Chapter 106: Spirit Runes Combat (End)

Chapter 106: Spirit Runes Combat (End)

Red flames bloomed in the dark night.

The attacks, imbued with burning properties, exploded recklessly like fireworks.

The pitch-black sky lit up brighter than midday.

However, in the next moment, under the surging black curtain, these lights and intense heat were completely devoured by the separated black tentacles.

The world fell silent again.

The Dark Spirit Lord's ability—devour.

The black curtain that had just been ignited, which was the body of the Dark Spirit Lord, turned dark again.

This was the ability of rapid regeneration from the Element Star Region.

The Dark Spirit Lord, with his gray-shadowed eyes, gazed at Hilmeth, who was surrounded by flames.

He opened his black mouth and unleashed a super-tier "Soul Fear" at Hilmeth.

With a loud 'boom,' the air compressed and vibrated, creating a massive explosion.

Hilmeth dodged this fatal strike in an instant.

However, the Dark Spirit Lord did not launch just one attack; his open mouth did not close.

With each blast accompanied by soundwaves and air currents, "Soul Fear" continued to fire.

Hilmeth effortlessly dodged the relentless barrage, not a single scratch on him.

With the help of the Soul Guard, his mental energy was greatly enhanced, allowing him to sense energy fluctuations in advance, thus remaining unharmed under the suffocating assault.

In response, the Dark Spirit Lord's body surged, splitting into countless dark spirit bats that swarmed toward the human.

Around Hilmeth, bats formed from the black curtain assaulted him from all directions.

The swarm of bats, emitting ultrasonic vibrations, could have obliterated an entire city in seconds.

However, the bats were halted by the fiercely burning flames.

In the clash of red and black, countless explosions ignited, with fire scattering everywhere.

Hilmeth controlled the flame-based weapons, launching large-scale flame attacks.

Under the intense firepower, even the bats with basic devouring skills could not digest so much energy.

They dissipated into wisps of gray smoke, vanishing into thin air.

Hilmeth noticed the fall of the dark spirit bats.

"It seems that when the energy is overwhelming, anything that can't devour it will be destroyed."

Understanding this, Hilmeth's aura condensed.

His eyes sharpened, his presence as suffocating as the depths of molten lava.

"Let's see if you can handle all this energy at once."

Hilmeth raised his fiery sword high and injected wave after wave of energy into it.

After the infusion of energy, the fiery sword transformed into a giant blade as tall as the sky.

From afar, it looked like a blaze descending from the horizon, or a lighthouse eternally lit in the long night, blazing and bright.

The dark veil was pierced by the flames, creating a gap. The overwhelmingly immense energy prevented the dark veil from closing in or engulfing it.

Hilmeth's silver hair was illuminated red by the flames, as if stained with blood.

"Still not enough."

With a thought, the smaller fiery weapons he had dispersed converged and flew back toward the massive flaming sword.

They circled around the giant flaming sword, rotating like planets around the sun, acknowledging Hilmeth as their master.

The Dark Spirit Lord felt heat. He was hot.

But strangely, as a spiritual form, he shouldn't have been able to feel any temperature.

He sensed the danger, the hidden energy within the flames, and decided to shatter that flame.

The body of the Dark Spirit Lord transformed into chains, into countless tendrils, like fungus-like growths spreading rapidly.

He aimed to strangle the defiant flames, shatter the elusive figure, and consume him entirely.

The entire sky was swallowed by an overwhelming darkness.

The night surged like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf Hilmeth.

Hilmeth's presence surged instantly to its peak.

He raised his gaze and met the Dark Spirit Lord's assault head-on.

"Perfect timing."

With that, he swung the giant flaming sword.

A collision of red and black.

A clash of fire and darkness.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze, and the world fell silent.

In the blink of an eye, the wind rose and clouds surged, sand and stones flew.

The dark veil tore apart, revealing a sliver of the clear sky.

The Dark Spirit Lord's arrogant, writhing chains shattered one by one, turning into ash and disappearing.

The Dark Spirit Lord took the full brunt of the giant flaming sword's strike.

His once-perfect body was cleaved in two. His black body was now burning with flickering flames.

The flames slowly burned more holes through the dark veil.

The light of the sky leaked through the small holes in the dark veil.

