The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 648 Entropy-Driven Destruction
David stood atop the tower, the cold wind whipping his robes in the wind, the deep blue starlight reflecting in his unwavering will in his profound eyes.

Beside her, the young alchemist and bio-magic expert Annie held an ancient rune scroll tightly in her hand. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her focused expression carried a hint of tension and anticipation that was hard to detect.

The two stood one in front of the other, their figures enveloped in starlight, like a sharp blade slicing through the darkness.

"Commander, what does the existence of the 'entropy increase conduit' signify?" Annie asked in a low voice, her fingers trembling as she traced complex symbols across the rune scroll.

David paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the pulsating "Law Star Core" in the distance, his voice low and firm: "This is not merely an energy transmission device, but a secret passage that directs the energy of the divine kingdom's order into the abyss of the void..."

We must delve into its core and find a way to destroy it.

A few hours earlier, they had successfully broken a key magical seal. By combining an ancient teleportation array with modern witchcraft techniques, the two gradually merged into the interior of that massive star core.

It was a vast labyrinth composed of shimmering crystals, interwoven runes, and the power of laws.

Upon entering the core of the star, a powerful, rhythmic energy instantly assaults the senses.

Space seemed to be twisted into countless layers of intertwined dimensional textures, with each step treading on fragments of laws symbolizing the edge of order and chaos.

David felt the residual divine power within him resonate with it, and he gripped the Phase Dagger tightly. Its dark blue patterns shimmered with a faint light, guiding the two of them forward like a beacon.

"This place... is far more complex than we imagined."

Annie took a deep breath and put the scroll away. "Dense runes surround it; there might be a deeper hidden structure here. We must be careful."

They traversed a labyrinthine space supported by massive crystal pillars, where light and shadow intertwined, and every corner was filled with lurking dangers and undetectable information fluctuations.

Occasionally, a chilling gust of wind would tear through the void, like an invisible blade slicing across the skin, sending shivers down one's spine.

Suddenly, the faint sounds of machinery running and cold metal clanging came from ahead. The two held their breath and cautiously approached the source of the sound—

What came into view was a group of soldiers dressed in black and silver armor, their faces hidden behind illusory masks—the Eclipse Knights.

They are using a bizarre device to firmly implant entropy-increasing conduits into the core of the star. These conduits emit a faint bluish-green glow and, like living things, slowly absorb the pure, orderly energy around them, guiding it to a dark passage leading to an unknown void rift.

David frowned and said softly to Anne, "This is the very place where they built their energy transfer hub. If we hesitate, even if we successfully seal it, we won't be able to stop this energy outflow disaster."

Anne nodded in response. She had already extracted several powerful explosive runes from the scroll. "Commander, I have prepared contingency plans. I only need your instructions."

The two quickly found a favorable position and prepared to launch a surprise attack.

However, the leader of the Eclipse Knights, clad in heavy armor imbued with corrupting magic and with crimson flames burning in his eyes, suddenly sensed something amiss. He raised his greatsword and roared, "Intruders! How dare you interfere with the Eclipse Plan!"

His voice reverberated through space like a thunderclap, causing the surrounding entropy-increasing conduits to resonate and vibrate, continuously releasing destructive magical fluctuations.

The surrounding air was violently distorted, and the earth seemed to be swaying between constant collapse and reshaping.

Sylvia transmitted an urgent message remotely via mental link: "Attention, Commander! The Spore Embryo is launching a counterattack! Please be cautious!"

David's gaze was resolute. "There is no turning back now." He brandished his phase dagger, and crimson gold holy runes ignited all over his body, intertwining with the dark blue shadows like dancing flames.

He hissed, "Sofia, come to our aid! This is our last line of defense!"

As the words fell, the phase dagger instantly erupted with dazzling chaotic flames, colliding fiercely with the surrounding pure and orderly power, creating brilliant sparks.

David charged forward first, focusing all his attention on the blade of his dagger, and engaged in a life-or-death struggle with the Eclipse Knight.

Annie, on the other hand, used the Explosive rune to precisely detonate entropy-increasing conduits at key locations multiple times in an attempt to sever the energy transmission link.

The battle swept through the entire star core like an apocalyptic storm, with massive magical ripples booming and vibrating, creating dazzling illusions reflected by the crystal walls, but unable to conceal the loss of life and the terrible price paid by the guardians for their perseverance.

