A different world game? A different world game!

At the same time the order was issued.

Alyris's gaze swept intently over the light screen representing the alchemy laboratory.

"Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Laboratory—Calvin!"

"Command: Activate all available 'prototypes' immediately! Deploy Iron Flower technology verification units to key nodes on the main continent! Prioritize the energy supply and spatial anchoring of the Lightbringer Legion's defensive line!"

"Calvin received! Experimental access handle unlocked! Full support from the lab!" Calvin's voice came through the background mechanical roar.

Finally, her gaze fell upon the window of the Great Library.

"The Great Librarian—Poport!"

"Command: Release the highest level 'Tranquility Guardian' spell array sequence! Prioritize covering all major city teleportation points and shelter entrances! Dispel the Void Whispers' corruption!"

"Activate all recorded 'Ancient Watchers' knowledge defense barriers, link them to the core of the Ring Tower, and resist the corruption of the Void Will!"

"Knowledge is a shield! It must not be lost!"

"The shield of knowledge has been raised! In the name of our collection, we protect the mind!" Popper's slightly sharp but unwavering voice rang out.

At this point, all other plans must be halted; the first wave of Void Vanguard tentacles needs to be stopped.

Like precise gears, each command meshed and began to turn instantly under the control of Alyris's will.

The massive war machine of the City of the Ring Tower, which had rehearsed the apocalypse countless times, roared into action amidst deafening void alarms and blinding red lights, carrying the resolute determination to end the end times.

The responses on the communication channel rose and fell, cold and efficient, like the echo of a hammer striking steel.

The fortress of order, the Night's Watch will face the surging torrent of nothingness.

In the command seat, deep within Areris's blood-red eyes, reflected the crimson dots of light that filled the globe, a barely perceptible anxiety deeply suppressed within them.

The Abyss... Kana's side is just the initial vanguard. Does Kana need to take action personally?

Areris was pondering.

After Cana became a god.

He had already explained to everyone in detail the stages of the void invading a world.

At the very beginning, the most distant tentacles will inevitably be the simplest probes.

These simple tentacles may have already explored the world hundreds or even thousands of years before the apocalypse began.

The void is not an individual entity, but a cluster. These clusters, when gathered together, are absolutely colossal in the size of the astral plane. Their combined volume is even larger than most worlds.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have become the embodiment of destruction, the real-world manifestation of the rule of destruction.

But the world is perhaps lucky.

The initial tentacles only began to reach out in the last few hundred years.

And they are all extremely rare, you can count them on one hand.

These very few were stopped by the Night's Watch very early on.

Even at that time, the talent pool for night watch was just beginning to emerge.

The largest crack was torn open by that damned shadow.

Therefore, the Void invasion during this phase has always been under control.

No, it can't even be called an intrusion.

At most, it can only be considered as if the void glanced over.

And now, it's the countdown to the end of the world.

The true vanguard has arrived.

The tentacles of the void began to reach out densely, opening one rift after another, releasing void creatures to influence the entire world, and then deconstructing and identifying the information of this world.

The vanguard of the void will increase until it reaches a certain point and then stabilizes.

But this stability won't last long.

Of course, the so-called stability here also means that the vanguard's invasions are not stopping, only that they will not increase.

The notion that it won't last long is only from the perspective of the astral plane.

For the world, this is twenty or thirty years.

Then the main body arrived.

The real invasion of the front end has begun, on a large scale, worldwide. The barriers of the world will be torn open one after another in an instant, and the gates of the void will open everywhere.

Such intrusions will come one after another.

Until the climax, when the entire world is enveloped by the void.

This climax will continue.

The void will invade endlessly, and unless the world is destroyed, only the shell will be swallowed up.

But the void never stops.

When the world truly blocks the way, and continues to resist until the void departs, then the apocalypse will be successfully avoided.

This is the entire process of the Void Invasion.

And it's not even the beginning yet.

Kana must have received the news, but he did not return from the Abyss, nor did he even request a reduction in supplies to the Abyss.

That means we have enough confidence in them.

Thinking of this, Alyris breathed a sigh of relief.

Now is the time for the Night's Watch to prove themselves.

They must succeed, and it must be a resounding victory.

Only in this way can we give enough confidence to those in the world who fear the end of the world and the void.

…………

Outside town.

