breaking Dawn
The days that followed turned into a series of fierce battles and constant travel.
Jiang Yu and his group became the core of the resistance. With the power of the complete Source Key, Jiang Yu was able to stabilize the rules of the local area to a certain extent, purify and eliminate the pollution, and effectively suppress the high-ranking members of the End Order (such as the newly promoted bishops and inquisitors). Zero was responsible for intelligence analysis and spatial maneuvering, while Rock's team and Xi's "Dawn of Light" integrated the various resistance forces to form a coalition.
They were like several sharp knives, charging left and right through the endless, war-torn game world:
They rushed to the aid of the "Seventh Nexus World." At the critical moment when the city's defenses were about to be breached, Jiang Yu forcibly repaired the core defense matrix with the power of the Source Key, reversed the battle, and annihilated a main force of the cult.
They raided the cult's massive factory in the "Mechanical Realm," destroying the production line that was mass-producing weapons of war and slowing down the cult's offensive.
They infiltrated the "Sea of Dreams" instance, which was controlled by the cult, and freed the minds of many high-level players who had been bewitched and trapped, thus weakening the cult's mind control network.
Every battle was exceptionally fierce. Jiang Yu's mastery of the Source Key was growing ever more refined, but he also clearly sensed that its power was not inexhaustible, especially when confronting the collapse of the world's rules and the infiltration of annihilation, which consumed a tremendous amount of energy. Meanwhile, the aura of the Annihilation Core was becoming increasingly clear and powerful as the cult's activities intensified. It was as if a sleeping behemoth was turning over, about to open its eyes of destruction.
At the same time, they discovered something even more worrying: the Order was not attacking blindly; their attacks were highly targeted, aimed directly at those world-pillar replicas containing special rules or immense energy. With each such replica they controlled, the will fluctuations of the Annihilation Core would noticeably intensify.
"They're setting up a massive 'sacrifice ritual'!" Zero analyzed the intelligence, his face grim. "They're using the energy and rules of these core instances as sacrifices to accelerate the awakening of the Annihilation Core! We must find the location of their core ritual, or all resistance will be in vain!"
After painstaking intelligence gathering and deduction, they pinpointed their target to one of the oldest and most mysterious instances in the Infinite Game world—the "Source of All Laws." Legend has it that it is the birthplace of the Infinite Game's original rules, containing the most primordial creative power. If it were corrupted by the power of annihilation, the consequences would be unimaginable.
When Jiang Yu and the others finally arrived at the entrance to the "Source of All Laws" after going through countless hardships and breaking through numerous blockades, the scene before them made them gasp in shock.
The entire dungeon entrance has been completely transformed, and a colossal sacrificial array composed of dark matter and twisted runes is now essentially complete! At the center of the array lies the core of the "Source of All Laws," from which countless dark energies are being drawn and injected into the void, nourishing the terrifying being that is about to awaken.
Around the magic circle, there were not only tens of thousands of elite members of the cult, but also three bishops whose auras were even stronger than those of Dark Erosion and Annihilation! Above the magic circle, a huge, heart-like dark vortex had formed, and at the center of the vortex, the indifferent will of the "Core of Annihilation" could be vaguely seen gathering.
The ceremony has reached its final stage.
"Stop them!" Jiang Yu didn't hesitate at all. The Source Key shone brightly and charged towards the core of the magic array first.
The final battle erupted prematurely in the very place where these rules were born.
The battle at the "Source of All Laws" was unprecedentedly fierce.
Jiang Yu, wielding the power of the Source Key, engaged in a fierce battle with the three bishops at the level of rules. Each clash triggered cataclysmic changes in the heavens and earth, and the very rules of the universe seemed to wail in agony. Ling, Pan Shi, Xi, and others led the allied forces in a bloody battle against the overwhelming tide of the cult's elite troops, paying a heavy price for every step forward.
Although Jiang Yu was strong, facing the combined attack of the three bishops, and having to contend with the increasingly powerful annihilating will emanating from the dark vortex above, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position. The light of the Source Key continued to shrink under the encroachment of the darkness.
"It's no use... The ritual is complete... Our Lord is about to descend... Everything will eventually return to nothingness!" A bishop laughed wildly, his attacks becoming increasingly fierce.
The light from the magic array grew brighter and brighter, and the will within the dark vortex almost solidified; the awakening of the Annihilation Core was now in its final countdown.
Just when all hope seemed lost, another unexpected event occurred.
Countless beams of light suddenly shone from all directions of the battlefield! It turned out that the resistance forces from various worlds that Jiang Yu and his group had previously rescued, as well as many neutral or even hostile player forces, rushed to provide support after learning of the crisis at the "Source of All Laws".
"Protect our world!"
"We cannot let annihilation succeed!"
"For freedom!"
More and more figures joined the battle, clashing with the cult's elite! This was the collective cry of all lives unwilling to be destroyed in the entire Infinite Game World! The torrent of faith that gathered together temporarily resisted the erosion of the annihilating will, relieving Jiang Yu of the pressure.
"Everyone..." Jiang Yu looked at those selfless figures, a warm feeling welling up in his heart. This was why he chose "repair" rather than "reboot." This world was worth saving.
Gaining a moment to catch her breath, Jiang Yu's eyes sharpened as she deeply resonated the power of the Source Key with her own will and the "hope and belief" generated by all the resisters.
"Source Key, unleash! By the will of all beings, reshape order!"
The Source Key erupted with unprecedented light, no longer pure white light, but infused with countless colors, representing the diversity and resilience of life! The light transformed into a torrent, shattering the defenses of the three bishops and slamming into the core of the massive sacrificial array.
"Snap!"
