The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 571 Elements Return to Chaos
The hall fell silent, save for the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the transparent dome.

The guards' expressions changed drastically; some clenched their fists, while others whispered among themselves.

An elderly priest looked terrified but tried his best to keep his voice steady as he asked, "Could that be... the power from the abyss?"
That great taboo, sealed away for so long, one that even ancient legal codes dare not easily mention?

Leisher frowned, her eyes slightly red.

"This pollution is not only caused by external attacks, but also originates from within."

Her tone was grave. "Our protective array has become severely ineffective, and the cause of all this is the infiltration and corrosion of the rainbow core by chaotic forces."

Lena clicked on another set of data waveforms. The waveforms vaguely showed a twisted spiral structure amidst the interplay of light and shadow, completely different from any energy patterns she had seen before.

"This is not simply physical damage, but a collapse at the information level."

She explained, "Those parasitic codes, through the fusion of abyssal runes, achieve a subtle intrusion into the rainbow nucleus's genetic map and energy architecture."

"Our barrier rune chains are also becoming disordered," another young priest added urgently. "The defense mechanism is beginning to collapse on its own. If it is not repaired in time, we will be unable to stop its further spread!"

Just then, a deafening yet extremely cold and mocking voice rang out from outside the hall, accompanied by a chilling and oppressive aura, like the roar of a demon writhing out of a rift in hell:
"Hehehe... Your so-called indestructible paradise is nothing but a pile of paper walls."

A figure engulfed in dark red flames slowly appeared. His tall body was shrouded in blazing lava flames, and every step he took seemed capable of shattering rocks and souls.

He was the terrifying being known as the "Lord of the Flame Demon," a figure who struck fear into the hearts of the elemental world.

He strolled into the center of the hall, each breath exhaling a blazing inferno like burning air.

He sneered as he surveyed the crowd, his blood-red eyes filled with amusement and disdain: "You've worked so hard for so long, only to watch how easily I dismantle everything you depend on for survival."

Leithil's gaze was cold and resolute as she met the Balrog Lord's powerful aura head-on: "Your arrogance will bring you your doom! We will do everything in our power to defend the peace of these waters!"

"Hahaha!" The Lord of the Flame Demons laughed loudly, striding forward. With each step, cracks appeared on the marble floor, igniting sparks of molten lava.

Look, this great gem, which should have been dazzling and balanced, has now become my plaything!

He pointed to the enormous rainbow core, and dark purple chaotic smoke surged from his fingertips, intertwining with the twisted energy inside the rainbow core, like death entwining its prey, making it difficult to break free.

Lena's face was pale, but she gritted her teeth and continued to analyze. Suddenly, she roused herself and inserted her staff into the core of the underground altar. A ripple spread out and resonated with the shield runes, hoping to stabilize the situation.

However, the corrupt data in the information flow makes the repair process extremely difficult, and every attempt is accompanied by painful information collapse feedback.

Eileen immediately stepped forward, using frost magic to create a sturdy shield around the Queen and the important priests, while continuously chanting incantations to dispel the curse and restrictions, and to resist the suffocatingly poisonous air that seemed to penetrate to the bone—

The atmosphere seemed to freeze, suppressing the harsh conditions and buying everyone precious time.

The storm continued to lash the palace walls, and the roar of thunder, mixed with the enemy's screams, assaulted everyone's hearts, causing their heartbeats to accelerate to their limit.

The Queen frowned slightly, but her gaze remained firm. She turned to the guard captains: "All troops, prepare for battle! No one is allowed to leave their post! We cannot allow this dark force to rob us of our last hope!"

The faces of everyone in the hall were filled with determination.

Some people had beads of sweat the size of corn beans sliding down their foreheads, some had lips trembling slightly, but the entire space seemed to be forged with an iron will, countless souls intertwining to form an invisible barrier—

This is the most resilient and beautiful scene in the fight against the apocalyptic catastrophe!
As time went by, the chaotic and corrupting energy brought in by the Lord of Flames grew more and more rampant, but they also understood more and more clearly that only by completely deciphering the parasitic genes and regaining control could this crisis be resolved.

Otherwise, not only the water sprites, but the entire elemental world and even a wider realm will be plunged into darkness and destruction...

