allendalepharm Chapter 287: The Rift's Final Form
Chapter 287: The Rift's Final Form
Ares, Selena, and Wagner were swallowed into the deepest part of the rift, where the surrounding space seemed to lose its meaning, and time itself seemed to distort and flow. They floated in endless darkness, with low murmurs echoing in their ears, sounds like the deepest echoes of the universe, mixed with fear, anger, and despair.
“Where is this…” Wagner frowned. Although his body could still move, his senses had become extremely sluggish. “I can’t feel the passage of time… It’s as if we’ve been detached from reality.”
“This is the true core of the rift,” Selena analyzed calmly. “It has abandoned physical entities and is no longer confined to the rules of physics. This is the ultimate realm where it attempts to completely break free from the laws of the universe.”
“Then we must stop it before it completes its transformation.” Ares gripped the rune sword tightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
Suddenly, the darkness ahead surged, and a colossal figure slowly emerged. The rift was no longer in the form of a giant, but had transformed into a twisted void, its core being an endlessly rotating halo of light, within which flickered the afterimages of countless extinguished stars.
"Guardians..." Rift's voice echoed throughout the space, each word seemingly reverberating directly in their souls, "You should not have come here."
“You have lost this war.” Ares raised his rune sword, its blade gleaming brightly in the darkness. “We have destroyed your core, severed your path to growth. You have no way out!”
The rift was silent for a moment, then its voice was low and mocking, "An escape route? You think I'm running away? No, Guardian, I'm evolving."
In an instant, the dark vortex expanded violently, and countless energy tentacles shot out, rushing straight at the three. Wherever the tentacles passed, space was torn into nothingness, and even the fluctuations of time were swallowed up!
"Get out of the way!" Selena rolled quickly, pulled back the trigger of her sniper rifle, and fired three shots in quick succession. The bullets tore through space, but were completely swallowed up the moment they touched the tentacles, leaving not even a trace of energy!
"Physical attacks are ineffective!" Selena's face darkened. "It is no longer affected by ordinary rules!"
"Then smash it harder!" Wagner roared as he leaped up, his battle axe crackling with violent lightning as he slashed at the tentacles! However, the battle axe only managed to cut into a portion of the crack. The next second, the energy tentacles enveloped the battle axe and began to devour its power!
Wagner's expression changed drastically. He suddenly released his grip, and the battle axe vanished completely within the tentacles!
"My battle axe..." Wagner roared through gritted teeth, "This thing... can devour weapons?!"
Ares's eyes narrowed, and the rune sword in his hand trembled faintly. He took a deep breath and whispered, "It's not devouring weapons, it's devouring 'existence.' Everything we have, once it touches us, will be completely erased."
Selena's expression was cold and stern. "So, normal attacks are completely ineffective?"
“No.” Ares gripped the rune sword tightly, his gaze unwavering. “The rune sword is different; it carries the most primal laws of the universe. It may be the only weapon capable of damaging the rift.”
The rift sensed the light of the runic sword, and its tentacles suddenly contracted, instead gathering into a terrifying energy storm. A violent wave of darkness swept in, shaking the entire space, as if even the universe itself could not withstand this aura of destruction.
"Stop it!" Ares shouted, plunging his rune sword into the ground. A blazing light emanated from the blade, forming a massive defensive barrier.
The dark energy collided with the barrier, instantly causing countless cracks to erupt. The barrier trembled violently and was on the verge of collapse.
"This guy's power is insane!" Wagner gritted his teeth, his body being forced backward by the impact. "We can't hold him off for long!"
“We don’t need to hold out for long.” Selena quickly adjusted the sniper rifle’s mode; her target was no longer the outer shell of the fissure, but the rotating halo deep within its core.
"Ares!" Selena shouted, "The rift's true weakness is its core! We must attack that circle of light directly with the rune sword!"
Ares's eyes were resolute; he knew this was their only chance.
He took a deep breath, gripped the runic sword tightly with both hands, and channeled all his strength into the blade. The sword resonated powerfully, as if responding to his resolve.
“I need your cover,” Ares said in a deep, firm voice. “I must get close to its core and sever its existence with a single strike.”
Wagner and Selena exchanged a glance and nodded without hesitation.
"We'll clear the way for you!" Wagner roared as he charged toward the rift, punching a dark tentacle. Although it didn't cause any damage, it successfully drew the rift's attention.
Selena used her sniper rifle to precisely fire at the outer layer of the fissure, each bullet disrupting its defenses and causing chaos in its energy flow.
Ares seized the opportunity and charged towards the core of the rift!
Sensing the threat, the rift's tentacles surged wildly, attempting to halt Ares's advance. However, each time it touched the rune sword's light, its energy was burned and dissipated!
"You think you can really destroy me?!" The Rift's voice suddenly rose, its core aura spinning violently, unleashing a final destructive storm.
"This time, you can't escape!" Ares roared as he leaped into the air, his rune sword drawing a blazing arc as it pierced straight into the core of the rift!
The moment the blade pierced the core, the entire space seemed to be swallowed by endless light!
The rift emitted a deafening shriek, its core began to twist violently, its massive body collapsed and disintegrated, and countless dark cracks spread outwards, finally disappearing completely in a violent roar!
When the light faded, Ares, Wagner, and Selena found themselves once again standing on the edge of the universe, and everything around them returned to calm.
Wagner, panting heavily, slowly slumped to the ground. "This time... it's finally over, isn't it?"
Selena examined the star chart and found that all the fluctuations in rift energy had disappeared. She looked up, a rare hint of relaxation in her eyes. "The core of the rift has been destroyed, and the laws of the universe are stabilizing."
Ares looked at the rune sword in his hand; the light on the blade flickered slightly, as if in response to his question.
“Perhaps the rift has truly ended,” Ares said in a low voice, but a hint of wariness remained in his eyes.
“Let’s go back,” Selena said with a long sigh. “We need to rest.”
The three boarded the spaceship and headed into the depths of space. Although the rift had been destroyed, they all knew in their hearts that the future of the universe was forever uncertain. And they would continue to act as guardians, facing the next possible challenge.