And in the end, light broke through.

"Roar!!"

The Dark Spirit Lord let out a tremendous roar.

He was furious beyond measure!

A mere human had dared to damage his body, leaving him in this pitiful state.

Unforgivable.

He would… devour the other!

The black fog-like body churned.

The black curtain, which had just been torn apart, was sealed again by the black fog.

However, a closer look revealed that the black curtain had become more translucent.

The previous slash had inflicted damage on the newly reborn Dark Spirit Lord that wouldn’t heal quickly.

Enraged, the Dark Spirit Lord's body morphed into ten thousand razor-sharp Dark Spirit Spears, wrapped in an ominous and cold aura.

Without a moment's respite, the dark spears rained down on Hilmeth.

In Hilmeth's hand, the fiery sword materialized again, and he swung it swiftly, shattering all the dark spears in front of him.

Behind him was Cang Cheng, and Hilmeth would not yield an inch.

The dark spears came like a torrential rain.

Under such a fierce assault, Hilmeth inevitably sustained some injuries.

His combat suit had been completely devoured by the "devoured" ability, and the curses and slowing effects inherent in the "Dark Spirit Spears" caused Hilmeth's condition to gradually decline.

Yet, Hilmeth's speed in swinging his sword remained unchanged, and the attacks from the exoskeleton furnace continued without pause.

Like a towering tree, scarred but unyielding, he remained steadfast.

'Swoosh.'

A dark spear grazed Hilmeth's neck.

Dark blood flowed out.

Another spear swiftly followed, aiming directly for Hilmeth's heart.

Just as Hilmeth was about to counterattack, he sensed something.

A faint smile curved his lips.

With a thought, he vanished from the spot.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared beside Cang Cheng.

One of the Soul Guard's abilities: displacement.

At that moment, Cang Cheng was enveloped in a mysterious aura.

Golden light shimmered around him, and even his pitch-black eyes glowed with gold.

A warm, yet intensely powerful, golden light.

Cang Cheng reached out and touched Hilmeth's side neck.

The wound left by the dark javelin disappeared instantly.

With just a single glance, Cang Cheng caused the incoming dark javelins to shatter into dust.

The attacker had no chance to fight back in front of Cang Cheng at this moment.

This was the ability of a forbidden spell mage, the Blessing of the Unnamed.

This ability allowed a mage to gain power comparable to a deity for a short time, but it also caused a week-long period of weakness afterward.

The power could only be used once a month.

With the help of the Soul Guard, Cang Cheng had obtained Hilmeth's ability, and his magic source had simultaneously broken through the threshold of a forbidden spell mage.

In this state, he could wield the power of a forbidden spell mage.

Without hesitation, Cang Cheng activated the Blessing of the Unnamed.

In the Siaxi Continent, Cang Cheng would never risk using this spell, as the week-long period of weakness afterward made him vulnerable. He had no one he could trust to protect him during that time.

But here, it was different. Hilmeth was by his side, and he would protect him.

Hilmeth looked at Cang Cheng, whose aura was completely different now. He looked both familiar and strange.

His expression, which hadn't wavered even when facing the Dark Spirit Lord, now showed a slight frown of concern.

"Cang Cheng?"

"It's me. You wouldn't fail to recognize me, right?"

Cang Cheng calmed Hilmeth's unease with a smile.

"Leave the rest to me, Hilmeth."

Hilmeth nodded and stepped back behind Cang Cheng.

In the blink of an eye, Cang Cheng appeared in front of the Dark Spirit Lord.

Despite his small size compared to the Dark Spirit Lord's towering form, Cang Cheng, surrounded by a soft glow, radiated an aura that demanded the respect and awe of everyone present.

A desire to kneel before him, to obey his every command, to become a pawn in his hands…

The Dark Spirit Lord was affected as well. His expression twisted.

His red-gray eyes narrowed sharply.

He was paralyzed by terror, feeling an overwhelming urge to submit to that human's gaze, to surrender everything.

But how could this be!?

He was the Dark Spirit Lord, the master of darkness and spirits. How could he fear a mere human?

The Dark Spirit Lord released a terrifying aura. The dark shroud around him surged like turbulent waves, churning violently.

He gathered his aura, using everything he had to resist the fear instinct.

