Chapter 320: Showdown

The dark vortex devoured everything, its fierce tearing force nearly ripping the crowd apart.

Zhang Cheng clutched the hand of Guangming Shizhe tightly, and with his other hand he grasped Xingyun Zhizhe's arm, forming a fragile lifeline.

After merging with dark power, Lei ou became like a demon god from hell; he cackled, and each punch he threw carried a destructive aura, warping space itself under his might.

Xingji Xiake brandished his energy blade, engaging Lei ou in close combat.

His movements were swift as lightning, each strike precise and powerful, yet they struck as if against unbreakable steel, unable to budge Lei ou in the slightest.

Ma Ke wielded a heavy energy cannon, providing fire support for Xingji Xiake.

The booming cannon fire was deafening, the energy beams tore through the air, but only rippled the layers of Lei ou's dark shield.

"His defense is too strong!" Ma Ke roared, increasing the barrage, yet the effect was minimal.

At that moment, a slight misalignment appeared in the coordination between Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke.

Ma Ke's energy cannon was meant to target Lei ou's head, but due to Xingji Xiake's sudden dodge, it struck Lei ou's shoulder.

Though the hit caused Lei ou pain, it enraged him, making him even more ferocious.

Lei ou let out a deafening roar, dark energy surged like a tide, hurling Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke into the air.

Ma Ke crashed heavily to the ground, a spray of fresh blood gushed out, clearly gravely wounded.

"Ma Ke!" Xingji Xiake shouted, trying to rush forward, but Lei ou's dark energy blocked the way.

"It's all because of you! If you hadn't dodged, I would have hit his vital spot!" Ma Ke cried out in pain, his eyes full of anger and blame.

Xingji Xiake was filled with self‑reproach and guilt, bowing his head in silence.

"Stop arguing!" Zhang Cheng bellowed, "Now is not the time for infighting!"

He turned to Xingyun Zhizhe, "Zhizhe, do you have any solution?"

Xingyun Zhizhe furrowed his brows, continuously calculating, muttering under his breath.

Suddenly, he lifted his head, a glint flashing in his eyes: "I've got it! His power stems from negative emotions; we must counter him with positive energy!"

"Positive energy?" Guangming Shizhe asked, puzzled.

Xingyun Zhizhe nodded, "Exactly, we need…"

Before he could finish, the starship shuddered violently.

"What's happening?" Zhang Cheng exclaimed.

A voice crackled from the communicator, "Captain, we're under attack!"

"Attack? Who?"

"It's… it's…" the voice stammered, trembling with fear, "It's… Ping… Ping‑shi…"

The fragmented voice finally cleared: "It's… Ping‑shi, the one who only handles long‑range attacks—Jie Ke!"

Everyone was shocked.

A small craft streaked in like a loosed arrow, careening recklessly toward the dark‑energy‑shrouded Lei ou!

Its tail expelled dazzling blue flame, its speed astonishing.

In the cockpit, Jie Ke's face was resolute, his eyes flashing with a death‑defying light.

"Madman! Is he crazy?" Ma Ke clutched his chest, shouting in disbelief.

Jie Ke was usually silent, focusing solely on operating the starship's turret; no one expected him to act so wildly at this critical moment.

As the craft rushed toward Lei ou, everyone realized its nose glowed with dangerous red light—a homemade ultra‑strong energy bomb!

Lei ou seemed to sense the danger, letting out an angry roar; dark tendrils, like octopus arms, erupted wildly from his body, trying to seize the fast‑approaching craft.

Jie Ke piloted the craft, weaving between the dark tendrils as if dancing on the edge of death.

He calmly controlled the craft, evading attack after attack, while his fingers pressed firmly on the trigger.

Boom!

A earth‑shaking blast erupted, and the craft exploded before Lei ou!

Blinding white light instantly engulfed everything, the shockwave sweeping forward like a tsunami.

When the white light faded, everyone saw Lei ou being knocked back repeatedly by the bomb's force; the once‑imperious dark shield now bore multiple cracks.

He was scorched in many places, his dark energy turned chaotic, clearly Jie Ke's reckless strike had dealt him serious damage.

