been annihilated in an instant—a battle on a completely different level.
One-millionth of her power!
He asked, "We didn't get any information from her. What do we do now?"
"…"
Civet remained silent.
Kuang Shan didn't know how to answer.
After all these years, they had repeatedly danced with death, daring to challenge such a powerful being. The fact that they were still alive was simply good luck.
Kelvin's face was pale, and he fell into a long silence. The members of the clandestine Negative-Energy Wielder unit were slowly recovering from the shadow of death.
The fact that Ms. Mei was the mastermind was barely acceptable, but what Kelvin couldn't comprehend was her overwhelming power!
If she was that strong, why hide? She could conquer the entire world. Hiding in the shadows seemed pointless.
"This world is far more complex than I imagined…"
Kelvin remained puzzled.
...
Simultaneously,
In a neutral country.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the sky, a massive energy surge sweeping across the land. In an instant, the negative energy affliction research facility was razed to the ground.
A young man with a hedgehog hairstyle stood amidst the ruins, his body radiating incredibly powerful negative energy, far exceeding that of previous Negative-Energy Wielders.
This was a Negative-Energy Wielder who had surpassed the 40% Depth Equation, but more than that—his power far outstripped those of other Depth Equation users. Undoubtedly, this was a negative energy lifeform.
"Finally, a reaction!"
Mei appeared in the ruins, assessing the extraordinary negative energy lifeform before her. Years of planning and waiting had finally borne fruit.
This confirmed that Gaia's consciousness was intervening, hindering Mei's efforts to save the world, and the alteration of power dynamics was also Gaia's handiwork.
Sure enough,
[Main Mission・Phase 4・Complete]
[Points Acquired: 4000]
[Main Mission・Phase 5: Witness the destruction of this world]
[Mission Reward: 5000 points]
The hedgehog-haired youth, upon seeing Mei's arrival, displayed extreme displeasure: "Human, do you know how much effort it took me to spread the dark spots?"
Ordinary negative energy lifeforms didn't have the ability to spread the negative energy affliction. This one was clearly different. Mei was curious about his identity: "Care to introduce yourself?"
"No need."
The hedgehog-haired youth wasn't interested in speaking to Mei further, and it didn't matter to Mei; she could guess seven or eight tenths of the truth from his last statement.
He was likely the leader of the negative energy dissemination from the Negative-Energy field into the real world, or perhaps just one of them—it didn't matter.
Mei's establishment of the facility to cure patients had angered them, and now they sought to trouble her. If the power of an ordinary negative energy lifeform was 1, this hedgehog-haired one was at least a 10.
Based on this, he could exert ten times or more the destructive force of a Depth Equation Negative-Energy Wielder, but that was insignificant to Mei.
Boom!
A resounding roar filled the air. The hedgehog-haired youth, surging with violent negative energy, lunged at Mei. His full-powered attack was instantly halted mid-air.
Time slowed to a standstill, freezing everything within the space, including the hedgehog youth's thoughts. Mei willed it.
A mass of negative energy was extracted from the hedgehog's body, similar to the Illusion incident. The negative entity's essence was drawn out.
There was no resistance whatsoever.
Then,
Mei disposed of the extracted negative energy lifeform, allowing the energy to transfee to another negative energy lifeform.
After years of preparation, the fourth phase of the Main Mission was finally complete. Mei's gaze fell upon the fifth phase's objective, causing her to fall into deep thought.
"Witness the world's destruction? Should I be the one to destroy it?"
This was a question worthy of profound consideration.
Now that the fourth phase of the Main Mission was complete, Mei no longer needed to provoke Gaia's consciousness, lest she incur its wrath.
Naturally, she wouldn't rebuild the research facility to continue treating the negative energy affliction.
Moreover, all three world missions had aligned with Gaia's consciousness, leading Mei to suspect that future interactions with Gaia's consciousness were likely.
While Gaia's consciousness was an abstract concept, a synthesis of living and non-living entities within the vast natural world, unconscious and lacking intelligence, merely maintaining the balance of the natural ecosystem,
The existence of the [Chapter of Gaia] item led Mei to suspect that in some worlds, Gaia's consciousness was actually conscious and intelligent.
Just as Star Spirits were manifestations of cosmic energy, in countless higher dimensions and universes, such miracles could certainly occur.
Mei knew that with increasing Grades, she would eventually encounter such higher-level entities.
...
Elsewhere,
In the United States,
Illusion, stealthily planning to absorb the power of a fellow negative energy lifeform, sensed a surge of power flowing into his body, causing him immense surprise.
"What's happening?"
Since discovering the power transfer phenomenon among negative energy lifeforms, he had done whatever it took to become stronger, secretly eliminating numerous negative energy lifeforms.
As he expected, the power of those eliminated entities flowed into him, granting him over ten times the power of the same Depth Equation Negative-Energy Wielder.
Adding to his recent windfall, he now possessed twenty-odd times his original power, but it wasn't enough. If he wanted revenge, it was far from sufficient.
Mei was the biggest shadow in Illusion's heart. His increased power fueled his burgeoning ambition. After discovering his chance for reversal, his former fear had transformed into hatred.
