The crystalline body slowly descended to the edge of the solidified sea of light. The sensation beneath its feet was not hardness, but a strange, slightly elastic resistance, as if it were stepping on the solidified blood plasma of some enormous creature.
That cold and lifeless radiance is even more suffocating when experienced up close; the immense energy is sealed inside, like a dormant volcano.
Linde's consciousness controlled the crystalline body, first heading towards the wreckage of the weapon that had caused the fatal wound.
They were scattered in a mess, most of them having lost their original shape, as if they had been forcibly shattered by some enormous force.
The fragments were a dark, blackish-gray color, covered with incomprehensible, seemingly naturally formed cracks, with the same texture as the Godslayer metal fragments in Linde's hands, only larger in size, and containing a more intense and primal "god-slaying" coldness.
Several of the largest fragments were even deeply embedded in the glassy bones of the Holy One, the edges of the wound exhibiting a terrifying coexistence of crystallization and nihilism, as if the power of the light veins and some ultimate concept of "negation" had perished together here.
"This is the source..." The crystalline body uttered the whisper of Linde's true form, echoing in the deathly silence of the space, sounding particularly abrupt.
"In the ancient war, the Lord of the Light Vein and the Lord of the Shadow Abyss... This weapon drank the blood of both sides, and its material itself was mutated in the extreme clash of power, becoming a forbidden object capable of killing divinity."
Lind instantly understood many things.
Godslayer Metal was not forged by humans, but rather a terrible byproduct formed during that unimaginable war of gods, when the blood and will of two supreme beings "contaminated" and reshaped a certain primordial material.
It can tear apart the divine body of light, and it can probably also damage the essence of the Shadow Abyss.
This is a true "god-killing weapon," posing a fatal threat to all divine beings.
In the end, was it used to end the Lord of the Light Veins—the former holder? Or was it picked up by a later wielder and used to deliver the final blow? The truth of history has been buried in time.
Linde's crystalline body carefully collected several larger, relatively intact fragments of god-slaying metal.
These fragments are of immeasurable value; they represent the ultimate weapon for researching how to combat divine existence and may even become the key to dealing with the God of Magic or other potential divine threats in the future.
He then walked toward Pope Innocent III's workbench.
The workbench was located on a relatively flat, huge crystal (perhaps a fragment of the Holy Spirit's skeleton) at the edge of the Sea of Light. It looked very simple and out of place with the magnificence of the outer sanctuary.
On it were countless vessels that Linde had never seen before, made of crystal, some kind of biological keratin, or pure energy.
The container held various samples:
A single drop of viscous blood radiating a sun-like glow, several fragments of skin like brocade, and even a small section of nerve cord shimmering with countless runes, seemingly still pulsating slightly... All the samples exuded extremely pure light vein power, but also carried a sense of... the stillness of "dead matter," like an ancient insect sealed in amber.
In one corner of the workbench lay several unfinished, special holy symbols, their designs identical to the one Lind had dismantled, except that the god-slaying metal inlaid in the center was not yet fully formed, and there were some solidified, dull golden substances nearby—
That must be the remnant of the divine blood of the Light Vein that the Pope attempted to inject but ultimately failed to achieve.
In the very center of the workbench lay a thick notebook.
The notebook was made of an extraordinary material, seemingly tanned from the feathers shed by the Holy Spirit; the pages were warm and gleaming.
The crystalline body reached out and carefully opened the notebook.
What came into view was the powerful yet weary handwriting of Pope Innocent III, written in the highest-level sacred script, interspersed with numerous dynamic diagrams and energy models directly drawn by the power of the light veins.
The first half of the notes is filled with the shock, ecstasy, and boundless piety felt upon discovering this place.
He called this place "the place of the dead," the ultimate place of faith, from which he longed to draw strength to better serve the Holy Spirit.
But as the research deepened, the text was gradually replaced by immense confusion and anxiety.
He discovered that he could not directly utilize the power of the Holy Remnants.
Although the power of the light veins was vast, it was as if it were "locked up," filled with the marks of sorrow and death, completely different from the vibrant holy light that he and his believers in the present world could mobilize, and even had a strong repulsive quality.
He documented countless failed attempts: trying to guide the power only to be met with a backlash, trying to analyze the structure only to achieve nothing, and trying to communicate with any remaining consciousness in the wreckage only to receive endless silence and sorrowful echoes.