One by one, spirits draped in black cloaks emerged from the Dark Spirit Lord, once again filling the sky.

Anyone who saw this would feel an overwhelming sense of dread.

However, the moment these spirits looked at Cang Cheng and met his eyes glowing with golden light, they disintegrated into ash in an instant.

Cang Cheng remained calm.

Though a smile lingered on his lips, it was laced with an unsettling coldness.

It was the mastery of life.

A serene control over everything.

"You do not belong here. Vanish from my sight!"

With that, Cang Cheng raised his hand toward the sky.

Golden rune patterns instantly covered the entire sky, illuminating the city shrouded in darkness with a light hotter than day.

In the next moment, a gate to another dimension opened, and countless meteorites from another world filled a part of the sky.

Forbidden Spell - Starfall.

Opening the gate to the starry sky of another dimension, summoning meteorites to cause devastating damage to a designated area, accompanied by debuffs like burning, freezing, tearing, and fear. These debuffs could only be removed by spells of the same tier.

The meteorites were encircled by golden Spirit Runes, lending a mysterious and sacred aura to the breathtaking spectacle.

Beneath the meteor shower, the Dark Spirit Lord's expression was one of terror.

He could not withstand it.

He had to escape, he needed to escape, or he would die!

He used his ability to compress his form into a black feather, attempting to flee.

But Cang Cheng would not give his enemy any chance.

Cang Cheng waved his hand, and thus, the stars fell.

Meteors of all sizes crashed down, emitting a blinding light like a supernova explosion.

Layers of light intertwined, and the booming echoed repeatedly.

Under such a grand spectacle, not even a speck of dust was spared, all melted away in the light.

The sky and earth changed color, and the ground trembled.

The distorted spiritual form tried to escape, but the Dark Spirit Lord had nowhere to run.

No... No!

He hadn't yet risen to power or toyed with humanity. How could he die like this?

The Dark Spirit Lord, who possessed the devouring ability, began to dissolve rapidly upon contact with the light of the stars.

A massive spiritual form, surpassing understanding in strength, only managed to hold out for 2 seconds under the siege of the stars before losing its breath.

With a single thought, the world became desolate.

So simple, and so effortless.

The wind ceased, and the clouds dispersed, brightening the sky.

The presence of the otherworldly stars faded, and aside from sporadic flames and the intense heat, no one could imagine that someone had just controlled the stars to strike down the Dark Spirit Lord.

Only the terrifying aura lingered in the air.

This was... truly awe-inspiring.

It also made everyone feel how insignificant they were.

Everything under the power of the stars was as insignificant as an ant, unworthy of fear.

Lord Cang Cheng's terrifying aura subsided, and he descended from the sky to the ground.

It was only at this moment that the soldiers of the Canglan Star Region were allowed to lift their heads and open their eyes.

The soldiers had not dared to look up before to avoid mental attacks, so they didn't see what exactly had happened here.

However, Hilmeth and the scorching flames, along with the sudden, terrifying presence of Lord Cang Cheng, led them to guess that the fearsome Dark Spirit Lord had been taken down by the general and Lord Cang Cheng working together.

Hilmeth glanced at the devastation in the distance, reminiscent of a comet's impact, and swallowed hard, still shaken by the aftermath.

"Uh... just now, was that a meteor shower?"

Fu Huai gave Hilmeth a not-so-gentle tap on the head. "Shut up."

Fu Huai first glanced at Hilmeth and, drawing courage from the general's composed attitude, dared to face Lord Cang Cheng.

Despite Lord Cang Cheng's faint smile, which seemed harmless enough, the lingering presence and the faint golden hue in his eyes made Fu Huai's soul tremble just from making eye contact.

Fu Huai fought to suppress his fear.

He stepped forward, standing straight in front of Lord Cang Cheng, and saluted. "Thank you, Lord Cang Cheng, for leading the Canglan Star Region to victory!"

The other soldiers, seeing this, also saluted Lord Cang Cheng. "Thank you, Lord Cang Cheng, for leading the Canglan Star Region to victory!"

At the same time, a golden text announced the final results.

"Confirmed that no one in the allied star regions survived.

The Canglan Star Region has achieved victory in the Spirit Runes combat scenarios and is now promoted to a Class B civilization.