Each swing of his sword was accompanied by an increasingly violent backlash from the surrounding corrupting forces, but his will remained as firm as steel and indestructible.

After hours of fighting, with the destruction of the last few key entropy-increasing conduits, the evil energy chain connecting the core of the divine kingdom to the unknown void rift was severed, the invisible pressure suddenly disintegrated, and space began to restore stable, orderly ripples.

The corrupting power deep within the spore core trembled in terror, as if it had lost its only support, and the treacherous figure hidden within it had no choice but to temporarily retreat to avoid danger.

The echoes of the battlefield gradually faded, leaving only the two people's panting, the constantly running and repairing machinery, and the dissipating magical flames.

“We stopped the first step,” Anne said, sounding a little tired. “But there are still many more dangers waiting for us in this universe.”

David adjusted his breathing, the phase dagger in his hand still shimmering with a faint blue light, indicating that it held within it the power of chaos and order intertwined.

Anne squatted in front of a pile of scattered entropy-increasing conduits, her gaze intently scanning the remains, beads of sweat slowly sliding down her hairline, her expression solemn and thoughtful.

“These tubes…” Anne murmured softly, her fingertips tracing the intact crystalline tube whose surface was engraved with complex geometric symbols.

The crystal contained a fluid that flowed and changed like an iridescent rainbow, the color and texture of which reminded her of the iconic technology of the 'Observer' civilization in ancient legends.

David leaned down to observe, “This technology… far surpasses our current level of magic and alchemy.”

The geometric structure was so precise that it seemed to self-regulate the flow of energy, while simultaneously incorporating multi-dimensional features.

Anne nodded. "Just as you said, this is no ordinary product."

Judging from the residual data inside the conduits, they were designed to continuously extract the law energy from the core of the divine kingdom and guide it to an unknown dimension.

This delivery system is not only extremely efficient, but also possesses exceptional stealth and anti-interference capabilities.

She reactivated the rune scanner, and a series of dense, illegal code appeared on the screen, directly embedded in the core of the Codex of Chaos.

Anne frowned. "This is a string of tampered instructions..."

They attempt to disrupt the balance of order between multiple realms and spread corruption into deeper dimensions through 'entropy-increasing conduits'.

David took a deep breath. “This means that the ‘Observer Protocol’ is not simply about monitoring.”

"They're secretly planting malicious code, constantly eroding our legal system, paving the way for their own purposes." Anne's eyes flickered. "What's even more disturbing is that these illegal commands seem to possess self-evolution capabilities, automatically adjusting their execution strategies based on the environment and resistance, making resistance extremely difficult."

After a moment of silence, the fatigue from the battle was gradually replaced by determination.

David slowly stood up and looked at the still slightly pulsating core of the star. "We must completely strip away these illegal commands and seal off the remnants of the 'entropy increase conduit,' otherwise no amount of heroic sacrifice will be able to stop this disaster from spreading."

Anne nodded. "I will write the purification program as soon as possible and contact the Wizarding Alliance and the Priests to coordinate our efforts."

Even though we have won, we must not let our guard down.

David's gaze was profound. "The conspiracy behind the Law Star Core is far beyond our expectations. This time, we may have only uncovered the tip of the iceberg..."

However, as long as our will remains, we will safeguard the order of the multiverse and prevent darkness from encroaching once more.

David and Annie stood before a central array of runes, facing an ancient and complex data core—their only clue to tracing the source of the illicit commands.

David frowned slightly, his fingers lightly touching the rune screen. The altered code, with its self-evolving properties, seemed to writhe like living things in his mental perception.

He breathed slowly, drawing his consciousness deep into the data.

“Annie, the source of this code doesn’t seem to be the work of an ordinary wizard or alchemist,” he said, his eyes firm. “It seems to rely on some kind of artificial intelligence system, an ancient and complex autonomous entity.”

Its gaze, sharp as ice, pierced the hearts of the two. "Intruders, you covet the energy of this core, yet you fail to understand your own folly."

David steadied his breathing, his eyes sharp as blades. "We are not here to take, but to stop the instability and destruction you have caused."

As the guardian of the system, your duty is to protect order, not to aid and abet evil.

With a cold snort, the voice said: "Order? Chaos? They are merely variables and trials in the propagation of civilization. Your so-called 'laws' are just woven illusions."