The first breach in the vanguard.

The rift in the void, like a blasphemous maw, suddenly opened and spewed out the first wave of filth.

Those were not enormous, terrifying beasts, but countless low-level, twisted beings.

"Crack!"

The first to emerge were creatures called "crystal worms," ​​which were only the size of a hare. Their six segments, covered with tiny amethyst crystals, moved at high speed, like woodlice covered with decaying minerals.

They were numerous, densely packed, their shells rubbing together with a teeth-grinding sound, instantly covering the ground in front of the crack, spreading like a crawling purple moss.

They weren't even cannon fodder.

Their level generally remains at level three, no different from the infected in the native world, except that they are smaller in size.

Following closely behind are the "Screamers," which resemble monsters brutally fused together, with deformed bones exposed and thin crystalline layers growing on their surfaces. They emit irritating, sharp screams that attempt to disturb the mind.

These are all random pieces pieced together from the creatures that destroyed the world.

It is an aggregate of empty, useless garbage, and a form of waste utilization.

They are the ones who can be considered cannon fodder.

These creatures seem to be no different in level from Void Beasts, but in terms of combat power, they are obviously far inferior. Although each Void Beast has a different shape, its combat power is extremely strong, more like a warrior.

Finally, a few clumsy Void Warriors emerged, beings who had given them a hard time when they first faced the Void. They were slow to move but incredibly strong.

Old Jack's pupils contracted slightly, but he let out a cold snort.

"Vanguard? Trash! Don't be intimidated by numbers! Ella, Pointy Ears! Keep an eye on the left flank!" "Leave it to me!"

Ayla's voice carried a hint of relief after tension. The arrow left the bowstring and accurately struck the exposed crystalline core of a "Hisser." The hissing stopped abruptly, and the monster turned to ashes.

Her fingers flew, unleashing a rapid-fire attack, targeting the vital points or joints of the crystal-footed insects and the hissers.

"Bran! Light the fire!" old Jack shouted.

“Alright! Let them have a taste while it’s hot.” ​​Bran grinned, though his beard trembled nervously.

He deftly pulled out several palm-sized metal balls from his pocket and slammed them into the area where the crystalloids were most concentrated.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The small ball exploded, not with flames, but with a viscous, specially made high-temperature burning gel that instantly enveloped more than a dozen crystal-footed insects, igniting them into squeaking purple fireballs.

A scorching and pungent smell filled the air.

"Ha! Jack, look at that big one, doesn't it look like old George who was drunk and running around in the pub yesterday?"

While throwing alchemical bombs, Bran pointed at the infected bear that was clumsily knocking over a small tree, and even managed to crack a joke, trying to dispel the chill in everyone's hearts.

Old Jack grinned: "Shut up, Bran, old George doesn't stink as much as it!" As he spoke, he crouched down and rushed forward, his steps heavy yet unusually steady.

The warrior's sword, accompanied by the sound of wind cutting through the air, slammed into the crystal connection point of the infected bear's forelimbs that supported its body.

He didn't try to force it; instead, he used technique to find the most vulnerable point.

With a crisp crack, the crystal shattered, exposing the filthy, purplish-black flesh. The infected creature staggered, its hind legs entangled by Mog's heavy roots, which followed closely behind, and it was forcefully thrown to the ground.

Bran seized the opportunity, and a sticky incendiary bomb precisely struck the vulnerable spot in its crystal armor exposed by the fall, igniting it into flames.

For the first few tens of minutes, just as Old Jack had said, the fighting was still under control.

The four of them stood back to back, forming a stable small line.

Ella's arrows were like a deadly swarm of bees, precisely targeting and killing the ranged harassers.

Bran's alchemical tools effectively hindered the swarm's charge.

Old Jack's sword was as steady as a rock, always appearing at the most crucial position to block or counterattack.

Mog's massive body and strong roots act as a mobile barrier and a powerful controller. With each step he takes, he subtly resonates with the earth, providing the team with a small amount of protection.

Seeing the low-level monsters falling in droves, everyone's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and Bran even took out his water bag and took a big gulp.

However, the ease is just an illusion.

The cracks are silently widening.

From the size of a carriage to large enough to accommodate a small hut.

The level of the monsters that are emerging is also quietly increasing.

