Despite unleashing such a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering attack, Chu Lian did not look like a victor at all. The Seraph instantly transformed back into a bell, while Hare Menjou, who had expended most of her energy, returned to Chu Lian's spiritual sea to recuperate.
Chu Lian immediately collapsed limply onto the ground, panting heavily as she muttered, "My god, I'm exhausted. I absolutely can't use this thing again before reaching Heaven rank. It's practically a pump. It drained all my energy in one go. Without Hare, I'd probably be nothing but skin and bones right now."
Although Chu Lian made herself sound utterly miserable, a smile hung on her face. Seeing her like this, the girls could not help wanting to laugh. The contrast between the current Chu Lian and the valkyrie who had seemingly pierced through heaven and earth moments ago was simply too great.
"Even so, Big Sis, that attack just now was terrifying. You actually fired it all the way into space." Chu Chu crouched beside her. After seeing that Chu Lian was merely covered in sweat and showed no other abnormalities, she breathed a sigh of relief and began teasing her.
"I didn't expect it to be that powerful either, though it did take quite a while to charge." That was something she had to complain about. From the moment Chu Lian began charging the cannon until she fired it, she had accumulated energy for nearly seventy seconds.
Had there not been people protecting her, and had the enemy possessed quality rather than merely quantity, whether she could have lasted even ten seconds would have been uncertain.
Of course, this might also have been related to her own strength. Although she could normally display power close to half-step Heaven rank, and could even fight a half-step Heaven-rank opponent after erupting with all her strength, her actual rank remained somewhere between the peak of Spirit rank and half-step Earth rank.
At most, all the energy in her body could unleash destructive force equivalent to the peak of Earth rank in a single burst. That could not compare at all to a cannon blast capable of piercing the ozone layer and shooting directly into space.
She had too little energy and her rank was too low, so her absorption speed was not fast enough. As a result, energy that might normally have taken only three to five seconds to accumulate had been forcibly stretched to seventy seconds.
Still, this had also served as an experiment, allowing her to test the destructive power of the Finale of Ruin and giving her more options and preparation for the future.
For example, with such a long range and such immense power, she could begin charging from dozens of kilometers away, then blow away the target's soul with a single shot.
The prerequisite was that the other side not possess strength above the peak of Earth rank or have someone exceptionally sensitive to energy fluctuations nearby. Otherwise, she might be interrupted during the charging process. Even if they could not interrupt her, they could simply abandon everything and flee.
There were too many unpredictable factors when using it against people, but what about a mountain, a city, or even some mysterious object hidden in the sky or the depths of the ocean? Could she annihilate those instead?
She gazed into the distant sky, as though she could see the Heavenly Demon fleeing in disarray, along with the shadowy secret ruins concealed in the depths of the heavens that humanity had yet to discover.
"I can't anymore... I can't. I need to sleep. Don't stop me." As Chu Lian thought about it, she grew increasingly drowsy. She yawned repeatedly as she spoke, her voice becoming softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.
"Oh, she's asleep?" Li Mingxue's figure suddenly appeared on the rooftop. Looking at the sleeping Chu Lian, she murmured softly.
This girl had genuinely surprised her just now. Her daughter, who had always appeared so delicate, was unexpectedly capable of displaying such domineering might when she erupted.
Even Li Mingxue was not confident she could unleash that attack herself. Although that was because she possessed no ability of that kind, it was still enough to demonstrate just how much power the Finale of Ruin contained.
"Mother..." The moment Chu Chu saw her, she immediately straightened her posture and became completely serious. She feared no one except for two people, and Li Mingxue was one of them.
They had only just finished a great battle. She did not want her mother to notice anything wrong with her.
"You should all go downstairs and rest. And you, little fellow. Since you've surrendered, don't entertain any unnecessary thoughts. You will gain far more here than you ever did in hell." Li Mingxue's first sentence was directed at the girls, while the second was spoken as she looked at the three-headed hellhound that had surrendered.
