The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 568 Primal Core Fragment Binding
Lena swiftly waved her wand, creating a blue energy barrier in front of her.

"These are... remnants of experimental subjects! Stop them!" Her brows were filled with anxiety and determination as she used all her strength to cast an elemental barrier to stabilize the front line.

Eileen quickly cast a binding spell, her hands tracing arcs to pin the deformed creatures to their spots one by one. However, their sheer number meant they continued to pour in, making it almost impossible to breathe.

David swung his sword, cutting down those who approached. Each swing of the sword brought forth a meteor of fire, but he also showed increasing signs of fatigue.

"We can't let them get close to the Soul Key!" His voice pierced the storm, and the soldiers built the last line of defense at the cost of their lives.

In the midst of the fierce standoff, the marble platform trembled once more, and the ancient reliefs suddenly twisted and deformed violently, showing dark and corroded marks as if they had been eroded by an extradimensional force.

A dark shadow rose from the center of the platform. It was an ominous entity that had never been seen before, yet it exuded a sense of threat. It seemed to be composed of inky smoke and shattered stars, constantly extending its tentacles as if trying to devour the core of the sacred object.

David charged forward, roaring, "You will not be allowed to defile this place!" His greatsword swept across, colliding violently with the shadowy tentacles.

The tentacles were soft yet strong, and each collision caused the surrounding space to tremble and the range of the shockwaves to continue to expand. The shadowy eyes burned with a strange flame that was so terrifying that it was hard to look directly at them.

Lena and Eileen continued to replenish the barrier shield while deciphering the text on the relief, hoping to find a way to suppress or seal the evil shadow.

"We must break it!" Lena shouted, "otherwise this 'Abyssal Erosion' will forever corrupt the world!"

As the text is gradually deciphered, a hidden incantation is revealed. It is not merely a seal, but a reversal technique that requires everyone to concentrate their willpower simultaneously to activate.

The members quickly formed a circle, each closing their eyes and focusing their minds into a state of spiritual resonance.

Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds, with only the sound of each other breathing and the echoes of explosions from the distant battlefield remaining.

Then, a pale golden, holy aura burst forth from around them, and countless tiny points of light swirled and rose, forming an indestructible barrier together with the runes.

After a low rumble, the dark shadow struggled violently for a moment before finally collapsing into countless fragments, which were then purified by the endless starlight...

The ruins returned to calm, but the oppressive atmosphere hadn't completely dissipated, because a greater secret was only just beginning to be revealed...

The expedition team members supported each other. They were tired but their eyes were firm. At this moment, each of them had too many unspoken but precious beliefs stored in their hearts.

“We’ve obtained the complete legal code…” David murmured to himself. “The road ahead is long, but at least we have a chance…”

Even after the darkness dissipated, the air in the altar ruins still trembled, as if it had just undergone a spatial tearing and reshaping.

The afterglow of the star runes gradually faded, leaving behind a depressing and dangerous silence.

Although the expedition team has successfully obtained the complete code, the real challenge is far from over.

David stood on a broken stone slab, his eyes flashing with a sharp, cold light.

He took a deep breath and looked at the gradually darkening and distorting space not far away—the battle between the Pillar God's avatar and the Lord of the Frozen Hell, Kerros, was nearing its end.

The enormous roar shook the earth like a war drum, and each collision shattered the surrounding rocks, causing the cracks in the earth to widen.

Kross's armor was riddled with cracks, but he continued to wield his heavy ice hammer and attack relentlessly, roaring, "David, you mortals will not stop the birth of true order!"

However, the pillar god's clone seemed unharmed. Its claws flashed with eerie purple lightning, and each swing seemed to sever all connections between heaven and earth.

Suddenly, after a violent collision, the pillar god's clone opened its giant maw and swallowed Kroos, who was struggling to resist, whole.

An ominous, suffocating aura permeated the air, an unsettling energy woven from chaos and void, absorbing all light and sound like a black hole.

Lena frowned and stared intently, knowing full well what this step meant—the pillar god's clone would absorb the power of a powerful opponent by devouring it, and the most deadly thing was the extremely dangerous chaotic "primordial core fragments" hidden within its body, which was the most basic, purest, and extremely difficult-to-control form of chaotic energy.

Once released, it will unleash a devastating chain reaction, threatening not only all life on site but also potentially causing temporal and spatial distortions in the altar ruins or even a wider area.