Jie Ke…

Xingji Xiake muttered to himself, his eyes full of shock and admiration.

"Now!" Zhang Cheng's gaze hardened, and he clenched his fists.

At Zhang Cheng's command, everyone surged forward like tigers descending a mountain, unleashing all their might in a final assault on the wounded Lei ou.

Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke locked eyes, the previous misunderstandings and barriers dissipating in the face of death.

Ma Ke, gritting through the pain, raised the heavy energy cannon again, providing precise fire cover for Xingji Xiake.

Xingji Xiake moved like a leopard, agile between Lei ou's dark tendrils under the cannon fire, seeking a lethal opening.

Psionic Li li waved both hands, strands of psionic light coiling around Lei ou's body like spirit serpents, disrupting his movements.

Mechanic A li operated the repaired mechanical arm, constantly harassing Lei ou, preventing him from concentrating.

Even Jie Ke, the starship gunner usually handling communications, endured the lingering shockwave from the blast, maneuvering the starship's secondary cannon to strike Lei ou from afar.

Under the combined assault, Lei ou's dark shield finally gave way, shattering completely.

He let out a resentful roar, his body beginning to convulse violently.

Xingji Xiake seized the moment, driving the energy blade hard into Lei ou's chest.

"Ah!" Lei ou let out a mournful scream as his body rapidly dissipated into specks of starlight.

His soul, full of resentment and unwillingness, was also utterly extinguished in the struggle.

"We won!" the group shouted, the joy of survival spreading across everyone's faces.

However, before anyone could fully relax, a sudden anomaly erupted.

As Lei ou dissipated, the dark power he had previously released lost control, spreading wildly in all directions like a runaway wild horse.

Wherever the dark energy passed, space warped and all things withered, as though the apocalypse had descended.

"This is bad! The dark power has gone out of control!" Xingyun Zhizhe's expression changed drastically.

At that critical moment, Xingling xue zhe stepped forward.

He walked over to the device, his hands moving swiftly across the control panel as he murmured incantations under his breath.

Xingyun Zhizhe immediately joined in as well; working together, the two harnessed the device's power to absorb and convert the rampaging dark energy.

The device emitted a dazzling radiance, like an enormous vortex, drawing in every trace of the surrounding dark energy.

Inside the device, the dark energy was transformed into pure energy that nourished the surrounding space.

Seeing this, everyone's suspended hearts finally eased.

Zhang Cheng took a deep breath and turned to look at Guangming Shizhe…

The joy of victory filled the air; Guangming Shizhe could no longer contain the excitement in her heart and rushed toward Zhang Cheng, burying herself in his broad chest.

Zhang Cheng held her tightly, feeling the warmth and softness in his embrace; the relief of surviving the ordeal and their deep affection for each other intertwined, becoming a wordless language that flowed between them.

Xingji Xiake and Mark punched each other on the shoulders, their faces brimming with hearty smiles; their earlier friction and misunderstandings had long since vanished, and the life-and-death battle they had shared made them cherish their camaraderie all the more.

Xingyun Zhizhe and Xingling xue zhe stood together, quietly exchanging their views on the changes to the device; their eyes gleamed with the light of intellectual curiosity, filled with a thirst to explore the unknown secrets.

Psionics practitioner Li li and mechanic A li also high-fived each other in celebration; though they had not taken part in the final battle directly, they had still contributed their own strength to the team's victory.

After a brief celebration, everyone turned their gazes back to the device.

The once-cold metal surface now radiated an eerie pale violet glow, flickering unsteadily as if breathing.

The space around the device had also begun to warp slightly, as though some invisible force was surging within.

"What… is going on here?" Mechanic A li pointed at the device, his voice filled with confusion.

Everyone moved closer to the device; Xingyun Zhizhe reached out a hand, wanting to touch that layer of pale violet light…

"Wait!" Xingling xue zhe suddenly grabbed Xingyun Zhizhe's arm. "Something doesn't feel right."

Xingyun Zhizhe looked at Xingling xue zhe in confusion, only to see him wearing a grave expression, his gaze fixed on the device as he said word by word, "This light… seems… to be alive…"