Chapter 242.1: Blood and Tears, Iron and Steel Part 1

BOOM!!!

The deafening sound of destruction seemed to engulf everything. Above, rainbow light streamed across the heavens and flames raced over the earth as the towering workshop was swallowed by darkness and searing radiance.

A heavy silence consumed that entire realm. The place appeared calm on the surface, but anything in the surrounding area, including ruins, clouds, and even living creatures, could be sliced cleanly apart or simply pulverized into dust without warning.

Everything lost its form as physical matter broke down, dissolving into wisps of smoke or crumbling into ash that was drawn into an invisible furnace, where it could be reshaped or destroyed at will. There was no room for a third party to interfere in the clash between the two craftsmen, nor would there be any more fools reckless enough to interfere.

Smoke from battle rose everywhere. The mortal world had sunk deep into destruction and ruin, unable to break free.

Spring City was collapsing. Whether it was the city itself, now reduced to little more than shattered walls and ruins, or everything the Heretic Cult had spent years reshaping and building up, it was all falling apart. As one supporting pillar after another collapsed, the unseen pressure from Origin grew so tremendous that the city could barely hold together.

The heavens trembled as dark rainbow light flooded the sky. It churned like boiling water as it collided with the Laws of Origin, sending piercing shrieks through the sky.

At the very center of Spring City, the Mortal World Abomination towered between heaven and earth like a Celestial Pillar, looking down with contempt upon Origin’s counterattack and the tide sweeping toward it. It remained utterly unmoved. The airship bathed in firelight rose into the sky amid the deep, resonant hum of metal. Three eyes locked onto it, seeing through everything at once.

“Skyrail?” Changsheng looked puzzled before realization dawned on him. He couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh. “I thought T5 would come after me and teach me a proper lesson. I never expected so many old relics to still be hanging around after all this time!”

No one answered, like they simply didn’t care. Maybe he wasn’t even worth a response.

With a shrill, whistle-like cry, the steel bird that had slumbered for more than two hundred years spread its invisible wings and soared into the sky. Like a phantom that didn’t belong in this world, it passed through all layers of containment, ignoring the shockwaves from the clash between the Great Abomination and the Supreme Benevolence, and once more looked down upon the mortal world. Wherever it passed, it left behind only a dazzling, scarlet scorch mark that lingered long after it was gone.

Changsheng finally saw the figure behind the cracked windshield. A young man sat in the pilot’s seat, his body nearly torn apart and his life hanging by a thread. There was something strangely familiar about him.

It was Ji Jue, his gaze cold and utterly calm as he stared back. Those indifferent eyes merely swept past Changsheng before turning toward somewhere higher and farther away—to the heavens, where streams of dark rainbow light churned, shifting in bewildering patterns.

The divine essence of the Great Abomination manifested and circulated within them, and whenever it collided with the Laws of Origin, it unleashed piercing reverberations through the sky. It felt as if the world was falling apart. The clashes were blindingly bright and deafeningly loud.

“Shut up,” Ji Jue said.

The thunderous sounds ceased. That same eerie silence from before descended and enveloped everything once more. The rainbow light surging across the sky was blotted out abruptly, and the entire world dimmed.

Alongside Ji Jue’s words, it looked as though an invisible palm had risen from the earth, spreading its fingers wide enough to cover the land and blot out the heavens. For a single moment, the entire world froze as silence reigned, but the familiar wails and cries in his ears only grew louder.

As he looked down upon everything from above, he found it all painfully familiar. Once the city of old had gone up in flames and all its disguises and pretty facades had been stripped away, the bustling mortal world revealed what had always lain beneath—hell. It was no different from what he had seen in his nightmares. He had merely gone from one hell to another.

Perhaps Jian Yuan had been right. Everything Ji Jue had seen during the Illumination Rite had been a reflection of his true nature. That was precisely why Ji Jue could see a world like this and why he could hear those echoes of despair. Those wails and cries had come from the past, from beneath that burning sky, from the dead of Spring City who had long since passed away, and from his very soul.

From beginning to end, they had always been together, born from the same raging fire, buried within the same darkness, reduced to ashes by the same flames, only to fall into the same hell. Not once had they ever truly been apart. And when they embraced one another, they wept. That was why he could hear their cries so clearly.

But...