In the middle of the notes, his research began to shift towards the fragments of that god-slaying weapon.
"...Only this thing can slightly evoke a reaction in the body of a fallen saint...not resonance, but...repulsion and fear? Strange...the source of the light veins would actually fear something tainted by its own blood?"
"...Attempts to construct a passage using the fragments as a guide to draw upon that dormant power...failed. The power was violent and chaotic, full of destructive force, beyond the control of ordinary humans..."
"...Perhaps...only by using fragments as containers can a trace of power be safely contained?"
Upon seeing this, Lind understood the origin of those special holy symbols.
The Pope discovered that the God-Slaying Metal could have a subtle effect on the remains of the Holy One, so he attempted to use it as an "insulating container" or "filter" to extract a controllable ray of light power.
The holy emblems bestowed upon the powerful and influential outside the country were both a byproduct of his research and perhaps an experiment—testing the external reaction of this "filtered" power.
In the later stages of the notes, the Pope's handwriting became increasingly hurried, chaotic, and even revealed a near-desperate obsession.
He mentioned the continuous decline of the Holy Power, the instability of the Light Vein Network, and the irreversible erosion and damage he suffered from forcibly resonating with the remnants (which may be the root cause of the Shadow Abyss Mark between his eyebrows and his eventual slumber).
The last few pages almost turned into mad ramblings and sketches.
He drew up many dangerous and blasphemous device designs based on god-slaying metal and the remains of holy beings:
Some attempted to forcibly infuse the power of the remains into an individual to create a "new god"; others tried to tear the remains apart with god-slaying metal to directly seize the core; some even considered using the power of the Shadow Abyss to "stimulate" or "neutralize" the dormant light veins, attempting to "reactivate" them...
Ultimately, he rejected all the sketches with a huge X, writing next to them: "Forbidden! This path is blocked! All are illusions!"
The last sentence of the notes was written with heavy, desperate strokes, as if using up the last bit of strength:
"The lighthouse has been extinguished, the embers will grow cold. My sins are too great to reverse the tide... Those who come after me, if they see this book, remember: do not repeat my mistakes, stay away... This is the ruins of the end, not a place of hope..."
Seeing this, everything suddenly became clear.
Pope Innocent III discovered the truth about the fall of the Holy Spirit and tried to save it in his own way, even at the cost of breaking taboos. However, he was ultimately backfired and corrupted by the Abyss, falling into a deep slumber from which he could not awaken.
His research had reached a dead end, filled with despair and errors.
But all of this was priceless to Lind.
The Pope's failure eliminated countless wrong options for him.
The data, energy models, and observations of the sacred remains and god-slaying metal recorded in the notes are far more valuable than any readily available knowledge.
"The Ruins of the End? A Land of No Hope?"
The crystalline body emitted a cold laugh from Lind's true form, "That's only true for you, Innocent III."
"For you, this is an incomprehensible and uncontrollable wasteland of despair."
"But for me..."
The purple eyes of the crystalline body shone brightly, sweeping over the enormous divine remains, the solidified sea of light, the scattered god-slaying metal, and the Pope's notes filled with errors and despair.
"This is a treasure trove of data and materials!"
"It is the best experimental field to analyze the fall of divinity and understand the ultimate mystery of the abyss of light and shadow!"
"It is the foundation for forging... the divine power that belongs to me, Lind Truk!"
The next moment, an even more refined, dark blue scanning beam shot out from the eyes of the crystalline body, beginning to scan and record every detail of the place with efficiency and precision far exceeding that of the Pope.
Meanwhile, Linde's true form sat cross-legged at the entrance to the Holy Secret Treasury, his purple eyes completely overwhelmed by the surging data stream.
[Deconstruction Aura] Fully Activated! [Bright Aura] Ready!
Using the Pope's notes as an index and a point of reference for errors, he began to truly and comprehensively analyze this "place of holies"!
The structure of the divine remains, the energy composition of the Sea of Light, the microscopic properties of the God-Slaying Metal, and the interaction of residual energy between the two...
Countless data surged into his consciousness like a tsunami, being frantically processed, understood, and absorbed.
He will do what the Pope failed to do!
What the Pope failed to understand, he will understand!
The remains of this fallen god, this desolate apocalypse, will become his richest... resources for ascending to a higher level!
The computing core of the Steel Sky operated remotely in sync, emitting a deep, resonant energy hum.
The ultimate analysis of the remains of the gods has begun.
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