Lowering the Veil of Doomsday

A torrent of Element, a force of the spirit, fragments of memory.

Through the bridge built by the Power of the Fire Thief, it surged into Kang De's soul.

This feeling seems familiar.

It's like Extraction countless fragments of a sentient being's life when you see them.

The Extraction Element —the opponent's breached spiritual sea and fragments of soul memories—all flowed into the Fire Thief's control. Kang De stood on the banks of the river of memory, examining the landscape of his target's life. The scene now was the same, yet also vastly different.

That is... the lives of many, many people.

He was nearly swallowed by the river, but the mark of the Dragon of Space and Time deviated from the timeline and marked the distance in space. His soul and spirit still obeyed the laws of time and space, while the Divine Ring of Stellar Authority shone brightly in the soul world, like a lighthouse, reminding him where he was and who he was.

Kang De stood in the river.

Countless memories surged forth.

He observed everything, his unease and fear growing stronger.

Because these people are Black, there are cars on the streets, and their homes are decorated in a modern style. They can see the low-rise buildings of Zhuerban and the towering Arch 22 in the city. This is undoubtedly the memory of the people of Gambia, and it is the memory of today, the memory of those people.

Languages I couldn't understand, laughter, tears, smiles as vows were exchanged in a church, heart-wrenching farewells, unforgettable dreams, and cherished ideals.

Even ordinary people in one of the poorest and smallest countries in Africa have beautiful aspirations for life and unforgettable experiences; they are living human beings.

But Extraction... was clearly locusts.

The torrent of Element Extraction and gathered by the Fire Thief was so familiar.

This reveals a near-horrifying... conjecture.

Kang De's soul was in turmoil.

Unease, speculation, doubt, even fear... this moment felt almost eternal.

Countless thoughts raced through my soul.

The river of memories flows faster.

Every drop of water, every ripple, is a fragment of someone's memory, some large, some small. The intense and fresh emotions are the large fragments, while the small ones are ordinary and commonplace. What flows by are the memories of the people of Gambia, and Kang De goes against the current, accelerating along this river of memory.

At that moment, even Big Bob's life or death became unimportant.

He needs a clear answer.

Memories of one person after another rushed past, and Kang De observed rapidly: Black people, Black people, Black people—some were ragged and starving, while others were feasting and indulging in extravagance. These were the stories of the Gambia people of modern Africa, and he felt that there must be more to it than that.

Continue forward, going upstream.

The river of memory flows faster, the images become bizarre and indistinct, blurry and eerie, the fragments become small and intricate, and because of the passage of time, one can even see a scene from the 1960s and 70s when Gambia had just broken away from tribal life... only similar images are now broken and blurred.

The river, filled with fragments of souls, roared and surged.

Colonists wielding matchlock guns, black slave laborers with severed arms, humiliated women, and the white men who committed all of this; the maniacal laughter and mockery of the atrocities, the numbness and weeping of the victims—the blurred, chaotic images and fragmented memories are all intertwined and flow in this long river.

The Grewind Swarm has been secretly and sporadically active for at least several hundred years.

Before humanity entered modern society, especially in that lawless and cruel era, sporadic or even small-scale disappearances were not a big deal.

Even if we investigate, we won't find anything.

The exploration techniques available at the time made it impossible to discover the insect nests there.

Kang De remained expressionless, letting the wicked laughter and the cries of the victims flow past him.

In the material world, his spiritual power extends continuously through the converged soul power, tracing back to every vein, exploring every branch, and even the core—the core of this insect nest.

Memory... isn't just for the victims.

Because "they" also live off that kind of thing.

If it can Extraction, then it must be visible.

"Father!"

In the present world, within the Earth's vault, Horus transformed at Kang De's shoulder, raising his shoulder cannon. The cannon roared, the sound vibrating, "Wake up! This is no small matter!"

Kang De pressed his hands against the surface of the insect nest, extending his mental power, and closed his eyes. Big Bob saw an opportunity and, overjoyed, ordered the swarm and locusts to attack frantically. However, the blazing holy fire of the Divine Ring of Stellar Authority burned fiercely, blocking the attacks of the tentacles and locusts, but the killing intent of the entire swarm continued to gather.