Outside the hall, amidst the thunderous roar, a dark mass of clouds ripped through the sky, and a fierce howl from afar, like the furious roar of a ferocious beast, tore through the heavens.

This instantly plunged the entire royal city into a deathly silence—all life seemed to hold its breath, awaiting the next judgment of fate!
The night was as dark as ink, enveloping every inch of the elemental world.

The sky above the Water Sprite City was covered by thick clouds, with occasional flashes of lightning piercing the sky and thunder rumbling between the distant mountains and coastline.

The earth trembled in silence, as if foreshadowing an irresistible apocalyptic storm that was gradually approaching.

In the central square of the royal city, the majestic obelisk that has stood for thousands of years stands next to the rainbow crystal.

The obelisk is carved entirely from deep obsidian, its surface covered with ancient and complex chains of runes. These runes, weathered by time, still emit a faint blue light, appearing and disappearing in the darkness, like the oldest and most mysterious guardian of this land.

Queen Lysir, the Blue Queen, approached the obelisk slowly, her flowing robes billowing gently in the wind.

Her long, silvery-white hair cascaded down her shoulders like flowing water, and every step she took was filled with determination and resolve.

Beside him stood Lena and Irene, their expressions solemn yet brimming with hope and strength.

“There seems to be some indescribable resonance between the rainbow core and the obelisk.”

"Rena said softly, her gaze fixed intently on the small, shimmering magical device placed between the two."

"If we can activate the rainbow core, we might be able to trigger the information contract hidden deep within the obelisk."

Leisher nodded, slowly extending his hands toward the Rainbow Core, his entire body surging with azure magic, merging and resonating with the large, colorful gem that was gradually being corrupted and eroded by chaos.

Fine ripples spread from the Queen's fingertip to the crystal core, triggering the unfolding of seven-colored light segments, like a sky bursting with dazzling stars.

Suddenly, a dazzling, pure flame burst forth from the core of the rainbow, weaving a bridge of flames through the air that led directly to the top of the obsidian obelisk.

The flames were intense but not scorching; instead, they cleansed the surrounding chaotic atmosphere like a sacred spring.

As the sacred flame ignited, a powerful energy shockwave rippled outwards, sweeping away the surrounding dust and haze, causing the previously indistinct rune chains to quickly reveal an exceptionally clear and dazzlingly ever-changing appearance.

These runes wriggled and extended like living things, decorating the entire surface of the obelisk into a vibrant information network. Their textures and veins crisscrossed yet remained clearly regular, as precise and perfect as the trajectory of the universe. Lena held her breath and stared intently as her fingers traced the flowing runes in the void. Each touch was accompanied by a tremor that entered her mind—an ancient and all-encompassing information code.

"These... are end-times prophecies left behind by ancient civilizations."

She murmured to herself, "Its meaning is profound and complex, but I have grasped the most crucial sentence."

The Queen listened intently, and the gentle, clear words, yet imbued with a solemn and irresistible power, seemed to come from ancient times:

When the elements returned to chaos,

The divine fire will be rekindled.
The end of all things is also the beginning of a new life.

Order and destruction intertwined…

After the sound faded, a gentle breeze swept across the marble plaza, as if the world had fallen silent. Countless suspended dust particles shimmered with starlight, while the divine fire that danced around the Queen's fingers shone even brighter and hotter, illuminating this land, full of crisis yet brimming with hope, like the dawn of a new life.

Eileen gripped her staff tightly, her eyes swirling with restrained frost magic. "This is the most profound warning about the situation we face, and also a clue to a way to overcome chaos in the future."

Leisher's eyes were resolute and unyielding as she looked towards the edge of the atmosphere, where dark clouds loomed overhead and lightning flashed. "It seems that the so-called 'chaos' is not simply destruction, but an inevitable form in the evolution of the elemental world."

"Divine fire," on the other hand, may be a new power beyond our current understanding, guiding us into a new era.

The crowd remained silent for a long time, with only the soft breathing and the occasional popping of data waves in the hall.

At such a critical moment concerning survival and future destiny, everyone feels the weight of responsibility on their shoulders and the pressure of the long and unknown challenges ahead.

However, they were not afraid, because they knew that this prophecy not only revealed the crisis, but also showed where the hope lay—as long as the truth is held fast, nothing is insurmountable!

