You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Even if we have to use brute force, we have to get to the bottom of this!

...A person with time and ability can be terrifying when they get serious. There is no day or night in purgatory. I don't know how much time has passed. Iori gave up her life of comfort and pleasure and calmed down to explore purgatory. She actually managed to light up the general map of "purgatory" all by herself!

The original appearance of Purgatory is impossible to verify, but some traces suggest that a group of intelligent life forms once existed there. However, after the emergence of the magic tide, these intelligent life forms made the same choice as ordinary beasts: to adapt to this world.

After countless generations of reproduction, the descendants of those intelligent beings have become indistinguishable from the monsters.

During her exploration of the map, Iori finally discovered the secret of the Magic Tide:

There is also some kind of "dragon vein" in this world!

Just like water's three-state cycle on Earth, magic should also circulate in the world in different forms. This encompasses all living things, and even the flow of magic between the atmosphere and the earth. Iori has temporarily named it "Great Source Corridor".

However, something went wrong with this "Great Source Corridor" at some point. A certain link was damaged or accidentally blocked, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of "magic returning to the world itself," with only about 90% of the power being able to return smoothly.

Don't underestimate the fact that only 10% was trapped. Because the problem remained unresolved, magic continued to accumulate on the world's surface, causing the magic concentration to rise higher and higher. Just like changing the salinity of seawater, it easily caused a mass extinction... Almost all those who survived turned into monsters.

If we compare this world to a human being, then magic is the blood. When blood is blocked in one half of the body for a long time, while the other half becomes less and less... it will naturally lead to organ failure and even necrosis. Therefore, the earth collapses and disintegrates, forming the "purgatory" we see today.

This process was not over yet. The collapse of Purgatory caused it to intersect with the neighboring world, releasing a portion of magic (along with the accompanying monsters) from the spatial rift, thus creating a magically prosperous other world. Objectively speaking, this "flood discharge" phenomenon greatly delayed the "death" of the Purgatory world.

Now it's Earth's turn... This isn't the first time Earth has been affected by a magical surge; there have been smaller leaks before, resulting in numerous myths and legends. But this leak in the 21st century is truly apocalyptic in scale.

If we can survive, we can develop for a thousand years and become another world. If we can't survive... then that's Purgatory No. 2!

Solving this problem is simple: just transfer the stagnant magic through some means. But that would only be a temporary fix; things would soon return to normal. To truly address the problem, the factors hindering the circulation of magic must be completely eliminated, allowing the "Great Source Corridor" to function smoothly again.

Iori, always decisive, immediately began an in-depth investigation into what factors had caused the malfunction of the "Great Source Corridor." This time, he went to great lengths, conducting a series of large-scale experiments and eliminating five or six possibilities before finally pinpointing the root cause of the problem.

……

"Judging from this, the Earth will collapse a second time in less than a week... It's time to take the final step, let's do it now."

Iori stood on a scorched wasteland, next to him lay a mountain of flesh—a lord-level monster he had casually dispatched. In terms of sheer power, this monster was no less than a Vasto Lorde, but the foolish beast posed no threat to Iori.

At this moment, he paid no attention to the monster's corpse, but instead looked up at the sky, which was painted with streaks of blood against the vast darkness.

He stared intently at a certain point, motionless, as if waiting for something, until at some moment the "brightness" of the entire world changed very slightly, then he squinted his eyes and slowly curled the corners of his mouth up.

"It's happening... Begin!"

Although it was unnecessary, Iori subconsciously took a deep breath, and then his legs burst out with powerful force, the magic he exhaled propelling him straight into the sky like a rocket booster!

His speed was astonishing; in a mere instant, he soared a thousand meters into the air, then had the energy to accelerate further, rising directly to the outer edge of the atmosphere after a few sprints, leaving the thin clouds behind. Looking up, he could see the dark and profound universe, and—

A small, broken celestial body!

This is the "moon" of purgatory, and there are three other similar celestial bodies, but this one is unique in that its surface appears to have been half-shattered by something...

