Blank History, Lost Civilization

The sea was trembling abnormally, the tides were churning, and the sea was boiling.

A tremendous roar stirred up waves, echoing from the deep sea to the entire Broken Isles.

This is a demonstration, an intimidation, a cold-blooded display of power by the God of the Star Palace, a ferocious deep-sea behemoth sounding the horn of slaughter, an unparalleled beast sealed for countless years informing every intelligent being on the table—extinction is imminent, await it in despair.

Kang De closed his eyes and sighed silently.

Dairila's expression turned serious as she turned and asked, "What is it?"

The Fire Thief said calmly, "The deep-sea bombardment plan has failed."

Using the coordinates provided by the Arcane Council as a reference, a large number of depth charges and suicide trucks were sunk towards the target location, with timed fuses set to ensure that the violent explosions and powerful shocks could cover the entire bombing area as much as possible—this was the safest plan when the underwater situation could not be confirmed.

As Kang De said before... you always have to take a part.

Now, the fish-bombing operation, which was left to fate, has almost failed. The large number of bombs dropped some time ago did not achieve the desired results. A huge amount of explosives, totaling nearly a thousand tons of yield, exploded in segments over a thousand meters of sea. Kang De hoped to take the deep-sea monster away in one go, but now it seems that the overly optimistic plan has failed, because everything is out of control.

Without diving equipment to observe the situation at sea, relying solely on the Council's hesitant intelligence reports and coordinates, they launched an attack on an unknown enemy in complete darkness. Kang De didn't even know what the enemy was, what it looked like, or how big it was.

Even when the bomb detonated, he didn't know whether it killed the enemy, injured the enemy, or didn't hit anything at all... He knew nothing.

But now we know, because the anger from the deep sea has truly risen, and that unknown enemy tells Kang De that it is still alive and that it is coming.

Dairila frowned, her exquisite elven face shimmering in the morning sunlight, eclipsing the beauty of the shattered sky and sea. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Kang De, I don't want you to think I'm instigating or have ulterior motives, but... haven't you ever suspected anything?"

"What?"

"Are the coordinates the Council you... correct?"

Kang De's face remained ashen as he retorted, "If it's false, then what is their motive for deceiving me? Their main fleet is trapped in the battle zone, their submarines have witnessed the enemy's terror, and their messages are filled with shock and anxiety. I think they should no longer doubt my warnings and the enemy's purpose—that thing wants to disrupt global maritime trade and sever the lifeblood of Civilization."

"And under these circumstances, what would be the motive for providing me with false information? At least for this period of time, I am the most powerful person in this sea, and they should believe in the power of Forbidden Spell."

The Empress said softly, "It's just a suspicion... There are probably two motives for concealing this from you."

"The first possibility is a deception born of resentment. After all, you rejected their request, which they viewed as a huge humiliation and a sign of hostility. So when you asked for the coordinates, they gave you a fake one. But that's highly unlikely. The decision-making body of the Council is the Starry Sky Council, and based on my understanding of their Grand Speaker, he's highly unlikely to adopt such a low-level proposal."

Kang De said in a deep voice, "Then only the second one remains."

"... Hmm," Dairila replied, "There must be a reason for this unusual situation. The Council should have told you the location of the incident, but they didn't. There's only one possibility."

The Fire Thief continued, "They've made other discoveries there, but they don't want to tell me, they don't want me to know about that place, they don't want me to discover what's there."

The Empress met his gaze, her expression calm. "It's just a guess."

Kang De's gaze was deep and unfathomable, his eyes flashing with a cold light. "I will find out the truth."

"But before that, we need to resolve things here."

Dairila looked up at the sky. An An-22 transport plane roared into the sky. As far as Phoenix King's powerful eyesight could see, a small child was looking down from the narrow passenger cabin window with his mouth wide open, a surprised and joyful smile on his face—the young child had no idea where he had just left off.

She sighed softly, then said solemnly, "It is about to awaken— the Phoenix Eyes cannot pierce the cold depths of the sea or see the terror within the endless darkness, but I can still sense the Shadow that terrify me moving and struggling. They are terrifying monsters unlike anything we have ever seen or heard of in history. Due to the Silver Moon Council's cumbersome efficiency, the Dusk Moon Dynasty cannot provide you with any further assistance in the short term."

"So, Kang De, what are your plans?"

Planes were taking off urgently, and the situation shifted from order to a degree of chaos. After all, mistakes are made in haste, but there was no time to worry about that now. The islands were accelerating their evacuation and tightening their defenses. The sea monsters that rushed ashore were even more ferocious and crazy, with flashes of fire and billowing smoke everywhere.

