The city of Dawn, in the northern western defense zone, faced an onslaught that resembled a tidal wave. A ten-meter high defensive wall, woven from vines, stood as the last barrier against the surging tide.
At that moment, Meidisha understood why a new giant wall had to be constructed; otherwise, the shockwave alone would have caused countless disasters.
This was the might of a cataclysm!
She raised her hand to shield her forehead, her long hair whipping around her face, devoid of any elegance. She paid it no mind, her eyes wide as she gazed towards the giant silhouette in the distant, dust-filled haze.
Its body had grown several spans taller, its Furnace Golem, transformed in body and energy, rose like a fallen meteor. It stood astride the Cataclysm Giant Scuttler, its colossal fist, engulfed in azure flames and viscous black mist, pounded down repeatedly.
The "thump! thump! thump!" echoed like a colossal drum, the ground trembling violently as if an earthquake had struck. Thick fissures spread outwards, and in the epicenter of the impact and battle, the ground sank in waves. Billowing dust and azure flames shot into the sky, while the wind continued to howl.
"It's suppressed, completely crushed!"
"Facing a terrifying Cataclysm-level aberrant, Blue Star's ultimate move utterly overwhelmed it!"
Meidisha's eyes widened, her shock deepening, her mind reeling.
From another location, Yan Xiao cried out in disbelief.
"That Blue Star expert not only manipulated a Cataclysm-level behemoth through some ritual but also, through another ritual, amplified the already formidable Furnace Golem to an outrageous degree!"
He could only assume a ritual was responsible for such a massive increase.
No, even with a ritual, this was unreasonable, un-mysterious!
He had initially worried that the manipulation time wouldn't be long enough to hold off the terrifying Cataclysm Giant Scuttler. Now, he thought, "Holy cow, can humans even do this?"
With a human body, to forcibly manipulate one Cataclysm-level entity to crush another Cataclysm-level entity!
Even after witnessing such shocking miracles as the Azure Cannon, the Bud Tower, and the Vine Wall, emissaries with broadened horizons like Meidisha and Yan Xiao found it hard to accept.
This wasn't a miracle; it was cheating!
He looked at the many Flame Fire warriors around them who, though surprised, quickly grew accustomed and accepted it as natural. He wanted to tell them, "You guys know nothing."
A lack of experience, indeed, makes one's worldview shatter and get ground repeatedly.
Damn it, I can't be the only one whose worldview is shattered; the higher-ups in the Oasis must share this fate!
But how to report it was another problem.
He found himself back in his initial dilemma, standing dumbfounded before the battlefield.
The defenders were stunned. The warriors from Flame Fire were naturally surprised, but not to such an extent. Iruoxi, on the back of the Hundred-Eyed Flying Fish, preparing to conjure lightning and show off, shrieked "Holy cow!"
The 'meteorite' that plummeted down had smashed away most of her mission target.
Damn it!
She had lost the kill again to An Jianyou.
"But why are you so strong!"
They were all Flame Fire core members, so why was she so outstanding.
However, Fang You understood.
An Jianyou was indeed cheating, and he was the one who secretly enabled it.
After ascending to Legendary Gold potential, An Mei's innate talent and awakened abilities had greatly improved. In other words, she could contract more and stronger high-tier aberrants, and her amplification of them was even greater.
And this time,
"An Jianyou went all out, er, of course, that's referring to the full extent of her awakened abilities. She held nothing back in amplifying the Black Mist."
But An Mei actually possessed more than one Cataclysm-level aberrant. Even though her breakthrough was recent and her lineup was still being updated, she had more than one.
She also had SSR-class five-star aberrants.
And the never-before-used inhuman form… Honestly, Fang You was also curious. Once An Jianyou's lineup was complete, with everyone on the field and her entering her inhuman form, what level of combat power would she achieve?
Could it approach divinity?
He himself wasn't sure.
Compared to those who trained tirelessly like Black Blade, Xing Jing Lei, and Iruoxi, An Jianyou, who only needed to "catch pets," was indeed the epitome of cheating.
...
The Furnace Golem's violent assault on the Cataclysm Giant Scuttler continued for several minutes.
One had to marvel at the terrifying vitality of Cataclysm-level aberrants… or not. What was more terrifying was your Blue Star, which was crushing even Cataclysm-level entities!
You are the monsters!
Casually dealing with a few scattered aberrants, Meidisha stood on high ground, gazing at the giant silhouette in the distant dust.
