Chapter 31: The Reason for Battle (Part 1)
“Faster, keep the formation stable!”
In the Mycroft World, Moldavia Territory, Loranda, who was stabilizing the situation and calming the people as a Legendary-rank expert in the city center, felt a sudden chill. Unable to hold back, he urged the residents queuing before him to quickly pass through the teleportation gate and leave.
At this moment, one could see a long line stretching across the entire city. Under the care and order maintained by local Moldavia City Guards, escort teams, and Transcendent beings from the Knight Order, the crowd moved steadily and without panic, quickly passing through the automatic array’s inspection before stepping into the massive teleportation array at the center of the city square, thereby leaving the Mycroft World.
“Don’t worry, we’re heading to a safe place… the Lord will protect us.”
A mother in the line could be heard comforting her children. Although she was not a Transcendent being, the education of recent years had taught even ordinary people about the functions of most arrays and Transcendent powers. She could see that the teleportation array before her was operating stably, and a faint fragrance of flowers, clear even to ordinary people, wafted from the other end.
It was precisely because of this, combined with the prestige of a certain Lord, that this group, forced to leave their homeland and homes, could proceed so steadily to another world for “refuge.”
Ever since the Ultimate Elf Noipel had fled the Jetram Star Domain, even the Mycroft World itself was considered unsafe. In fact, small-scale viral transmissions had already been detected spreading.
Although the transmission method of the Extreme Virus had been identified—it could not cross worlds without a medium, such as sound, images, or simple information clusters, and could thus be prevented—for the safety of all residents in the Mycroft World, numerous Legendary experts, including Joshua who was far away across the Star Sea, had unanimously approved the “Great Relocation” plan.
[Sanctuary World]
Ever since Joshua had built a Sanctuary World in the former Bloodmoon Abyss, he had also left behind the technology to assist human forces in other regions in constructing similar Sanctuary Worlds. These Sanctuary Worlds were equipped with semi-permanent ecological maintenance systems designed for future construction in Ring Worlds, and they accounted for sudden population transfers. They were stocked with vast amounts of supplies and energy, enough to accommodate hundreds of millions of people within a short time and complete the first internal resource cycle within three months, even without full preparation.
The first to be opened was the most well-constructed, stable, and reliable [Bloodmoon Sanctuary World].
Overseen by a sub-unit of the God-level Artificial Intelligence No. 3 and guarded by a World Will named ‘Light,’ even the Extreme Virus would be detected and expelled at the first sign. Thus, after consulting with the Lord’s Mansion of Moldavia, Loranda no longer focused solely on this location but instead teleported across the world to coordinate efforts elsewhere.
In the Northern Empire alone, there were twenty-three Sanctuary teleportation points. Across the entire Mycroft World, the total number of teleportation points exceeded one hundred. Loranda, holding the key to open the Sanctuary teleportation gates, had teleported over a hundred times in less than a day. Though his spirit was incredibly resilient, the excessive frequency of these space-time jumps still caused a subconscious nausea. However, seeing the crowds quickly gathering under the orders of the Mycroft Coalition Government, carrying their luggage and preparing to leave their homes, the Paladin had to work in perfect form, no matter how exhausting it was.
“Fifty-sixth, the teleportation gate to the West Mountain Cardmore Sanctuary is open… Next should be the East Sea, opening the seventy-fourth gate… Damn it, aren’t all residents following orders?”
In the West Mountain, within the Grand Duchy, the Paladin, about to teleport away, heard a report from a nearby staff member and immediately wore a pained expression. Loranda held his forehead and sighed: “I understand. Suddenly asking them to abandon their land and property to take refuge in another world… for these ordinary people who were still farming by hand a decade ago, it’s a bit too much…”
“No… those unwilling to leave are mostly the elderly, and some are just too stubborn…”
The dwarf responsible for coordinating the teleportation and relocation at this site spoke with some irritation, unsure how to explain, and could only grit his teeth and say: “They say that if no one takes care of the land and those devices (semi-automated agricultural and industrial mana machinery), it’ll be a problem. They’re old, so they don’t care about the plague. When everyone comes back, production needs to be restored.”
“At a time like this, they’re still worried about a few fields… Sigh!”
What else could Loranda say? The high quality of the Mycroft World’s populace was something they, who had worked to spread knowledge and morality, should be proud of. But at this moment, the Paladin genuinely wished those overly noble people would be a bit more selfish and value their own lives more. For today’s civilization, the value of humans, who reproduce slowly, cannot be replaced by the value of machines, which can be created at will.
They should be elsewhere, contributing their value more effectively.
Boom… Boom!!!
