The Monster is Coming

Chapter 475 The Sword of Civilization
The chill of the truth has not yet dissipated.

Just as Tu Hu and Xing Tong were searching for a way out of the predicament, the "divine punishment" of the world's will suddenly descended.

The first to suffer were the Frosty Lands in the North.

That place was originally the largest source of spiritual energy crystals for the Rongling tribe, but now it has undergone earth-shattering changes. The mineral veins deep underground have been smoothed out by an invisible force, and the geological structure has been reorganized in an instant.

The snow on the plains remained, but all the psionic crystals beneath it had turned into ordinary crystals.

In response to the crisis, Xing Tong decisively launched the Dream Weaving Barrier Project.

This technology originates from the Dreamweaver Clan's defense technology, which deceives the perception of the world's will by creating a semi-independent space.

However, maintaining the barrier requires a considerable amount of energy, and compared with the resource benefits, it barely achieves a balance between income and expenditure.

Beyond the pale golden dream-weaving barrier, the earth is undergoing changes that defy common sense.

Rivers flowed back into the clouds, mountains moved like liquid, and ancient trees completed their cycle from sprouting to withering with each breath.

These are all unconscious "thoughts" of the world's will to cleanse itself, yet they are enough to reduce any civilized creation to ashes.

On the 27th day of the barrier plan's implementation, a new threat emerged.

In the command room where Tu Hu was located, a message was received from "Shi Tian" of the War Department:

"The Soul Eroder has arrived."

In the transmitted holographic image, a gray "mist" was slowly seeping in from outside the barrier.

They have no fixed form, sometimes like flowing clouds, sometimes like spots of light, and wherever they pass, all energy creations begin to fail.

A psionic turret at a border outpost turned to stone the moment it came into contact with the fog, and the soldiers stationed there discovered that their psionic energy was rapidly draining away.

All physical attacks are ineffective, and energy weapons will be absorbed by them.

Xing Tong immediately activated the emergency response plan.

According to the records of the Dreamweaver Clan, she ordered all border troops to retreat and activated the "Purification Force Field" based on Dreamweaver technology.

A pale blue halo radiated outwards from the border city, and wherever it passed, the corrosive spirits melted away like ice and snow.

But the joy of victory lasted only a few days.

The newly emerged Corruptors began to evolve. Their bodies displayed a pale blue halo similar to the Purification Field. They were no longer afraid of the special field and instead began to absorb its energy.

Most terrifyingly, these evolved Fiends have also seen a significant increase in strength.

This made Tu Hu realize that the world's will had begun to unconsciously enter a learning state.

It observes the Rongling civilization from the perspective of the Erosion Spirits, and then generates an evolved version of the Erosion Spirits.

As the world's will continues to evolve, all of the Rongling race's technologies will gradually become ineffective in its presence.

They must find the world's will as soon as possible and then destroy it.

Furthermore, we must preserve our trump card for the upcoming war and never reveal it prematurely.

But the problem now is that the will of the world seems to be everywhere.

The snowfields of the North, the jungles of the South, and even the land beneath their feet may all be part of the world's will.

The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; we can't even find a way to launch an attack except for defense.

In response to this issue, Tu Hu held an emergency meeting with the high-ranking members of the Rongling tribe.

The DedeCMS knowledge base only contains a simple record of the World Will, without describing how to defeat it.

They had no solutions to draw upon.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was as heavy as iron.

The omnipresent global will renders all traditional tactical simulations meaningless.

Just as everyone fell silent, Xing Tong suddenly stood up:
"Perhaps we've made a mistake by always imagining a specific goal. While the will of the world is omnipresent, we can imagine it as a vast network covering the entire globe."

After speaking, she projected the energy flow map of each region onto the holographic map.

Instantly, countless tiny threads of light spread out from the depths of the earth, connecting the entire world like plant roots.

“We can understand these lines as the nerve endings of the world's will.” Xing Tong magnified one of the nodes:
“Every vein, every river, and every mountain is its sensory organ, but all these senses must ultimately be aggregated and processed through specific nodes.”

She pulled up a recent distribution map of anomalous events, and all the energy depletion events happened to be distributed along several major energy pathways.

"Perhaps we don't need to destroy the whole world, but just find and sever these key nodes... Each severance is like blinding one of its eyes or cutting off one of its arms."

Tu Hu immediately understood Xing Tong's thoughts:

"Just like dealing with a giant, we don't need to destroy its entire body, we just need to find the neural hubs that connect the limbs to the brain."

"How do we locate these nodes?" Shi Tian's image asked at this moment.

Star Eyes pointed towards the Aurora Sea:

“This should be a node. The energy flow patterns discovered by monitoring all converge there. We can try to start from the Aurora Sea and find all the major nodes along the energy flow patterns.”