In the blink of an eye, Iori broke free from the gravitational pull of Purgatory and landed on the broken small celestial body. Looking at the desolate landscape that she had already scouted several times, she couldn't help but shake her head inwardly.

He initially thought the problem lay within the Purgatory World itself, so he put a lot of effort into investigating, especially the central region of the continent. However, contrary to his expectations, he found nothing.

During an experiment to detect the flow of magic, Iori discovered that the radiation range of the "Great Source Corridor" was larger than he had imagined. Not only the ground and the atmosphere were within its circulation range, but even several "moons" in outer space were included!

Among these few inconspicuous "white dots" that orbit the Purgatory World over time and appear as inconspicuous "white dots" from the ground, there is one that was half destroyed by an extraterrestrial asteroid impact!

Yes, that's the problem:

The Dayuan Corridor is like a self-regulating system, with several satellites serving as magic relay stations, and the four of them together forming a large "accelerator".

The magic transmitted from the surface world, after flowing through the four satellites, will have penetrating power like sunlight focused by a convex lens. Only in this way can the invisible magic break through the strata and return directly to the ley lines of the Purgatory World.

Then the magic flows through the earth's veins into the mountains, rivers, and atmosphere... completing a full cycle.

At some unknown time, a meteorite from outer space struck one of the satellites, destroying its ability to serve as a relay station!

Without the convergence acceleration, the magic returned to the Purgatory World by the satellite system became much looser, making it unable to enter the ley lines efficiently. Some of the magic would remain in the atmosphere... Over time, when the concentration of magic in the atmosphere reached a certain level, a magic tide occurred.

The truth is actually surprisingly simple: there was no world-destroying demon king, nor any earth-shattering conspiracy; it was simply that this world was unlucky.

Of course, the Purgatory's cyclic system is too "delicate". For such an important large system, the absence of any link will cause the whole system to collapse, and the fault tolerance rate is extremely low... This is a problem in itself!

However, this is a matter for the Creator and has nothing to do with Iori. He has now investigated the problem and the next step is to figure out how to solve it!

At times like these, Iori is always grateful that she possesses a materialized soul, allowing her to ignore extreme environments like the lunar surface or the infernal world. Otherwise, if she had to wear a thick spacesuit to move through space… what's the point? She might as well give up!

This wasn't Iori's first time here. After adapting to the change in gravity, she decisively headed in a certain direction. A few minutes later, she arrived near a super crater with countless floating rocks, as if it had been bitten by some giant creature.

How can this satellite be repaired?

Iori had no relevant experience, but he knew that the root of the problem lay in the meteorite impact that happened countless years ago, and he vaguely felt that the final step had been reached. So he came here today to investigate the meteorite crater.

Before he even entered the crater, the ground began to tremble slightly. Invisible sound waves traveled along the ground to Iori's feet, making him hear a deep and distant murmur, like a giant beast slowly opening its eyes in the vast deep sea...

Chapter 352 The Giant Serpent Devouring Darkness.

This giant crater has almost eroded a third of the satellite's volume. From a distance, it looks like a huge pupil on a pale eyeball, and the deep darkness evokes an instinctive fear.

Standing at the edge, Iori could see the long-cooled star core inside. Traces of rocks that had melted and then solidified were scattered throughout the crater, making one feel as if they were witnessing the scene of the collision between heaven and earth.

He strolled leisurely through the vacuum, first surveying the area for a moment, then heading deeper into the mountainside.

He didn't know how to restore the satellite to normal, but it was a rare opportunity to see the star core, which might be the product of a combination of a meteorite and a star core. It would be a pity not to take a look.

'strangeness……'

Iori thought to herself.

It's really strange. If the meteorite caused such massive damage, then this satellite should have collapsed under the weight of gravity, breaking into countless meteors that fell into the "hellish world."

