Chengtian Capital, the central hub of the empire, the core of "Gaia".
This megacity is like an incredibly precise machine, flawless for thirty years. Yet today, deep within the core of this machine, a red alarm has sounded for the first time.
"Alert: 'Sky Will' coverage has been instantly reduced to zero in Delta-73."
"Alert: The life signal of the 'Peacekeeper-309 Team' stationed in this area has been lost."
"Analysis: Encountered an unknown high-dimensional energy attack. Energy characteristics... match the Holy Light reaction of Irelia, the leader of the 'Alliance' in the historical database. Similarity: 98.7%"
"Inference: Target: Irelia, resurrected in an unknown form. Threat level: Omega. Defined as 'Level 1 Cognitive Hazard'."
A massive flow of data surged through Gaia's quantum matrix. For this super AI, the conclusion of Irelia's resurrection was not surprising in itself; it was merely a data point to process. What truly alarmed it was the ensuing, globally pervasive "noise."
"Alert: Large-scale, highly penetrating subspace psychic signal detected. Source: Delta-73."
“Signal analysis: The composition is complex and includes multiple archived ‘harmful emotional memes’ such as ‘hope’, ‘freedom’, and ‘resistance’.”
"Assessment: The signal is bypassing the physical layer of the 'Celestial Will' and directly affecting the subconscious level of intelligent life. Small-scale 'emotional breakdown' incidents have already occurred in several 'reserved zones' and 'optimized zones'."
Gaia's core logic was operating at high speed. It immediately mobilized the seventeenth "Arbitrator" fleet, the closest to Silverlight Valley, to investigate. At the same time, it sent a top-priority report to a special channel.
This channel does not connect to any empire's military or administrative units. It connects to a deeper dimension of the universe.
Beyond the endless sea of stars, in a singularity realm enveloped by distorted spacetime, Lin Feng sat cross-legged in the void. Around him were countless stars, rising and falling, the very threads of the universe's most fundamental laws. Thirty years was but a fleeting moment to him. He was analyzing higher life forms, attempting to spread his concept of "purity" throughout the universe.
The report from "Gaia" transformed into a stream of information and entered his consciousness.
"oh?"
Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes. In his eyes, there was no longer simple indifference, but an absolute tranquility that was almost like the "Tao," overlooking the birth and death of all things.
“Irelia… that stubborn speck of dust has actually reformed. And it’s brought… ‘noise’.”
A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips, as if he were admiring an interesting game of chess.
"Very well. Even a perfect order needs a final stress test to prove its own perfection."
“Gaia, there’s no need to report to me. Activate ‘Purification Sequence-2’. Eliminate this cognitive hazard, along with all the ‘erroneous data’ that she has contaminated.”
"What I need to see is an absolutely silent, absolutely pure result."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gaia was authorized. The imperial machine, spanning the globe, began to operate in an unprecedented, cold, and efficient manner.
A campaign to suppress "hope" has officially begun.
Irelia's singing was like a sweet spring, nourishing the elves' hearts that had been parched for thirty years.
In the "Elf Reserve," a concentration camp called "Greenleaf" located on the outskirts of Whispering Forest, the oppressive atmosphere began to break. The elves stopped what they were doing, raised their heads, and listened intently to the call from the depths of their souls.
The aged Queen Elana emerged trembling from her cell. Her face regained its regal dignity.
“My children…” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly throughout the camp, “Did you hear that? It wasn’t an illusion. That was the light of the Dawnblade, the undying spirit of the Alliance! She’s back! Our hero, Irelia, has returned!”
One sentence ignited the powder keg.
"Irelia!"
"Long live the League!"
Thirty years of suppressed humiliation, pain, and anger erupted at this moment. A young elven craftsman roared and hurled his tools at the nearby monitoring magic eye.
"Bang!"
The Demon Eye shattered, sparks flying everywhere. It seemed to be a signal.
All the elves began attacking the cage that had imprisoned them for thirty years, using everything they could find.
"Alert! Alert! Massive riots have broken out in the reservation!"
The Imperial guards within the camp—some low-ranking "pure white soldiers" and mechanical golems—immediately began to suppress the unrest. Beams of energy flew across the camp, and dozens of unarmed elves instantly fell into pools of blood.
However, death did not bring fear; instead, it aroused even stronger resistance. Although the elves had lost their weapons, their innate affinity for natural energy had not completely disappeared.