After the brutal beating, the dark shadow reappeared. Azure ritualistic markings spread out. The Furnace Golem, its body shrunk back to three hundred meters, sank into the mysterious ritualistic formation and disappeared.
The sky cleared.
Warm and gentle sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling upon the earth, upon every weary defender who had experienced the fierce battle.
They looked up at the sky, bathed in warmth.
The dark clouds and gray mist that had rolled in with the super wave in the distance gradually melted like ice and snow under the light of dawn, or retreated.
The sky became brighter.
Under the sunlight lay the corpses of aberrants. Many smaller ones had already dissipated into smoke, but the colossal, broken bodies of aberrants above the Calamity class still remained, wisps of smoke rising from them.
The Cataclysm Giant Scuttler was dead. The final wave, which had gathered many high-level aberrants, had also been annihilated.
Some turned to ash in lightning, others were obliterated by azure beams.
There was also a massive mountain-like beast, its entire mountain-like back had exploded from the inside out. Its body, if not completely disintegrated, was close to it.
A Hell-class aberrant, renowned for its defense, died so tragically, and in such a short time.
This was a shocking sight.
It should have been.
A burly man, bare-chested, stood on half of the giant beast's carcass, chest puffed out towards the sun, a radiant smile on his face, ready to enjoy the cheers of victory and the gazes of admiration and worship.
However, there were none.
The defenders on the frontline were stunned and blank, their gazes shifting around.
They were not looking at him.
The defenders on the frontline exclaimed, erupting in cheers and discussions.
They were not talking about him either.
Today's protagonist was only one person: the slender girl standing on the Hundred-Eyed Flying Fish… Excuse me, don't block our hero.
Xing Jing Lei, Iruoxi: "..."
This was supposed to be their moment of glory.
They had made outstanding contributions.
Yet, they felt like mere extras on the side of the road. Damn it!
...
...
The super wave was almost annihilated, with only scattered remnants lingering on the devastated land.
These were still threats.
The defenders, with remaining strength, proactively attacked and eliminated the remaining scattered aberrants.
Bathed in sunlight, watching the aberrants turn to smoke around them, many warriors still felt a sense of daze.
"The war is over?"
"Is… is it over just like that?"
Suddenly, it felt a little unreal.
They knew the terrifying nature of the super wave, the suffocating despair it brought. Before going into battle, many had written their wills, prepared to sacrifice themselves.
But, as the battle progressed, they found that…
The wave came, the wave was dispersed, the wave died again and again, the wave was blocked by the giant wall, the wave was gone.
This was not because the super wave was too weak, but because the Flame Fire organization's ultimate moves were too exaggerated, simply outrageous!
It made them, the defenders, feel like they were just playing a supporting role.
"After arriving, we discovered the super wave was even more terrifying than we imagined, yet we didn't even need to fight desperately throughout the entire process."
Ice King Sergei sighed deeply.
He couldn't help but look into the distance, towards the white-robed figure standing at the very front of the defense line.
Katerina also looked, her gaze then shifting further away, lingering longer on that slender figure.
"The greatest credit for being able to so easily repel the super wave belongs to Miss An, the manipulator of the Cataclysm!"
"I never expected that Flame Fire's strongest would be this one, who has always been inconspicuous."
"And those exaggerated giant cannons, wooden towers, etc., it seems we truly couldn't contribute much."
She chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Actually, they did contribute. Many hands make light work.
With the cooperation of the Vine Giant Wall, high-level experts like Katerina had eliminated a considerable number of two- and three-star aberrants.
The investigators and special forces stationed at various points on the defense line contributed even more.
This victory belonged to the entire defending army.
Fang You, facing the gentle breeze, looked up at the sky.
The gaze that had been constantly watching them disappeared, right after An Jianyou summoned the Furnace Golem and brutally beat the Cataclysm Giant Scuttler.
"No divine descent?"
He mused.
It was hard to say whether he was disappointed or relieved.
In this battle, Blue Star had exposed many of its trump cards. The remaining powerful cards were only An Jianyou at full strength, the god-slaying weapon Shallow Red, and himself, who relied on the power of the secret realm.
Not many cards, and victory was not guaranteed in a real fight.
But on the other hand, it indicated that the terrifying existence was still preparing. The next time it truly descended, it wouldn't be something that could be easily countered.
"My head hurts."