She whispered to David, "We must capture the pronuclear fragments within the body as soon as possible, otherwise we will have no way to stop it from advancing and getting out of control!"

David nodded, and calmly drew his dark gold longsword from behind his back, the blade faintly swirling with endless chaotic vortexes.

He slowly walked toward the center of the shadows, each step as if treading on the edge of destruction, yet imbued with an unwavering conviction.

"Leave it to me, I won't let go this time."

Lena closed her eyes and circulated her magic. She took out a small, crystal-clear piece that shimmered with a deep blue light from her bosom—

That was “divine crystal” extracted from the remains left behind by the observer. This rare substance possessed powerful sealing and resonance capabilities and was one of the only methods that could temporarily suppress the release of the chaotic primordial core.

She held the divine crystal high above her head, and a blue rune array slowly unfolded above the ruins. The runes meandered like a river, with each line connecting to form countless complex links, creating a massive "primordial resonance cage".

The formation, though filled with singing and dancing, was also imbued with a chilling aura, like an interstellar cage in the abyss of the universe, constantly compressing the void and firmly imprisoning the chaotic energy that was about to leak out.

Lena held her wand high with both hands, fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "This array must remain in place, otherwise... all our efforts will be in vain."

Eileen stood on the outer edge of the formation, weaving a second protective net with frost magic and silver binding ropes, while casting perception spells to monitor spatial anomalies and prevent any lurking enemies from taking advantage of the chaos.

"Ready to provide support at any time!" she calmly reported, intently scanning the surrounding shadows for any threats lurking around her.

At that moment, David gently touched the center of the shadow with the Chaos Blade, and a complex, eerie yet instinctively fearful feeling spread throughout his body.

He closed his eyes, focused his mind, and channeled his burning conviction into the blade, hoping to use his own will to lure out the purest yet most uncontrollable power hidden within him—

The pronuclear fragments were exposed so that Lena's array could capture and control them.

The air froze instantly, and a dense, malevolent vortex of dark purple energy emanated from the pillar god's avatar's abdomen, like a surging nebula or a wildly expanding miniature universe about to explode and collapse. The adventurers all took several steps back, but their eyes remained fixed, not daring to relax their vigilance for a moment.

Whenever the vortex ripples, it brings with it howling winds and flying dust, with faint blood-red and silver-white stripes interwoven within, inspiring fear yet forcing people to confront the truth.

In an instant, countless tiny, shimmering particles, like stardust, spewed out from the depths of the vortex. These were the forbidden substances known as "pronuclear fragments." These particles briefly floated in mid-air, yet emitted extremely strong and chaotic unstable ripples, posing a deadly threat to life and soul, and also being one of the important causes of any dimensional catastrophe.

David gripped his longsword tightly, his arm muscles taut, channeling his will into bait. "Come on... reveal everything you've been hiding!"

At that moment, the "Primal Resonance Cage" rune suddenly burst forth with dazzling blue and white light.

A series of fine rune chains rapidly expanded and spread out, constructing a large, solid yet flexible barrier grid in the air that adapts to changes in energy fluctuations.

This force seems to be able to sense the location of every suspended particle and instantly adjust the capture range to maximize the containment and limit their free movement or aggregation into larger, more dangerous clusters.

As the last chain closed, an otherworldly and solemn atmosphere instantly filled the area around the altar, as if all things in the world were awed by this magnificent restriction. The invisible pressure caused the dust to settle, and all the restlessness suddenly calmed down.

But more challenges also emerge: those with unwavering will are the ones who safeguard this fragile balance, and the slightest slackening will lead to annihilation!
Eileen continued to cast support spells, using her silvery-white magic to gradually reinforce the outer binding net and keep watch for any possible lurking attackers.
Lena was breathing rapidly, her eyes were bloodshot but she did not back down, constantly adjusting and strengthening the source of the formation;
David focused all his attention on the tip of the longsword, communicating with the splattering particles through his mind, gradually drawing them towards a single point to converge and gather...

As time goes by, these forbidden "pronuclear fragments" gradually lose their ability to drift freely and are slowly pulled into the center of the resonance cage.