The Canglan Star Region gains sovereignty over the Ster Star Region, Element Star Region, and Xila Star Region.

As the Canglan Star Region has been promoted to a Class B civilization for the first time, it is granted a three-year truce. No star region may initiate a Spirit Runes combat scenario against the Canglan Star Region within these three years."

After a century of fierce battles, countless soldiers had given their lives, and finally, the Canglan Star Region was promoted to a Class B civilization.

Everyone was overwhelmed with joy, their eyes brimming with tears.

Whether on the battlefield or back home in the Canglan Star Region, people wept with joy.

Even someone as carefree as Hilmeth was crying like a child on the spot.

"We won, sobbing... We really won."

After the darkness, the dawn finally broke.

*

In the Spirit Runes battlefield broadcast, Sol from the Xila Star Region was defeated by the Elemental Spirit and the skeletal dragon. Just as the people of the Canglan Star Region were about to celebrate their victory, a massive, dark spiritual form began to consume the sky.

Night fell, and the world plunged into chaos as darkness consumed everything.

Even just through the screen, people could feel a chill rising from their souls.

A chill ran down their spines.

Even veterans of large-scale battles had never seen anything like this apocalyptic scene.

"Oh my God! What in the world is that?!"

"Weren't the Xila Star Region and the Element Star Region already destroyed? Why is there still such a horrifying thing appearing?"

"Is our opponent really something that goes beyond scientific understanding?"

"Look, someone in the army just looked at the black mist and spat out blood. Can we even stand a chance against something like that?!"

...

The crowd was anxious and panicked, but they also silently cheered for those fighting on the front lines.

Cang Ye, holed up in a hotel room, was so worried that his exotic skin, usually kept under control by isolating metal, seemed on the verge of losing control and spreading outward.

If Cang Ye had acknowledged his true identity and wasn’t hiding, he should have been the one fighting on the front lines against the unknown alien abilities.

His younger brother, Cang Cheng, shouldn’t have to face such overwhelming danger.

Cang Ye had always looked down on Cang Cheng since they were young because Cang Cheng was tested and found unable to awaken, deemed a little useless.

But now, it was the Cang Cheng he had always looked down upon who saved him while he was in a mutated state, keeping him in human form. And now... Cang Cheng was representing the Canglan Star Region, facing off against terrifying unknown aliens with unpredictable strength.

The weight of the past pressed down on Cang Ye like a heavy stone, bitter and suffocating.

He owed Cang Cheng far more than just an apology...

"You must come back to me safe and sound, little brother."

The people of the Canglan Star Region shared the same sentiment as Cang Ye, their hearts tied to the Spirit Runes battlefield.

They prayed for the people of the Canglan Star Region, cheered them on, and shouted encouragements.

They watched as General Xilimos summoned thousands of fiery weapons, their glow turning his pale eyes red.

When Xilimos realized that the flames were being absorbed by the black mist, he condensed a giant sword that seemed capable of piercing the heavens.

The fire crackled, and immense killing intent, accompanied by scorching flames, turned most of the screen a crimson red.

This left the people of the Canglan Star Region in awe.

"So strong."

"I’ve never seen fire take such a form. My eyes are opened."

"The Admiral's rank as a Spirit Rune Master isn't low, either!"

"One strike like this could obliterate the main planet!"

"Will this attack even work?"

...

Under the anticipation of everyone, Hilmeth swung his sword, piercing through the dark veil.

The light of day leaked down, bringing a ray of hope.

But the light only lasted a moment before the dark veil swallowed the sky again.

"No way... that didn’t do anything?"

"The enemy seems to have the ability to devour and regenerate; this is indeed troublesome."

"If even the Admiral’s full-power strike didn’t work, who else can?"

...

Just when everyone thought things were going south, Cang Cheng stepped forward.

Cang Cheng’s face was as mesmerizing as ever, but shrouded in a layer of faint golden light, it gave people an urge to submit to him.

Huh?

Why does Prince Cang Cheng have these special effects?

Wow.

With just a glance, the Prince annihilated the swarm of bats the enemy had summoned.

Is that what a Spirit Rune Master is capable of?

"This... this is our Canglan Star Region's Prince Cang Cheng!"

"I went along with the crowd and called him weak—what an idiot I was."