"But the significance of this battle is also immense. This battle's conclusion marks the true establishment of the Dawn Zone, signifying Blue Star's ability to build a safe haven during the Gray Fog Tide!"
"In the pitch blackness filled with ink, a small point of white has been purified."
"What needs to be done next is to establish a second, a third Dawn Zone, until a true Dawn Defense Line is constructed, completely blocking the erosion from the Aberrant Realm."
Within this, there would undoubtedly be obstruction from the cults of evil gods.
Fang You shook his head.
"Let's move on to the always-welcome task of inventorying our gains."
...
...
The casualties in this battle were not high.
The danger mainly lay in the bone spikes and aberrant flames shot from afar, from two-star and three-star aberrants like bone spike worms, great bone spike worms, aberrant lanterns, and triple aberrant lanterns.
Three-star bone spikes were far more terrifying than sniper rifle rounds, and a slight mistake could lead to death.
The main sacrifices came from this.
As for other injured individuals, even those critically wounded and near death could be saved by the great physician Silver Bell, at least their injuries could be temporarily stabilized and they could be sent to the hospital after the battle.
Low casualties were good news.
On the other hand, the preparation and consumption for this war were immense.
Departments like the Investigation Bureau had consumed countless manpower and resources to set up defenses and build fortifications here before the war. Flame Fire, in turn, had consumed a vast amount of mystical resources.
The Bud Tower, which could still be used, would be set aside.
The Aberrant Crystal Giant Cannon and Aberrant Crystal Cannons, under repeated bombardments that disregarded cost, consumed a staggering 160,000 units of aberrant crystals!
Seeing this list of statistics, Fang You's heart twinged slightly.
Under high-intensity use, four Aberrant Crystal Cannons were damaged, and the Aberrant Crystal Giant Cannon, manufactured with countless materials, also suffered considerable wear and tear.
Master Wang was currently nursing his heartache as he repaired it.
Besides the Aberrant Crystal Cannons, the greatest expense was the Vine Giant Wall. Those special seeds were the result of countless days and nights of cultivation by Willow Robe's entire department—mainly Willow Robe and Willow Ji. The effort, resources, and even precious life droplets, which were extremely scarce, were consumed in massive quantities.
"However, with immense consumption comes immense rewards. First, the gains in Mystery Points."
"Killing aberrants with weapons like the Giant Cannon and Aberrant Crystal Cannons only yields a very small portion of Mystery Points, but the sheer quantity makes up for it."
Especially Master Wang, the main operator of the Aberrant Crystal Giant Cannon and its creator, had the highest kill count on the field. Even with only a small portion of Mystery Points gained, his accumulated Mystery Points soared. He was not far from the standard value required for his next awakening.
Like a rocket, Master Wang's experience shot from the bottom of the fourth awakening, surpassing Silver Bell, Pei Hongjing, and others.
But even faster were Willow Ji, Willow Robe, and the other four.
Killing aberrants with the Giant Cannon, even though created by Master Wang himself, still carried a significant 'experience penalty.' However, the deep green vines that danced across the battlefield were part of Willow Ji and the others' bodies. As aberrants were strangled by the vines and the Wood Realm using their life energy, the 'experience penalty' was much less.
After the battle, they gained a massive amount of Mystery Points.
Willow Ji, Willow Ru, and Willow Meng's accumulated Mystery Points far exceeded the requirement for the fifth awakening. It was simply too much, with the excess appearing somewhat wasteful!
Even Willow Robe, who contributed less, could now go to the inheritance ground to awaken.
"Looking at this, are life-type awakeners the meta?"
(Silver Bell: ???)
The accumulation of Mystery Points was just one of the gains, even though he, Master Fang, gained not a single Mystery Point.
The second aspect was the drop from the aberrants themselves.
High-level aberrants, upon death, would leave behind residues, which were mystical materials. Brother Black Blade had obtained white-grade materials after his first kill of a three-star aberrant.
As the Gray Fog Tide descended and brought about erosion and changes, the drop rate of aberrants had slightly increased. In the Aberrant Realm, the drop rate was higher, and sometimes one- and two-star aberrants would drop materials. However, in the Aberrant Realm environment, aberrants were difficult to kill, and sometimes, after killing many, there was no time or opportunity to collect the materials left within their bodies.
Now, it was different.
Flame Fire, investigators, and special forces had moved forward, beginning to clear the debris and collect the spoils.
