Chapter 221 Nuking The Heart
Lucy raised her radiant spear, its golden light intensifying as she prepared to strike.
The massive heart pulsed weakly, its corrupted energy seeping into the air like a final, desperate plea for survival. Crimson veins along the walls flickered erratically, their once-overpowering presence diminished under the trio's combined might.
Ted's brown flux surged around him, coiling like a storm of annihilation. "We take it down in one coordinated strike."
Linsley shook his head, his white flux shimmering with precision. Instead of coordinating an attack with the others, he took a step forward, his Real Fantasy gift flaring to life.
"We're not wasting any more time on this," he said, his voice calm and resolute.
With a wave of his hand, the air around him shimmered as his Real Fantasy gift materialized a containment sphere—a perfect vessel to hold an immense destructive force. Inside the sphere, his Annihilation gift surged, compressing into a singularity of raw, destructive energy.
The nuke began to take shape, glowing ominously with pulsating light as Linsley continued to refine and contain its power.
Lucy raised an eyebrow, her golden light flickering slightly. "A bit overkill, don't you think?"
"Not for something like this," Linsley replied, his tone unwavering. "This heart isn't just a corrupted node; it's empowering the Outer Gods' forces across the continent. We're ensuring it's completely erased from existence."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
To prevent any possibility of interference, Linsley extended his Real Fantasy gift further, locking the nuke and the dark crimson heart in place. Invisible restraints formed around the chamber, ensuring neither the nuke nor the heart could be teleported or tampered with.
Ted crossed his arms, his brown flux rippling faintly. "A nuke powered by annihilation energy, locked in place with Real Fantasy. Remind me to never get on your bad side."
Linsley smirked slightly as he summoned a small, floating camera. It hovered near the nuke, a steady beam of light projecting its live feed onto a conjured screen.
"This camera will survive the blast—it's indestructible even to my Annihilation gift. We'll watch the destruction from a safe distance to ensure it's truly gone."
Lucy's golden eyes narrowed as she gave a small nod of approval. "Efficient. Let's get out of here."
With a flick of his hand, Linsley opened a portal behind them. The shimmering gateway rippled with his flux, providing a direct path to a safe observation point outside the Shadowspire.
"Move," Linsley ordered, his tone sharp.
The trio stepped through the portal, emerging onto a cliff overlooking the spire. The oppressive aura from the heart was still faintly present, but it was contained within the spire's walls.
Linsley waved his hand, and the screen displaying the camera feed hovered before them.
The image showed the nuke glowing brighter as its containment reached critical mass. The dark crimson heart pulsed violently, as if sensing its impending destruction.
"Five seconds," Linsley announced, his white flux steady.
The screen flickered as the nuke detonated. The chamber erupted in a blinding flash of light, the annihilation energy expanding outward in a perfect sphere.
The heart didn't just shatter—it disintegrated entirely, its dark crimson flux erased from existence. The crimson veins adorning the walls of the spire disintegrated, and the oppressive aura vanished as if it had never been.
The spire itself trembled under the force, its corrupted structure crumbling inward as the annihilation energy consumed everything.
The screen's image stabilized, showing nothing but a hollow void where the heart and the chamber once were. The camera remained intact, capturing the complete destruction in stunning clarity.
"It's gone," Lucy said, her golden light dimming slightly as she exhaled. "Finally."
Ted smirked, his flux receding. "One down, two to go."
Linsley dismissed the screen with a wave of his hand, his expression calm but resolute. "Next stop is the Endless Mire. The density of infected beasts there rivals anything we've seen so far, but it won't stop us."
Ted nodded, his brown flux rippling faintly. "The Shadowspire was just the warm-up. Let's clear this and move on."
Lucy's golden light dimmed slightly as she exhaled. "We've come this far—there's no turning back now. Let's purge this place and end this infection for good."
With a flick of his wrist, Linsley summoned another portal. Its shimmering surface reflected the dark, murky expanse of the Endless Mire, an unwelcoming stretch of swamp teeming with corrupted beasts.
The trio stepped through without hesitation, their resolve unshaken.
…
The battle in the Endless Mire was relentless but short-lived. The swamp's oppressive aura, suffused with crimson flux, was overrun by wave after wave of infected beasts. But the trio moved like an unstoppable force.
Lucy's Angel of Redemption: Gabriel gift burned brightly, her light cutting through the fog and dispelling the corruption that clung to the land. Each swing and thrust of her spear sent purifying energy rippling outward, obliterating the infected creatures in brilliant waves.
Ted's annihilation gift proved devastating, his brown flux erasing beasts in concentrated strikes that left no trace of their existence. The creatures, overwhelming in numbers but not in strength, fell like leaves before his withering power.
Linsley's Real Fantasy gift turned the battlefield into a chaotic trap. Portals appeared and vanished in rapid succession, redirecting the charging hordes into one another or leading them into concentrated annihilation energy.
The mire itself seemed to fight against the infected under his manipulation, with the trio carving through the darkness in record time.
It wasn't long before the once-corrupted mire fell silent, its waters purified and its beasts restored or eradicated. The trio stood at its center, victorious and unscathed.
…
Standing amidst the restored swamp, Linsley turned to his companions, his white flux dimming slightly. "The Endless Mire is cleansed. That leaves only one target: the Abyssal Rift."
Lucy nodded, her golden eyes narrowing as she steadied her spear. "The source of all this. We end it there."
Ted smirked, his flux swirling around him with barely contained anticipation. "We go straight for the kill."
Linsley raised his hand, summoning another portal. Its shimmering surface radiated an ominous energy, hinting at the battle to come. "This is it. The Abyssal Rift is their stronghold—their last line of defense. We take it down, and the Umbra Continent is freed."
The trio exchanged a glance, their determination evident. Together, they stepped through the portal, vanishing into its light as they prepared for the final confrontation.