According to the young man's self-introduction, his name was Gamma. He was born in a galaxy 300 million light-years from the Milky Way. By Earth's reckoning, he was just over 10,000 years old—a very young Star Spirit.
Unless killed, Star Spirits had virtually no lifespan limit; birth time was insignificant compared to other powerful cosmic lifeforms.
Young and formidable.
"I was born during a gamma-ray burst; energy powerful enough to destroy hundreds of thousands of light-years swept through the entire galaxy, and I was born from it. That's why I named myself Gamma."
Compared to Gamma, Mei was less than 100 years old. According to Gamma, Mei was still in her infancy among Star Spirits.
After introducing himself, Gamma answered Mei's question, confirming her worst fears: Star Spirits were considered the ultimate mortal enemies of the entire universe.
For over 10,000 years, Gamma had wandered the universe, encountering countless civilizations and exploring numerous Star Spirit ruins, constantly pursued by cosmic forces. Yet, he'd managed to uncover the situation of Star Spirits in this universe.
Mei questioned, "What's the specific reason? If Star Spirits are considered mortal enemies, there must be a reason."
Gamma gestured towards the debris field.
"Debris fields like this are scattered throughout the universe. I've traveled to countless such fields before finally understanding. Approximately 5 billion years ago, this universe experienced an unprecedented, colossal war."
"To be precise, it wasn't just this universe; it was a super-war that affected countless universes and worlds. This universe was caught in the crossfire."
"Star Spirits were caught in the war and became the enemies of the entire universe?"
Hearing Mei's question, Gamma puffed out his chest, proudly stating: "No, it wasn't the Star Spirits who were caught in the war; the Star Spirits started the war!"
"…"
This war had no special reason; the Star Spirits simply sought to conquer countless universes and worlds. They believed they possessed the power to defeat all cosmic civilizations and races, so they launched their conquest without hesitation, single-handedly challenging countless universes and countless civilizations and races.
The result was predictable.
The Star Spirits lost.
Mei now understood why Star Spirits were so hated. The Star Beast world was most likely among the victims of that war, a memory that persisted for hundreds of millions of years.
To be fair,
The fact that the Star Spirits could initiate a war affecting countless universes demonstrated their immense power during their heyday.
Despite the catastrophic pursuit by the entire universe, Gamma felt immense pride in his race. Single-handedly challenging countless universes and countless civilizations was truly awe-inspiring.
Understanding the Star Spirits' actions, Mei could only say they had reaped what they had sown. She possessed Star Spirit power but never considered herself part of the Star Spirit race.
It was merely an ability.
Perhaps one day, it would be merged away.
Mei didn't feel guilty about being a Star Spirit; she just felt unlucky. If anyone tried to kill her, she would kill them.
She recalled her time in the Star Beast world; shortly after becoming a Star Spirit, she was discovered by a cosmic force and subjected to a devastating attack.
A dozen or two years seemed a long time, but from a cosmic perspective, the Star Beast world's response was incredibly fast. A newly born Star Spirit couldn't withstand such a sudden attack.
Newly born Star Spirits were eliminated before they could mature. Even if they managed to survive the initial attack, they would likely face even stronger onslaughts.
Mei didn't know what the situation was like in the Earth universe. She had only spent less than two months in the Earth universe since becoming a Star Spirit. If the Earth universe had systems for eliminating Star Spirits, she needed to be prepared.
Gamma considered it.
"Perhaps I'm just very fast. I've never seen a galaxy-destroying attack, only relentless Star Spirit hunters."
This youth was highly cautious. Since learning he was a cosmic enemy, he'd never stayed in one place for too long. Additionally, possessing a faith marker, his growth was rapid, and his strength was considerable. He'd always managed to escape from Star Spirit hunters, allowing him to survive until now.
Star Spirits had a high starting combat power, possessing star-level strength from birth—a significant advantage most cosmic races lacked.
Furthermore, they could teleport using star energy, making their escape very swift.
"I've found traces of other Star Spirits over the years, but Star Spirit hunters were always faster, eliminating newly born Star Spirits before I could reach them."
Mei was curious: "How strong are the Star Spirit hunters?"
Gamma pondered.
"Some are strong, some are weak, but they're always stronger than their target Star Spirit. If I hadn't luckily obtained faith marker, I'd have been eliminated long ago."
Then,
Gamma urged, "We need to go. You've stayed in the Milky Way too long. Star Spirit hunters could arrive at any moment; encountering them would be dangerous."