The "Clawed War Beast" appeared, unlike any of the other beasts I had ever seen before, which had varied in shape.

These war beasts all seem to be of the same type, resembling a hybrid of a skinned leopard and a mantis. Four sharp, insect-like lower limbs support their streamlined bodies, while their two forelimbs have evolved into enormous, bony scythes covered with reflective crystal clusters, moving with the speed of the wind.

Their cries directly assaulted their senses, causing Ella and Bran to feel dizzy.

What's even more frightening is the change in the environment.

Centered on the fissure, a deadly purple spread across the land like a plague.

The lush green grass faded, withered, and disintegrated at a visible rate, turning into grayish-white crystalline dust.

Those apple trees laden with fruit, once symbols of vitality and harvest, now have leaves that have instantly turned dry, yellow, and curled, and fruits that have rapidly dehydrated and shriveled, with tiny, sickly purple crystals strangely condensing on their surfaces.

The once vibrant land became hard, cold, and cracked, with tiny crystal clusters growing out of the cracks like poisonous mushrooms, emitting a faint purple light.

What you hear beneath your feet is no longer the pulse of life, but a desolate void that greedily sucks up life force.

“Damn it… this land is crying…” Mog’s deep hum was filled with pain and anger. He could feel the earth’s lament, which made him pause slightly.

"careful!"

Old Jack roared and swung his sword, slashing away a clawed war beast that was attacking Ella.

However, another one darted out from Bran's blind spot, its sharp crystalline scythe grazing his left rib.

"Ugh!"

Bran let out a bloodcurdling scream.

He felt that the pain from where he was hit was not just a simple cutting pain, but a deep, bone-deep, soul-scorching agony.

It felt as if cold flames and tearing spikes were simultaneously churning within his wound.

The sensation made his vision go black instantly, and he could barely hold onto the alchemy bottle.

Looking down, the skin and flesh at the edge of the wound had an eerie dark purple color, and it was slowly "eroding" into the surrounding healthy tissue like a living thing, making a barely perceptible sizzling sound.

His digitized body prevented him from collapsing due to excessive blood loss and from experiencing mobility issues due to his wounds.

But the devastating pain and the emptiness of feeling as if a piece of his life's limit had been forcibly ripped out almost drove him to the brink of collapse.

"Potion! Quickly, use the suppressant!" Old Jack stood in front of Bran, his sword flashing, forcing back the monsters that followed.

Bran's face was ashen, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, mingling with blood.

With trembling hands, he almost forced himself to pull a specially made sealed metal tube from his waist bag.

He bit off the cap and smeared the viscous liquid inside, which emitted a soft white light, onto the horrifying dark purple wound.

"hiss--!"

The moment the medicine came into contact with the wound, a wisp of grayish-white smoke rose, and an even more intense pain, as if flesh and blood were being burned and peeled away by strong acid, assaulted the senses.

Bran trembled violently, his jaw clenched so tightly it almost broke, but he forced himself not to scream again.

He stared intently at the wound, the terrifying dark purple color rapidly fading and shrinking under the purification of divine power, eventually solidifying into a black scab.

The erosion stopped, but the flesh seemed to have lost all moisture and vitality, leaving an ugly scar. Furthermore, the data showed that the maximum health had been reduced, and the wound from the Void Infection could only be healed by completely removing it.

These potions only temporarily suppress the pain. Although the Night Watchers are almost all extremely pain-tolerant due to their data-driven nature, the pain caused by Void Wounds is still unbearable.

This power was originally prepared to shatter the spirit and will, causing them to fall into emptiness.

He was panting heavily, his eyes filled with lingering fear.

Only three vials of the medicine remain.

No one was in the mood for jokes anymore.

The conversation became brief, serious, and filled with a bloody atmosphere.

"Ella! Three claws are coming for you!"

"Roger that!"

"Mog! Roots! Block the right side!"

"Buzz!"

"Jack, I'm out of stun grenades!"

"Use the propellant! Be careful!"

The number of enemies is increasing, and the rift is widening.

The sheer number of enemies they could not possibly handle was becoming increasingly difficult for them to cope with, especially since there were only four of them, even though their levels were far higher than those of the emerging void creatures.

There were too many of them, and the void was still reshaping the surrounding environment. The wounds caused them excruciating pain, making them suffer terribly.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. (End of Chapter)