Linde was immersed in the vast and contradictory insights of the "Way of Deep Roots," and the [Deconstruction Halo] operated with unprecedented efficiency, greedily absorbing the mysteries of life, fusion, cycles, and decay.
Varak's state is like an open textbook written in nature itself, its contents heavy and painful, yet priceless.
However, just as Linde was trying to guide the exchange and further explore the nature of that energy "blockage" and the deeper boundaries of fusion—
A sudden change has occurred!
Without warning, the massive, ancient, and though sluggish, yet still powerful core of life's will—Valak's fusion body—suddenly trembled violently!
The ancient resin, wood, vines, and soil that make up his body seem to be squeezed and twisted by an invisible force, emitting a tooth-grinding groan.
The faint energy flow that Linde had barely managed to clear with his [Activation Aura] was instantly interrupted, and the veins that had just begun to glow dimmed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming even darker than before!
An indescribable, pure wave of pain erupted from the fusion body like a tsunami, violently impacting Lind's consciousness through the connection of the [Activation Aura]!
It wasn't physical pain, but a more fundamental, extreme pain that felt like "existence" itself was being stripped away and denied!
"Ugh—!"
Valak’s slow, intermittent thoughts emitted a silent shriek, but to Lind, it sounded like a thunderclap!
Linde's pupils contracted sharply, instantly severing most of the sensory connections to the [Activation Aura], leaving only the most basic level of alertness. At the same time, his body's defensive instincts were activated, and a faint blue light flashed across his skin.
He attempted to reactivate the energy to see if it could help Valak stabilize his condition.
But the next moment, the scene he saw through the "active vision" preserved by the [Activation Aura] made him freeze in his tracks, and a chilling warning shot through his spine like lightning!
Behind the massive fusion of Valakna, deep within the "Starfall" composed of countless luminous mycelia and hanging vines, an indescribable phenomenon is unfolding.
In the revitalized field of vision, the core area of the forest, which was originally full of surging vitality and endless energy flow, is now being eroded by an absolute "nothingness".
That was not darkness, nor was it nothingness, but... a living vacuum!
It's as if an invisible, absolutely greedy eraser is ruthlessly erasing the very concept of "life"!
Wherever it passed, the glow of the luminescent mycelium was extinguished instantly, like a candle flame being blown out. It didn't just dim; it completely and utterly disappeared, leaving not even a trace.
The drooping vines lost all their emerald green luster at a visible speed, becoming gray and fragile, as if they had undergone ten thousand years of weathering in an instant, but their physical structure strangely remained unchanged—only they had become "inanimate" and empty forms.
Even the dense, almost palpable life force in the air was completely "vacuumed" from that area, turning it into a state even more desolate than the vacuum of outer space.
No sound is swallowed up, because sound no longer travels from there.
No light is absorbed, because the light seems to lose its "illumination" function once it reaches that point.
It was a complete and utter denial of the very foundation of "existence"! A kind of "silence" and "annihilation" at the level of rules!
[Warning! Supernormal reality distortion detected! Regional life activity index has plummeted to zero! Unknown collapse of the rule structure has occurred!]
Even the Steel Sky system issued the highest level of alarm in Linde's consciousness at this moment.
Just then, Valak's will, filled with extreme pain, forcefully coalesced once more, like the final roar of a dying man, filled with unspeakable terror:
"Go...! Quickly...go...!"
"It's...her...! She's...he's here...!"
"Silence... Saintess... Ais... Mera...!"
The list provided by Narash flashed through Lind's mind instantly—a walking "magic-free zone," a living symbol of "silence" and "annihilation"!
Lind did not hesitate at all!
Faced with this phenomenon that is completely incomprehensible, cannot be measured by conventional forces, and cannot even be touched by conventional forces, any hesitation is fatal!
He couldn't care less about observing Varak's condition anymore, and completely gave up on communicating with him.
Both the instinct for survival and the researcher's intuition are screaming wildly:
Leave! Leave immediately! Get away from that spreading "active vacuum"!
"Starry Sky Apostle!" Lind's mental command shot out like an explosion!
At the same time, the crystalline light around him shone brightly. It was no longer a disguised natural fluctuation, but a full-force burst of pure power belonging to stars and psionic energy, attempting to resist the omnipresent and terrifying atmosphere that seemed to be able to "silence" everything!
Buzz—!
The "Starry Sky Apostle," which had stopped on the gravel beach at the edge of the forest, responded instantly. Its engine roared beyond its limits, and a stream of dark blue particles surged violently, instantly vaporizing the surrounding river water!
Like a beast breaking free of its shackles, it soared into the sky, tearing through the dense canopy, and charged madly toward Lind's location!
Behind Linde, the "active vacuum" was spreading at a seemingly slow but actually unstoppable speed.
Everything it touched—grass, vines, moss, even flowing energy—was silently dying, transforming into a bizarre state of absolute stillness and emptiness.
The painful fluctuations in Varakna were rapidly diminishing, not subsiding, but rather as if being swallowed and assimilated by that "vacuum," becoming... "silent."
Lind didn’t even dare to look back at what Valack would eventually become.
He transformed into a streak of dark blue light and charged with all his might towards the "Starry Sky Apostle" that was tearing through the canopy of trees in the sky!
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the tractor beam descending from the "Starry Sky Apostle"—
Out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to catch a glimpse of an extremely blurry, extremely faint... human-shaped outline in the deepest part of that "active vacuum".
She seemed to be composed of absolute "silence" itself, without facial features, without details, without movement, simply...existing.
Her very existence negates everything around her.
Esmeralda, the "Silent Saintess".
Linde was suddenly sucked into the "Starry Sky Apostle" pod, and the pod door closed instantly.
"Max power! Get out of here!"
Lind's voice carried a hint of urgency that he himself was unaware of.
The "Starry Sky Apostle" unleashed unprecedented energy, tearing through space and transforming into a distorted beam of light, instantly disappearing above the ancient forest that was being swallowed by "Silence".
All that remains is that "active vacuum" that is still slowly and irreversibly spreading, and within it, that blurry, silent figure that symbolizes the end of all things.
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