As he spoke,
Hum—
Immense energy enveloped the entire Milky Way, rippling outwards from the galactic core. An incredibly terrifying aura suddenly appeared.
Gamma's scalp tingled instantly.
Mei gazed at the galactic core; her Danger Sense activated involuntarily.
"It seems they've arrived."
Gamma's heart pounded; his expression was grave.
"Escape is impossible!"
From beyond 20,000 light-years, a blinding light erupted from the galactic core. A colossal figure emerged from the galactic core's supermassive black hole, dominating the entire Milky Way.
The center of the galactic black hole was a quantum foam region; quantum fluctuations formed wormholes, providing convenient passageways for advanced civilizations and lifeforms.
Ordinary civilizations and lifeforms couldn't use this method for rapid travel; a slight mistake could result in death within the black hole. This meant that any lifeform using this method to appear was undoubtedly immensely powerful!
It was over!
Gamma felt the immense power locking down the entire Milky Way, his jaw dropping in astonishment: "It's not necessary to use such a grand scale to receive us, is it?"
A battle was unavoidable.
Mei sensed that the opponent was undoubtedly a Tier 5 being; the precise level was unknown, but she wasn't necessarily powerless.
Intense energy fluctuations swept across the debris field, terrifying the cosmic onlookers. Their power was insufficient to understand what was happening.
"What's going on?"
"I have a bad feeling about this…"
Before this power capable of sweeping across the Milky Way, they were utterly helpless, consumed by blinding light in an instant.
Boom!
In an instant,
A beam of light erupted from the galactic core, instantly obliterating everything in its path, precisely targeting the debris field, completely erasing it.
The powerful attack pierced half the Milky Way, destroying countless light-years of celestial bodies, leaving a massive void.
If previous events were conjecture, this confirmed it: the galactic core's attacker was a Star Spirit hunter targeting Mei and Gamma.
...
In the empty void of space.
"Huh?"
Gamma was nearly terrified out of his wits. Recovering, he realized he was unharmed; an invisible barrier had deflected the galactic-scale attack.
He turned, incredulous, his eyes wide, unable to believe Mei had blocked that attack. He had thought he was surely dead.
Apparently, Mei's power was comparable to his own. Regardless, he had survived, and his expression brightened with relief.
"My friend, you…"
"Get away, I can't guarantee your safety in this fight."
"Understood!"
Gamma didn't hesitate, quickly moving away from the galactic core.
Mei, under normal circumstances, couldn't have stopped that terrifying attack. Her Limit Break's 30-day cooldown hadn't ended, preventing her from breaking through to Tier 5 to fight.
But this didn't mean Mei was helpless.
This wasn't Hyperdimensional Space or a mission world; Mei could utilize the energy within the Spacetime crystals. The spacetime energy froze time, making her defenses virtually limitless, far exceeding normal physical defenses. No attack could break through frozen time.
Unless the opponent possessed time-destroying or time-manipulating abilities. Even for a Tier 5 being, Mei didn't believe the attacker possessed such power.
Hum—
A colossal figure emerged from the galactic core's black hole, striding through interstellar space. The energy radiating from its body obliterated nearby stars; it was terrifyingly magnificent.
The figure's body was flawlessly white, seemingly sculpted from rock, with sharp angles and curves, like a statue. A radiant halo encircled its back, exuding an aura of divinity.
Immense energy swirled around it, shifting between light and darkness. The terrifying aura locked down the entire galaxy, imposing an overwhelming sense of power.
A message arrived through the energy; the divine being's voice echoed in Mei's mind.
"Fugitive, resistance is futile."
Mei couldn't match the being's aura, but the spacetime energy surrounding her provided absolute, unbreakable defense.
No need for pleasantries.
Hum—
Invisible spacetime energy swept forth, freezing the divine being within it. Mei teleported, gathering immense star energy, unleashing a full-powered blow.
Boom!
The divine being was struck squarely, sent flying by the immense force. The attack failed to break its defenses,
But the blow had stunned it.
What had just happened?
Objects frozen in spacetime energy couldn't be destroyed; Mei had to release the spacetime freeze the instant her attack landed, allowing the divine being to regain consciousness.
Realizing this Star Spirit was difficult to deal with, the divine being held nothing back, unleashing infinite light to destroy these two Star Spirits and the entire Milky Way.
