A different world game? A different world game!

The core of the battlefield.

The duel between Cedric and the Annihilation Maw has transcended the contest of ordinary weapons.

This is a clash in the realm of rules.

The Annihilation Throat did not attack directly; instead, it gracefully raised one of its front hooves and gently stomped down.

Silent and still, yet centered on its point of impact, a visible ripple of purplish-black energy spreads out like stagnant water after a stone has been thrown in.

Wherever the ripples passed, the space groaned in agony, and tiny black cracks flashed by.

The purplish-black crystals that grew wildly on the ground seemed to have a life of their own, transforming into sharp spikes that spiraled towards Cedric.

Each crystal spike contains the rule of "annihilation," and any matter or energy that is touched by it will be rapidly decomposed and annihilated.

Moreover, this is widespread.

We must stop them, otherwise it will affect our teammates' actions, slow down their speed of clearing targets, and may even cause irreversible damage to them.

At the legendary level, the clash of powers will affect digitized life.

"barrier!"

With a shout, Cedric brought the massive tower shield to a crashing halt in front of him, its surface flashing with runes.

"Fortified walls, eternally guarded by mountains!"

boom--!
A pale golden phantom, as majestic as a mountain, solidified instantly, completely enveloping him and his teammates behind him.

When he used this skill, his teammates had already moved closer to him in perfect unison.

The purplish-black "ripples of annihilation" crashed against the golden mountain barrier, producing a tooth-grinding corrosive sound. The golden light of the barrier flickered violently, and large areas even appeared dim, with fine cracks spreading across the surface of the barrier.

The countless spiraling, annihilating crystals struck the barrier, producing a dense cracking sound as their energies annihilated and canceled each other out, stirring up a sky full of energy dust.

Cedric grunted, his burly body swaying violently behind the shield as his feet sank deep into the crystallized ground, blood trickling from his mouth and nose.

Even for a defense-oriented character, it is no easy feat for an eleventh-level character to withstand the impact of a twelveth-level character's rules.

"Destruction is the beginning of chaos. Stubborn resistance only increases the pain of the final outcome."

The calm voice of the [Throat of Annihilation] was completely still, but the blue light from the spinning prismatic head suddenly became blinding, and the invisible sound wave beam condensed into a shape, like the sharpest mental razor.

Ignoring physical barriers, it stabbed directly at Cedric's body, but its aim was his soul.

That was an "Echo of Annihilation" a hundred times more powerful than before.

Cedric's pupils suddenly contracted, and the golden light on his shield abruptly contracted, transforming into a protective layer that adhered tightly to him, flowing like liquid gold.

'Unwavering Willpower'

The mental razor crashed violently into this layer of golden armor of will.

When you reach the legendary level, the rules are no longer just superficial.

There was no sound, but a terrifying shock erupted on a spiritual level.

Cedric's vision went black as countless chilling images of destruction, end, and decay assaulted his consciousness like a tidal wave. Fine cracks appeared on his protective golden armor, and his soul felt as if it were being pierced by billions of ice needles.

He clenched his teeth so tightly that his gums tore and bled from the force, letting out a beast-like growl, forcefully blocking the terrifying echo that could drive even a legend insane, his feet sinking into the ground a few inches once more.

"The purpose of my existence is to safeguard 'continuity'! Corrupt words, try to confuse my mind? Don't even think about it!"

Cedric's will resounded like a great bell, dispelling the chaos in his mind.

He suddenly exerted his strength, thrusting the shield forward with a powerful jerk.

"Power·furious wave recoils!"

hum!
The annihilation ripples that were briefly blocked and the mental impact that had been partially depleted were actually pushed back for a moment by the power erupting from the shield.

Mixed with fragments of Cedric's indomitable will, it crashed into the [Throat of Annihilation].

"Ok?"

A single syllable containing a cold "surprise" resounded in everyone's minds.

[Annihilation Throat] leaned back slightly, and the flowing prismatic light on its surface was momentarily disordered.

It clearly hadn't expected that this "world ant" would be so tenacious, able to defy its rules with power of a lower order and such pure will.

It is a messenger of destruction.

At this moment——

"Furnace - Star Shattering Hammer!"

Baron roared, his heavy armor unleashing its last alchemical flames, and the massive flail, like a burning meteor, slammed into the lava scorpion's back with tremendous force.

