Chapter 192

The doctor’s will-projection hung high amid the starlight dome, its cold gaze like an invisible shackle, crushing the last remnants of stillness in the stone chamber. His pale fingers, outlined by light, pointed at the emerald primal crystal at the chamber’s center—its pure green glow sustaining the final sanctuary—while an invisible crushing pressure, tangible as a giant hand, gripped the crystal’s gentle aura. The light dimmed and flickered at a visible pace, as if about to snuff out entirely.

【Surrender the key. Offer the vessel. Otherwise, dust of annihilation shall be your eternal fate.】 The cold thought carried no emotion, only absolute dominion.

Lingna froze in place, sweat instantly soaking her tattered clothes. The doctor’s gaze pierced like a cold probe, shattering her soul’s defenses and locking onto her right arm—covered to the shoulder, etched with ominous runes—of dark purple crystal. The key… was that what he meant by “key”? Her mutated power? Or herself? And the vessel… Sister Liyana! Despair surged like a freezing tide, drowning her instantly. Surrender Liyana? Impossible! But if the primal crystal was destroyed, this last refuge would collapse in an instant, exposing them all to the doctor’s torrent of annihilation!

Ali stood before Liyana, her body taut as a drawn bowstring, gripping the last remaining alloy shortblade, her icy eyes fixed on the dome’s projection, searching for any possible flaw. Yet she knew: against this level of will-pressure, physical attack was nearly futile.

Zero’s console hovered beside Lingna, data streams flashing wildly as it attempted to analyze the projection’s energy composition and origin, seeking a way to interfere or sever it. “Will-projection… reliant on… dome starlight crystal network… energy resonance at frequency… forced interference… risk extremely high… may trigger… spatial collapse…”

Risk extremely high… Lingna’s heart sank. Was surrender the only option? Or to watch helplessly as the crystal was destroyed?

At that moment, Lingna’s right-arm crystal erupted in searing pain! Not from the doctor’s pressure—but from within the crystal itself! Under the dual stimulation of the doctor’s annihilation pressure and the pure energy of the primal crystal below, the nascent, ravenous chaotic force within her arm went utterly berserk! It no longer wished to lie dormant, no longer obeyed Lingna’s suppression—like a shark scenting blood, it craved consumption with frenzy.

Its target: the emerald primal crystal, locked by the doctor and radiating irresistible energy.

Hummm—!!!

Lingna’s right arm lifted uncontrollably! Dark purple, emerald green, and milky white—chaotic light swirled violently within the crystal; the etched runes glowed like living things! A powerful, chaotic suction erupted from the palm of the crystal, aimed straight at the primal crystal below!

“No! Lingna! Stop!” Ali cried in horror. What was Lingna doing? Attacking the very core of their only sanctuary?

"Energy... out of control... chaos core... runaway!" Zero's alarm shrieked shrilly.

Lingna herself was terrified! “Stop! Shut down!” she screamed internally, struggling to reclaim control of her arm. But the chaotic will was too violent! Drawn deeply by the primal crystal’s pure, immense energy, it surged like a starving wolf pouncing! An invisible energy channel was forcibly forged between the crystal and the primal crystal! Pure natural energy, like a punctured balloon, began flowing uncontrollably into Lingna’s crystalline arm!

Hssshhh—!

Pure green light clashed violently with the chaotic nebula glow! Lingna felt her right arm roasted on a furnace, as if molten lava was being poured into her veins! The agony tore a piercing scream from her throat! Worse still, two opposing, equally massive energies clashed and tore through her fragile meridians! Spiderweb cracks instantly appeared across her skin, blood seeping out!

Above, the doctor’s will-projection paused briefly. His cold thought carried a flicker of surprise: 【Oh? Trying to devour the primal? Overreaching… key…】

He did not stop her. Instead, he seemed delighted to see her destroyed by her own power. The annihilation pressure locking the primal crystal even loosened slightly—like a cold spectator awaiting the climax of a show.

“Lingna!” Ali, seeing Lingna bleeding from nose, mouth, eyes, her skin cracked and bleeding, could no longer remain calm. She charged forward, reaching to seize Lingna’s out-of-control arm!

“Don’t come near me!” Lingna screamed. Her body and soul felt torn apart! Her arm’s crystal greedily devoured the primal energy, yet her body could not bear it! At that instant, in her mind, a faint but crystal-clear thought—tough as thorns—surfaced like a lifeline: it was Liyana’s final imprint of the Thorn Order, left within her consciousness!

【Guide… not oppose… Order is the vein… Chaos is the flood… Use the vein… to channel the flood…】

Sister Liyana’s voice? Lingna grasped this insight amid excruciating pain! Resistance only accelerated destruction! She ceased trying to suppress the arm’s devouring instinct. Instead, enduring the tearing agony, she focused every shred of her remaining mental strength, attempting to “understand” and “guide” the wild energy flooding her body!

The Thorn Order’s imprint glowed faintly in her mind, forming resilient “veins,” forcibly inserted into the raging chaotic flood. Starlight dust acted as a buffer and lubricant, struggling to harmonize the flow. She no longer trapped the devoured pure energy in her arm—she guided it, like a dam bursting, along the Thorn Order veins, forcing it through her entire body. Some repaired her torn meridians and cracked flesh; the rest… she violently channeled toward the unconscious Liyana!

Since she could not strip away those toxin-like crystals, she would use this violent force to forcibly pour it into Liyana—overwhelming and counteracting the crystals' erosion!

“Eeeeeeeehhhhh—!” Lingna roared, a sound not human. Her right-arm crystal blazed with blinding light, becoming the energy bridge between the primal crystal and Liyana! Vast pure energy, mixed with chaotic traits, surged like a floodgate broken—hammering into Liyana’s body!

Liyana’s body arched violently! Beneath her ashen skin, dark purple veins and emerald light clashed fiercely, as if countless snakes writhed beneath her flesh! The dark purple crystals on her forehead and chest erupted with unprecedented violet resistance, desperately draining her life force to fight the incoming energy torrent! Her body trembled violently, blood flecked with dark purple specks oozing from her mouth!

“You’re insane!” Ali reached her, seeing Liyana’s intensified agony, eyes blazing with fury, ready to strike Lingna down.

“Don’t touch her!” Zero’s electronic voice cut in urgently. “Energy flow… highly unstable… forced interruption… both… will… annihilate!”

Above, the doctor’s will-projection sensed the anomaly. Lingna’s madness was no mere destruction—it resembled… a dangerous gamble? 【Dying struggle… intriguing… but… enough!】 His cold thought turned impatient. The annihilation pressure locking the primal crystal coalesced again, preparing to end this farce once and for all.

Lingna’s consciousness teetered on the edge, battered by agony and energy surges. She felt like a broken ship about to shatter in a storm. The energy flow was too vast; the Thorn Order’s veins flickered like candles in the wind, ready to snap. Liyana’s body seemed at its limit… Had she gambled wrong?

At this critical moment, another transformation occurred!

Beneath Liyana, the soft moss-covered ground suddenly glowed faintly! Ancient runes of thorns and crescent moon flashed once across the earth! A deeper, older will—awakened by the chaotic energy clash and Liyana’s residual Moon Priestess bloodline—stirred silently to life!

Simultaneously, the dark purple runes on Lingna’s right-arm crystal, having absorbed partial primal energy, pulsed and shifted—now faintly resonating with the ancient runes that had just surfaced on the ground!