But,
Hum—
Spacetime energy swept again, forcibly interrupting the divine being's attack. The moment it regained consciousness, it was struck by another powerful blow from Mei. Its body flew at light speed, crashing through a star.
Boom!
The star exploded.
The divine being forcibly stopped, utterly bewildered, unsure what had happened. It knew Mei possessed some special ability, but couldn't determine what it was.
"Futile resistance."
As it spoke,
The divine being rapidly deployed layer upon layer of energy shields, gathering energy to destroy the entire Milky Way.
Although it didn't know Mei's specific ability, these two exchanges revealed that Mei couldn't break its defenses.
That was enough.
From beginning to end,
A vast difference in power existed between them; a single special ability couldn't compensate for this fact. The divine being didn't believe these two Star Spirits could withstand an attack capable of destroying the Milky Way.
Boom!
Mei punched the divine being's energy shield, unable to affect it in the slightest. She then used spacetime energy to freeze it again.
Two options existed: the simplest was to banish the divine being to the Planck membrane; the other was to destroy it with overwhelming force.
Mei opted to destroy the being rather than banish it; sparing enemies wasn't her style. In reality, the divine being had misjudged Mei's power.
Mei possessed the ability to break its defenses, and more than that.
——
[Ability: Super Burst]
[Level: LV11]
[Description: Concentrates all power for an instant, devastating attack with 10,000 times normal power.]
——
Just then,
It was time to test the power of this ability.
In an instant,
Energy far exceeding that of the divine being erupted across the Milky Way, shaking interstellar space. Star energy within a 20,000 light-year radius was completely drained.
Then,
Boom!
Unparalleled power erupted from Mei, concentrating all her strength into a single devastating blow with 10,000 times its normal power.
The divine being's layered energy shields were instantly shattered. Mei's punch, with its overwhelming power, obliterated the divine being in an instant.
In the final fleeting moment of consciousness, the divine being's gathered energy was forcefully dispersed. Faced with this attack, it was utterly incomprehensible: "Such terrifying power…"
Then,
Its consciousness fell into eternal silence.
This single attack,
Pierced the Milky Way.
Immense star energy carved a massive, fan-shaped shockwave through the galaxy. One-third of the Milky Way—hundreds of millions of stars and countless planets and celestial bodies—were reduced to fundamental particles.
The terrifying power swept across the galaxy, obliterating even the galactic core black hole, then continued into the universe, spreading into the boundless void.
"I'll be… darned…"
Gamma had retreated far enough; otherwise, he would have been gone already. The raging star energy gradually subsided. He stared blankly at the massive void left behind.
His heart was filled with indescribable shock.
The destructive power of this level of combat was truly terrifying. Undeniably, he recognized Mei's power; this star energy fluctuation was unique to Star Spirits.
It seemed,
This person was far more formidable than he had imagined.
Gamma was incredulous.
"She actually eliminated the Star Spirit hunter?!"
In reality, that level of destruction was the result of Mei restraining her power. If she had allowed the power to fully disperse, not only a 50,000 light-year radius Milky Way, but even a galaxy ten times larger, would have been obliterated.
Mei herself possessed near Tier 5 strength; a full-powered attack with 10,000 times normal power was far beyond what the divine being could withstand.
The divine being could destroy the Milky Way, but Mei's attack far surpassed that; their destructive power wasn't on the same scale.
[Tokens Acquired: 1,500,000]
…
[Tokens Acquired: 80,000]
[Tokens Acquired: 4,000]
[Tokens Acquired: 18,000]
[Tokens Acquired: 200,000]
…
The divine being, the first Tier 5 powerhouse killed by Mei, yielded 1.5 million tokens as a faith marker holder.
A Tier 5 being was worth only 1.5 million tokens—incredibly cheap. Mei always felt that the faith marker shop was designed to exploit low-level players.
Eliminating low-level targets yielded massive tokens, while fighting high-tier powerhouses was far less profitable. Mei understood this; others in the universe should too.
Undoubtedly, some low-level targets would be exceptionally powerful. Mei had been steadily clearing low-level targets in the Milky Way; previously, progress had been slow, but this battle yielded massive rewards.
The Super Burst attack instantly obliterated one-third of the Milky Way. A large number of faith marker holders perished in the attack; the faith marker shop's token updates were incessant.
One thing was unexpected: the divine being lacked any resurrection techniques or abilities; it died decisively.