The Divine Ring of Stellar Authority ultimately has its limits.

Seeing the situation reverse, Big Bob laughed wildly, "You scared me to death! Kang De! I thought we were the same kind of people! You scared me to death! You're nothing special after all! You said you wouldn't save me, but you did!"

He was determined to kill Kang De, but the Shadow of his repeated failures still lingered. Now he was terrified of death and dared not take any more risks. If he failed again, he might really be beyond saving.

He shouted, "Kang De! Are you listening?! My proposal still stands! This is the greatest sincerity I can show! If you just nod, I'll stop immediately! Our agreement remains unchanged!"

There was no response; only the automatic cannon on Kang De's shoulder spewed out bright light.

Big Bob shouted again, "Kang De! If you don't say anything, I'm leaving!"

A rumbling sound echoed from the top of the dome, a portal opened, and a swarm of insects gathered, carrying Big Bob into the air until he disappeared. Kang De remained motionless. Horus shouted, "Father! He's gone!"

The next moment, the insect hive shook violently.

The remaining locusts buzzed up, their massive veins and tentacles densely packed. Unlike Kang De's attack, they didn't launch an attack, but instead wove and entangled themselves from all directions, surrounding Kang De in the center. The distance was far enough that it wasn't within the scorching range of the flames, making Horus's attack futile.

The densely intertwined tentacles weave together, creating an impenetrable cage.

The enclosed space, like a cocoon, was closing from above. Horus felt an intense unease, which was soon confirmed when thermal imaging scans showed many locusts gathering into agglomerates the size of geese, flying from all parts of the nest toward the opening above the cocoon.

And what they were collectively suspending... were artillery shells, military explosives, and hand grenades!

Horus finally understood the purpose of the cocoon: the confined space, the excessive amount of explosives, and the resulting most violent Flame and shocks were enough to create a raging tide that could destroy everything!

--Big Bob!

Above the Earth's dome, Big Bob's expression was extremely excited. Teleportation, lightning, frost, light, Kang De's abilities were countless, but even the strongest defenses have their limits—humanity's military technology and explosive art to date are precisely designed to destroy those limits!

He had spent some time sorting and storing the loot the swarm had taken from the Zhuerban garrison and surrounding armories, as was his professional habit, and now it was ready to be put to maximum use.

C4, shells, and grenades were continuously thrown from above the hive in large numbers. Horus dared not intercept them with its weapons, but throwing them back one by one was completely futile. It transformed into armor and wrapped itself around Kang De's entire body, its electric generator crackling. Helpless, it was going to give its old man a hard blow.

This is the only way to wake my father.

Big Bob grinned menacingly.

A locust brought over a modified detonator; the exploding C4 was enough to trigger a chain reaction of explosions in the remaining munitions, the terrifying shockwave and cascading blasts enough to tear this guy apart!

He grinned maliciously and turned the button!

Turn the button!

Screw!

"..."

Big Bob looked surprised.

It was definitely my own hand.

Originally calloused, wrinkled, and lacking elasticity and moisture, his hands belonged to an old man like him. But after regeneration and adjustment, his body was stronger than when he was young, with long, perfect, and powerful fingers, enough to wield any weapon and perform any skillful technique.

With hands like that, turning a detonation button would be a piece of cake.

But it couldn't be completed.

It's not that the detonator is malfunctioning or cannot be turned.

It's not that the adjusted and optimized hand is faulty and unable to exert force.

It's not that I don't want to twist it.

My body doesn't want to twist.

He had no control over his actions and instinctively resisted performing them.

Signals originating from the brain travel through the nervous system to issue commands to the body.

The message indicates a refusal to complete the command.

--Damn it!

What happened?!

Big Bob was sweating profusely, and the veins in his hands were bulging, but he still couldn't control the movement.

--Damn it! If we just twist it, that wretched China guy will be blown up!

He cursed loudly in his heart.

But the next moment, he showed a look of horror, because as soon as the thought arose, his right hand forcibly moved away from the button, and then with both hands together, he used his enhanced and extremely powerful wrist strength to forcibly break the remote control into pieces and disassemble it. Every movement was careful and extremely skillful, until the transmitter was completely dismantled, and the parts were scattered into the boundless abyss.