One day, he would make her experience true despair. He would return the fear he had once felt tenfold, a hundredfold!
Hatred flickered in his eyes as Illusion smiled, approaching a newly arrived negative energy lifeform: "Brother, welcome to the real world!"
...
Year 820 A.D.
War continued to rage across the world. After heavy machine guns, a revolutionary weapon appeared on the battlefield: airplanes.
The roar of propellers tore through the air. Aircraft, providing reconnaissance and transport, could also drop bombs for long-range bombing.
The battle lines extended even further.
Lush River.
Alliance and Kingdom forces engaged in non-stop firefights. When a shadow fell from above, the soldiers assumed it was an aircraft passing overhead.
However,
When they looked up,
They saw a colossal, fiery monster slowly breaking through the atmosphere, a creature like the mythical Leviathan, looming vaguely within the clouds.
The barrage of fire ceased. The soldiers stared, mouths agape.
"What… what is that?"
"A non-atmospheric warship?"
Mei gazed at the descending spacecraft. Lacking atmospheric defenses, the vessel had boldly broken through the atmosphere without hesitation.
"Finally, they've arrived."
This was a day that would be etched in history. On this day, a Centauri warship, traveling at near light speed for years, finally descended upon the planet.
Aboard the ship, the Centauri Alpha warship's captain looked down at humanity, still in the electrical age, and sighed, "A truly backward civilization."
He actually couldn't understand why such a backward civilization would dare proclaim its existence in the universe—perhaps to prove its existence?
If so, then this civilization must be ignorant and arrogant to an extreme degree. Because of ignorance, they were fearless. Because of arrogance, they were doomed.
An electrical age civilization versus a spacefaring civilization—this was a war with no chance of victory. The Centauri, using a single warship, conquered the planet.
While individual Centauri weren't comparable to Negative-Energy Wielders, humanity was utterly helpless before the Centauri warship.
In terms of civilization level, humanity held little value to the Centauri, but the Centauri were very interested in Negative-Energy Wielder enhancement technology.
Powerful individuals could, to some extent, compensate for the Centauri's weaknesses, and they coveted the limitless energy of the Negative-Energy field.
With almost no effort, the Centauri obtained humanity's complete technology regarding Negative-Energy Wielders and the Negative-Energy field, then transmitted it back to their home planet via quantum entanglement communication.
Their journey from Centauri space to this planet had taken years, but quantum entanglement communication required no time at all—it was instantaneous information transfer technology that ignored distance.
The Centauri were an expansionist civilization eager for conquest and colonization, possessing a vast colonial empire.
Within several light-years, Centauri planets dotted the space, creating a massive interstellar civilization through quantum entanglement communication.
Based on the Centauri's advanced mathematics and quantum computing capabilities, their progress in solving the Depth Equation far surpassed humanity's.
In just a few days, they'd solved 50% of the Depth Equation. In under two weeks, they reached 60%.
Mei's interface displayed successive notifications:
[Upgrade Task 5・Complete]
[Super Burst・Upgrade]
[Super Burst・LV6⬆]
…
[Upgrade Task 6・Complete]
[Super Burst・Upgrade]
[Super Burst・LV7⬆]
——
[Ability: Super Burst]
[Level: LV7]
[Description: Concentrates all power for an instant, devastating attack with 500 times normal power.]
——
A full-power attack with 500 times the power!
Meanwhile,
Over those five years, the influx of negative energy lifeforms into the real world had increased explosively, not by the hundreds,
But by the thousands!
Then, six months ago, it abruptly ceased, as if the Negative-Energy field had been drained dry. No more negative energy lifeforms appeared in the real world.
The massive influx of negative energy lifeforms had undoubtedly caused widespread chaos, but it also greatly benefited Illusion.
He had eliminated hundreds of his counterparts, now possessing power several hundred times that of a Depth Equation Negative-Energy Wielder. He was barely restraining his urge to take revenge on Mei.
Until that day.
Illusion amassed the power of 1000 negative energy lifeforms, surpassing some threshold. This power could no longer be contained.
Boom!
Turbulent energy erupted, engulfing everything in terrifying negative energy. A super-negative energy lifeform was born, instantly collapsing the surrounding space. The Negative-Energy field, through Illusion, was completely connected to the real world; an unimaginable torrent of negative energy flooded the world.
The apocalypse had arrived!
...
Boom!
A torrential downpour of negative energy erupted from the Negative-Energy field, engulfing all matter in its path. The sky and earth were consumed by apocalyptic devastation.
Turbulent energy raged through the clouds, thunder and lightning roared, and thick, dark smoke filled the air. Everything on the planet was slowly disappearing.
This was somewhat unexpected for Mei. She watched the apocalyptic scene unfold, saying, "Illusion's actions are understandable, but the apocalypse arrived a little too quickly."
She had thought the apocalypse would only arrive after Illusion gathered the power of all the negative energy lifeforms, but apparently, 1000 were enough.
"Ha ha."
Akaman chuckled, "Quite spectacular, isn't it?"
Hum—
A surge of negative energy swept across the land, shattering the earth and obliterating everything in an instant. A figure materialized amidst the torrential negative energy.
