Chapter 190

Heavy footsteps echoed like muffled thunder through the silent ruin corridor, drawing nearer. Each tremor made Xiang Lingna's heart convulse. The air seemed frozen, the thick stench of corruption mingling with the decayed mildew of the ruin itself, forming a suffocating pressure.

The zero console's pale blue light strained to expand the field of vision. Deep within the corridor, a colossal silhouette slowly emerged.

It was no technological creation of the Furnace, but a monster twisted and animated purely from the ruins of the Wang Ting! Its body was half a broken, massive Shi Zhu, covered in ancient elven runes, standing over five meters tall! Its surface was coated in thick, pulsing dark purple moss and thick, vein-like active roots. Where the column's head should have been, a gigantic, twisted humanoid skull made of countless withered bones and corrupted wood replaced it; hollow eye sockets burned with twin幽green soul flames, and a mouth formed of active vines opened and closed silently, dripping墨green viscous fluid.

Its "arms" were two terrifying limbs forged from broken bridge segments and animated tree roots extending from either side of the Shi Zhu, ending in massive bone nodules like battering rams, each covered in sharp bone spines. Its "lower limbs" were several thick, serpent-like animated roots, writhing to support its massive body and dragging deep grooves across the ground.

This was a terrifying colossus fused from ancient elven architecture, animated flora, and the Doctor's Annihilation corruption! A pure embodiment of power! With every step it took, the ancient stone floor cracked and sank!

"Wang Ting… guardian…" Zero's electronic voice carried an unprecedented Heavy and Solemn tone, "Energy signature… S-class… Physical defense… estimated… immune to conventional energy attacks… Weakness… unknown…"

S-class! Lingna's heart sank to the bottom. The three of them—one gravely injured and unconscious, one exhausted with a shoulder wound, one merely an AI core—how could they fight such a monster?

"Sister Ai Li… take Priestess Liyana and go first! I'll… hold it off!" Lingna gritted her teeth, stepping before Ai Li and Liyana, the dark purple crystal on her right arm blazing with resolute light. Though terrified, Priestess Liyana was behind her—she could not retreat! The crystal arm's hum grew louder, echoing her resolve, and also resonating with the colossus's vast corruption energy; a strange "hunger" began to sprout within the crystal.

Ai Li did not move. She gently laid Liyana behind a relatively flat fragment of broken stone, then swiftly checked her gear: her shock dagger was drained, leaving only a spare alloy short knife, a few high-explosive stun grenades, and… a miniature energy pistol stripped from a Furnace guardian, its energy nearly depleted.

"Together." Ai Li's voice remained Cold and Heavy, yet carried unshakable resolve. She tossed the miniature pistol to Lingna, "Draw… fire. I'll… find an opening."

Lingna caught the pistol—it felt Cold and Heavy in her hand. She met Ai Li's eyes, still sharp and calm beneath the pale blue glow, and nodded firmly.

Boom—

The colossus's massive bone-nodule arm swept toward her with the force of a collapsing mountain, aimed directly at Lingna, who stood at the front! The wind pressure nearly choked her!

"Disperse!" Zero's urgent warning rang out.

Lingna and Ai Li flashed sideways like shadows! The bone-nodule arm smashed into the spot where they had just stood!

Boom!!

Shattered stone erupted like cannonballs! The solid ground was smashed into a deep crater! The shockwave hurled Lingna backward, slamming her into the corridor's stone wall—wound upon wound, her throat turned sweet, blood nearly spilling from her lips.

"Attack!" In the instant the dust billowed, Ai Li appeared like a ghost beside the colossus! Her target was not the solid Shi Zhu body, but the relatively "slender" animated root limbs supporting it! The alloy short knife sliced through the air with a shrill scream, driving deep into the joint of one root!

Hiss!

The knife pierced the corrupted woody tissue, sinking nearly halfway—but the colossus showed no sign of awareness! The struck root whipped violently, hurling Ai Li and the knife away with tremendous force! Ai Li barely adjusted midair, rolled on landing to dissipate the impact, a trickle of blood seeping from her lips.

Lingna gritted her teeth against the pain, raised the miniature pistol, and fired wildly at the colossus's skull burning with幽green soul flames! Bang! Bang! Bang! Several weak energy beams struck its head, vanishing like mud into the sea, leaving only scorched marks on the corrupted moss—and enraging it further!