This process is extremely thrilling and dangerous, because whenever someone shows the slightest fatigue or hesitation, it will activate the remaining ancient curse, attracting an even more violent dimensional shockwave. At the same time, those remaining mutated creatures are still eager to break through the defenses, making the whole situation precarious and even on the verge of collapse!
The battle has entered its darkest phase.

However, the sweat and dirt on the faces of the team members at this moment formed a stark contrast with their unwavering belief: their eyes shone with a resolute vow that no matter how terrible the cost, they would never allow the dark forces to succeed!
Finally, after dozens of breaths, a large crystal sphere composed of interwoven dark blue and golden hues stood at the center of the resonance cage. This was the "Pronuclear Cluster," which had been successfully captured and initially stabilized. It contained a source of power capable of overturning the world order, signifying that they had obtained the key to containing the disaster...

The entire altar ruins returned to relative calm, but the bloody and fierce battle left behind scars and countless broken walls and ruins that bore witness to this epic life-or-death struggle.

Despite being utterly exhausted, the members of the expedition team clenched their fists together, sharing this moment of glimmer of hope.

Behind them, the door to a future reshaped by countless unknown challenges is quietly opening...

The air around the altar ruins remained still for a long time, and the blue-silver primordial resonance cage pulsated slightly in the darkness, as if harboring endless unease.

David gripped the blood-stained dark gold longsword tightly, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and his breathing became rapid and heavy.

He knew that the battle was not over and a deeper crisis was lurking within him.

The oppressive feeling from the "pronuclear debris" that had just been successfully captured had not yet dissipated. Those tiny particles, shimmering like stars, were writhing with extremely dangerous and unstable ripples within the resonant cage.

They are like a lurking furnace ready to erupt at any moment, and David's body is also bearing an enormous burden brought about by this chaotic energy.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp, piercing pain erupt from deep within his chest, as if a million needles were stabbing into his lungs.

He suddenly bent over, bracing himself with his hands on the broken stone slab, veins bulging on his forehead.

The armor on his body vibrated violently, making a metallic clanging sound.

He glanced back at his teammates, their eyes meeting with a mixture of worry and urgency.

"David!" Lena exclaimed, gripping her wand tightly to summon a frost shield to protect him as she anxiously approached.

"Are you alright? Tell me you can still hold on!"

But he could not answer. He felt as if the seal on the chaotic source within his body had been torn apart by the "fragments of the proto-nuclear core," and a blazing, flame-like energy was spreading wildly.

A heavy thud came from his chest. He clenched his fists, enduring the pain. "I can't fall... I can't let it take me away..."

Blood welled up in his throat, but he swallowed it down with all his might.

At that moment, his eyes suddenly became exceptionally sharp, as cold as obsidian, and seemed to radiate a terrifying light as if it were a premonition of the end of the world.

At the same time, Lia followed closely behind, dressed in a silver-white robe, and slowly walked in from the shadows.

Her gaze was gentle yet firm, seeing through the danger hidden behind the magical fluctuations in David's abdomen.

"I'll help you share the burden." She said softly, taking out a small, crystal-clear device that shimmered with interwoven red and blue light from her bosom—it was a life linker she had researched for many years, which could fuse with another life and share damage and power.

David struggled to raise his hand and gently grasped the device in his palm.

A warm sensation instantly spread throughout my body; it was the strange power brought about by the deepest resonance between life and death.

He slowly extended his other hand, touching it with Liya's outstretched palm. Invisible rope-like veins emerged between their interlocked fingertips, intertwining like star trails, connecting their hearts and bodies together.

Lia closed her eyes, her cheeks flushed but filled with devotion, "We will endure the pain together, and we will protect the future together."

Her voice was gentle yet firm; every word was like a spring breeze sweeping across parched land, igniting a flame of hope in despair.

As the life link was activated, a stream of energy, interwoven with red and blue, brilliant and fiery yet clear and pure, burst forth from the two of them.

This force rapidly increased, almost completely entwining and fusing the two people's lifelines—preliminary calculations indicate that their bloodlines have become 80% compatible.

This is a rare and extremely risky step, but it is also one of the only ways they might be able to curb the rampage of chaos.

The atmosphere in the room was unusually heavy at this moment.

Dust in the atmosphere was swept up and swirled by the strong wind due to the vibrations, while the afterglow of the runes on the broken stone pillars and the damaged altar in the distance spun like a river of stars, enveloping them in a mysterious and solemn atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)