Mei opened the faith marker shop.
[Remaining Tokens: 400,000,000]
"…"
Even mentally prepared, Mei found the string of zeros almost unbelievable; it was simply extraordinary.
400 million!!!
If previous suspicions were only that, now Mei was practically certain that the faith marker system was designed for eliminating low-level targets.
This amount of tokens in the faith marker shop could purchase a Tier 6 item, and this was merely from the destruction of one-third of the Milky Way.
Any Tier 5 being could achieve that level of destruction; even powerful Tier 4 beings could start harvesting low-level targets.
And by harvesting low-level targets, Tier 4 and Tier 5 beings could quickly attain Tier 6 strength. Was the faith marker shop's balancing system a joke?
Mei didn't understand but was deeply shocked.
Of course,
It was uncertain whether others were recklessly destroying star systems to harvest faith markers. If so, the previous reasoning held true.
Realizing the battle was over, Gamma cautiously returned, staring in awe at the shattered Milky Way: "My friend, you're a bit intense!"
Mei asked, "Do we still have time?"
"Probably,"
Gamma wasn't entirely sure: "At least a couple of hours. You destroyed the galactic core black hole; the remaining Star Spirit hunters won't be able to arrive that quickly."
"Good."
It was time to thoroughly harvest the Milky Way.
Star energy rapidly replenished the star energy within a 20,000 light-year radius. Because she could directly draw zero-point energy from the vacuum and convert it to star energy, Mei didn't feel weakened.
Theoretically, Mei could even unleash consecutive Super Bursts.
Returning to the Solar System, Mei immediately swept the Solar System and all celestial bodies within a 1000 light-year radius, storing them in her Personal Spatial Storage. She also created a miniature black hole at the center, mimicking the galactic core black hole. Under the black hole's gravitational pull, the stars within her Personal Spatial Storage began to slowly rotate,
Like a miniature galaxy.
Then,
Hum—
Terrifying fluctuations erupted from Mei. She ascended above the Milky Way, gathering star energy before unleashing a ten-thousand-fold attack.
Boom!
Since the Star Spirit hunters had already noticed them, the Milky Way was untenable. She might as well destroy it entirely.
A torrent of star energy engulfed the Milky Way, instantly obliterating it. Countless celestial bodies were reduced to fundamental particles, ceasing to exist.
Immediately,
Token notifications flooded in.
[Tokens Acquired: 3000]
[Tokens Acquired: 10000]
[Tokens Acquired: 50000]
[Tokens Acquired: 110000]
…
[Remaining Tokens: 1,100,000,000]
Meanwhile,
Despite witnessing it multiple times, Gamma remained shocked by Mei's terrifying destructive power; the power amplification was simply too extravagant.
Did the faith marker shop have such an ability?
Probably not.
He possessed respectable mid-to-upper Tier 4 combat strength, easily capable of destroying celestial bodies within tens of thousands of light-years, thereby harvesting massive tokens.
But Gamma had never dared to do that; he was cautious. Large-scale releases of Star Spirit power might attract Star Spirit hunters; he had always been careful.
This was why his faith marker power wasn't very strong. Predictably, the Star Spirit hunters pursuing them would be even stronger, powerful enough to crush them without giving them a chance to fight back.
"The future looks bleak,"
Even Gamma's optimistic nature couldn't help but become pessimistic.
"Let's go."
After the Milky Way's destruction, Mei decisively departed with Gamma for other star systems, opening the faith marker shop to browse items. 1.1 billion tokens were enough to significantly enhance Mei's power.
Shortly after,
A ship arrived at the Milky Way's location. The crew stared at the empty void, the captain repeatedly verifying the coordinates on the star chart.
"No mistake, this is the Milky Way!"
"Where's the Milky Way???"
The crew exchanged bewildered glances.
Star Silver, with his blade strapped to his hip, fell silent as he gazed at the empty void of space. He'd finally reached the Milky Way, but he seemed to have arrived too late.
...
In the faith marker shop, 1.1 billion tokens could purchase top-tier Tier 6 items. After removing equipment, items, and abilities, the choices were significantly fewer.
Finally, Mei chose a top-tier Tier 6: an advanced version of the Star Spirit regeneration technique, more powerful and safer.
——
[Item: Star Spirit・Fundamental Restoration]
[Type: Information Type]
[Description: A unique Star Spirit technique. Uses star energy and a trace of conscious psionics to create a personal fundamental core. As long as the core isn't destroyed, unlimited regeneration is possible.]