Xing Tong's plan was like a lightning bolt piercing the darkness, showing them the possibility of defeating the world's will.

The instructions were issued swiftly.

Led by "Tianhun" himself, the Disconnectors team set off immediately, carrying specially made network jammers.

This device can temporarily sever the connection of energy nodes, causing continuous damage and ultimately severing the spiritual network of the world's will.

The operation achieved remarkable results in its initial stages.

After the first major node was successfully disrupted at the Northern Glacier, the Corruption Spirits in that area immediately showed signs of chaos, like soldiers without command, wandering aimlessly.

Immediately afterwards, the node in the western desert was severed, the abnormal phenomena in the region quickly disappeared, and the reversed river flow returned to normal.

"The battle reports from the front lines greatly boosted the morale of the command center."

But just after the seventh node was successfully disrupted, the world's will responded.

Monitoring authorities have detected changes in all energy pathways.

On the holographic map, the originally clear energy patterns were rapidly reorganized.

The Aurora Ocean is no longer the current core convergence point; the energy has changed course like blood, forming dozens of secondary hubs.

Even more problematic is that the disrupted and damaged nodes begin to repair themselves.

The world's will has learned to heal itself.

The war has entered a more dangerous phase.

The world's will is growing too fast; now, for every node severed, it creates two new ones to replace it.

Faced with a new crisis, Xing Tong once again comes up with a new solution.

She proposed a new operational plan: the node trapping plan.

Since the world's will can modify nodes, they believe they should set up ambushes in advance according to the world's will's current habits.

This plan seems simple, but the prediction requires complex calculations.

Xing Tong retrieved all the node data information she had previously collected and created a new simulation program from it.

The first round of testing was conducted in the relatively safe southern rainforest region.

When the network outage group interferes with the target node, three predicted locations immediately light up on the monitoring screen.

The beacon at the second location instantly detected the abnormal energy fluctuations, and the world's will indeed chose this path to transfer the node's function.

When news of the successful capture reached the command center, cheers erupted.

During this period, StarEye upgraded its simulation system, allowing the system to record and update the prediction model.

In the subsequent seven rounds of engagements, the interception success rate increased from the initial 33.383% to 82.2837%.

Each shift in the world's will leads to a more refined predictive model.

But the will of the world is far more terrifying than imagined.

Although this operational plan successfully destroyed 22.39% of the nodes of the world's will, it could not be advanced any further.

Because the world's will has evolved once again.

On the monitoring screen in the command center, all the beacons at the predicted locations simultaneously failed.

The world's will no longer transfer node functions, but begins to attempt to decompose and miniaturize the nodes.

The originally concentrated energy nodes were broken down into tens of thousands of particles, just like turning a great river into a sky full of rain and mist.

Star Eye's prediction system was instantly overloaded and unable to track such dispersed targets.

Even more frightening is that these particle nodes move aimlessly, like a swarm of fireflies flowing through an energy network.

When an area is threatened, they scatter and flee.

Once the danger has passed, they reassemble into nodes.

At this stage, even worse news came from the front lines.

The new type of Corruptors has evolved resistance to the disruptors, and they have begun to actively protect the spiritual nodes of the world's will.

The Disconnected Legion's operations in various regions have been hampered, resulting in heavy casualties.

The node destruction tactic has completely failed.

The will of the world is no longer a fixed goal, but a decentralized system that is constantly reorganizing, learning, and evolving.

A month later, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

The Eclipse Spirits, whose evolutionary strength has increased once again, have advanced like a tidal wave into the heart of the Velvet Spirit Empire.

At this stage, the Eclipse even possesses the ability to rewrite reality.

Images transmitted from the front lines show that when a wave of ghouls swept through, the steel walls turned into soft mud, and the material structure was altered.

Following closely behind were reports of continuous defeats.

"The eastern defense line has completely collapsed!"

"Three cities in the western border have lost contact!"

"Purification field has failed!"

Bad news came flying into the command center like snowflakes.

The area of ​​the Dream Weaver Barrier has been compressed to only a hundred miles around Leap City and Memory City, with more than half of the territory lost.

The once glorious Rongling civilization is about to face the crisis of annihilation.

Xing Tong stood in the center of the command hall, watching the golden area on the holographic sand table shrink continuously, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms.

"Ancestor, we... may not be able to hold out."

The moment she finished speaking, all the monitoring systems overloaded simultaneously, the psionic constructs in various regions failed, and even the Dreamweaver Barrier began to flicker.

The final judgment of the world's will is about to fall.

Outside the command center, most of the once bustling Leap City was now shrouded in darkness.