This was his most familiar job: handling explosives, something he could do with his eyes closed.

But that's not what he wanted to do.

It is done by the body itself.

There is nothing more terrifying in the world than this.

Big Bob looked horrified. He suspected that this was some kind of terrible trick by Kang De, using some kind of magic to influence his thoughts and intellect... How terrifying! Such power should not exist in this world!

He must be killed!

If I can't do it myself... then I still have the Zerg Swarm!

A swarm of insects devoid of emotion, driven only by obedience!

Use physical methods to detonate these explosives! Blow him up!

He issued commands through the hive consciousness, outlining the guidelines and plans for them.

The next moment, the insect hive was violently shaken.

The intertwined tentacles scattered in a deft manner, breaking open the sealed space. Despite the scorching flames, the tentacles forcefully broke through the defenses of the Divine Ring of Stellar Authority and reached towards the explosives.

Then roll them up one by one and throw them forcefully to a great distance.

Big Bob's face completely lost its color.

--This is unbelievable!

He's going crazy.

What's going on?! What on earth is going on?!

Why is even the insect swarm turning like this?!

He stared fiercely at Kang De below, his gaze filled with both hatred and fear—a phenomenon he couldn't comprehend. The swarm of insects was his greatest asset... yet it had chosen to betray him.

This should... should... should...

Even the most venomous curses in my heart were uncontrollable and difficult to conceive.

Instead, there is reverence and obedience.

He suddenly realized that the aura about Kang De that had made him uneasy, fearful, and instinctively disgusted was slowly dissipating, replaced by a power that filled him with joy, awe, and reverence.

The hatred for the murder of her son, and her obsession with Tacitus, were now faltering. Instead, she was captivated by the power Tacitus displayed in Moyani and the majesty of his wings of light.

It is a whisper in one's blood and even soul.

"That's what the voice said."

Obey.

Obey.

It is not to be defied.

This is our mission.

Because he is...

"No!!!!!!"

Big Bob clutched his head, his eyes bloodshot, his fingers drawing bloody marks on his face. He was the master of the Grewind Swarm, so why should he submit to another will like an ordinary insect!

His fingers, like knives, carved grotesque bloody marks into his body. The pain awakened memories and fueled his hatred. He remembered his son's last phone call, and how Little Bob had worked tirelessly to save his life. They had never interacted like a normal father and son.

Within the non-human interior, transformed from the inside out by the insectoid hive, a portion of humanity struggles frantically.

Run! Run! Run!

Get out of here!

In the realm of the mind, Kang De opened the door to origins.

He followed the torrent of memories upstream. Among these fragments were the memories of the present-day Zhuerban people, as well as the memories of the people of the ancient kingdom hundreds of years ago. He saw the memories of that ancient evil spirit, the one sealed in Tacitus, and how he fortuitously obtained Tacitus and the primordial insect hive seed. He saw him unleash a frenzy, establish a kingdom, and be defeated and sealed away.

The scene flashed by in an instant; he had no time to pay attention to the appearance and skills of the ancient superhumans, because that was not the result he wanted. What he wanted to know was the even more ancient past.

The door was pushed open.

The fragments of memory are barely perceptible, yet they become clear enough.

He saw more memories, from another world—dreams of elves, dwarves, humans, and even orcs. But these victims were long gone, leaving only a few traces in the world. He saw even more memories of the insect hive, and even the memories of its master.

The faint image flickered rapidly.

What is most unforgettable is the picture of their failure.

In those continuous images, he saw endless swarms of insects in the sky, as well as illusory shadows. Above the vast and boundless sky, there were blazing Flame, free winds, dazzling light, and brilliant ice and snow. Although the figures were blurry, he felt a sense of familiarity with them.

Then he saw someone.

To be precise, it was the previous leader of the Grewind Swarm who saw a person.

With the cooperation and cover of its companions, it swept across the sky with unstoppable momentum, with a phantom dragon shadow behind it, and even now one can hear the thunderous roar that shakes the heavens.

Kang De saw the person, saw the long hair flowing in the wind, black like his own, an Eastern face. This person felt incredibly familiar to him, as if...

He instinctively wanted to call out that incredibly familiar name.