Ji Jue closed his eyes and let out a weary sigh.“Why are you crying for me?”

Have I ever shown you mercy? Have I ever given you anything?

No one answered.

BOOM!!!

A tremendous shockwave shattered the frozen stillness. The world lurched back into motion, and its destruction resumed, now beyond all hope of stopping. Beneath the flowing rainbow light, the Mortal World Abomination aughed wildly as it reclaimed everything that rightfully belonged to it and once more seized control of all.

The sheer might of Skyrail was terrifying indeed. Unfortunately, its power had fallen into the wrong hands. Ji Jue couldn’t bring out even a ten-thousandth of what it was truly capable of!

But he no longer cared. Once again, he reached out toward that distant hell, toward the place where the weeping came from, as if to tell them, “I’m here!”

Illusory flames rose from the earth. They spread everywhere, flaring wildly until they swallowed all of Spring City, yet they gave off no heat at all. Endless ash rained down from the heavens, blanketing the sky and covering everything below, but none of it could be touched. It felt as though the gates of hell had been thrown open.

Then came the wails that no one had cared about, the cries that no one had heard before. They rose in waves, echoing in every ear and welling up within every soul. Amid the raging flames and anguished cries, countless spirits looked up toward the blazing radiance in the heavens, which was as brilliant as the sun. Scarlet tears streamed down their cheeks and fell into pools of blood beneath them.

And so, from the ruins and ashes, numerous invisible hands emerged from beneath the pall of blood and death. They reached out and clasped those hands tightly, even though there was nothing there to hold.

A piercing note unlike anything before echoed across the heavens. Ripples weaved through the air, spreading until they engulfed everything, while boundless radiance poured down upon the mortal world like a torrential rain.

Under the influence of Total Network Control and sustained by an endless supply of spirit matter, the Pacifier matrix spread, expanding farther and farther. It ran far beyond its limits, burning until it glowed red-hot.

Deus Ex Machina manifested on a scale never seen before! For a fleeting moment, the light of salvation swept through hell, carrying this gift into every tightly clasped hand, and with it came one final blessing. “You are free.”

The world went quiet. The instant the illusions of flame and ash vanished, no one felt even the slightest sense of relief. Instead, an unprecedented dread and suffocating pressure welled up within their chests.

Inside the sanctuary, the followers of the Heretic Cult turned around in bewilderment. “What was that sound?”

No one answered. A wisp of dust rose from the shadows and danced frantically through the air as the earth shook and countless scattered noises converged into a roaring tide that surged forth.

Along the ruined street, a dust-covered lamp flickered. A blinding scarlet light flared within its shattered bulb. Like the ravenous gaze of a dead soul staring out from hell, it fixed its gaze upon them and never looked away.

Then came the screech of metal grinding against metal. Beneath rusted, shattered vehicle shells, long-dead engines blared back to life. Thick, acrid smoke billowed from within and spread through the air. It was as though an invisible vitality had seeped into the lifeless things, bestowing mercy upon them and allowing the steel creations that had lain dormant in darkness to awaken once more. They opened their eyes and looked upon the hell that had created them.

“H-help...” On a grocery shelf, a shattered radio crackled back to life. Harsh static filled the air as it carried the lingering echoes of the dead, their voices choked with anguish as they demanded, “Why... why...”

No one answered.

And so the wailing grew louder and louder until it turned into hysterical shrieks.

From hidden corners and narrow crevices, from desolate streets, chaotic battlefields, and raging flames, scarlet lights flickered to life one after another. Every corner of Spring City and every realm within it lit up once more. Scarlet lights flickered on, stretching endlessly into the distance, as if unseen blood had begun coursing through the city’s veins, spreading to every corner.

The piercing noise of grinding metal echoed from all around. From the cracks and seams of every machine, thick blood gushed forth and spread.

As the weeping continued, sparks flew in the air. Rusted metal shells split apart, and faces and claws covered in corrosion rose from within, letting out savage howls.

A Heretic Cult follower, caught completely off guard, turned around in shock, only to be knocked to the ground a moment later.

Among the abandoned machines and heaps of scrap metal, aberrant monsters crawled out. They shrieked madly as they lunged forward, jaws snapping as they tore into flesh, gnawing wildly at whatever they could reach and flailing their newly formed claws and fangs as they gorged themselves on flesh and blood.