The Dream Weaving Barrier trembled violently under the impact of the Corrosive Sea, its flickering golden light like the last pulse of civilization, weak and rapid.

Soon, the Corrupting Spirits fell like a blanket of gray snow, and everything they touched began to change.

Rather than calling this a war, it would be more accurate to say that the world's will was denying the existence of the Rongling civilization. Tu Hu didn't look at the sand table marked with countless lost areas. He walked to the window, picked up the wine bottle, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the emotions surging in his heart.

He dedicated his life to protecting the Rongling civilization, from the campfire in the Blackthorn Forest to the steel jungle of New Star Valley, from the shackles of the Bone Clan to the glory of the Twin Cities era... He saw off generation after generation, thinking he had long been accustomed to farewells and sacrifices.

But at this moment, the sense of powerlessness at the impending loss of everything and witnessing the end was almost consuming him.

He raised his head and looked towards the sky.

Beyond the barrier, the sky was no longer its familiar color; it had been stained a murky gray by the corrosive spirits, as if the whole world was fading.

An indescribable sense of sorrow erupted in his chest like a volcano.

Scenes from the past flashed rapidly through his mind.

Alan turned back and roared at him in the firelight of Star Valley:
"Tiger, take the children and go!"

When A-Fen stuffed the fruit wine into his hand, her eyes were full of expectation.

The words that Fierce Claw silently spoke to him on the execution platform:

"The road ahead is long... The people are entrusted to you."

Countless other faces, over the long years, entrusted him with their trust, their lives, and even the future of their communities.

Conventional methods are simply no match for the will of the world.

Compromise won't work, negotiation won't work, and surrender is even worse.

Their adversary is the world itself, which has no emotions, no desires, and whose logic is solely to execute purification more efficiently.

This is a life-or-death struggle for survival, with no room for luck.

"Cough cough." Amidst the intense emotional turmoil, a mouthful of blood welled up, and a trickle of blood slid from the corner of his mouth, which he wiped away with his hand.

The weariness and vicissitudes that had accumulated in his eyes over the years were ignited at this moment, turning into an indomitable flame.

He turned and walked toward the door of the command room.

"Ancestor, where are you going!" Xing Tong exclaimed in surprise. She had never felt such a resolute and violent aura from Tu Hu.

Tu Hu did not look back.

"Throughout my life, I have traversed mountains of corpses and crossed seas of blood, leading my people out of dire straits countless times... This time will be no exception. Even if I die, I will end it in the spirit of dying in battle."

Xing Tong stared blankly at his retreating figure, and suddenly understood.

Rather than watching civilization collapse, we should embrace its end together.

She took a deep breath and retrieved the psionic longsword from the wall:

“I’ll go with you.”

Shi Tian silently drew his sidearm: "Count me in."

Soul Break activates the psionic construct:

"Ancestor, lead me into battle!"

One by one, the generals in the command room silently stood up.

No one spoke, but everyone's eyes conveyed the same decision.

Tu Hu stopped and looked at his clansmen who had followed him to their deaths. In the end, he said nothing, but simply nodded and pushed open the gate leading to the battlefield.

Outside the door, the remaining soldiers were rapidly regrouping.

When they saw their ancestor arrive, they were first taken aback, then they understood what was going on.

There were no grand pronouncements, no tragic farewell.

The soldiers silently gripped their weapons and automatically lined up behind Tu Hu.

When they arrived at the city wall, the Rongling civilization's army was clashing with the Shiling army.

Tu Hu took a step forward, standing atop the city wall, facing the soul-devouring tidal wave that was consuming heaven and earth, his voice booming like thunder:

"Warriors of the Rongling Clan, advance!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed into the gray-white raging tide that was devouring everything.

"For the Rongling Clan!"

Behind him, the remaining warriors, regardless of age or which unit they belonged to, roared and, like moths drawn to a flame, followed the figure of their ancestor, launching the final charge in the history of the Rongling civilization.

This time, there is no way to relocate, no room for negotiation, and no possibility of compromise.

This is the Rongling civilization's answer to the world's judgment: to fight to the death.

Tu Hu's figure pierced the Soul-Eating Frenzy like a sharp arrow.

Each strike of the psionic battle blade in his hand would cause the corrosive spirits it touched to freeze briefly.

But this was just a drop in the ocean; for every one he destroyed, ten more would immediately follow.

He protected one warrior, and immediately ten warriors behind him turned to ashes.

"The left wing has collapsed, General Tianhun... has fallen!" A desperate shout came from behind.

Tu Hu suddenly turned around and saw the old general Rong Ling, who had once drunk with him, turn into a stone sculpture while being entangled by the corrosive spirit, and then shatter into dust in the wind.