Kang De, observing the scene from his vantage point, replied, "That extraterrestrial enemy who calls himself the God of the Star Palace is arrogant, extreme, conceited, and presumptuous, regarding Mortal World beings as ants. He was forced to flee in disarray by me, even going so far as to merge with a giant sea monster. This immense humiliation must be thoroughly washed away."

"So I guess once it's fully awakened and freed, it'll head straight for the Broken Isles, because I'll be here, I'll be here waiting for it..."

During the evacuation operation, which lasted for more than ten hours, various islands established fire positions of all sizes to combat the sea monsters swarming in from all directions. According to the plan devised by Kang De, after all the personnel on the islands were evacuated, these fire positions would continue to function under the control of the fire control program left by Horus. When the powerful enemy appeared, it would be met with a fierce and overwhelming attack.

"Then I will initiate Mass Projection," Kang De said, "And this will become its graveyard."

Manipulating the laws of space in the White Mist World, repeatedly accelerating massive projectiles to extremely high speeds, and then bombarding the target at close range—this is Kang De's ultimate method, which can also be called a strategic-level strike force. As long as one is bold enough and ruthless enough, he is a mobile nuclear arsenal walking among humans.

The stone that wiped out the entire dinosaur population and triggered the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event could easily have killed a large seafood with a stone, as Kang De could do so without any problem.

Dairila nodded slowly.

Just as she was about to say something, another uproar broke out.

The sea surface surged, with columns of water shooting skyward one after another. The entire sea surface resembled water in a cup, rippling due to the tremors at the bottom. However, on the tens of thousands of square kilometers of the sea, these ripples were the surging waves, with spray shooting into the sky. As the sun rose over the sea, dark clouds began to gather.

Dairila's eyes flashed with Phoenix Fire, and she revealed a look of vigilance. "Such a grand display."

Kang De pressed the button on his headphones. "Horus!"

"Father, the mages stationed at the observation station claim to have sensed an imminent eruption of an elemental tide of terrifying magnitude. I hope you are prepared."

Kang De looked at Dairila: "Enough with the small talk and analysis, let's get down to business."

The Phoenix King asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

The Phase Gate flickered, Kang De disappeared within it. "Keep an eye on this area of the sea for me... use Phoenix Vision. We are in a very passive position right now. We don't know when the enemy will arrive, or what they will look like. Every second counts. When the enemy attacks, we must detect them and respond as soon as possible."

"No problem."

The Phase Gate opened, Kang De returned to the command post at the large platform base. He picked up the microphone. "Attention all units, this is Kang De. The rescue operation has entered its final stage..."

"Thank you to all the brave people who have worked tirelessly for those complete strangers. Your choices, sacrifices, and courage will be remembered by history, by the world, and by the gods. All of this is meaningful, and now, I will fulfill a promise I made."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'm taking you back to Distant Harbor."

Kang De's commands rang out across the entire communication channel.

"Final evacuation procedures have begun on all islands."

Meanwhile, the evacuation plan, which had already been formulated, was distributed from top to bottom by Horus to the entire command system. Every island, every combat unit, and even every small squad received the evacuation plan and mission in an orderly manner.

Ground combat troops withdraw!

On Finster Island, the island's supreme commander is a Doom Warriors. Kang De intends to strengthen the leadership of the Doom Chapter, and the fifty soldiers of the first generation of Doom Warriors will become the most solid backbone.

The Doom Warriors roared, "All soldiers! Discard armor, weapons, and other unnecessary heavy items! This is an order! The transport planes have limited weight capacity!!"

On the smaller island, all the refugees had been evacuated. The soldiers stationed there began to board transport planes. The Pegasus and Gryphon riders who had been roaming the air turned around and landed on the ground. The riders hurriedly removed their armor and saddles, and comforted and guided their mounts onto the transport planes.

The soldiers were far more obedient, courageous, and organized than the refugees, so they boarded the planes much faster and more efficiently. Kang De moved around the temporary airfields, and planes leaped out of the Phase Gate. Time was of the essence, and Kang De's figure was only a fleeting glimpse, delivering planes and leaving immediately. What he didn't know was that soldiers would always salute in the direction where the Phase Gate disappeared.

It is said that one battle is worth more than three exercises and ten training sessions. Real combat forges new recruits into veterans, and real blood and fire temper the will of rough gems. In this war where saving lives outweighs fighting and protecting lives outweighs destruction, every soldier involved is being thoroughly tempered and transformed.

They participated in a war unlike any they had ever experienced in their careers, fighting under the command of advanced battlefield communications, supported by advanced weapons of war, and, most importantly, guided by ideas and beliefs they had never heard of or even imagined.

It wasn't about killing enemies or defeating opponents, but about rescuing innocent and vulnerable lives from cruel dangers... They had never experienced this war before.

