This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 254 The Call is Within Reach
Humanity, relying on a constant influx of new troops, launched repeated attacks.

As always, the defensive classes stood at the forefront, using their weapons and bodies to build a defensive line and withstand the starlight impact emanating from the statue.

Melee classes do their best to find opportunities and quickly move the surrounding followers away—fortunately, a world boss is a world boss after all, and its dark zone has no absolute boundaries, allowing free entry and exit.

Ranged classes unleashed their full power, attempting to destroy the statue's outer structure; by now, they had become fully skilled warriors.

Support and healing classes worked tirelessly to heal the wounded and buff their status. With them there, Yi Jian and Han Jiangxue finally managed to hold on.

The statue, relying on the fuel of its followers and the strange power reserves from the Star Ember, constantly repairs itself, waving its giant starlight hand and projecting beams of light like falling stars in retaliation.

Every attack that lands inevitably causes casualties on the human front.

The battle raged from night to night, with humanity suffering repeated defeats, their control perimeter crumbling, and casualties steadily rising.

On the edge of the ruined canyon, too many brave figures have already fallen. Exhaustion and despair began to spread in everyone's hearts.

【From the origin of the stars to their destruction】, its statue itself appears even larger and more terrifying against the backdrop of the night and the countless false starlight, as if it were invincible.

It absorbs life, mocks resistance, like an eternal nightmare.

This is the world boss.

If a world boss rated as medium-risk can cause them such despair... then what about Administrator Number Two?

Should people be grateful for the calm and 'harmless' nature of Administrator Number Two?
Han Jiangxue and Yi Jian stood back to back, breathing heavily.

Their energy and physical strength were nearing their limits. Looking at the tired but resolute faces of their companions around them, and at the terrifying creature in the distance that seemed to never stop, a heavy sense of powerlessness weighed on them, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

Is it really going to happen here...?

The BOSS's attacks did not stop, but an even more eerie sound began to spread under the cover of starlight and the noise of battle.

The sound did not emanate from the statue itself, but echoed directly in the minds of all the resisters, like countless cold, overlapping sound sources forcibly squeezing into their thoughts, carrying a condescending irony.

“Struggling...what a futile effort.”

The voice carried a hint of laughter and spoke in a way that was easy for people to understand.

This demonstrates the remarkable learning ability of highly intelligent beings.

"Your courage is nothing but the naive resistance of the ignorant against their inevitable fate."

"Look around you, children. Death is the only way out. Why prolong this meaningless suffering?"

Star Embers, these aggregates of dead souls from distant cosmos, understand human language and are even more adept at using language to dismantle will.

In the vast and chaotic lands beyond China, their preaching methods, which combine overwhelming force with spiritual corruption, have proven consistently effective. In despair, people are always easily exploited by them.

However, this time, things took a strange turn.

After a few words, Xingjin inexplicably discovered that their admonitions not only failed to break down and surrender the group of humans in front of them, but were like a special kind of accelerant poured on a tenacious flame.

"Bullshit!" An old man covered in blood raised his shield to block a beam of starlight for the young female assassin beside him, and cursed angrily.

Beside him, a girl with hair covering her eyes, who seemed taciturn, suddenly opened her mouth and angrily shouted: "What are you babbling about? I'll blow your wings off!"

"Shut up!" Han Jiangxue snorted coldly, and an ice spear shot out against the torrent of starlight, precisely piercing a crack in the statue that had just begun to be repaired, causing a slight energy disturbance. Her actions spoke louder than words. Yi Jian rubbed his brow, which ached from energy depletion, and whispered to the others, "Don't listen to their nonsense!"
"The more they try to disrupt us, the more they fear we'll find a way!"

Then a strange phenomenon occurred. Xingjin's verbal attacks seemed to become a form of reverse motivation.

Casualties continued, exhaustion accumulated, but the fire in everyone's eyes burned even more fiercely.

Hatred? Anger? Fighting spirit? A resilience rooted deep in the soul was ignited—to yield? Absolutely not!

With so many compatriots around, how fucking embarrassing!

This almost irrational will to resist was clearly beyond Star Ember's expectations.

Their overlapping, icy voices faltered slightly, then grew louder and emptier, attempting to crush the endless stream of humans with even greater mental pressure:

"Stop this futile resistance."

"We come from the stars, and are fragments of the stars."

"The starry sky is history; it is the past, present, and future. Endless facts exist simultaneously within the sea of ​​stars."

Only the strong are entitled to make choices that allow the facts that meet their expectations to be realized. The struggles of the weak are merely irrelevant variables destined to be covered up.

"To answer the call and merge into the starry sky is the ultimate meaning of your insignificant existence, and our blessing!"

These words contained a terrifying cosmology, elevating the law of the jungle to a grander level and attempting to fundamentally deny the value of human resistance. Under the night sky, the colossal statue emitted a ghostly blue light, and the voice echoed, as if proclaiming a cold, hard truth.

However, what responded to it was a greater convergence of light, a more resolute fighting stance, and a clear order from the military commander amidst the crowd:
Don't be fooled! It's afraid!
"Attack its core connection point!"

……

The suffocating sense of oppression suddenly intensified.

[From the Origin of the Stars] has indeed begun to rage. Star Ember's attacks have become increasingly violent, starlight cascading down like a waterfall, each strike carrying the power to crush mountains and rivers.

The resistance suffered heavy casualties. The once relatively orderly formation had been shattered, and less than half of the soldiers were still standing. They were all wounded and nearly exhausted, relying on their indomitable will and the remaining cover between each other to hold on.

But it was clear to everyone that the defenses would crumble in an instant. Despair, like an icy tide, engulfed everyone's hearts.

But here, none of those who had entered the battlefield retreated.

Under this dual pressure of physical and mental limits, Star Ember launched an even more insidious attack.

Countless streams of warm light, like fireflies, drifted toward the survivors and silently merged into their bodies.

Immediately afterwards, images were unearthed from the depths of their memories and unfolded in their minds.

Those were the most beautiful and warmest moments in my memory.

The smoke rising from the chimneys of homes, the embrace of lovers, the laughter of children—the simple happiness of peaceful times… Star Ember unearths the softest corners of everyone's heart, amplifying this longing infinitely. A deep, alluring voice resonates in everyone's heart:

Why endure such pain? Surrender... Lay down your weapons, accept an embrace, and you will return to this beauty forever...

"Return to us, return to us, and there will be no more strife, no more separation..."

(End of this chapter)