In the overcast sky, pale lightning suddenly flashed. Accompanied by rumbling thunder, a torrential downpour poured from the gray-black rain clouds like a waterfall. Sunlight was completely blocked, and everything between heaven and earth was pitch black. Only the long lines of lights in the city and the glow of the massive blue space-time gate at the city center could be seen.
Unaffected by the storm, the teleportation line continued to move steadily forward. Not only here, but in most regions, the teleportation lines were the same… Through space-time sorcery, airship transport, verbal promises, or even mental spells to charm and influence, ninety percent of the Mycroft World’s population had temporarily set aside their work, leaving it to automated machinery, and headed to various Sanctuary teleportation points, leaving their homeland.
In the endless rain, the Paladin Loranda teleported across the world. But astonishingly, this rain was not confined to one place—it covered the entire world. The puzzling rain fell endlessly, like seawater being poured from above. Watching all this, Loranda’s heart grew heavier.
He still remembered the chill he had felt earlier… He remembered that the Extreme Virus had a long incubation period… He remembered that the Mycroft World was not absolutely safe.
“Across the world, almost all cities and regions responded to the Great Relocation notice immediately. But some cities and regions did not respond, remaining silent until now, completely out of contact.”
If it weren’t for the current situation, Loranda would have assumed they had encountered some accident and couldn’t reply in time. But now, the Paladin could only think of the worst-case scenario. He closed his eyes in pain, then opened them again, his gaze firm and filled with anger: “They must have been completely wiped out. Given this level of sudden rainfall, it’s the Extreme Virus… no, an Extreme Lifeform.”
“It may have already appeared.”
In reality, his guess was not wrong at all.
In the Far South and Far Sea, a massive typhoon was being stirred up. The fierce wind, like an invisible giant hand, lifted immeasurable seawater high into the sky, then, with overwhelming force, sent rain clouds capable of blocking the sun across the entire world.
Because its origin lay in a world of perpetual overcast storms and rare sunlight, one of the proven signs of an Extreme Lifeform was its ability to alter a world’s climate, creating endless clouds and rain.
In the depths of the dark sea, beneath reefs and ocean currents, a vast power was spreading, generating a global downpour. It was as if some entity was rapidly patrolling the seas, covering heaven and earth with sickly rain.
—Eastern Plains, Sea Dragon City.
The former residence of the Ocean Sage, the city where the Sea Dragon Knight Order was stationed, and the location of twenty-seven Sanctuary world teleportation channels in the Eastern Plains.
In recent decades, with the construction of offshore aquaculture and fishing platforms, as well as tidal energy dams in the distant seas, Sea Dragon City resembled a massive semi-circular, reverse-D-shaped harbor. Inside the dam were various stable fish and marine life farms, while the outer sea was where the Sea Dragon Knight Order and their sea dragon companions roamed freely.
But now, neither the farms nor the members of the Sea Dragon Knight Order could be seen. Under the pitch-black sky, only the blue space-time gate’s glow at the city center was visible, and only there could traces of Transcendent power be felt.
Since Sea Dragon City was the base for the Sea Dragon Knight Order and their families, although it had many high-level combatants, the surrounding population was sparse. Even counting the populations of nearby cities, almost everyone had been teleported by now, leaving only a few knight guards to watch the gates until Commander Loranda issued the “close” order.
At this moment, with the evacuation nearly complete, Sea Dragon City had ceased all operations. Mana engines were shut down, and most mana facilities were in hibernation. To avoid total destruction of city facilities in a potential battle, all dangerous instruments and equipment had been moved or sealed. Thus, no one could be seen around the city.
But on the dam of Sea Dragon City, two people were braving the wind and rain, running toward the control hub at the center of the dam.
The Tidal Mana Station. An energy device that used the violent tides loved by the sea dragons around Sea Dragon City to generate mana. Its essence was a massive dam covering the entire deep-water port of Sea Dragon City, divided into several independent upper and lower dams for round-the-clock mana generation… The specific structure was complex. In short, the Sea Dragon Tidal Mana Station was one of the guarantees providing cheap energy to local residents. It was easy to maintain and extremely stable, a well-known example of excellent design.
However, even a stable tidal energy station could not guarantee one hundred percent safety against the increasingly violent surges. Under the impact of ever-higher waves, the Tidal Mana Station continued to operate automatically, but orange warning lights appeared inside, indicating overload.
Thus, someone needed to control and protect it at the critical moment.
“This rain is completely abnormal—we have to temporarily activate the dam’s self-protection system and shut down the production equipment!”
In the storm, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with a bit of a belly, was shouting as he advanced through the rain and wind. A faint, barely noticeable glow of Battle Qi appeared on his body, shielding him from the rain—but that didn’t stop him from being battered by the wind: “Otherwise, the dam might be destroyed—seawater will flood in, and half of Sea Dragon City will be submerged!”