Just then, another voice rang out.

Tu Hu's gaze shifted, and he caught sight of a familiar silver armor in the distance suddenly dimming before being swallowed by a gray-white wave.

That young man who always loved to stay up all night in the lab didn't even leave a last word.

Every battle report felt like a heavy hammer blow to my chest.

Tu Hu felt a metallic taste rise in his throat. He forced it down, but blood still seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Just then, he was knocked down by the Soul Eater.

Contact with it would erase the life-corroding spirit, but it did not have the effect of "annihilating" him.

"Form ranks and protect the ancestor!" Upon seeing him fall to the ground, Shi Tian, ​​covered in blood, roared and led his personal guards to his side.

What came head-on was a torrent of soul-corroding energy.

The moment he finished speaking, the war minister, who had spent his life on the battlefield, vanished before Tu Hu's eyes.

Its armor turned into mist, its arms transformed into streams of light, and before it could even say goodbye, it vanished completely into the world.

"Shi Tian!"

Tu Hu roared in fury.

He watched helplessly as that stubborn figure, who always loved to show off his new tactics, was easily erased from the world's memory.

Familiar figures rushed towards him, trying to protect him, and then fell one after another.

Seeing all this, Tu Hu, powerless to do anything, was filled with rage.

The excruciating pain spread from my heart to every part of my body.

He felt something churning inside him, as if memories of the Rongling tribe were burning within him.

His emotions surged violently, and Tu Hu coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Then, the color of his once black hair faded from the roots.

First it started at the temples, then it spread like an avalanche.

In the blink of an eye, her flowing long hair had turned completely white.

It was as if his life, too, was burning tragically alongside the Rongling civilization.

On the other side, Xing Tong was still fighting a hard battle.

Her psionic swordsmanship was exquisite, but with each swing, the power diminished.

The number of Soul Eaters is so great that it's despair-inducing.

She was still wielding her sword, but her crystalline purple eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

The child he had raised with his own hands was about to fall before his eyes. Tu Hu tried several times to get up and rush to her side, but he was entangled by more Soul Eaters.

Seeing Xing Tong stubbornly guarding the remaining Rongling flag behind her.

At that moment, Tu Hu suddenly understood.

The Rongling civilization he protected was never about territory or the inheritance of knowledge, but about these people who would rather die standing.

At this moment, another wave of spirit-eating surged in.

Just as the Devouring Spirit was about to engulf Xing Tong, Tu Hu's will to protect the Rong Ling civilization and his grief over the collapse of the civilization reached their peak in a complex interplay.

Countless memories transformed into tangible power surging within his body, burning into golden energy that converged in his hands.

White hair danced in the wind, and Tu Hu's body burst forth with dazzling golden light.

The intensity of the energy released surpasses the manifestation of the world's will.

Then, a golden giant sword quickly materialized in his hand, its blade pulsating with countless symbols, each representing a memory of protection and companionship.

This is a sword of civilization woven from memories.

Alan's resolute gaze as he faced death transformed into stars on the hilt of the sword; Afen's nursery rhyme while brewing wine solidified into patterns on the spine of the sword; Liezhao's final words flowed across the blade... Every shimmering rune is a vow of protection forged by time.

Just as the Soul-Eating Frenzy was about to devour everything, Tu Hu saw the reflection of the Rongling civilization in his eyes.

At this moment, he used the protective sword technique inherited from Cangxuan as his foundation, but no longer adhered to its form.

Over 1700 years of companionship, the entrustment of 17 generations, countless escapes from desperate situations... all the intense emotions and memories have finally filled in the gaps in the true essence of swordsmanship.

When the sword was forged, the rules resonated softly.

The step he took transcended the mortal realm and touched upon the realm of demigods.

With a gentle swing of his golden greatsword.

The sword tip turned slightly.

A golden ripple spread out.

Wherever the golden light touched, the corrosive spirits dissipated like morning mist.

It has been completely erased from the concept of existence.

Their power to distort reality is meaningless in the face of the power of rules.

A golden ripple swept past Xing Tong's side, and shock froze on her face.

The eroding spirits surrounding her vanished the moment they touched the golden light.

In the distance, the alienated land was restored to its original state under the power of protection, and even the filth in the sky was washed away, revealing its clarity once more.

As the golden light faded, the battlefield fell into deathly silence.

The surviving Rongling warrior stared blankly at his white-haired ancestor, whose golden greatsword hummed softly, as if the weight of the entire civilization was concentrated in it.

The heavens and earth hummed, as if the will of the world was emitting a painful lament.

It has clearly realized that this civilization, which is about to be wiped out, has given birth to an existence beyond its comprehension.

(End of this chapter)