Annihilation of darkness
"What are the conditions?" Jiang Yu asked, his tone calm, but his muscles were on edge, ready to explode at any moment. He couldn't completely trust this AI, especially since it had just initiated the cleanup process.
The AI phantom's gaze seemed to pierce through Jiang Yu, looking towards the desolate cosmic graveyard outside the observation window. Its voice carried an ancient heaviness: "'The Devourer'... was not completely destroyed. When we activated the 'Eternal Exile' protocol, we sacrificed the vast majority of our power to seal its main consciousness within the core of the 'Annihilation Engine' at the bottom of the Ark. But its erosion has never stopped; it is constantly corrupting this ship, attempting to break free."
“I can sense that the fragment of the ‘key’ in your hand contains a powerful force of order and stability. This is precisely the power that restrains the chaotic nature of the ‘devourer’.” The AI phantom turned to Jiang Yu, its eyes sharpening. “My condition is: before you take the fragment from the ‘heart of the Ark’, you must assist me in using the fragment’s power to reinforce the seal of the ‘annihilation engine’.”
“Otherwise,” the AI’s tone left no room for argument, “once you take the fragment, the seal will become unbalanced, and the ‘devourer’ could awaken prematurely. At that time, not only will this ship be completely destroyed, but the terrifying power it contains could also tear this land of exile apart and even affect other worlds. I absolutely cannot allow this to happen.”
This is a reasonable yet extremely dangerous condition. Jiang Yu needs to delve into the most dangerous core area of this ship, facing a terrifying existence that even ancient civilizations could only choose to perish together to seal. Even just reinforcing the seal will be no easy task.
"What about the countdown for the cleanup process?" Jiang Yu glanced at the flashing red numbers on the main screen of the bridge; there were less than a hundred seconds left.
"If you agree, I can temporarily freeze the elimination protocol targeting you and your companions, prioritizing energy for the seal reinforcement process," the AI replied. "However, time is limited, and the seal reinforcement process itself consumes a huge amount of energy. We must complete it before the energy runs out, otherwise..."
Otherwise, the cleansing process will restart, and the seal may become more unstable due to energy fluctuations.
This is a deadly mission, a race against time.
Jiang Yu hardly hesitated. His purpose in coming here was to obtain the key fragments, and preventing the "Devourer" from breaking the seal also aligned with his fundamental goal of maintaining order and fighting against the "Nullification Core".
“I agree,” Jiang Yu said in a deep voice.
“Very good.” The AI phantom seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and the red countdown on the main screen stopped instantly. At the same time, the floor in the center of the bridge slid open, revealing a downward-facing energy channel emitting a ghostly blue light. “This is the emergency passage to the engine area. I will guide you and mobilize all the remaining energy of the Ark to assist you.”
Jiang Yu took a deep breath, gripped the machete and the key fragments, and leaped into the passage.
The passage descended rapidly, transforming the surrounding scenery into a shimmering, iridescent flow of energy. Jiang Yineng could feel the key fragments warming slightly in his hands, resonating strongly with the terrifying seal deep beneath his feet. A life-or-death seal reinforcement operation had officially begun.
At the end of the energy channel lies a vast space beyond description. It is as if this place is both the heart and the grave of the ark.
At the center of the space was an enormous engine core—the Annihilation Engine—composed of countless complex geometric crystals and shimmering energy conduits. But at this moment, the engine had long since ceased normal operation; its surface was covered by a thick, pulsating, black asphalt-like substance. This substance exuded a suffocating malevolence and a pure aura of nothingness, the very embodiment of the "Devourer's" seal.
On the black matter, contorted, agonizing faces occasionally bulged up, only to quickly dissolve, emitting silent wails. Countless dark purple energy tentacles extended from the cracks in the seal, attempting to erode everything around them like living things, but were barely blocked by an extremely faint blue light net composed of countless ancient runes. This light net was the last seal of the Ark civilization, now so dim as to be almost invisible, teetering on the brink of collapse.
The entire space echoed with a whisper that struck straight to the soul, filled with both allure and despair, attempting to break the will of any intruder:
"Join us...become one...break free from the shackles of order...experience ultimate freedom..."
"Resistance is futile...all things will eventually perish..."
Jiang Yu felt a strong wave of dizziness and nausea, but the key fragment immediately emitted a cool energy that protected his mind.
"This is it!" The AI phantom's voice rang in Jiang Yu's mind, carrying an unprecedented sense of urgency. "Inject your power, along with the power of order from the key fragments, into the energy node that seals the core!" The phantom pointed to a crystal at the top of the engine, almost completely covered by black matter, emitting the last bit of blue light.
"I will mobilize the Ark's energy to assist you! Quick! The seal is collapsing at an accelerated rate!"
Without hesitation, Jiang Yu, enduring immense mental pressure, rushed towards the energy node through the narrow maintenance passage outside the engine. The closer he got, the stronger the whispers grew, and the black matter surged towards him frantically, as if it were alive, attempting to devour him.