Before the operation, many soldiers did not understand the significance of this mission, but during the more than ten hours of fighting and rescue, seeing the unfamiliar faces filled with joy and tears, and witnessing the incredulous, wailing expressions of the refugees, they gradually came to understand the full meaning of this battle.

Whether they came from the Empire or the Arcane Council, whether they were elves or humans, whether they were surrendered soldiers from the Broken Isles or Goth warriors who followed Kang De, this unforgettable day would leave an indelible mark on their souls, one they would remember forever.

He remembered that day and that night when he and his comrades from all over the world, of different languages and races, under the same flag and the command of the same leader, performed a feat that would be praised by the gods.

One plane after another took off.

"Finster Island evacuation complete. Doom Warriors ready to deploy."

"Mudeng Islet evacuation complete. Doom Warriors are on standby."

"More than 2,000 civilians are still waiting to be evacuated from Ajinsi Island; boarding is underway."

"Niulaton Island..."

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, but the mage ranks on the ground dispersed them and maintained stable weather. While transport planes soared through the skies, far from the threats at sea, they were not omnipotent; extremely bad weather could severely disrupt flight safety, making this the primary task of the spellcaster forces...

--The sea surface churned, the waves surged, and the seawater seemed to boil.

Several large, densely populated islands have been equipped with dual or even triple runways. Military transport planes are lined up, and under the command of soldiers, crowds surge onto them like ants. Seats and even seat belts are not considered factors. The priority is to get people in and out of this hellhole first!

Even getting injured from the bumpy ride is better than dying here!

People scrambled onto the plane, shouts and cries filling the air. Only a small portion of their fear stemmed from the crowding; the majority of their dread was instinctive. Even the most obtuse and foolish among them felt a sense of oppression and unease, sensing that something terrible was about to happen. They cried out that they wanted to leave, to get out of there as soon as possible.

"Quiet!"

The mages cast large-scale stabilizing spells, but with their heightened spiritual senses, they could also perceive an extreme threat resurfacing in the deep sea—what exactly was that thing!

The sea breeze blows, the waves dance, wisps of water vapor fill the sky, and a storm begins to spread and swirl.

On the central island, Dairila, who was monitoring the entire sea area with her Phoenix Eyes, suddenly changed her expression. She clumsily picked up the communicator Kang De had given her and shouted, "Kang De!"

In Tula Xiaye, the Tower of All-Seeing, an uninvited guest has once again intruded into the Starry Sky Council.

"Comparison complete!"

The curator of the Knowledge Museum burst into the council chamber, clutching a thick rubbing of a book, his expression excited and his voice trembling. "The source of the text that communicated with us through the resonance device of the Sea Traveler has been confirmed— the Yilan Sea Stele! Scholars have speculated that it records the final record of an ancient, vanished Civilization! A blank page in history!"

He raised the book high and proclaimed to the stunned councilors. "The legendary ancient kingdom, which once roamed the seas, creating a flourishing Civilization with Radiant Crystal, Levitation Stone, and Primal Gel, reaching the heavens but ultimately vanishing into the depths of the ocean! Ladies and gentlemen! We have encountered history!"

The scholar, unable to hide his excitement, was so happy he almost fainted. Nothing could be more delightful than conversing with survivors of an ancient, advanced Civilization. But then he noticed the Grand Speaker and the councilors looking uneasy and thoughtful.

"W-what's wrong?"

The Grand Speaker's face was ashen. "The remnants of Civilization, the ruins of that city, then... what is that thing? Why is it there? It..."

In the Broken Isles, Kang De heard Dairila's call, opened a portal, and returned to her side. "How...?"

The Phoenix King stared intently at the sea to the southeast, its Phoenix Flame leaping, its expression more solemn than ever before.

"They're here!"

The next moment, white waves surged up on the turbulent sea, and with a deafening roar, an enormous behemoth burst forth from the waves, like a plant sprouting from the soil, instantly reaching a height of nearly a hundred meters in the air.

The object, which surged and swayed, vibrated with a humming sound. Accompanied by scattered water droplets, the surface of the object that broke through the sea was as rough as dead wood, yet its texture shimmered with a dazzling golden light. It swung and danced in the air, shaking off endless waves, revealing its true form to the whole world!

Even the Phoenix King couldn't contain her extreme shock, exclaiming in disbelief, "This is just... a tentacle!?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a tentacle, over a hundred meters long, slammed down onto the sea with a deafening roar!

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PS1: 4,500 words... I've been watching various monster movies for reference all day, and adding what I owed yesterday, I owe a total of 3,000 words. I should be able to catch up in the next day or two, since we're getting to the climax, so I'll try my best to write.