But in reality, not only did it maintain its existence, but the detached fragments were also drawn back around it, forming a ring with a wide radiating range. It is truly astonishing that such a small, incomplete celestial body could form such a large ring.

This world is not only about science, but also about magic. Perhaps magic plays some role in it!

As Iori pondered, he delved deeper into the subject, a vague unease creeping into his heart. On this desolate satellite, there was naturally no sound and no sign of life. Although it was lonely, it was absolutely safe. Yet, his intuition was warning him, as if telling him that what awaited him ahead was not the already solidified star core, but some unknown danger.

As he got closer and closer to the bottom of the pit, the warning became more and more obvious, to the point that the hairs on his body stood on end!

hum~

Dark flame patterns spread from her chest to her sides, as surging magical power was continuously extracted and compressed to its extreme, then sublimated and gathered at Iori's fingertips—

Zheng! ! !

Without hesitation, Iori fired the Zero Style Hado towards the "bottom of the pit" in the distance!

The highly penetrating black and red beam struck instantly, easily piercing through the hard rock and disappearing deep inside...

Suddenly, Iori felt a slight tremor beneath his feet. The tremor quickly intensified, but he didn't panic; instead, a look of relief and joy appeared on his face.

If things really do calm down, he'll actually be a little disappointed.

Bang!Bang!

There was no sound in the vacuum, but the vibrations transmitted through the earth were incredibly clear. Iori reacted faster than usual, leaping into the air the instant the anomaly occurred. The next moment, two gray-white whips ripped through the ground, their sharp, spear-like tips sweeping past where he had been standing.

That is…

Before Iori even landed, the entire satellite began to tremble. The terrain in the area facing Iori, which had remained unchanged in space for countless years, began to change, cracking open like a jigsaw puzzle. From these cracks emerged tentacles that appeared soft yet powerful, like hundreds of octopuses hiding in the Earth's core.

Seeing this disturbing scene, Iori frowned, released the heavy restraints on the magic power within her body, and unleashed her powerful aura completely!

"Tiancongyun!"

In this situation, the initial release of [Mirror of Still Water] is useless; on the contrary, it can be surprisingly effective against large-scale Noble Phantasms of cities, countries, and even higher levels.

The surging magical power was poured into the sword, imbued with the divinity of the Three Noble Ones. With a mere flick of the wrist, a storm that should never have existed was stirred up in this otherwise empty universe—

"Baqi Furious Wave!"

The expanding magical energy vibrated the space, revealing countless bolts of lightning that instantly filled the entire field of vision, as if divine punishment from mythology was being staged here, mercilessly ravaging the surface of the satellite and devouring the wildly flailing tentacles!

Its power and range have exceeded the scope of ordinary Servant Noble Phantasms. If placed on Earth, it would be enough to cover an entire city. Even the power of a god would probably be no more than that.

After the lightning dissipated, the entangled arms and legs were all turned into charcoal, and looking at them, it was like a hellish world with countless charred trees.

But soon, the charred shell shattered, and the tentacles regenerated almost instantly, growing thicker again at a visible speed. Then, small fleshy growths appeared at their tips, blooming like flowers, unfolding petals filled with tiny teeth, and revealing a golden eye at the center—

call out!call out!call out!call out!

After gathering its strength slightly, it unleashed ten thousand golden rays!

The entire space was illuminated, resembling a dazzling ocean, yet this ocean was filled with chilling killing intent!

——【Broken Void】!

Countless golden rays shot in, and Iori's lips moved slightly. Although they were in a vacuum, it seemed as if I could hear his voice. Suddenly, an invisible barrier descended, like a reef separating the golden rays, allowing them to engulf the space, while remaining unmoved.

'Its regenerative abilities are incredible… It probably utilizes the satellite's unique function as a magic node, drawing power directly from the 'Great Source Corridor.' In other words, this guy has an almost limitless reserve of magic power… Am I fighting against an entire world?'

It's truly despairing—this would probably be true for anyone else.

But Iori is not afraid!