"Get out of my way!" Jiang Yu roared, his cleaver bursting forth with dazzling light, severing and purifying the surging tentacles. The light from the key fragments grew stronger, forming a protective barrier around him.
Finally, he reached the energy node. At this moment, the blue light on the node was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.
"Now!" the AI phantom shouted.
Jiang Yu focused all her attention on the key fragment, guiding its vast power of order and stability, along with her own messenger authority, into a golden beam of light condensed to its utmost, which slammed into the energy node.
"Buzz—!"
The entire Annihilation Engine trembled violently! The black matter covering it emitted a sharp hiss, churning and contracting violently as if being scorched! The blue light net, which was on the verge of collapse, was instantly replenished with powerful energy, its light blazing brightly, and the runes became incredibly clear, firmly suppressing the black matter back.
The reinforcement was successful!
However, at the very moment the seal solidified, deep within the core of the black matter, an even more terrifying and ancient will seemed to be disturbed. It uttered no sound, yet conveyed an icy chilling intent, directly imprinting itself upon the depths of Jiang Yu's soul:
“Believer of Order…I remember you…your soul…will become a part of me…”
This surge of intent far surpassed the previous mental pollution. Jiang Yu felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood and swaying precariously. The light from the key fragment also dimmed considerably, indicating a significant energy drain.
"The seal is temporarily stable! Come back quickly!" The AI phantom's voice was filled with relief and lingering fear.
Jiang Yu, forcing himself to stay upright, quickly retraced his steps. He knew that in that brief moment, he had been marked by the "devourer's" true consciousness. The troubles to come would only increase.
When Jiang Yu staggered back to the bridge, the AI phantom's light had dimmed considerably, clearly indicating that mobilizing the Ark's energy to reinforce the seal had taken a heavy toll on it. But the look in its eyes as it gazed at Jiang Yu was filled with complex emotions—gratitude, awe, and a hint of relief.
"You have done it, Messenger." The AI's voice returned to calm. "You have proven your strength and determination. The 'Heart of the Ark'... is yours."
As it spoke, the throne in the center of the bridge slowly rose, its back splitting open to reveal a core device emitting a soft white light. At the center of the device was a slightly larger and more regularly shaped golden crystal fragment than the one in Jiang Yu's hand—the second key fragment.
At the same time, the first fragment in Jiang Yu's hand resonated strongly, flew up automatically, and merged with the fragment in the throne to form a new fragment that was more complete and had a stronger energy fluctuation.
A vaster flow of information flooded into Jiang Yu's mind, mainly fragments of the laws governing the convergence and transformation of energy. The combination of the two fragments gave him a clearer understanding of the overall structure and power of the "key."
“Take this and leave,” the AI phantom said. “The Ark’s energy is almost depleted, and the cleanup process will soon shut down completely due to energy exhaustion. Your companions are safe. I will teleport you to a relatively safe area on the edge of the Exile.”
"And what about you?" Jiang Yu asked. He sensed that the AI phantom's aura was rapidly dissipating.
"My mission is complete." The AI phantom revealed a weary smile that was almost human. "Guard the 'key' until a worthy successor is found. Witness the continuation of hope, and then... return to eternal silence along with this ship and the sealed nightmare. This is the best ending."
It didn't give Jiang Yu any more time to speak; the bridge lit up with teleportation lights.
"Messenger, good luck. May the light of order ultimately dispel the darkness of annihilation..."
Just before the light completely engulfed his vision, Jiang Yu saw the AI phantom bow slightly to him before transforming into starlight and merging completely into the ark beneath his feet.
As the light faded, Jiang Yu found himself standing with Zero and the members of the "Dawn" team on a massive meteorite floating in the void. In the distance, the enormous and tragic "Eternal Exile" still hovered silently in the center of the graveyard, but its lights had been completely extinguished, like a giant who had completed its final mission and fallen into eternal slumber.
"We...we survived?" the doctor murmured incredulously.
Zero gazed at the distant ark, his usual nonchalant expression unusually absent, and sighed softly, "What a remarkable civilization... what a pity."
Jiang Yu gripped the now-complete key fragment in his hand, feeling the power and responsibility it contained. He had successfully obtained the second fragment, taking a step closer to the truth about the "key," but it had also attracted the mark of the "devourer," and the road ahead remained fraught with peril.
"Where do we go next?" Pan Shi looked at Jiang Yu, now regarding Jiang Yu as the absolute core of his being.
Jiang Yu looked into the endless void. The list appeared in his hand, and the map on it became clearer, pointing to the next shimmering location that might contain the key fragment. At the same time, he could clearly feel that the tracking mark from the "hound," although suppressed by the power of the key fragment, had not been eradicated and was still relentlessly searching for his scent in the distant void.
A new journey is about to begin. And the enemy will certainly not give up easily.
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