Even close brothers need to keep accounts. Before the tide attacked the city, Fang You had agreed on some terms with Director Huang. There was no dispute now; first collect, then tally, then divide the spoils of war.
The defenders moved swiftly.
Soon, a general overview was compiled.
"This time we obtained a large amount of aberrant crystals, mystery materials, and dozens of aberrant items!"
Director Huang could barely hide his smile when he said this.
Dozens of aberrant items! This was like a mountain of treasures. Based on contribution and effort, Flame Fire would naturally take the lion's share, but their Investigation Bureau would also receive a portion.
It was just that their contribution was too small, and Director Huang felt guilty at the moment.
Most aberrant items were dug out from Calamity-class aberrants. The drop rate for these powerful monsters was not low, and a small portion came from ordinary low-star aberrants—as long as the base was large, nothing couldn't be dropped.
Fang You was not excited at all.
Mere aberrant items.
Most of them were useless and would likely be melted down and used as blue-grade materials. Only a few with suitable abilities and not overly exaggerated side effects were worth forging into aberrant artifacts.
Countless aberrant crystals, white and green grade materials.
And the core residues and polymers left behind after the deaths of Calamity-class, Hell-class, and Cataclysm-class aberrants.
Fang You valued these more. They were needed for awakening rituals, and for the construction of the Dawn Lighthouse. The more the better, as Flame Fire was currently lacking, especially six-star aberrant cores.
He was about to call An Jianyou over. After they finished hunting the Cataclysm-class aberrants on Blue Star, they would go hunt in the Aberrant Realm.
As for the gains of aberrant crystals and so on, they were insignificant. These aberrant crystals were not even a tenth of what the Aberrant Crystal Cannon had fired. Under normal circumstances, if Flame Fire had used its 'money-burning' strategy to fight the tide, it would have been a loss, a big loss.
However, this was not a normal situation.
Aside from the accumulation of Mystery Points and ordinary material gains, there was a third channel of rewards, and this was a significant one for Professor Fang.
—Quest Rewards!
"Beep~!"
The quest panel opened before him, displaying an incalculable amount of statistical information.
"Hint: Completed 'Aberrant Extermination (Three-Star · Numerous)' quest, obtained 500 Fate Points, 200 Aberrant Crystals, 100 White Cultivation Cards, 10 Green Cultivation Cards, 10 Random Low-to-Mid Tier Materials."
"Hint: Completed 'Aberrant Extermination (Four-Star · Numerous)' quest, obtained 1500 Fate Points, 500 Aberrant Crystals, 300 White Cultivation Cards, 30 Green Cultivation Cards, 3 Blue Cultivation Cards, 10 Random High-to-Low Tier Materials."
"Hint: Completed 'Aberrant Extermination (Four-Star · Extremely Large Swarm)' quest, ..."
"Hint: Completed 'Aberrant Extermination (Six-Star · Large Swarm)' quest, ..."
"Hint: ..."
Each line of information represented a sum of wealth.
He was almost blinded by the sight, and there were hundreds, thousands, countless such messages.
Fang You could only ask Little Huan to compile a summary.
There were so many cultivation cards that they could fill a warehouse, and the various randomly drawn materials, when stockpiled, would also be substantial, making Master Wang and Silver Bell beam with joy.
There were also skill seeds, potions, recruitment tokens, and other items. It could be said that they had become rich overnight.
And the main event was still…
"This time, we obtained a total of 456,000 Aberrant Crystals!"
"And Fate Points, want to guess? … Okay, okay, Little Huan will just say it, we obtained a total of… 1.26 million Fate Points~!"
"??ヽ(°▽°)ノ? Lala~!"
He had known it would be quite a bit from the start, but this three-digit… seven-digit Fate Points still made Professor Fang completely stunned.
Once upon a time, earning a few hundred Fate Points would have exhausted him, and spending a thousand on a single draw would have nearly killed him.
And now,
In just one battle, he had reaped over a million Fate Points!
Even the highest-level Super Card Pool could be drawn ten times with a ten-pull! Time to go crazy and draw!
Wuhu~!
However, it was not the time to draw cards yet. Although the defense battle was over, there were still many subsequent matters to handle.
As this great battle concluded, the aftermath of the war slowly spread and gradually swept across the world, shocking the world.
-- Miscellaneous --
This chapter is a double update, slightly shorter. I'm a bit stuck on the plot and need to organize it. *Sniffle*!