Roar—!!!

The colossus unleashed a silent soul roar! The air in the corridor instantly turned thick and Cold and Heavy! Lingna felt her soul gripped by a freezing hand—her thoughts slowed, sluggish! The colossus's other bone-nodule arm rose high, casting a shadow of annihilation, crashing down toward Lingna, now frozen by the soul roar!

The breath of death descended instantly!

"Lingna!" Ai Li's eyes bulged with anguish—she tried to rush forward, but it was too late!

At this critical moment! Lingna's right-arm dark purple crystal, sensing the ultimate threat of death and her fierce will to protect Liyana, erupted in an unprecedented, sun-bright radiance! The light was no longer pure dark purple—it mixed with emerald thorn-order and milky starlight! A powerful, chaotic will exploded from within the crystal!

【Protect! Consume!】

Lingna's consciousness was swept up by this violent will—her body moved uncontrollably! Not to dodge, but to charge forward, meeting the descending bone-nodule arm, slamming her blazing crystal arm upward in a block!

Hum—!!!

The crystal arm collided with the massive bone nodule!

No earth-shattering explosion—only a chilling sound of energy annihilation and consumption! The chaotic light from the crystal arm became a miniature black hole, voraciously devouring the colossus's immense corruption energy! The dark purple moss on the bone nodule instantly withered and carbonized! The hardened withered bones and animated wood composing the nodule rapidly disintegrated and dissolved under the chaotic light!

The colossus's幽green soul flames flickered violently, as if experiencing immense pain and threat! It emitted a silent roar, trying to retract its arm—but the chaotic light clung like a parasite, firmly "biting" into its bone nodule!

Lingna suffered too! The violent energy surge made every bone in her body groan; her right arm burned with tearing pain! The crystal's light flickered wildly, as if on the verge of overload and shattering! Worse—the colossus's vast, filthy will surged into her mind like a tidal wave, riding the consumed energy! Countless fragments of ancient elven memories, filled with hatred, agony, and distortion, mixed with the Doctor's cold Annihilation will, slammed into her consciousness!

【Wang Ting… fallen… pain… revenge… key… consume!】 Chaotic thoughts screamed in her mind!

"Ughhhhh!" Lingna screamed in agony, blood seeping from all seven orifices! She felt her body about to burst from the violent energy and chaotic will! The crystal's energy absorption accelerated—its coverage began spreading uncontrollably up her shoulder! Dark purple patterns, resembling ancient elven runes, now surfaced on the crystal's surface!

"Lingna! Let go!" Ai Li's sharp cry came. Seeing Lingna's agony and the crystal's transformation, she rushed forward recklessly, shoving her last high-explosive stun grenade into the gap between the colossus's bone-nodule arm and its Shi Zhu body!

"Zero!"

"Detonate!" Zero's electronic voice echoed in sync!

Boom!!

A violent explosion tore open the connection point! Fire and shockwave erupted! The colossus's bone-nodule arm was finally blasted free from its main body!

Lingna was hurled by the blast, landing beside the unconscious Liyana. The absorption process halted—the violent energy flow and chaotic will surged away, leaving her body hollowed out with weakness and her head split by agony. Her right arm's crystal now covered nearly to her shoulder, its glow dimmed, but the newly emerged dark purple runes stood out like a Brand, radiating an ominous aura.

The Wang Ting guardian, now missing half an arm, let out a silent, furious roar—but its movements were clearly slower, clumsier. Ai Li rushed to Lingna's side, helping her up: "Can you walk?"

Lingna nodded weakly, glancing at Liyana. Suddenly, she noticed—the dark purple crystal on Liyana's forehead had flickered faintly during Lingna's chaotic energy burst? And Liyana's ashen fingers had twitched, ever so slightly!

At that moment, Zero's urgent voice rang out: "Detected… pure natural energy source… strong fluctuation! Ahead! The corridor… ends… there is a door!"

At the corridor's end, through swirling dust, a massive stone door loomed, carved with vine reliefs. At its center, an ancient emblem of thorns and crescent moon emitted a faint, yet exceptionally pure and gentle emerald glow!

That light caused the raging Wang Ting guardian to pause for an instant—the burning soul flames flickered, as if passing through a moment of confusion… and fear?