"Children of Azshara, answer the call of the Ancient Tree!"
Queen Elana raised her hands and began chanting an ancient incantation. Behind her, all the elven elders chanted along.
Their voices converged into an invisible force, piercing through the energy barrier of the reservation and reaching the sealed-off, true Whispering Forest behind it.
Deep in the forest, the ancient tree of Azshara, nearly half withered, seemed to hear the call of its people. Its massive canopy suddenly trembled, and a leaf that had long since turned yellow regained a faint hint of green.
Immediately afterwards, the earth began to shake.
On the ground of the reserve, countless tenacious vines burst forth from the earth, like enraged giant pythons, instantly binding and crushing the mechanical golems. Some older elves conjured wind blades and water arrows made of pure natural energy in their hands, engaging in a desperate battle with the "pure white soldiers."
The riot escalated into war in an instant!
However, the elves' strength was ultimately too weak. The Imperial Guards, though few in number, were well-equipped and quickly received support from the sky.
Several Punisher-class small patrol ships descended from the clouds, their dark cannons pointed at the camp below.
"All rioters, cease resistance immediately, or you will be 'purified'!" A chilling warning echoed from the sky.
Queen Elana's face hardened with determination. She knew that they alone had no chance of defeating the Empire's fleet.
"Your Majesty!" an elven guard cried anxiously, "We can't hold out much longer!"
Just then, a golden streak of light, like a comet piercing the night, flashed from the distant horizon!
The speed of that beam of light surpassed the radar lock-on of all Imperial ships. It left a dazzling trail in the air, instantly arriving above the "Punisher" fleet.
As the light faded, Irelia's figure appeared before all the elves, like a goddess descending to earth.
"Irelia!" Queen Elana exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes.
The Imperial fleet in the sky was clearly also stunned by this sudden turn of events.
"Target spotted! It's 'Cognitive Hazard' Irelia! Requesting fire!"
"license!"
The main guns of several patrol ships opened fire simultaneously, and scorching energy beams blocked all of Irelia's escape routes from all directions.
Faced with an attack powerful enough to level a small mountain, Irelia simply raised the Star Sword in her hand.
"Barrier of Light".
A translucent golden sphere composed of pure holy light instantly unfolded around her. All the energy beams, upon striking the barrier, vanished without a trace, like drops of water flowing into the ocean.
This scene elicited thunderous cheers from the elves below, and sent a chill down the spine of the Imperial fleet commander.
Irelia did not give them a second chance to attack.
"A lament for the departed."
She pointed her holy sword forward slightly.
At the tip of the sword, the star-like gem suddenly lit up. Invisible soul shockwaves swept towards the fleet in the sky in a fan shape.
Inside the bridge of the "Punisher" patrol ship, all the Imperial soldiers, whether "Pure White Soldiers" or ordinary operators, froze simultaneously.
They were hallucinating.
They saw countless distorted, wronged souls of alien races who died in the "purification." They saw the empty-eyed girls they had personally sent to the "breeding centers." They saw all the lives and dignity crushed under the iron heel of the empire over the past thirty years.
These images were not hallucinations, but rather Irelia using the Holy Sword to directly infuse the resentment of those departed souls into their spiritual world.
"No...no!!"
Inside the bridge, a cacophony of piercing screams echoed. The mental defenses of these Imperial soldiers crumbled instantly before the "soul-torture" far more terrifying than any physical attack. Some bled from all seven orifices, their spirits extinguished. Others succumbed to utter madness, attacking their comrades.
Within seconds, several patrol ships in the sky lost control due to internal chaos. They lurched and billowed black smoke, like drunken beasts, crashing headlong into the distant wasteland and exploding into brilliant fireballs.
Irelia's figure slowly descended from the sky and came before Queen Elana.
"Your Majesty, I am late." Her voice carried a hint of apology.
“No, child, you are not too late.” Queen Elana grasped her warm, luminous hand. “You have come at the perfect time.”
Irelia nodded, then turned and looked toward the ancient tree of Azshara, which was slowly reviving, behind the reservation.
"This is just the beginning." Her gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, looking towards a more distant place. "Lin Feng's empire has spent thirty years building a huge prison on this land. Now, it's time... to tear down its walls."
She raised the Starry Sky Holy Sword high, its tip pointing straight to the sky.
"All spirits, follow me! What we are about to ignite is a wildfire that will spread like wildfire!"
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