[Addendum: Mental control equivalent to death, will automatically activate the fundamental core.]
[Price: 1,000,000,000]
——
Fundamental Restoration was a Tier 6 item, a top-tier one at that, with an exorbitant price. This powerful regeneration ability was exactly what Mei needed.
By concealing the fundamental core within the Planck membrane, it would be impossible to find; it wouldn't even be in this universe.
It wasn't foolproof, but its safety was greatly enhanced.
With this, by concealing the fundamental core, Mei would essentially possess unlimited regeneration, combined with the effects of Death Evolution—an unimaginable combination.
For a reference point, consider the cosmic beast from the Negative Energy world; it was practically a game-breaking entity. If it had been truly determined to fight to the death, that beast would have been nearly invincible.
After carefully confirming the description of Fundamental Restoration, Mei decisively purchased it.
[1,000,000,000 tokens spent]
[Purchase Successful: Star Spirit・Fundamental Restoration]
[Remaining Tokens: 100,000,000]
At that moment,
Information flooded Mei's mind, instantly granting her the ability to create the fundamental core.
...
Before reaching the next galaxy, the 30-day cooldown was almost over, and Mei was about to face her first advancement mission.
Mei entered Hyperdimensional Space.
Time in the Earth universe instantly froze.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, Mei began creating her fundamental core within the space; there was nowhere safer.
Hum—
Energy vibrated; a deep blue light appeared in the air.
Mei combined her star energy and psionics in an extremely complex manner, creating a closed circuit of star energy and psionic pathways. As the circuit became increasingly complex, the light intensified.
The surging star energy created wave-like ripples; the blue psionics seemed to contain infinite mysteries, winding around the closed circuit like the vast and mysterious expanse of interstellar space.
In an instant,
The vast, complex circuit of star energy and psionics rapidly stabilized, naturally forming a solid crystal. Blue energy pathways periodically pulsed within the crystal.
This was the fundamental core.
As long as this item wasn't destroyed, Mei would be essentially immortal. Even if she were reduced to rubble or fundamental information, she could instantly recover to full strength.
A genuine game-breaker.
Mei seemed to understand why the Star Spirit race had dared to challenge countless universes. Regardless of other factors, this single ability made them incredibly difficult to defeat.
Placing the fundamental core in her Personal Spatial Storage, Mei wasn't sure if it would function across the distances between worlds.
The safest approach was to conceal it within the Planck membrane during the mission, retrieving it upon her return.
For the advancement mission, Mei had no intention of holding back her Grade; she aimed to successfully advance to Tier 2 in a single attempt. Remaining at Tier 1 held no value for her.
Meanwhile,
Charles was nervous. He had become a Negative-Energy Wielder in the Negative Energy world, miraculously surviving the planetary apocalypse and achieving peak Tier 1 strength.
By further delving into the Negative-Energy field, he would quickly reach Tier 2.
He'd heard that advancement world missions were more dangerous than regular tethered missions, and this was his first one, making him understandably anxious.
"It should be fine…"
He muttered.
Regardless, he was quite strong at Tier 1, a Void Wanderer with powerful life-saving abilities; unless exceptionally unlucky, he wouldn't die.
"Damn it, I'm dead!"
An older man stormed, having emptied his pockets to commission a top-tier equipment outfit for the advancement mission, only to have the blacksmith fail to complete it on time!
Crack!
A gray-haired man in advanced combat armor silently checked his equipment, calmly awaiting the commencement of the mission.
Some rookie Void Wanderers, barely surviving their first three tethered missions, were now filled with apprehension, but joining a Legion provided some comfort and reassurance.
Finally,
A spatial interface appeared before Mei, Charles, Starry, and the group of rookie Void Wanderers. Mission information scrolled across the screen; the advancement mission was commencing!
[Mission Type: Advancement Mission]
[Mission Difficulty: Tier 1]
Tzzz—
Mei flickered and vanished, along with the group of rookie Void Wanderers, embarking on their first advancement mission.
...
A gloomy sky was filled with dark clouds; the world was eerily silent and desolate. The endless land was completely barren.
Massive, shattered crystals lay scattered across the horizon, their surfaces pockmarked with impact craters. A dying sun hung low in the sky, its eternal twilight painting the horizon a bloody red.
