The Shadow Fiend Fragment staggered back through dark, abandoned side passages that trembled constantly and shed debris.
Every jolt tugged at the searing pain deep within Ming Xin's remnant soul, as well as the fragment's own wail of near-collapse from excessive depletion.
Behind him, the roars of the thing from the abyss and the chaotic ripples of erupting contamination clung to him like maggots on bone.
Even through the endlessly collapsing passages, he could still clearly feel that suffocating malice closing in.
He couldn't stop! He absolutely couldn't stop!
Ming Xin gritted his teeth and devoted all his focus to controlling the fragment, desperately weaving along the edge of the "Order vein" they had followed here like a startled bird fleeing for its life.
The pale-blue crystal fragment in his hand had become his only source of spiritual support.
The gentle yet steadfast Order energy it emitted was like a campfire upon a dark frozen plain, not only weakly driving away the chill of the contamination clinging to him.
It also continuously provided clear, nourishing sustenance, preserving the last shred of his consciousness from being wholly consumed by agony and weakness.
Finally, just before one stretch of the side passage completely collapsed from the violent tremors and sealed off the route behind them.
The Shadow Fiend Fragment barely managed to rush back into the previously unmonitored main passage area.
Back in relatively familiar surroundings, the tremors and contamination ripples still persisted, but their intensity had clearly diminished.
The facility consciousness's warning voice had long since vanished, replaced by a suppressed, low hum like that of an overloaded system.
It echoed through the wreckage. Clearly, the trouble in the core area was far more serious than expected, and most of the facility consciousness's computing power and energy had been drawn there.