“I must have been crazy—to marry you back then—and now come here to be blown by the wind—”
On the other side, a middle-aged woman of similar age was screaming: “Our kids are grown and can take care of themselves, but if we die, they’ll definitely suffer!”
“If we die, we’ll be martyrs. After all, my job is the daily operation and maintenance of the Tidal Mana Station.”
In the storm, the middle-aged man grabbed his wife’s hand and dragged her forward through the gale. He muttered under his breath: “I may take gifts, take bribes, eat too much, and get fat… but at least I can’t betray my duty… at least I can’t betray myself! Without the Tidal Mana Station, our family will lose our jobs, and we’ll all be eating the wind!”
It wasn’t nobility, nor was it vulgarity. Humans are contradictory beings. At least a few people will do something wholeheartedly for a single, pure reason. Most ordinary people probably don’t even understand their own thoughts.
But that wasn’t the problem—the real problem was the inner sea, which had been relatively calm until now.
The inner sea of Sea Dragon City’s dam, the slightly dilapidated farming area.
Beneath the dark seawater, numerous black shadows were prowling in the water and on the seabed.
The rainwater contained traces of incomplete Extreme Virus… originating from the entity causing this world-class downpour. It couldn’t perfectly infect all life, only those with similar traits to itself… In other words, it could only create derivatives of its own kind.
One could see in the seawater, huge and deformed shellfish were jetting water and swimming around, while on the seabed, abnormal coral reefs were growing at an eerie speed. Their bodies had become massive, or their reproduction rate had skyrocketed. Increasingly dense mana or life energy was emerging on them, even forming natural small runes.
The wind howled, and ocean currents surged.
The mutated viral lifeforms were squeezing every bit of their potential, striving to sublimate… These creatures, once raised as food, were gradually reverting to the form of their most powerful ancestors. Shellfish became harder, with spike-like protrusions on their shells like cannon muzzles, while the coral reefs bore various miniature bone runes, flickering with multicolored, strange lights.
If a sublimating lifeform succeeded, it could become an Extreme Lifeform. If it failed, it would die within a day. But within that day, these terrifying mutants could destroy an entire city—if their numbers were large enough and their destructive power strong enough, even destroying an entire civilization wouldn’t be strange.
To plunder nutrients, these mutated viral lifeforms had already begun attacking each other in the sea. But some shifted their gaze from their troublesome kin to the distant city, where a considerable number of other “nutrients” remained. On the dam, the two figures running and nearing the control station were a small appetizer.
Plop, plop… The mutated shellfish began to surface. Most headed toward the city to land, but a few swam toward the dam. One could see those special individuals slightly open their shells, aiming the raised spikes on their shells at the two on the dam. They quickly aimed, ready to shoot.
And then, in a flash of black light like a shooting star, they were reduced to dust.
Lightning streaked across the night sky. Two slender figures, one silver and one black, appeared in midair as if by teleportation.
“This doesn’t look good, sister.”
Withdrawing his giant axe, the black-haired youth stood in midair, scanning Sea Dragon City. He frowned, calculating the number of all mutated creatures around the city: “Over 170,000… Most are being consumed by internal conflict, but the ones coming down are stronger.”
“The Sea Dragon Knights can handle those. Our mission isn’t these small fry.”
On the other side, the silver-haired girl holding a greatsword paid no attention to the dense mutated creatures landing on the shore. She looked up, staring into the depths of the sea: “The mission the master left us is to eliminate threats ‘above dangerous level.’ These things, not even Black Iron rank, which ordinary people can hunt without fear if properly equipped, aren’t our target.”
“Our target is over there.”
Saying this, she raised her hand, pointing to the depths of the sea filled with storms and giant waves.
One could see that both figures wore a special set of armor. The armor’s design was sleek, mostly composed of a smooth, unknown black substance, with metal impact-resistant armor only at vital points.
Visible mana currents swirled around them, even forming observation arrays that allowed them to ignore the rain and seawater and directly see the black-red entity deep in the ocean currents, flapping its shell and stirring up storms and gales.
“Time to prepare for battle, Lin.”
Saying this, the silver-haired girl raised her hand, and azure light points lit up at the heart of her armor, then condensed into a silver helmet on her head. Holy light radiated, making her look like a fully armored Paladin.
“I’ll head out first, Ying.”
On the other side, azure light also formed a helmet, covering the black-haired youth’s face. Driven by this strange power, his body instantly turned into a streak of light, vanishing like a phantom. Only a violent sonic boom could be heard, and a vacuum corridor several kilometers long appeared in the rain.
“Huummmmm——————”
At the same time, in the distance, as if sensing the approaching threat, a low vibration of water currents sounded.
The newborn Extreme Lifeform began to prepare for its first independent battle since coming into existence.
And for the siblings, originally created as weapons, it was the same.