"With just a glance, the Prince can wipe you out."

"I feel like Prince Cang Cheng might be a bit stronger than the Admiral..."

"That’s not necessarily true, right? The enemy is immune to physical damage; the Admiral was already amazing to be able to cut the enemy like that."

"I also think the Admiral is more..."

...

While everyone was discussing who was stronger between the Admiral and Prince Cang Cheng, Cang Cheng waved his hand on the battlefield. Then, a giant golden Spirit Rune covered the entire sky.

Following that, meteorites wrapped in golden array patterns filled the sky.

The grandeur of it was as if a planetary invasion was taking place.

Oh my...

People who had been chatting moments ago were now speechless, their jaws dropping.

They wanted to say something, to express their surging thoughts, but the scene before them was so overwhelming that they could not utter a word.

Is this really something a human can do?

Without relying on any thermal weapons, Prince Cang Cheng was able to wave his hand and destroy a planet.

Stars fell, leaving a vast wasteland.

Whatever darkness or exotic beings there were, they left no trace under the meteorites' attack.

All of this felt like something out of a dream.

However, the golden text of the Spirit Runes battle appeared, announcing the victory of the Canglan Star Region, reminding everyone that the catastrophe-like scene was real, that it had truly happened.

The Canglan Star Region had won.

The Canglan Star Region had been promoted to a Class B civilization.

Prince Cang Cheng really did summon the meteorites and destroyed the dark spiritual forms.

The live broadcast lingered on the soldiers, their faces streaked with tears of overwhelming joy.

Cang Cheng descended slowly from the sky, the golden glow still lingering around him, giving off an intense presence.

However, this presence no longer instilled fear in the people of the Canglan Star Region; instead, it brought them peace of mind.

In the hearts of the people of the Canglan Star Region, Cang Cheng was no longer just an acting governing assistant.

He was an unshakable hope, a hero of the Canglan Star Region.

*

Cang Cheng looked at the soldiers who were crying and hugging each other; their cries were raw and heart-wrenching, but deeply moving.

Though Cang Cheng wasn't from the Canglan Star Region, he was moved by the emotions of those around him.

They had won. It was wonderful.

Cang Cheng leaned to one side, putting his full weight on Hilmeth.

He smiled, "We won, Mo."

"Yes, we won."

Hilmeth put his arm around Cang Cheng's waist.

Smoke rose from the battlefield, and the fight was over.

They stood on the charred land, where the remnants of the brutal fight still lingered, but their hearts were at peace.

Cang Cheng thought of something and poked Hilmeth, "Speaking of which, did you think I was going to leave just now?"

What Cang Cheng referred to was when Hilmeth's brows hadn't relaxed since seeing Cang Cheng surrounded by a golden glow.

Through the Soul Guard, Cang Cheng understood the emotions Hilmeth felt at that moment.

Hilmeth's heart was filled with unease.

Hilmeth had exhausted all his strength in the previous sword strike, and being poked by Cang Cheng like that made him a bit unsteady.

He looked away, "No."

"You did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

Hilmeth sighed.

He lowered his head and kissed Cang Cheng's hair, calming him as he looked like he was about to lose it.

"I did feel that you had the ability to leave and felt a bit uneasy. But I didn’t think you would leave me."

Hilmeth held Cang Cheng's hand and placed it on his heart. "Everything I have, everything I am, is for you."

Feeling the strong and sincere beat of the heart under his palm, Cang Cheng felt his heart warm at Hilmeth's sincerity.

Hilmeth's sincerity touched him deeply.

"I’m about to enter my weakened phase. You’ll have to take care of me."

"Alright."

"You’ll take a vacation with me after this."

"Sure."

"Let’s crown Cang Ye as king, and then we can take a trip!"

"I will."

"And after that... we need to strengthen the people of the Canglan Star Region, make them so strong that no matter what other star system they encounter, they can unleash a Starfall."

Hilmeth surveyed the chaotic aftermath before him, pausing for a moment before nodding.

"If we can manage it."

The sunlight gleamed brightly, the landscape stretched endlessly, and the future seemed limitless.

The Canglan Star Region emerged stronger and renewed after the battle, and Cang Cheng and Hilmeth were ready to continue writing their story together.