Snap! Boom!
The hard lava crystal shell shattered instantly, and the entire Destroyer was slammed to the ground by the violent force, exposing its core.

Isabella loosened the strings almost simultaneously.

"Demon Slayer - Meteor Strike!"

A holy light arrow, condensed to its fullest extent and trailing fragments of space at its tail, pierced through the air and precisely struck the exposed core.

A burst of intense white light erupted from the Destroyer's body, completely purifying it into countless points of light.

Lydia's ghostly figure swept past beneath a Destroyer's massive crystal hammer the instant the Destroyer's attention was drawn to Baron, her twin blades, glowing with corrosive poison, slicing through its sole visual sensory crystal with unparalleled precision.

"hiss--!"

The Destroyer let out a painful energy hiss, its movements momentarily slowed.

Isabella's second arrow had been waiting for this opportunity.

*Thud!* The core of the second Destroyer was pierced.

Oliver maintained the "Holy Radiance Domain," and the Holy Light Scepter continued to emit light that dispelled and enhanced, while constantly casting orbs of light containing powerful dispelling power towards the third Destroyer who had fallen into chaos, creating conditions for Baron and Lydia.

In the short time that Cedric risked his life to hold off the legendary creature, the other three took full advantage of the battlefield situation.

Boom! Boom! Boom! ... Amidst a series of deafening roars and flashes of light, the remaining Destroyers were destroyed one by one by Baron's brute force hammer blows, Isabella's magic-piercing arrows, and Lydia's deadly poison attacks.

The last floating jellyfish was pierced through the core by Isabella's three bursting light arrows, which she focused her mind on, and disintegrated after emitting a shrill, silent energy shriek.

The five powerful Destroyers were completely wiped out thanks to the efficient coordination of the Soul Guardian team. But the victory brought no respite; instead, it made the situation even clearer.

Baron and Lydia were breathing heavily, their heavy armor soaked with sweat, and the light on Baron's flail had dimmed.

Isabella's face turned slightly pale; the continuous barrage of anti-magic arrows had taken a heavy toll on her.

Oliver maintained his domain; the area illuminated by the holy light was enough to protect the squad, but it couldn't cover the spreading swarms of insects and the crumbling militia lines further away.

What's even more deadly is.

The stalemate between Cedric and [Obliteration Maw] is not over.

The purplish-black prismatic radiance flowing across the latter's body surface stabilized once more, while the blue light within the rotating prismatic head intensified, and the silent and invisible "echo of annihilation" continued to grow stronger.

The golden light on Cedric's shield dimmed noticeably, and the ground beneath their feet sank deeper, with crystallized cracks spreading like a spiderweb for dozens of meters from the center of their battle.

Every collision of rules was like an earthquake, causing the space itself to tremble.

The aura around the sturdy void gate, after the intense energy collisions and rule conflicts brought about by the appearance of the Destroyer and the legendary creature, not only did not weaken, but became even more solid and profound, and its diameter silently expanded by nearly a meter again.

The swirling, purplish-black chaotic energy within the gate slowly rotated, forming a deep, cold, and enormous vortex.

An even larger, deeper, and more chilling energy fluctuation was brewing violently deep within the vortex.

The outlines of new, thicker, and more bizarrely twisted energy tentacles are struggling to emerge from the vortex.

The night sky over Hamton was divided by intense holy light and destructive purplish-black flames, intertwined with the cries of chocobos, the screams of militiamen, and the hissing of swarms of insects.

The Soul Guardians wiped out the powerful enemy in a short time, but the price they paid was not to be underestimated. And the greatest threat—deep within that void gate that seemed to be breathing and expanding as if it had a life of its own—was about to descend with a terrifying force that would truly tear everything apart.

…………

Deep within the Verdant Forest of the Continent of Tete
The moonlight was fragmented and broken by the gnarled branches of the ancient oak.

The night wind, which once whispered like an elf, now carries a chilling buzzing and hissing sound.

The familiar, fresh fragrance in the air, a blend of moss, night dew, and nectar, was now replaced by a cold, lifeless sense of emptiness.

In the heart of the forest, a twisted rift, its edges flashing with unstable purple arcs of electricity, silently opened like an ugly scar on the body of the world.

A purplish-black mist surged forth, and wherever it passed, the lush ferns instantly curled up and withered, and tiny, sickly amethyst crystals condensed on the bark of ancient trees full of life.

