Chapter 396: Nothing More Than

That's all.

No more reasons are needed.

The optimal solution derived by rational calculation sometimes can't outweigh a moment of unwillingness.

She is Black Tower, a seeker who explores the simulated universe and deconstructs the mysteries of the Star God.

Her "willfulness" is built upon countless instances of turning the tide with power and confidence, even if her strength is limited now.

Her gaze swept downward, briefly intersecting the eyes of the gray‑haired, golden‑eyed girl on the ground.

There were no words, no magical transmission, yet a kind of instinct‑transcending tacit understanding was achieved in an instant.

On A Xing's back of the hand, those bright red Command Spells suddenly flared, then dissipated like burning ash.

A surging torrent of magic, ignoring spatial distance, rushed through the fragile contract conduit about to break and poured into Black Tower's body!

This is the final fuel, A Xing's unwavering trust.

"Hm."

Black Tower let out a light hum, perhaps acknowledging the timely magical replenishment, or perhaps mocking her own "irrational" decision.

She lightly leapt from the Magic Staff beneath her, and the deep violet Lolita skirt unfolded silently in the air.

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers crisply at the spatial rifts still spewing the Antimatter Legion.

"Snap."

Around those space rifts, scattered over low Earth orbit like festering wounds, countless intricate three‑dimensional Magic Arrays composed of violet magical runes instantly materialized!

These Magic Arrays nested layer upon layer, forming a massive Barrier that forcibly sealed most of the rifts' exits!

The newly emerged void troops collided with it as if hitting an invisible wall, and the subsequent legion surge was brutally blocked inside the rifts, emitting a muffled roar!

On the ground, the pressure on Mashu and the others, who had been straining, suddenly lightened!

Although a few rifts remained unsealed, at least the despair‑inducing black tide was temporarily held back!

"Black Tower Lady...!"

Tengwan Lixiang looked up, gazing at the suddenly unfurled, magnificent and awe‑inspiring violet‑black magical net in the sky, feeling an indescribable shock.

Yet this earth‑shaking act, like the brightest beacon, fully captured the attention of all the high‑ups on the Destruction side.

Huan Long's golden phantom tilted its head slightly, looking at Black Tower; under the golden light its face seemed to show a hint of surprise, then turned to a deeper amusement: "Oh? A dying struggle? Or... overreaching provocation?"

Black Tower ignored her mockery.

She gently thrust her Magic Staff, taller than a person, into the void before her.

Where the staff tip touched, the void rippled like a calm water surface struck by a stone, forming clear concentric ripples!

"Use this as the coordinate."

Black Tower murmured softly, and countless complex formulas, models, and spatial parameters streamed through her violet‑black eyes like a waterfall.

The next second, with the Magic Staff as the center, a massive invisible force field that encompassed Black Tower herself, Huan Long's golden phantom, and those Extinction Great Lord projections suddenly formed!

Immediately after, space underwent violent distortion!

"Swish—!"

Those on the ground looking up at the sky felt a flash; Black Tower, Huan Long, and those heart‑pounding phantoms in the sky all vanished!

The violet‑black magical net that had just unfurled also disappeared, leaving only a few unsealed rifts slowly spitting out occasional void troops.

"Where... did they go?!" San Yue Qi was bewildered.

Perspective shift.

The background is endless darkness dotted with distant twinkling stars.

Black Tower's silhouette appears within this void.

Behind her is the beautiful blue‑and‑white life planet—Earth—now looking so tiny and fragile.

Not far in front of her, Huan Long's golden phantom burning with yellow‑black flame, as well as the projections of Fenfeng, Xingxiao, Guiji and other Extinction Great Lords, also emerged, evidently forced by Black Tower's exquisite spatial transposition technique onto this battlefield far from Earth.

Here, the aftereffects of the battle will not directly affect the fragile planet.

Black Tower alone hovers between the planet and Destruction.

Her dark skirt hem fluttered slightly, brown hair spread in the vacuum, and her face showed neither fear nor excitement, only calm.

Even though her internal magic was nearly halved by the recent large‑scale sealing technique and ultra‑long‑range spatial transfer, and even facing multiple Extinction Great Lords—whether real or merely projections—who would normally make a commander stand on guard, her back remained straight and her gaze still disdainful.

Because she is Black Tower.

The 83rd seat of the Genius Club, the Intellect‑destined Command Spell, one of the creators of the simulated universe.

She had rescued civilization from various Destruction crises nineteen times—mostly through remote calculations, providing solutions, crafting miraculous items and the like, indirectly—but this also meant she had long treated "combating Destruction" as a habit, even a challenge worth pursuing.

It's nothing but...

This time the "Destruction" is a bit larger in scale, the "challenge" a bit harder, and it simply requires her to step onto the field herself.

She said nothing, merely watching the other quietly, as if waiting, yet also as if proclaiming.

Guiji moved first; his elegant phantom leaned forward slightly as if saluting, and with an aria‑like voice resonated through the void: "Your admirable resolve and bearing, Black Tower Lady. With a single strength, shielding the world behind you, confronting the tide of Destruction... Such irrational responsibility is truly rare among Intellect‑destined travelers."

Black Tower, expressionless, raised a finger directly, cutting off any further remarks, her voice clear and icy, like colliding ice crystals:

"The first choice."

"Immediately, leave this world. Shut all passages, from where you came, return where you came from. Do not obstruct here."

Huan Long's golden phantom let out a light laugh, the folding fan in hand fluttered, and the yellow‑black flame flickered.

Black Tower glanced at her and raised a second finger:

"The second choice."

"I, as the 83rd seat of the Genius Club, in Black Tower's name—"

Her voice rose sharply, bearing an undeniable proclamation, "I will send all of you, along with the accompanying foot soldiers, back to where you belong. In the manner you understand best."

She withdrew both fingers, crossed her arms, her skirt billowing without wind; despite being at an absolute power disadvantage, her aura seemed as if she alone ruled this place:

Choose.

The vacuum seemed to grow colder.

Under Huan Long's golden light, the face seemed to squint slightly.

Fenfeng's black‑and‑white phantom remained silent, but the great sword in its hand seemed to adjust its angle ever so slightly.

Xingxiao's blindfolded star ring sped up a fraction.

Guiji seemed to stiffen for an instant, then turned into an elusive smile.

He let out a soft sigh, his voice still retaining that unsettling politeness:

"Esteemed Black Tower Lady, your courage is commendable. Yet perhaps we could adopt a different approach. Destruction is not the only path; Intellect also has its brilliance. We are fascinated by this newly discovered… universe. Its Rule, its possibilities, all contain incomparable value. Rather than meeting on the battlefield, why not attempt cooperation? Between the Genius Club and Destruction's… um, some more enlightened factions, perhaps we can find a common foundation for exploration. After all, the acquisition of knowledge need not always be accompanied by the wailing of civilization, would you agree? We could…"

Bang!

A magical projectile edged with violet patterns, with no warning, shot from Black Tower's fingertip, as fast as lightning, straight toward Guiji's face!

Although the projectile was deflected by an invisible Barrier when it neared the Return to Silence Projection, the act itself was already the clearest reply.

Black Tower was even too lazy to rebut with words.

Cooperation?

Cooperating with Destruction factions to explore?

That would be no different than bargaining with a tiger for its skin; the ultimate result would only be the world's secrets being squeezed dry, the Rule twisted, possibilities erased, becoming yet another thing devoured by Destruction.