chsdbacks Chapter 290: The Death Laws of the Illusionary Star Cluster
Chapter 290: The Death Laws of the Illusionary Star Cluster
After the rift was destroyed, the universe seemed to regain a moment of tranquility. But the Guardians knew that the illusory image still lurked, waiting for the right moment to devour everything. Ares, Selena, and Wagner knew that although they had destroyed the rift, the real test had only just begun.
The spaceship continued its journey. Selena stared at the star map screen and discovered a star field—the Annihilation Cluster. The energy fluctuations here were abnormal, and it seemed to be undergoing some kind of incredible change.
“The Annihilation Cluster…” Selena frowned. “This star system was once one of the most prosperous star systems in the universe. However, thousands of years ago, it was exiled by the rules due to an uncontrollable catastrophe. Now, it’s surprising to see such energy fluctuations.”
Ares narrowed his eyes: "Since the Void still lurks, it may have already tampered with the Illusionary Star Cluster. We must go and investigate."
Wagner scratched his head: "It's really troublesome. Every time we solve one problem, it seems like an even bigger problem is waiting for us."
“This is more than just trouble,” Selena replied calmly. “It’s a sign that nothingness is once again eroding the laws of the universe. If it’s not stopped soon, its expansion will destroy all life.”
As the spaceship approached the Annihilation Cluster, the distant stars emitted a faint glow, as if struggling to maintain their existence. Selena detected through her instruments that the flow of time within the cluster was extremely unstable; the surfaces of some planets were beginning to crumble, and the entire star system's material structure seemed to be spontaneously disintegrating.
“These planets are collapsing at an accelerated rate,” Selena said gravely. “If we don’t find the source soon, the entire star cluster will disappear completely.”
"The power of nothingness?" Ares asked in a deep voice. "Is this its doing?"
“Definitely.” Selena nodded. “It’s accelerating the collapse of the star cluster by warping time and space. I estimate that this is not just a normal collapse, but rather nothingness directly manipulating the laws of time.”
The spaceship pierced through a shattered nebula and landed on a collapsing planet. The surrounding space was distorted, blurring their senses, as if even the air itself was becoming unstable.
“The energy here is too chaotic.” Selena adjusted the instrument to maximum sensitivity and quickly scanned the surroundings. “We must find the source as soon as possible, or we will also be trapped in this time vortex.”
“The flow of time here is extremely abnormal,” Ares said, his brow furrowed. “We must proceed with caution.”
The original ecological environment on the planet's surface has vanished. Huge cracks are scattered across the surface, the planet's surface is constantly collapsing, and a thick aura of nothingness permeates the ground.
“The void is eroding the planet’s laws of time in some way.” Selena looked at the data on the scanner, her expression growing even more grave. “These cracks are not just material; they are temporal cracks. They are weaving together the past, present, and future, causing the planet’s presence to gradually disappear.”
Wagner scratched his head. "That sounds complicated. Can you explain it in simpler terms?"
Selena rolled her eyes: "What I mean is that these cracks have started to devour the planet's 'time.' They are no longer just spatial cracks, but distortions of time."
“If time is completely distorted…” Ares’s voice was low, “the entire planet will disappear into the void of history, becoming a part of non-existence.”
“We can’t allow this to happen.” Wagner gripped his battle axe. “Time to get to work.”
Selena nodded. "We must enter these fissures and find their source. If we don't stop the erosion of nothingness, the entire star cluster will be wiped out."
The three began to venture deeper into the planet's surface, advancing along a series of cracks. With each step, they could feel the flow of time around them accelerating; sometimes they would be transported to scenes of the past, seeing creatures and civilizations that had vanished, as if they had returned to the planet's glorious days.
“These scenes…” Selena was somewhat lost in thought, her voice tinged with sadness, “Are they images of the past, or remnants from a rift in time?”
“In any case, these images are not real,” Ares said alertly. “We must remain vigilant; nothingness is trying to confuse our minds with these images.”
Suddenly, they came to a massive rift, filled with intense void energy that completely disrupted the flow of time. Passing through the rift, the three entered a strange space, the sight before them almost taking their breath away.
This is a wasteland of time, where the laws of time and space have completely collapsed. Past planets, future galaxies, and present scenes intertwine, forming a vast and chaotic panorama. In the distance, a colossal and dark phantom stands at the heart of the wasteland.
"The embodiment of nothingness?" Ares asked in a low voice.
“No.” Selena stared at the phantom. “This is the core of nothingness, or rather, its consciousness. It’s trying to devour the entire star cluster and freeze time here forever.”
Wagner gripped his battle axe tightly: "It wanted to make this place a 'dead zone' in the universe; it planted its poisonous seed here!"
The phantom slowly turned around, its form still blurry, seemingly composed of countless intersecting fragments of time. A voice emanated from its core, echoing around: "You think that destroying the rift can save the universe? Your efforts are nothing but futile."
“We did not destroy the rift, but rather eradicated a part of the void,” Ares calmly replied. “And you, the embodiment of the void, will eventually face judgment.”
The Void chuckled in a low voice: "Judgment? You are merely prisoners of the rules; the Void is the true master of the universe. All your efforts are merely delaying the inevitable end."
Wagner was furious: "You make it sound so easy, do you really think we'll let you get away with this?"
"You cannot stop the collapse of the universe." The void voice was filled with cold mockery. "Every collapse of the rules signifies the beginning of a new era. And you are destined to be unable to change any of this."
Ares took a deep breath, his gaze resolute: "Nothingness is fearless precisely because it cannot perceive the value of life. We will use the power of life to restore order to the universe."
Immediately, he swung his rune sword, the light of the blade piercing the darkness and striking the core of the void consciousness.
The void consciousness trembled instantly, its dark energy began to fluctuate violently, and the fragments of time in the air seemed to be subjected to a huge impact, instantly shattering.
As Ares slashed at the Void's consciousness with his sword, Wagner and Selena launched their attack without hesitation. The relentless barrage of attacks from battle axes and sniper rifles relentlessly pounded the Void's body; although it continuously regenerated, each attack weakened it further.
"It's revealing a weakness!" Selena aimed at the core of the void and fired rapidly.
"We're almost there!" Ares shouted. "Keep attacking! The Void can't fully adapt to our attacks; its core is being weakened!"
The void consciousness emitted an angry shriek, its surroundings began to distort, time and space began to collapse at an accelerated pace, and the whole world seemed to be pulled toward the brink of collapse by its agonizing struggle.
However, Ares had already found the true source of power—the heart of nothingness. With the final, explosive strike, the runic sword pierced the core of nothingness, shaking the entire space, as if the whole universe had frozen in that moment.
The void of consciousness shattered completely in the violent collapse, the space within the rift began to stabilize, and the flow of time resumed. The planet, which was on the verge of collapse, regained some signs of life under the impact of this energy.
However, Selena remained vigilant: "Although we destroyed the core of the void, its impact will far exceed our imagination."
“The rules of the universe have been restored, but the power of nothingness still exists,” Ares said in a low voice. “Although we won this battle, the future of the universe remains uncertain.”