novel bin Chapter 284: The Summoning of the Rift Core
Chapter 284: The Summoning of the Rift Core
The ruins of the Temple of Fallen Light had been completely reduced to nothingness. The Guardians' ships traversed the tranquility of space, but the atmosphere inside the cabins was far from relaxed. Wagner leaned back in his seat, a trace of unease still lingering on his face despite the end of the battle.
"These fissure cores are appearing one after another. Are they randomly generated?" he asked in a low voice as he wiped his battle axe.
“This can’t be random.” Selena stared at the new coordinates on the star map, her fingertips tapping incessantly on the control panel. “Every action of the Rift is purposeful. The Temple of Meteor, the Eye of the Deep Sea, the Shadow Realm… their distribution seems to be outlining a trajectory.”
"What trajectory?" Ares looked up from his thoughts and glanced at the star map.
Selena pointed to the dots on the screen, "The locations of these rift cores appear random, but they actually surround an unmarked central region. And this region... might be the true core of the rift."
Wagner paused for a moment, scratched his head, and said, "So, all this time we've only been fighting the outer edge of the rift? Its true core is deeper inside?"
“That’s right.” Selena nodded, her gaze sharp. “The Rift is using these outer cores to draw our attention and distract us. It’s protecting its true core—the ‘Rift Core’.”
The observer's voice suddenly came through, calm and heavy: "Selena's speculation is very close to the truth. According to the star map calculations, the cores of these outer fissures are converging energy in the same direction. The location of the true core has been preliminarily pinpointed."
The star map on the screen zoomed in rapidly, eventually pointing to an area labeled "Nameless Domain." This area was shrouded in deep darkness, with no known rules or energy fluctuations recorded.
“The Nameless Realm?” Ares frowned. “Is there anything special about that place?”
The observer replied, “The Nameless Realm is one of the primordial cracks in the universe. It is a wound left when the rules were not fully formed, existing at the edge of the universe. The crack is using it, pouring all its energy into it, attempting to trigger a complete reset of the laws of the universe.”
“That sounds terrible.” Wagner scoffed, twirling his battle axe in his hand. “Then let’s just charge in and smash that ‘true core’ to pieces!”
“It’s not that simple.” Selena shook her head, her expression grave. “The environment of the Nameless Realm is unknown, and the rift certainly won’t let us get close easily. We need a detailed plan.”
Ares stood up, his gaze fixed firmly on the star map. "Regardless of the plan, we must act. Every second the rift is strengthening its core. We can't waste any more time."
After a long warp, the Guardians' ships finally reached the edge of the Nameless Realm. The sight before them was breathtaking—the area was completely shrouded in darkness, devoid of starlight and energy fluctuations, as if it were a pure void.
“This place… doesn’t even feel like part of the universe.” Wagner muttered to himself as he looked out the porthole.
“This place has indeed gone beyond the bounds of the rules.” Selena adjusted the equipment, but none of the scanning devices were working properly. “Our technology is basically useless here.”
“We still have the Rune Sword.” Ares raised the sword, its light shining brightly in the darkness. He could feel an unseen force beckoning them deeper.
The spaceship slowly entered the nameless realm, the surrounding darkness growing ever denser, and a low, rumbling sound faintly emanated from the air. The sound seemed to come from ancient times, or perhaps from the deepest fear within their hearts.
Suddenly, the space in front of the spaceship began to tremble violently, and a huge rift tore open from the void. Countless twisted energy bodies surged out of the rift, their forms resembling burning ghosts, each carrying an extremely strong killing intent.
"They're here!" Selena quickly went into battle mode, controlling the ship's weapon systems to engage them.
“These are just appetizers!” Wagner gripped his battle axe, eager to get started. “The real battle begins when we get down there!”
Ares said in a deep voice, "Land directly. We can't waste time on these energy bodies!"
The spaceship navigated through the rifts and finally landed successfully on the surface of the nameless realm. This land was devoid of any distinguishing features, consisting only of endless darkness and ever-flowing rift energy.
The guardians proceeded cautiously, guided by the light of their runic swords. As they ventured deeper, they felt an increasingly intense sense of oppression, as if the entire space itself was repelling their presence.
“What’s that?” Wagner suddenly pointed ahead.
On the distant horizon, a gigantic sphere of light hovered in the air. Like a pulsating heart, each beat released powerful energy waves, distorting the surrounding space into a vortex.
“That’s the Rift Core.” Ares stared at the sphere of light, his voice low. “We must destroy it.”
However, just as they approached, a colossal phantom suddenly emerged from the core. The phantom's form was completely different from the previous Rift Incarnation; its body was even larger than the giant before, surrounded by countless shimmering runes, and its every step caused the ground to tremble violently.
"Guardians, you have finally arrived." The phantom's voice was deep and filled with oppressive power. "You fought for the rules, but the rules will eventually collapse. This is your grave."
"That same old nonsense again!" Wagner roared as he charged at the phantom, his battle axe slashing down on its leg with ferocious energy. However, the phantom simply raised a hand and easily blocked the attack.
"Your power is meaningless to me," the phantom sneered. "Here, the rules cannot bind me, and your existence will only make me stronger."
The phantom suddenly unleashed countless fissured tentacles, attacking the three. Ares blocked the first wave of attacks with his rune sword, the sword's light barely maintaining the barrier.
"Selena, find out the core's defense mechanism!" Ares shouted.
Selena quickly analyzed the energy fluctuations of the true core and discovered that its defense relied entirely on the surrounding runic barrier. And these runes were the source of the phantom's power.
"These runic barriers must be destroyed first!" Selena aimed at the rune cores and began firing one by one.
Wagner quickly grasped the tactic, and he furiously attacked the rune's connection points with his battle axe, the powerful force successfully tearing a section of the barrier. The phantom sensed their intentions and angrily swung its massive tentacles, attempting to stop them from getting closer.
Ares seized the opportunity, unleashing a blinding beam of light from his rune sword to repel the phantom's attack. At the same time, he shouted, "Concentrate your power on the true core! This is our only chance!"
The three charged toward the true core together, each pouring all their power into their final attack. The roar of the phantom shook the entire space, the rift energy surged wildly, and the entire Nameless Realm was engulfed in an unprecedented storm.