"Liberate the Heavenly Sword of Heavenly Manifestation!"

An even more intense thunderstorm than before filled the universe once more. The surging magic dispelled the golden light, and as Iori swung the divine sword in his hand, the dazzling lightning rapidly contracted, condensing into an immeasurable blade of light that suddenly fell—

Zheng! ! !

The blade of light flashed by quickly, looking like a sudden flash of light. Afterwards, nothing seemed to change, but the tentacles and arms grew thicker and thicker, and it looked like they were about to bind Iori as well.

But in that brief pause, streaks of blinding lightning suddenly burst forth from where the blade of light had passed, as if hundreds or thousands of people were wielding their swords at the same time, and the thunderstorms formed a line!

The next moment, a horrifying scene unfolded:

The satellite, which was damaged but still maintained its existence, was "split" in the middle!

Slowly, but definitely, it was pulled apart into two halves, left and right...

Iori gazed at this scene from afar and nodded slightly.

This attack used almost 80% of his magic power, which can be said to be his all-out effort. Its power is truly worthy of the title "Anti-World Noble Phantasm"!

Normally, it would be unwise to use such a power-consuming technique to attack the "shell" before the enemy's main body has appeared, but in just a few breaths, Iori's magic power was restored to normal.

This monster residing in the satellite may be able to use endless magic power, but unfortunately, Iori possesses "infinite" suppressive power!

If necessary, he could even grind the satellite into powder piece by piece, down to the last fragment!

call--!

Space seemed to freeze, and immense magical power converged from the two halves of the satellite... no, from all directions of the void, affecting the entire [Great Source Corridor] as if it were endless.

In a daze, distorted ripples appeared in the void, the starlight gradually dimmed, and the darkness of the universe became even deeper. Something ominous was descending!

"Well!"

Iori's muscles tensed instantly, and an inexplicable sense of crisis swept over her.

"what……"

He frowned and quietly tightened his grip on the Ama-no-Kumara, not out of fear but because he sensed that something unexpected was about to happen.

Although we haven't seen the real body yet, judging from the aura and atmosphere... it looks a bit like the temple of a certain demon king.

Rumble, rumble!

The crater was shaking, the two satellites trembled, and gradually cracked apart amidst the violent fluctuations.

The pale, gravelly earth jutted upwards, with rocks pushed aside by an invisible force, as if mountains were about to emerge from below.

boom--!

The surface crust finally collapsed completely, and the crater broke into countless pieces. However, something beneath did not stop. It continued to advance upwards, tearing the earth apart while using unimaginable force to draw the two broken hemispheres back together. In the instant they were reunited, a huge shadow appeared from the depths of the bottom layer, connecting with the other half of the shadow...

call!

Finally, emerging from the depths of the earth, parting the crater to reveal its slender body, was a jet-black serpent whose head alone was a thousand meters long!

Or, to put it another way, we can use human cognitive intelligence to call it a "snake".

It was a collection of countless tentacles, each supple arm transformed into muscle fibers, driving this terrifying entity. From a distance, only half of the black snake could be seen emerging from the center of the original crater, while its lower body was buried deep in the earth's core, its length unknown.

The most striking feature is its blood-red eye that almost takes up most of the snake's head!

Even after peeking out, the giant snake didn't stop; it continued to stretch its body upwards, as if it could swallow the moon whole with just a slight tilt of its head...

Iori looked at the giant snake with a mixture of amazement and wariness. Given his personality, he should have struck first, but its appearance was truly unsettling. Just as he hesitated, the black snake shifted its gaze from the deep night sky and looked down at Iori. Its blood-red vertical pupils narrowed slightly, as if it had locked onto the small humanoid figure.

In that instant, Iori even felt a chill run down her spine.

【XX——XX——XX——X】

A hoarse and indistinct sound came from the black snake's throat. It was not any existing language, but a roar that was almost like a spell, able to spread through space even in a vacuum and trigger corresponding supernatural phenomena.