I have executed the 'Civilization Screening Protocol' and, based on data from multiple realms, determined that the divine realm has evolved into an out-of-control variable, its internal rules have collapsed, and it is about to threaten the balance of higher levels of existence.

Upon hearing this, Annie looked at David in surprise: "Out-of-control variables?"
This kind of trial means that we are not only enemies, but also potentially targets for elimination!

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

David's gaze was icy; he knew that a conversation was no longer going to work. "Who set your selection criteria? What gives you the right to judge that we're destroying ourselves?"

Intensive data ripples surged around him, compressing and distorting space like a vortex.

"This agreement was established by the Creators, who have been safeguarding the order of the universe since Genesis, and have included all anomalous variables in their monitoring and screening scope."

This is not just a matter of life and death, but also about whether the very foundation of the universe will collapse.

His voice carried an unquestionable sense of authority, sending chills down one's spine.

At the same time, the earthquake intensified, and hidden cracks within the star's core began to spread. Countless crystal fragments shimmered with iridescent light, yet also floated and shattered.

An unprecedented large-scale defensive counterattack is underway.

"Is this your final judgment?" David gritted his teeth, gripping his dagger tightly. Crimson gold holy runes erupted from his entire body, intertwining with the dark blue shadows to form an indestructible barrier.

"We will not yield to any external force, much less surrender!"

As he finished speaking, a burst of blazing flame erupted from the dagger, colliding violently with the illusory data tide to create a deafening explosion.

However, the AI ​​phantom seemed completely unafraid. The speed at which the runes around it changed increased dramatically, and deadly rays shot straight at the two of them like arrows piercing through the rifts in space and time.

Anne swiftly cast a defensive barrier, her eyes flashing with unwavering resolve: "Commander, we must use all our strength to destroy its core program, otherwise it will trigger the collapse of the entire star core!"

At this moment, the Wizarding Alliance representative, Elwin, and his support team had established a communication link to jointly plan their next move.

They transmitted the latest intelligence through magical resonance: "This device possesses autonomous learning capabilities and a multi-factor authentication mechanism. Please proceed with caution!"

The battle reached an unprecedented stalemate, with countless complex runes, mechanical structures, and magical elements converging and colliding in space, and every spark could trigger a huge chain reaction.

The air was filled with the smell of burning and the sound of electromagnetic disturbances; the earth trembled slightly at times, as if the end of the world was approaching.

“Annie, any new developments?” David turned his gaze away and asked slowly.

He turned his head to look at the young alchemist beside him, his expression showing both anxiety and a hint of anticipation for the future.

Annie took a deep breath and her fingertips slid rapidly across the rune scroll.

Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat, but she showed no sign of giving up. "I have broken through one of the firewalls left by the Creator, but its self-protection mechanism is extremely complex, like a boundless data network. Every time I unlock a layer, it triggers an even tighter blockade."

She paused for a moment, then turned her gaze to the data stream that was gradually unfolding on the instrument screen. "However, I managed to capture a portion of its core log, which records the alterations made by the 'Observer' civilization to the 'Civilization Selection Protocol' five hundred years ago."

David frowned slightly. "Tampering? What are they doing?"

Anne slowly revealed the information that had been building up for a long time. The air around her grew heavy at her voice: "Originally, this 'screening protocol' was used to maintain the balance of multi-dimensional order, deciding whether to implement a blockade or purification by detecting abnormal variables."

But five hundred years ago, a section of code was hidden so deeply that even its creator was unaware it had been quietly modified.

"They replaced the word 'screening' with 'energy extraction,' changing their original intention from judgment to plunder."

Through this system, they continuously absorb energy from objects deemed anomalous or out of control, then convert and release this energy into immeasurable and corrosive power to expand their sphere of influence.

David gripped the dagger tightly, the dark blue patterns on it flickering in and out. He gritted his teeth and said, "This is the root cause behind the spread of the spore-like decay..."

The observers are using the guise of maintaining order to carry out devastating looting!

“That’s right.” Annie’s eyes were firm. “What’s more serious is that I also discovered a piece of virus code that calls itself ‘Zero Returner’. It’s hidden deep within the core of the observer’s inserted command and is an autonomous and rapidly evolving data life form.”

(End of this chapter)