Some of the weaker woodland sprites, deer, and even a few outer elven patrolmen failed to escape the surging purple mist in time, and their bodies underwent horrific mutations.

Their skin hardened into amethyst, their eye sockets burned with hollow, eerie purple flames, and they emitted inhuman, void-assimilated shrieks as they turned and pounced on their former companions.

The elven warriors gathered on the relatively safe canopy platforms and stalagmite highlands, their arrows raining down like silver droplets on the low-ranking void creatures emerging from the rifts.

The wriggling "crystal worms," ​​the "screamers" emitting piercing mental shrieks, and those unrecognizable, twisted forms that were once friends.

Judging from the void creatures emerging, the damage caused by this void rift has not reached the point of no return.

"Hold your ground! Aim for those gleaming joints!"

An elf captain roared in a tense voice, each time he drew his Moonblade Longbow to its fullest extent, it precisely pierced the core of a Crystal-footed Worm.

However, while the elves' archery skills were exquisite, their effects were far less destructive than the enchanted arrows of the digitized Night's Watch.

However, the real threat is not physical attack.

"Ugh—!"

A young elven crossbowman suddenly screamed, clutching his head as if struck by an invisible hammer, staggering backward, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

More painful groans and suppressed sobs could be heard from the side.

"That voice... whispering... it hurts so much..."

A female elven mage was deathly pale; her fingertips, supporting the tree trunk, were white from the force she exerted, and her nails dug deep into the bark.

Without the Night's Watch's blessing of strong nerves and attributes, the elves' resistance to Void mental corruption is far lower than that of the Night's Watch.

The pervasive spiritual screams of those "screamers" and the whispers emanating from the void rifts, tempting souls toward annihilation, burrowed into their minds like cold, venomous snakes, tearing at their will and eroding their will to resist.

Their fighting power was greatly reduced, and every bit of perseverance was accompanied by the torment of their souls being torn apart.

Amidst this chaos and painful resistance, the three elves swiftly moved toward the location of the elders who were directing the battle from the rear—a platform of ancient tree roots temporarily protected by a powerful natural barrier.

"Elder Glorel! We can't keep pushing this along like this!"

One of the elven adventurers, Elian, was once a renowned eagle knight. Now, he wears an inconspicuous adventurer's emblem on his chest and looks anxious.

"That is emptiness! Pure destruction! Our warriors have no blessed bodies or mental protection; to resist is slow suicide! Too many of our comrades have already gone mad or fallen in whispers!"

The other one, Farea, was once a forest musician. Now, she was dressed in tight leather armor, clearly having undergone adventurer training. Her harp was hanging on her back, and she added in a hurried tone.

"Elder Glorel, we must call for help! The Night's Watch! Only the Night's Watch knows best how to deal with these damned rifts! They have specialized countermeasures and experience."

“There are healers like the ‘Holy Lightbringers’ who can dispel whispers and corruption over large areas! Only they can shut this down, instead of futilely filling the void with the lives of our people as we are now.”

Elder Grorel, with his white hair and beard, a deeply lined face, and eyes filled with worry and pity for the withering of life.

He was about to agree when a shout filled with arrogance and anger interrupted them.

“Cowardly words!” Forest Guard Chief Kelas strode forward.

He was tall and imposing, his silver armor gleaming in the moonlight, his handsome face filled with disdain for Elian and Farea and extreme confidence in his own strength.

He was one of the most powerful warriors in the Verdant Forest, his pride running deep in his bones.

"This is our continent! It is the land of our verdant forest! Our ancestors once repelled countless demons here. This mere spatial rift is not to be touched by these human organizations of unknown origin."

"The pride of the elves does not allow us to fawn over outsiders. To inform the Night's Watch would be a shameful denial of our millennia-old heritage."

"Continue the attack! I can feel the power of this rift weakening; we elves are strong enough to purify it!"

These words sounded particularly jarring and unrealistic against the backdrop of howling winds and mental torture.

Elian and Farea were instantly enraged.

"Kailas! Is your pride written with the pain and lives of your people?!" Elian roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Open your eyes and see clearly! Look at the wailing around you! Look at your brothers and sisters who are driven mad by the whispers!"

"Look at those warriors who are still fighting hard but are being rapidly eroded! 'Their strength is waning'? Open your eyes, blinded by pride! The cracks are widening! The erosion is deepening!" (End of Chapter)