Lena adjusted her breathing and once again delved into the information network in the void, attempting to fully decipher more hidden content. However, even such a massive and complex data stream could not completely reveal all the secrets, leaving countless mysteries for everyone to gradually unravel.

A new chapter about the ultimate fate of the elements is about to unfold...

As the storm outside subsided, a ray of dawn shone through the broken dome, reflecting the burning hope within.

Thick, dark clouds rolled and covered half the sky, filling the world with an intense atmosphere of anxiety, as if everything was cowering and trembling under this apocalyptic shadow.

The Lord of Flames stood atop a burning mountain, his body engulfed in hellfire. The intense flames flowed and leaped across his body like veins of lava, emitting a deafening roar.

His eyes were bloodshot, flashing with a mad and ruthless light.

"Finally... the time for advancement has come."

His voice, like a raging torrent surging from the depths of the earth, echoed throughout the valley.

As he finished speaking, the endless flames within his body suddenly surged, like a giant furnace that devoured the heavens and earth, tempering his already terrifying body into an even larger and more powerful form.

The Lord of Flames slowly raised his hands, and a deep red, indestructible soul burning with hellfire condensed from the void—the ultimate power woven from corrosion and destruction.

He opened his gaping maw and swallowed the ball of hellfire spirit whole. Instantly, his entire body was enveloped in a scorching and terrifying energy, like an active volcano about to explode.

His skin began to crack, and from the cracks, a molten, red-hot liquid oozed out, dripping onto the scorched earth beneath his feet and evaporating into white smoke.

His body rapidly expanded and deformed, each breath bringing forth a violent, scorching airflow that scorched and distorted the surrounding air.

"A towering lava giant... has appeared!" he roared, and flames burst forth from his entire body, transforming him into a humanoid behemoth hundreds of meters tall, covered in lava scales, with eyes emitting light like the core of the sun.

Every movement seemed to tear through space and time, and a destructive force distorted the colors of the surrounding world, making it appear as if it were on the verge of collapse.

His right foot slammed down, the earth rumbled and trembled, an ancient mountain range was instantly crushed and pulverized, countless fragments of rock and scorching lava flew out and spread, like the arrival of the apocalypse.

After this earth-shattering blow, he slowly strode forward, each step landing amidst a surging, churning ocean of lava.

Panic-stricken voices and alarms could be heard from afar in the direction of the Water Sprite City, but they were like insignificant ripples in the face of this massive disaster.

Accompanied by the shockwaves and scorching smoke brought by the giant's stride, a murky, crimson sea of ​​lava surged forth from the shattered valley, engulfing half of the royal city's outer defenses and vast tracts of forest vegetation with unstoppable force.

Queen Leahy stood on the highest observation platform of the palace, witnessing this scene, her beautiful face filled with pain and anger.

"No... We must not let him destroy our home!" She clenched her fists, her entire body enveloped in a sturdy shield of azure magic, but she knew that this time the enemy's power far exceeded any threat she had ever faced before.

Lena gripped her staff tightly, her brow furrowed as she analyzed the enemy's movements.

"Your Majesty, this change means that the Balrog has mastered the use of the Chaos Parasitic Gene for self-evolution. We must find a solution as soon as possible, otherwise the Crystal Shield will not be able to hold out for long."

Eileen sat cross-legged in the center of the energy barrier inside the hall. She lightly flicked the array of frost runes with her fingers, hoping to strengthen the outer barrier, but she felt that the frost energy seemed to be gradually dissipating, being evaporated and impacted by the surrounding scorching aura.

"Every second we lose our defensive capabilities, we are in greater danger."

The rainbow crystal on the marble plaza still shone with seven colors, but fine cracks began to appear on its surface, and the energy waves became increasingly chaotic and unstable, as if it was about to collapse under extreme pressure.

In such a life-or-death moment, each rune chain seemed to be struggling and crying for help, but it was powerless to resist the corrosive power that spread deep into its bones.

The guard captains hastily organized their defenses, brandishing their longswords and raising their staffs, facing the fire demon soldiers in their burning armor with unwavering determination and fierce resolve.

However, faced with that towering, humanoid behemoth radiating scorching heat, all their combat skills seemed almost pale and powerless. They could only desperately try to buy time and gain every second to escape.

(End of this chapter)