Mei appeared amidst the ruins of a civilization. She sensed that even the star energy in this world was eerily still, the entire world suffused with a sense of decay and death.
No sign of life.
This world was beyond salvation.
This was a world nearing destruction, or rather, Mei believed it was a world that had already been destroyed; these were the remnants and ruins left behind.
Unlike previous mission worlds, this world didn't exist as a universe but as a land and sky, like something from mythology.
Even when Mei extended her senses to their limit, she couldn't reach the world's boundaries; it was immensely vast. The celestial bodies above had all fallen to the endless earth, leaving only emptiness.
[Advancement Mission・Phase One: In this silent, ruined world, the glory of civilization and mythology is trapped in inescapable despair. Find a "Stargazer" and grant him the release of death.]
[Mission Reward: 1000 points]
[Mission Commencing]
…
[Name: Mei]
[Grade: Tier 1]
[Points: 21600]
[Abilities: Star Spirit・LV18, Planck Membrane Lifeform, Limit Break, Super Burst・LV11, Death Evolution]
[Items: Personal Spatial Storage・Galaxy, Chapter of Gaia, Tyrant's Heart, Fundamental Core]
…
Previous Tier 1 missions typically offered only a few hundred points; this one offered 1000, suggesting the "Stargazer" was quite powerful.
But that was relative to Tier 1 Void Wanderers.
This world's star energy was incredibly still. If the star energy of a normal world were air, then the star energy of this silent world was solid ice.
Her teleportation and sensory abilities weren't significantly affected, but her star energy manipulation was incredibly slow and inefficient, severely weakening her Star Spirit combat power.
Mei didn't mind.
She wasn't solely a Star Spirit lifeform; while her mage template was hampered, her warrior template, the Planck Membrane Lifeform, was completely unaffected.
Thinking this,
Tzzt!
Space tore open, revealing a void. Mei retrieved the Fundamental Core from her Personal Spatial Storage, inserting it into her Planck membrane.
Space immediately repaired itself.
As an item created using Mei's Star Spirit power, the Fundamental Core was still a creation of Hyperdimensional Space's power and could thus be brought into the mission world.
The interface continued to update information.
[Target detected]
[Authority installation in progress]
[Installation complete]
[Random upgrade selection in progress]
[Random selection: Limit Break]
[Limit Break upgrade complete]
…
[Upgrade Task 1: Kill 1 Drowned God. Limit Break level increased by one.]
[Upgrade Task 2: Kill 2 Drowned Gods. Limit Break level increased by one.]
[Upgrade Task 3: Kill 3 Drowned Gods. Limit Break level increased by one.]
…
Ten Upgrade Tasks.
Limit Break?
Mei was stunned.
This was the first time a random selection had been an ability she already possessed. Furthermore, Limit Break shouldn't be upgradable, yet now she could forcibly upgrade it by completing Upgrade Tasks.
Truly a powerful cheat.
Finding both "Stargazers" and "Drowned Gods" shouldn't be difficult. Mei's sensory abilities were strong, and with the Voice of All Things, finding clues would be easy.
...
Unlike previous mission worlds, this one was devoid of life, dark and filled with death. Humanity was essentially extinct; the remaining few could hardly be called living beings.
An eternal twilight sunset was frozen in time. Mei traversed the ruins, stopping before a stone wall.
The wall depicted the world's history. The Voice of All Things relayed the information inscribed on the stone to Mei. Once, this was a world that worshipped the constellations.
The land was populated by constellation worshippers who received power by praying to the constellations, thus manipulating star energy and creating a glorious civilization.
The boundless desires and wills of the people manifested as gods, appearing in the sky, under the constellations' influence.
At that time, constellation worship flourished.
However,
The world's end arrived without warning. The constellations fell to the earth; star energy stilled, and the entire land of faith crumbled in an instant.
The worshippers fell into despair.
With the constellations' fall, the gods, manifestations of star energy, perished. Only powerless, broken bodies remained, twisted Drowned Gods in this desolate world.
This world was silent; it didn't matter what Mei did here; she wouldn't attract any malice directed at Star Spirits, for even the gods had fallen.
The "Stargazers" were the former worshippers of the constellations.
Mei turned towards the massive structure standing at the center of the ruins—the former Temple of the Stars. Despite the passage of countless years, its imposing presence remained.
Before the temple was a vast plaza. In the center of the plaza stood a statue of an old man in robes, motionless.