Illusion's face contorted into a vicious grin upon seeing Mei.
"You still remember me!"
The youth was completely unaware that Mei had been observing him. Now, believing he possessed sufficient power, he eagerly sought his revenge.
Mei found this rather amusing.
"So, here for revenge?"
"Of course!"
Recalling past humiliations, Illusion's anger flared, roaring, "I'll return the fear and humiliation you inflicted upon me a hundredfold!"
Bang!
A cold blade flashed.
Lia raised her sword, about to attack, but Mei stopped her with a gesture. Illusion didn't hesitate; after proclaiming his presence, he immediately attacked.
A massive vortex instantly spun the surrounding negative energy, transforming it into a colossal beam of energy that slammed into Mei.
With the entire planet saturated with negative energy, he wanted to see how Mei would fight. He envisioned a spectacular energy clash.
The negative energy beam dissipated instantly. Mei and her companions stood uninjured; with a thought, Mei sent Illusion flying.
His body careened into the surging negative energy tide, creating massive waves. Illusion couldn't comprehend Mei's power; the disparity was beyond his imagination.
Actually, compared to energy attacks, direct physical attacks were a greater threat to Mei, but Illusion was far from reaching that level.
"This is the power you're so confident in?"
Mei materialized within the negative energy tide, unaffected by its corrosive properties. She grasped Illusion by the neck, lifting him into the air, somewhat disappointed: "I thought you'd provide a little more excitement."
"Let me go!!"
Illusion struggled, but to no avail. His supposedly powerful strength was like a firefly before the moon, utterly insignificant compared to Mei's.
His revenge was nothing more than a joke. This time, however, Illusion didn't plead for mercy like before. Realizing his helplessness, he clutched Mei's arm tightly.
The violent negative energy flooded Illusion's body at an incredible speed, causing terrifying fluctuations. Illusion grinned savagely: "If I can't win, then we'll die together!"
"Brave."
Mei commended Illusion's courage, then decisively obliterated him, reducing him to a mist of blood. The moment Illusion died, the negative energy within him erupted in a terrifying explosion.
Boom!
The explosive force instantly obliterated the surrounding landmass. The planet appeared as if a massive beast had taken a bite out of it.
Aboard the Centauri Alpha warship, the captain and his crew witnessed the apocalyptic scene, utterly shocked: "What's happening on that planet?"
Quickly, the explosive aftershocks, carrying a torrential surge of negative energy, engulfed and completely consumed the Centauri Alpha warship.
Ordinary humans were instantly obliterated upon contact with the negative energy. Only Negative-Energy Wielders could survive, or rather, thrive in it.
Kuang Shan, Charles, and Starry stood in the collapsing world, watching everything around them rapidly vanish under the negative energy's onslaught, feeling a profound shock.
Charles's jaw dropped.
"This… this is the apocalypse?"
"A pity,"
Kuang Shan sighed, "The Main Mission isn't over yet."
This planet was destined for destruction. Under the vast cosmic Gaia's consciousness, this was an inescapable fate. But witnessing its destruction meant the Main Mission's completion, and Mei's return to the void.
However,
She still had several uncompleted Upgrade Tasks. After a moment's thought, Mei decided to intervene. This planet couldn't be destroyed yet.
She knew this would provoke Gaia's consciousness, potentially bringing down a greater, more powerful entity to destroy the planet, but it was worth a try.
At worst, if things went wrong, Mei would destroy the planet herself.
Hum—
In an instant,
The entire planet froze at the speed of light. The apocalypse was paused. At that moment, Mei felt a faint sense of danger.
As expected, Gaia's consciousness reacted immediately. The sense of danger wasn't intense; Mei believed she could handle it.
...
Two months later, the Centauri solved 70% of the Depth Equation.
[Upgrade Task 7・Complete]
[Super Burst・Upgrade]
[Super Burst・LV8⬆]
——
[Ability: Super Burst]
[Level: LV8]
[Description: Concentrates all power for an instant, devastating attack with 1000 times normal power.]
——
Simultaneously,
A dazzling streak of light approached Mei's star system from the depths of space. It resembled a meteor, but incredibly powerful energy surged around it.
Thump! Thump!
The energy within pulsed like a heartbeat.
...
Six months later,
The Depth Equation reached 80% completion.
[Upgrade Task 8・Complete]
[Super Burst・Upgrade]
[Super Burst・LV9⬆]
——
[Ability: Super Burst]
[Level: LV9]
[Description: Concentrates all power for an instant, devastating attack with 2000 times normal power.]
——
The faster-than-light meteor quickly entered Mei's star system, heading straight for her. The moment it entered her sensory range, Mei's Danger Sense reacted.
"It's here!"
At that moment,
She flickered, teleporting over 5000 light-years to the meteor's path. Immense star energy instantly formed an insurmountable barrier, forcibly slowing the meteor to sub-light speed.
Without hesitation,
Mei unleashed a devastating Super Burst attack at the speed of light, causing a blinding flash across the cosmos.
Then,
The residual force of the star energy dispersed, transforming into vast swathes of photons that cleansed the interstellar space.