"AAGGGHH—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The Wailing Aggregation let out a soul-piercing shriek!
Shen Kai's devastating "Colorless Torrent" had severely wounded the giant "Turbid-Color Core" within its body. The cracks on the core's surface widened abruptly, and purplish-black core fluid gushed out wildly. Its horrific body, composed of countless corpses, began to rapidly melt, vaporize, and collapse at a visible rate, like a block of ice thrown into a furnace.
But it still hadn't been completely destroyed!
In its death throes, the shattered core suddenly erupted with an even more desperate purple light. Then, from the depths of the core's fissures, dozens of solid shadow tentacles shot out. They were filled with an even greater venomous and destructive will, and they were composed of pure, high-concentration core energy.
Ignoring the energy aftershocks of the "Colorless Torrent," these shadow tentacles approached teleportation speed and pierced the barrier of space. They lashed viciously at Shen Kai, who was temporarily caught in a state of energy backlash and mental exhaustion from unleashing that world-shaking blow.
[Warning! High-intensity soul corrosion attack detected! Interface defense field is being rapidly penetrated! Energy assimilation failed! Immediate evasion is advised!]
A cold system prompt sounded in Shen Kai's mind for the first time.
He tried to dodge, but his body was unusually heavy and stiff from the previous burst that had exceeded his limits. A piercing, needle-like pain throbbed from the "Colorless Core" in his chest due to the intense energy consumption.
In that life-or-death instant!
"Shen-kun!"
A cry filled with courage and resolve rang out. Nadeshiko violently broke free from Gestalt's hold. With an agility and decisiveness that belied her gentle appearance, she rushed out from behind their cover.
Without a second thought, she opened her arms and shielded Shen Kai with her body.
"Vrrrm—"
The "Emerald Green" core in her chest, sensing its host's powerful will to protect her comrade at any cost, erupted instantly with a soft green light far more brilliant and dazzling than ever before, filled with life and hope. A translucent, emerald-green energy shield, constructed from pure life energy with countless arcane runes flowing across its surface, instantly unfurled before her like a sacred, budding lotus.
"BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Dozens of shadow tentacles, condensed from the last of the "Wailing Aggregation's" venomous hatred and cursed power, lashed viciously and repeatedly against the seemingly fragile yet incredibly resilient emerald-green energy shield.
Each impact set off a blinding flash of light and a deafening roar of energy. Nadeshiko's body trembled violently, and a trickle of crimson blood escaped the corner of her mouth. But her slender arms, covered in milky-white medical armor and held protectively in front of Shen Kai, remained firm without wavering.
After enduring a terrifying assault far beyond its limits, the emerald shield was now covered in web-like cracks, its light exceptionally dim. Yet it had ultimately held on, stubbornly. It bought Shen Kai the most precious instant to catch his breath and counterattack.
Looking at the petite yet immeasurably grand, goddess-like figure shielding him and feeling her pure, warm will to protect, the "Colorless Core" in Shen Kai's chest, which had fallen silent due to energy exhaustion, was injected with a new, even more powerful source of strength.
It was no longer rage, hatred, or despair. It was a deeper, purer, and stronger will to protect this beauty.
[Energy Attribute: Redefining...]
[Simulating targets: "Emerald-Green Core - Life Guardian"... "Crimson Core - Unyielding Will" Lead-Gray Core — Absolute Bulwark"]
[Multiple Energies... Fusing... Amplifying... Directing... Purification!]
At that moment, Shen Kai's eyes, hollowed and cold from overusing the "void's" power, suddenly reignited with a brighter, more incandescent flame than ever before.
He slowly raised his right hand, covered in matte, neutral-colored armor. This time, what condensed in his palm was not the "Colorless Torrent," which was filled with an aura of destruction and negation, but rather a ball of... "Light of Hope," which seemed to fuse all positive emotions and the will to protect in the universe, shining with brilliant, sacred, seven-colored crystal light.
"In the name of the 'Pioneer'..."
"...in the name of all the fallen..."
"...I command you to completely disappear!"
Shen Kai let out a roar filled with endless power and steadfast conviction. The seven-colored, glazed sphere of light in his palm, which concentrated all hope and the will to protect, was like a star tearing through the eternal night to bring final salvation. With supreme authority, it purified all evil and soothed all wounds. Gently yet irresistibly, it was pressed against the remaining, crack-covered half of the "Wailing Aggregation's" "Turbid-Color Core," which had fallen into a state of energy exhaustion and chaos.
This time, there was no earth-shattering energy explosion.
The moment the seven-colored sphere of light touched the core, the entire battlefield fell into a strange, absolute silence.
Then, starting from the point of contact, fine, web-like cracks of sacred white light spread rapidly and irreversibly to every corner of the "Wailing Aggregation's" massive body.
Those twisted faces, once filled with pain and venomous resentment, miraculously became peaceful and serene the moment they touched the sacred white light, as if they had finally found release and salvation. They no longer emitted silent wails, but rather transformed into motes of pure golden light, slowly and gently peeling away from the massive, foul aggregation, scattering and completely dissolving into the air.
With a soft, ethereal sigh that sounded as if it came from the beginning or end of time, the giant "Turbid-Color Core," which had carried countless pains and resentments, suddenly erupted in an incomparably brilliant yet gentle pure white light.
After the light dissipated, the once invincible and terrifying "Wailing Aggregation," along with its core, had completely and silently vanished from the spot, as if it had never existed at all.