Chapter 85: The Star Core's Dirge, the Thorns' Sacrifice, and the Countdown to Annihilation

At the core region of the Stardust Vortex, the milky-white radiance of order was so dense it resembled a river of liquid light. Lin Mo rode the thorny root tendrils forming a sea of stars, pushing the propulsion pack's output to its absolute limit, transforming into a comet woven from four-colored light, and slammed headlong into those main roots that pulsed like the blood vessels of an abyss! The tip of the "Leyline Arbiter" burned with the blue light of the Order Anchor, the earthen yellow of the Thorn Will, the dark purple of the Corruption Mark, and the newly absorbed white of stardust—converging into a single point of chaotic edge where destruction and protection coexisted!

The will of the Rotclaw let out a silent shriek! Rainstorm-like purple-black flying needles and several condensed beams of rotting death-light instantly swallowed Lin Mo's figure!

Boom boom boom——!!!

An indescribable, terrifying collision of energy exploded at the vortex's core! Blinding light devoured everything in an instant! The milky-white stardust was torn, annihilated, and corrupted by the violent energy! The raging shockwave burst outward in a ring, brutally shoving aside the churning stardust turbulence around it, forming a brief, absolute vacuum zone!

Lin Mo felt only as if he had crashed into a wall of sighs made of hundreds of millions of poison-tempered steel needles! The thorny root tendril domain was instantly torn into a thousand holes by the death-light and flying needles! The propulsion pack let out a heartrending wail of overload and disintegrated completely in the explosion! The thorny steel armor shattered like paper, exposing the skin beneath, scorched black by energy! Agony surged over his entire body like a tsunami, every inch of flesh and bone crying out!

Yet the sword in his hand did not stop! That chaotic force he had forcibly guided and fused burst forth with unimaginable tenacity at the brink of life and death! The point of chaotic edge on the sword's tip, like a red-hot drill bit, savagely pierced into the thickest of the Rotclaw's main roots!

Hisss——!!!

Like a scalding branding iron plunged into rotting flesh! The piercing sound of dissolution mingled with the frenzied splashing of purple-black pus! The incomparably tough outer skin of the main root was forcibly torn open! The highly concentrated essence of rot forming its core was exposed!

"Now!" Lin Mo roared in his heart, pouring his final strength, along with the protective obsession for his homeland buried deep in his soul, entirely into the sword's tip! The blue light of the Order Anchor resonated with the remaining power of order within the Stardust Vortex, transforming into the sharpest blade of purification, savagely twisting into that exposed essence of rot!

Roar——!!!

From the depths of the void came the Rotclaw's roar of agony pushed to the extreme, a soul-tearing howl! The struck main root spasmed violently, withered, its purple-black glow rapidly dimming! The rate of corruption across the entire Stardust Vortex stalled!

But the Rotclaw's counterattack followed in quick succession! The other main roots that had not been struck writhed madly, even more violent rotting energy surging along the tendrils, attempting to repair the wound! Several new tentacles probed out from the shadows of the wreckage, carrying the madness of mutual destruction, and whipped viciously at Lin Mo's already shattered body!

"Boss!" came Wrench's despairing howl. He manipulated the probe case, converting the last of its energy into several feeble interference beams aimed at the tentacles—but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree!

At this hair-raising critical moment—

Hum!!!

A deep, vast wave of energy, carrying endless sorrow and the will to protect, suddenly erupted from deep within the massive Ark-7 wreckage behind Lin Mo! This wave was so intense it instantly overwhelmed the Rotclaw's roar and the thunder of energy! The thick stardust crystals covering the wreckage's surface flaked off one after another, revealing the metal structure beneath, covered in cracks yet still flowing with faint blue light! A massive, energy-formed, crack-covered geometric phantom of blue light flashed briefly above the wreckage!

The same source as the Sanctuary Core! The lingering will of Ark-7!

This wave was not an attack, but condensed into a focused blue beam carrying a sense of absolute resolve, like guidance transcending time and space, and instantly sank into Lin Mo's body! The beam brought no energy, but delivered a clear stream of information, like a final entrustment:

【……core……meltdown……irreversible……】

【……stardust……pure……coordinates……】

【……key……protect……】

【……detonate……core……purify……】

【……thorns……please……】

Within the information stream, a precise coordinate point was branded deep into Lin Mo's consciousness—the location of a piece of unpolluted, highest-density pure stardust crystal at the deepest part of the Stardust Vortex! At the same time, instructions on how to guide the final energy of the wreckage's core to perform a self-destructive detonation were equally clear!

The lingering will of Ark-7, at the final moment, chose to sacrifice itself, pointing out a path of survival for Lin Mo and creating an opportunity to purify the Rotclaw!

There was no time to hesitate!

Borrowing the brief clarity and strength brought by the blue beam, Lin Mo fiercely hurled the "Leyline Arbiter" from his hand! The warblade transformed into a streak of dark-gold flowing light, precisely shooting toward the coordinate marked in the information stream—that fist-sized chunk of stardust crystal, radiating the ultimate milky-white brilliance, drifting amid the chaotic energy!

At the same time, enduring the agony of a soul being torn apart, he mixed the self-destruction command transmitted by the Ark's will with his own final spiritual power, and along the faint same-source resonance with the wreckage, slammed it viciously into the depths of the wreckage!

"In the name of the Thorns—Purify!"

Hum——!!!

The Ark-7 wreckage shuddered violently! An unprecedented intense blue light erupted from its core region! The rotting tendrils covering its surface, like insects thrown into boiling oil, writhed madly, withered, and snapped! Within the wreckage, an uncontrolled, destructive energy storm was forcibly ignited!

The will of the Rotclaw let out a roar of shock and fury, attempting to sever its connection with the main roots and withdraw its power!

But it was too late!

Boom——!!!!!!!!!!!

An energy storm thousands, millions of times more terrifying than any previous explosion erupted with the Ark-7 wreckage as its epicenter! The blue light instantly devoured all the rotting tendrils entwined upon it, devoured large swathes of corrupted stardust around it, and even swept up the tentacles pursuing Lin Mo! The destructive shockwave, like the storm of the universe's birth, swept across the entire Stardust Vortex!

Lin Mo was hurled violently outward by this terrifying explosion at point-blank range! His consciousness instantly plunged into darkness, feeling only his body being torn and tumbled like a rag doll in the violent energy turbulence. In his final perception was the image of the "Leyline Arbiter" successfully piercing that pure stardust crystal, and Wrench's heartrending shout, drowned out by the explosion……

Inside a distant observation station.

The massive ring-shaped screen before the Doctor was instantly swallowed by blinding white light! The light point representing the Ark-7 wreckage vanished completely! The energy readings for the Rotclaw's root tendrils plummeted like a cliff! The curve representing Lin Mo's vital signs fluctuated violently, dropping into the critical red line!

【Warning: Ark-7 wreckage (core cabin section) signal lost……destruction confirmed!】

【Rotclaw (Annihilation Unit) secondary root tendril network damage rate: 87.3%……energy siphon interrupted!】

【Target individual (Lin Mo) vital signs: critical……energy response: chaotic……continuously declining……】

【High-purity pure stardust energy response detected……leaving battlefield……】

【Seed of Annihilation activation status: energy fill complete (100%)……target carrier near death……activation condition critical……】

The Doctor's fingertip, hovering over the blue button, finally descended steadily, pressing down on the command for 【Forced detonation of "Seed of Annihilation"】! A cold, emotionless electronic synthesized voice rang out:

【Final Annihilation Protocol……initiating……】