The Order of the End
Following the starlight path guided by stardust, the surrounding memory mirrors, no longer chaotic and disordered, instead parted to the sides like soldiers in formation, making way for a passage. Whispers and illusions also diminished considerably. Clearly, this path was a relatively safe, special passage within the "Memory Corridor."
After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up before them. They had arrived at the center of a vast circular plaza. The plaza's surface was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the empty dome above. There were no mirrors here, only absolute silence, as if all sound and thought had been absorbed by the space itself. This was the "Heart of Silence."
The moment they stepped into the plaza, everyone felt a sense of clarity wash over them. All the distractions and whispers from the corridor of memories vanished completely, leaving only the deepest peace within their hearts. This was indeed an ideal place to rest and shield themselves from detection.
"Finally, we can catch our breath." The doctor breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began to check everyone's physical condition, especially the hidden injuries Jiang Yu had sustained while fighting against the will of the "devourer".
Rock and Fox stood guard at the edge of the square, watching for any approaching enemies.
Jiang Yu sat cross-legged, quickly adjusting his breathing, while simultaneously sensing the fused key fragments in his hand more deeply. In the special environment of the "Silent Heart," his connection with the fragments seemed even clearer. He could not only sense the laws of "spatial stability" and "energy conversion" contained within the fragments, but also vaguely detect a very faint, distant pull—the direction of the third fragment! Moreover, it seemed there was a faint resonance in more than one direction; the fragments of this "key" might be scattered quite widely.
Zero studied the rules of the "Silent Heart" with great interest. "Tsk tsk, this place is interesting. The rules are self-contained, almost completely isolating the inside from the outside. Even the 'hound's' nose would probably fail. It seems that 'Stardust' wasn't lying to us."
However, the absolute silence did not last long. When Jiang Yu's mental energy resonated with the key fragment to a certain critical point, the smooth ground of the "Silent Heart" suddenly rippled like water.
Immediately afterwards, a series of blurry historical images, not from their personal memories, began to emerge and circulate from the ground:
Image 1: A magnificent divine kingdom, with countless streams of light forming a vast system network. A majestic yet blurry figure (the supreme god?) is adjusting the nodes of the network with a calm expression.
Image Two: Suddenly, from the edge of the divine realm, a deep darkness (the core of annihilation?) seeped in like ink, rapidly polluting and eroding the light flow network. The towering figure hastily engaged in battle, unleashing a deafening burst of light, but it seemed to be a step too late; some network nodes had already been blackened and stripped away.
Scene Three: The scene shifts to a shattered battlefield, where several figures radiating different lights (representing different levels of authority or origin?) are joining forces to fight against darkness. One of them is clearly the figure of the Supreme God. They seem to be vying for something core (the complete form of the key?). Ultimately, the core shatters into several streams of light in the fierce conflict, shooting into the endless void. The Supreme God's figure also fades away after a violent explosion, disappearing without a trace.
Image 4: A fragment of a key (which appears to be part of the one in Jiang Yu's hand) falls into a primitive, vibrant world. The power of order it exudes subtly influences that world, giving rise to a unique rudimentary civilization...
The video ended abruptly, and the ground returned to calm.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, utterly shocked. These images seemed to reveal part of the truth behind the shattering of the "key" and the disappearance of the Supreme God! That war wasn't just a battle between the Supreme God and the "Core of Annihilation"; it seemed other powerful beings were also involved. The key shattered in the chaos of battle.
"It seems the trouble we've gotten ourselves into is much bigger than we imagined." Zero's nonchalant expression vanished, replaced by a serious tone.
Jiang Yu remained silent, but his eyes sharpened. No matter how powerful his opponent, he had to gather all the keys and fulfill the God's mandate.
Just then, the space at the entrance to the Heart of Silence rippled. A figure staggered in—it was Nightingale, the scout from the previously separated "Dawn" squad! She looked extremely disheveled, wounded, and her eyes were filled with terror.
"Captain... Captain! Mr. Jiang Yu!" Nightingale saw them as if they were her saviors. "Something terrible has happened outside!"
"Nightingale! Calm down! What happened?" Rock immediately stepped forward to support his almost collapsed companion, and the doctor quickly treated her wounds.
Nightingale gasped for breath, her face contorted with fear: "We...we followed Mr. Zero's instructions and hid in that backup safe spot in the abandoned mine, but just a few hours ago, the entire Infinite Game...no, the entire player city 'Star Orbit Nexus' was...was captured!"
"What?!" Everyone was shocked. The player's main city was the safest neutral zone in the infinite game, possessing the strongest defense rules. How could it possibly have been breached?
"Who did this? The 'Nullification Core'?" the fox asked urgently.
“No…not entirely.” Nightingale’s voice trembled. “It’s an unprecedentedly powerful legion of players who call themselves the ‘Order of the End’! Their power system is extremely bizarre, carrying a…an aura of despairing annihilation, yet unlike pure corruption, they seem to retain a high degree of organization and intelligence!”
“The Order of the End…” Zero frowned. “Never heard of this guild. But if it’s true, that’s terrifying. A player faction that believes in 'Annihilation' and can conquer a main city?”
Nightingale continued, "After they captured the main city, they didn't carry out a massacre, but instead... they transformed it! They built a huge obelisk in the center of the main city, radiating a dark purple light! All players who approach the obelisk will be forcibly indoctrinated with some kind of doctrine, either converting or... being broken down into pure energy and absorbed by the obelisk!"
“What’s even more terrifying,” Nightingale’s eyes showed despair, “the ‘Order of the End’ has issued a top warrant! They… they’re after Mr. Jiang Yu! The warrant says… that Mr. Jiang Yu is a ‘remnant of order,’ possesses the ‘Key of Blasphemy,’ and is the greatest obstacle preventing all things from returning to the end. The bounty is unimaginably high! Now… now almost all player factions are frantically searching for you!”
The news was more shocking than the last.
A player faction that believes in "annihilation" suddenly rises up and conquers the main city. Jiang Yu becomes the number one wanted target of this terrifying force.
This is undoubtedly the "colleague in the shadows" warned by "Stardust"—the "Null of Annihilation"—whose representative among players is the "Order of the End."
Their goal was clear: to systematically eliminate the God's influence and seize the key fragments by exploiting the players' identities and the rules of the infinite game.
"This is a huge problem." Zero looked at Jiang Yu and said with a wry smile, "Brother, you're now public enemy number one. The fact that the 'Cult of the End' was able to capture the main city means they have some control over the rules and their strength is unfathomable. Plus, with the lure of the bounty, what we'll encounter in dungeons from now on might not just be monsters and bosses, but also countless players who want you dead!"
Jiang Yu's expression remained calm, but a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes. He hadn't expected the "Nullification Core's" counterattack to be so swift and ruthless, completely isolating him from the outside.
"The fall of the Starway Hub means that regular supply, intelligence, and rest channels have been basically cut off," Rock said in a deep voice. "Our 'Dawn' base is probably also in grave danger. The road ahead will be extremely difficult."
While the "Silent Heart" is safe, it is not a place to linger. They must leave as soon as possible and devise a new plan of action.
"Which way does the key fragment point?" Ling asked Jiang Yu. The most urgent task was to improve their own strength and collect all the keys.
Jiang Yu sensed the faint pull from the fragments and pointed in a direction. On the map, a golden star was faintly flashing in that direction, with the dungeon name marked next to it:
"Fallen God Realm - Ragnarok Battlefield"
A place whose name alone suggests extreme danger.
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