Chapter Fifty-Four: A World Transformed

Sico kept listening to the reports, his expression gradually growing grim. The upheaval persisted, and if it continued like this, it was estimated that within a week, the world would suffer irreparable damage. The creatures inhabiting it likely wouldn’t survive until then.

Sico was growing restless. Though this world was but a drop in the bucket for the Silver Tower School, its value was unimaginably vast to ordinary powers or individuals. They had been sent here to smoothly receive this world; if its worth diminished under their watch, no one could bear the responsibility.

“Observation Chamber, activate full power operations. Report any sign of disturbance to me immediately. Begin preheating the World Membrane Permeation Device—I might need it at any moment. Action squads, stand by and bring the World Node Stabilizer…”

Listening to Sico’s string of orders, Moritz hesitated, but ultimately said nothing. The speculation was too incredible, even he could hardly believe it. Yet if the world suffered irreparable losses, everyone in the fleet would be held accountable.

…

Within the tangled domains, the battle between the two continued.

Lando was enveloped in dense elemental forces. Outwardly, he appeared unscathed, but his spirit was fatigued. Prince Sandy maintained his elegant bearing, thick world power and the wishes of the people swirling around him, his aura stronger than at the outset.

“You must have felt it, haven’t you? I am growing stronger, while the world’s rejection of you intensifies!”

“Oh? I could fight like this all day!”

Suddenly, the entire world shook violently. Both domains wavered, cracks beginning to appear.

Both their expressions changed.

Lando thought: So domains have this vulnerability?

Prince Sandy’s face darkened for a different reason: only now did he realize their battle was pushing the world to the brink of destruction.

Prince Sandy murmured in bewilderment, “How could this happen? How… ‘I saw the demon’s cruel grin, heard the devil’s whispers, mountains of corpses and seas of blood covered the kingdom, souls in agony filled the world.’ Why? I should have stopped all this, why?”

Seeing Prince Sandy lost in despair, Lando wasted no time. In an instant, he appeared beside Sandy and slashed down. Endless elements imbued his sword, and with a single strike, he shattered Sandy’s defenses. The blade grazed his body, nearly cleaving Prince Sandy in two.

Boom!

Prince Sandy crashed to the ground, his eyes empty. The wounds to his body paled in comparison to those to his spirit.

To save this world, he had forsaken his beloved mentor, abandoned the kingdom that raised him, and let go of the loyal subordinates who revered him. In the end, it was he himself who brought the world to ruin.

Indeed, though their battle’s aftermath was fierce, the root cause of the world’s collapse was Sandy’s extraction of its power during combat.

A world’s stability depends on its world power. If it becomes insufficient, the world’s equilibrium falters—manifesting as frequent earthquakes, raging storms, radical environmental changes, and so on.

Realizing this plunged Prince Sandy into instant despair.

Lando looked at Prince Sandy, whose eyes now brimmed with death’s longing, and frowned. He was no bloodthirsty warrior, nor did he insist on killing his opponent in open combat, but this manner of victory left him with a subtle sense of dissatisfaction.

The sword’s edge gently traced Sandy’s neck, and the head that once carried the world’s hopes rolled slowly away.

There was no question of letting him go. Encountering such an enemy in a world of immortals would warrant a thorough destruction: bones ground to dust, soul eradicated and passed on.

Once the system extracted Prince Sandy’s soul, Lando finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This world journey had yielded immense rewards. The only regret was that he’d yet to encounter a purple soul. If even Prince Sandy lacked one, then such a soul likely didn’t exist here, and in future worlds of similar rank, he needn’t go out of his way searching.

Just as Lando was about to consult the system—

Boom!

The world trembled again, more violently than during his battle with Prince Sandy.

Lando looked up sharply. A pitch-black fissure had appeared in the sky, its darkness exceptionally deep, streaked with colorful radiance.

While he was still bewildered, the world shook again—this time the interval much shorter than before. The fissure expanded tenfold in an instant, and behind it, three immense shadows began to emerge.

Lando did not notice that, when the world first trembled, the [Listening (Green)] talent—which had never activated for him, leaving him at a loss—began to glow faintly.

With each intensifying quake, the light of [Listening (Green)] grew ever brighter.

Boom—crack!

The sky seemed to tear open, turning utterly black. Three massive warships appeared, boldly invading this world that was already fragile beyond repair.

At the same time, the brilliance from [Listening (Green)] seemed to reach its peak and burst forth.

Buzz!

A strange sound echoed in Lando’s ears. Drawn by it, his mind grew hazy, his thoughts elevated, and he entered a peculiar place.

“Where is this…?”

At that moment, Lando felt as if he were in a dream, his thoughts drifting and sluggish. He shook his head, trying to clear it, but it was of little use.

Driven by instinct, he continued walking ‘forward’.

…

“Captain, the World Membrane Permeation Device is now shut down. The warship is descending upon the world.”

“Special action squads, deploy immediately. Take the World Node Stabilizer with you. Do your best to recover what’s lost.”

“Yes! Special action squads acknowledge the command!”

Sico was speechless. He had thought this would be an easy chance to earn merit, but now, a full report would be unavoidable upon return.

“By the way, Moritz, you have a student in this world, don’t you? Should I ask the Observation Chamber to search for his signal, or would you prefer to find him yourself?” Sico turned to ask. If there were any secrets he’d rather keep, it would be better to search personally.

Moritz sighed. “Help me search, please. Given the gravity of the situation, it’s best to locate him first.”

“Alright. Say, do you think this world’s upheaval has anything to do with that kid? Your branch is famous for stirring up trouble! Ha!” Sico teased Moritz.

Moritz raised his brow, then replied irritably, “That kid’s hardly strong enough. He hasn’t even fully condensed his Arcane Furnace yet. Even if he’s prone to trouble, it’s enough if he can just survive this chaos!”

“Haha, true enough!”