A huge crack appeared in the magic circle! The energy transmission was interrupted. "No—!" the bishops roared in terror.
However, it was still too late.
The dark vortex above suddenly contracted, and then... it exploded completely.
An indescribable, ultimate void will, encompassing all time and space and all existence, swept across the entire "Source of All Laws" and even the entire infinite game world like a tsunami.
Time seemed to stand still.
Every life in battle felt as if its existence were a flickering candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
That indifferent, ancient voice, representing the end of all things, resounded deep within every soul, no longer conveyed through projection or a bishop, but as a declaration of the very essence:
"The time... has come."
"The toys of order... it's time to end them."
The Core of Annihilation has fully awakened.
His will is the rule. His existence is the end. Faced with His complete form, the previous battles seemed like child's play.
Jiang Yu felt unprecedented pressure. The Source Key trembled violently in his hand, as if it had encountered its natural enemy. All his efforts seemed to have been in vain.
The real, despair-inducing ultimate challenge has only just begun.
Under the shadow of the Annihilation Core's will, the rules began to crumble, and existence itself began to blur. The allied resistance fell in droves under the invisible force, turning into nothingness. The three bishops knelt devoutly on the ground, welcoming His arrival.
Zero, Rock, Tide, and the others fought with all their might, but faced with an overwhelming difference in power, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Their bodies began to turn transparent, and their consciousness gradually dissipated.
Jiang Yu pushed the power of the Source Key to its limit, and the Barrier of Order struggled to hold up, protecting her last companions. But the barrier was also dissolving at a visible rate. The light of the Source Key appeared so faint in the face of its annihilated form.
“It’s no use… It’s all… over…” Zero looked at Jiang Yu and managed a bitter smile. His digitized body began to show gibberish and was on the verge of collapse.
Is there really no hope left?
Just as Jiang Yu's consciousness was about to be swallowed by the void, the final message left by the main god deep within the Source Key in his hand was triggered once again. But this time, the message was more complete, carrying a hint of determination and... expectation.
“Child… if you’re hearing this, it means the worst has happened… but this is also… the last chance.”
"A complete Source Key, combined with the purest 'will to survive' that all living beings unleash in dire circumstances, might... create a miracle."
"Don't confront... but... integrate and guide."
"Unite your will, the order of the Source Key, and the hope of all beings... actively embrace annihilation... but not be devoured, but become... the fulcrum of balance!"
"The risks are enormous... You might... completely vanish... But this is also... the only... opportunity to activate the 'All Things Return to the Cycle' protocol..."
"The choice... is yours..."
Actively embrace annihilation? Become the fulcrum of balance?
Jiang Yu looked at her companions on the verge of extinction, at the struggling ghouls in the distance, and at this flawed yet still precious world…
He did not hesitate at all.
"I see."
He relaxed his resistance to the will of annihilation, instead opening his mind and completely merging the power of the Source Key with his own soul. Then... he actively guided all the remaining hope and belief he could perceive, transforming them into a faint yet incredibly resilient bridge of light, extending towards the endless dark vortex—the core of annihilation itself.
"Come. I will become the bridge between order and annihilation. Let end and rebirth be incorporated into the eternal cycle."
His voice was so soft that it seemed like an illusion.
This move took everyone by surprise, and even the will of the Annihilation Core showed a very subtle fluctuation, seemingly unable to comprehend this "walking into a trap" behavior.
The bridge of light touched the core of the dark vortex.
There was no explosion, no conflict. Instead, there was a strange... fusion.
He will lose his freedom, his emotions, and everything that makes him "Jiang Yu," eternally guarding this fragile balance.
Jiang Yu's individual consciousness was rapidly dissipating, but his will was intertwined with the order of the Source Key, the hope of all living beings, and... the annihilation of nothingness, like never before. He seemed to have transformed into a converter, channeling the pure power of annihilation into the cycle of order constituted by the Source Key and hope.
A vast, complex balancing array, containing the truth of the unity of opposites between life and death, existence and nothingness, creation and destruction, began to spontaneously construct and spread within the underlying rules of the universe, starting from the point of Jiang Yu's sacrifice.
The annihilating core's all-consuming will, under the influence of this sudden, higher-level "rule," began to be soothed, guided, and incorporated into a larger, eternal cycle. It no longer attempted to erase everything, but instead became part of the universe's metabolism, responsible for "ending" and making room for "new life."
The dark vortex gradually subsided, and the terrifying pressure of will receded like a tide. The broken rules began to slowly repair themselves, and the area that had turned to nothingness began to faintly radiate life again.
The world is saved.
In a way that no one could have predicted.
Jiang Yu's figure, however, disappeared completely into the light as the balancing array stabilized.
...
The world is saved.
But the one who saved the world has disappeared.
——
The war is over. The Order of the End crumbled with the silence of the Annihilation Core. The world is ravaged, but hope remains.
Zero, Rock, Xi, and the others survived. Standing in the now-calm "Source of All Laws," they gazed at the empty space ahead, tears blurring their vision. They knew that Jiang Yu had sacrificed her own life to bring about all of this.
“He…succeeded,” Zero murmured, his voice hoarse.
The price of victory was too heavy.
The dawn light could not reach that small body.
Deep within the cosmic order, imperceptible to all, the eternal balancing array of "all things returning to their cycle" slowly operates. The forces of order and annihilation circulate within it endlessly, sustaining the existence of the world.
At the core of the magic circle, where the original bridge of light merged, a tiny spark of consciousness, carrying the last imprint of "Jiang Yu," stubbornly persisted in absolute silence, relying on the power of balance.
It is too faint to think or perceive.
But perhaps after billions of years of reincarnation, when hope once again illuminates the world, this spark can be rekindled and return in some form.
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