The old man's body was charred black as coal, as if burned by flames. Cracked skin revealed glimpses of crimson fire beneath; flames seemed to burn within his flesh and organs.
He held a book in his hands, its pages yellowed and severely damaged. A rustling sound passed Mei's ears, revealing that the old man had been the temple's scribe, the one who had inscribed this world's history on the walls.
Rustle—
Sensing an approaching presence,
The old man awoke from his slumber. Charred skin peeled away, revealing deeper burns. He closed the book in his hands.
"Outsider, grant me release!"
Constellation doctrine forbade suicide; worshippers either died of old age or in battle. The old man longed for release but wouldn't surrender; he would fight to the death.
With that said,
Star energy pulsed from the old man's body.
Bang!
Swift and precise.
Mei unleashed a punch, instantly reducing the old man to ashes. The exploding ash scattered in the wind; the battle ended in a flash.
Ordinary Stargazers met their end when the world fell silent; only the powerful could withstand the world's death throes, clinging to life until now.
The old man's strength was roughly mid-to-upper Tier 1, a considerable challenge for a Tier 1 Void Wanderer, but not for Mei.
[Advancement Mission・Phase One・Complete]
[Points Acquired: 1000]
[Advancement Mission・Phase Two: Collect 5 Stargazer relics to summon a Star God Guard. Defeat it to prove your strength.]
[Mission Reward: 3000 points]
The old man's book fell to the ground; it was apparently a relic. Mei, manipulating star energy, slowly lifted it into the air.
Then,
The still star energy around her was forcibly agitated; powerful forces, like a whirlwind, swept across the land, instantly obliterating other Stargazers.
Hum—
Space rippled.
Scepters, medals, crowns, longswords…
Relic after relic teleported before Mei via the star energy ocean. Hundreds of relics swirled around her, a magnificent sight.
Unsure if Phase Three involved defeating multiple Star God Guards, Mei decided to prepare early; she might be able to complete Phase Three immediately.
These relics were essentially equipment left behind by the Stargazers, but they could only be used to complete the mission; they couldn't be brought back to the void.
Otherwise, Mei would have completely depleted this world.
...
Simultaneously,
In another ruin.
A group of Void Wanderers were about to ambush a Stargazer before the temple, but before they could act, the newly awakened Stargazer exploded into ash.
"…"
"…"
"…"
The Void Wanderers exchanged bewildered glances.
"What happened?"
This scenario unfolded simultaneously in numerous ruins; the Stargazers' relics vanished, all collected by Mei.
Soon after,
Boom!
A white light erupted, attracting attention. Mei was enveloped in the bright light; hundreds of relics formed a constellation map, radiating intense light.
Summoning a Star God Guard normally didn't create such a spectacle. Because she had collected so many relics, the light was incredibly prominent.
Dong!
A resounding bell tolled through the ruins. Dark ash gently fell from the sky; over a hundred Star God Guards, identical to the old man, appeared.
Ash peeled from their bodies, revealing crimson fire beneath cracked skin. The only difference from the Stargazers was that the Stargazers still possessed consciousness; the Guards were like statues of solidified magma.
Combat statues.
"Holy crap!"
"Damn it, run!"
Several nearby Void Wanderers, seeing hundreds of Guards descending from the sky, were terrified and fled.
From afar, the intense energy fluctuations revealed that each Star God Guard possessed peak Tier 1 combat strength; this was truly terrifying.
Bang!
Blades unsheathed.
Over a hundred Guards focused on Mei, launching a simultaneous attack. Even with her Star Spirit power hampered, Mei was still a peak Tier 4 powerhouse.
In an instant,
Boom!
Powerful energy erupted, instantly leveling the ruins. Before this power capable of reducing all matter to fundamental particles, the hundred Guards were instantly obliterated.
[Advancement Mission・Phase Two・Complete]
[Points Acquired: 3000]
[Advancement Mission・Phase Three: The eternal twilight lingers; the shattered constellations are shrouded in darkness. Rekindle the constellations' starlight and face the final trial.]
[Mission Reward: 5000 points]
Incredibly simple.
Phase Two of the Advancement Mission was complete, but Phase Three was unexpected. Mei paused, pondering for a moment.
She decided to temporarily put the Advancement Mission aside. At this rate, she would quickly complete the Advancement Mission and return to Hyperdimensional Space, but she still had uncompleted Upgrade Tasks!
Drowned Gods…
"The clues are scarce."