But the next moment, the river of memories was abruptly cut off, all the images vanished without a trace, the destruction of the swarm, the birth of the swarm, the earlier origins, the greater terror, all the images were interrupted, and the surroundings became pitch black. The next moment, light and shadow flowed, as if we were in an infinite universe, shuttling through colorful nebulae.

Then, he arrived at the ends of the earth.

"You've come."

A twisted, dark, unbearably black void.

Rotating, devouring, existing, expanding.

A rumbling sound shook the ground.

The world then became distorted, intense, scorching, and destructive.

The voice said, "Come on, take what's yours."

A nest appeared before him, miniaturized yet still enormous. Kang De knew almost immediately that this was the Grewind Swarm that had wreaked havoc on both the alien world and Earth.

He can obtain this power simply by reaching out.

Even more.

But everything has its price.

Kang De ignored the insect nest; this was not his reason for coming here.

Who are you? Who are you all?

The sound was omnipresent, eerie and soul-stirring; it was the convergence of countless voices, a sorrowful cry, a desperate scream, a painful numbness, and the silence of finality.

"As you can see," it said slowly, "As you expected."

Kang De's expression turned extremely grim.

Go, accept your destiny, and fulfill your mission.

The insect nest moved slowly forward.

The voice said, "--The Veil of doomsday falls."

Kang De gave a cold laugh.

Damn it, they've got a pyramid scheme call going to the police station!

He raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you know who I am?"

The voice was calm and even, without any fluctuation. "I know, I know everything, but they will eventually understand that fate is irresistible and unchangeable; everything was already predetermined."

Akatum's dragon sign and Sura's ring shone with a brilliant light.

"It's not the right time."

The Sound of Doomsday are devoid of sorrow or joy; they are ignored and completely indifferent.

"But the time for us to meet again is not far off... as you see it, as you think it."

An indescribable force surged forth, unstoppable by either Akatum or Sura. The conversation had just taken place in an unpredictable and indescribable realm, and then Kang De was banished and sent back.

He opened his eyes, his hands pressing on the veins of the insect nest; the swarm was already quiet.

Horus let out a long sigh of relief—so relieved that he used a loudspeaker to simulate the effect, "You're finally awake."

He said, "Big Bob probably ran away for about thirty minutes..."

Kang De glanced silently at the utterly calm insect hive, then forced a smile, "He can't escape... I..."

Suddenly, he plopped down on the ground.

From the Glittering Sand Town to Valentan, from humans to elves, they faced no enemy more formidable than themselves.

But now, his hands are trembling uncontrollably.

Various speculations, doubts, anxieties, and even fears spread endlessly in my heart.

He has found the answer... and it seems to be the most accurate one.

But that couldn't make him feel at peace.

Horus sensed Kang De's unusual behavior and asked gravely, "Father... what did you see?"

"I..."

Kang De gave a bitter smile; he didn't even know how to begin.

Horus softened his tone. "When Extraction just now, you said... this is impossible? Did you... discover anything?"

Kang De raised his head in a daze.

The insect hive had become so quiet it was almost docile.

Those individuals remain imprisoned within the fruit, suspended in mid-air.

They are nurtured in some way by this extremely terrifying insect nest, receiving the energy that enables the swarm to reproduce, grow, and move.

What it gets from humans is the nutrition to build and breed its swarm.

In other words, that strange liquid, the entire insect hive, and even every single locust, exists because of something extracted from humans...

He just Extraction that stuff.

This made him feel uneasy and trembling.

Kang De's gaze drifted into the distance as he thought of the unforgettable experiences of the past year or two, of the mirror world that even the phrase "seizing the creation of heaven and earth" could not fully describe.

A precise replica of Earth, or perhaps the entire universe.

There is a time difference between it and the real Earth, but the anchor point is constantly getting closer.

In that world, shrouded in white mist, no living beings existed.

That White Mist can be used to forge fantastical weapons, activate strange life forms, and contains incomprehensible structures, rules, components, and principles... It covers the entire globe and is omnipresent.

But no living beings remain.

"I... I extracted..."

Kang De said softly, "... White Mist."

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PS1: Update! 5500 words, you can now guess the plot.