"Please rest assured, Madam. Since I have already submitted, I will not rebel again." When Li Mingxue's gaze fell upon it, an aura like that of an ancient demon god enveloped its body. Even as it trembled in terror, it could not help feeling grateful for the choice it had made.
In a place like this, even if it no longer wielded as much authority as it had as a minor leader in hell, at the very least, its future growth would certainly not be poor.
Just look at these girls. They were all human—apart from the girl who had beaten it so miserably, who was now its master. She was definitely not human—and yet every one of them possessed such strength while appearing to be only in their teens. Once they matured, this force would be enough to overturn anyone's imagination.
"Perhaps I am witnessing the birth of a divine kingdom." As a fantasy creature spoken of by humans, the three-headed hellhound was certainly knowledgeable. Together, these girls truly resembled the embryonic form of a divine kingdom. Of course, actually establishing that divine kingdom would be impossible without an exceedingly long period of time.
"You really are hopeless, always ending up like this." Seeing that the girls remained silent but tacitly agreed, Li Mingxue said nothing more. She bent down and lifted Chu Lian into a princess carry, sounding both reproachful and indulgent.
"Phew, we finally dealt with everything here. It was only a few minutes, but it feels like a very long time has passed." Once her mother left, Chu Chu dropped onto the rooftop and stared at the sky, imitating Chu Lian's earlier sigh.
"Chu Chu, I think we should go downstairs." Unfortunately, she did not receive the same treatment as Chu Lian. The other girls merely glanced at her before going about their own business, paying her no further attention.
Only Inori kindly reminded her, sparing her from too much embarrassment.
"Fine. I have no human rights anymore." Chu Chu sat upright and shook her head, though she was only complaining. She understood very clearly how Big Sis differed from her.
"I just hope no one comes looking for us. Big Sis' attack was far too terrifying." Chu Chu knew more than Inori, Kurosaki Satsuki, Anna, and the other girls. The attack Chu Lian had just fired must have alerted every nation and faction in the world capable of detecting it.
Unless she was mistaken, those forces had all been researching energy weapons. At a time when even small-scale energy weapons had yet to become widespread, an energy cannon had suddenly appeared that could fire into space and destroy a meteorite. How could they not be horrified and immediately begin searching for its source?
Its impact was no different from the emergence of the nuclear bomb during an era of world war when people still relied only on artillery, missiles, bullets, and similar weapons. Chu Lian's Star-Piercing Cannon was the nuclear weapon of the energy-weapons field.
"Have we identified the region where that energy cannon was fired?" Far across the ocean, within a secret location in the United States, the people seated in a conference room watched solemnly as their president questioned the person on the other side of a virtual screen. They were desperate for an answer.
"We have identified it. It was somewhere along the Yangtze River basin in Huaxia, most likely in Su Province. One of the observation satellites we secretly placed above Huaxia fell from orbit, and that satellite had been positioned over the area." A dark silhouette appeared on the screen. Only its vaguely humanoid outline could be discerned. Even its voice had been processed, making it impossible to determine whether the speaker was male or female.
Hearing this person's report, everyone in the conference room looked at one another in dismay.
The president slammed a fist onto the table and roared uncontrollably, "Huaxia again! It's always Huaxia! Have we really fallen that far behind? Are all of you useless? Why can they produce the very things we've been researching so quickly? Can none of you work faster?"
Hearing the president's roar, everyone seated below him shrank back and exchanged glances, but ultimately, none dared to speak.
The president of the United States on this Earth was not like the president of another Earth, who held the title but was merely a puppet controlled by major financial conglomerates.
Backed by the forces of the hidden world and organizations of superheroes, this president spoke with far greater authority. Once he lost his temper, even the major conglomerates found it difficult to restrain him.
Besides, this matter truly was infuriating. Who could remain calm when saddled with such a group of "useless" subordinates?
To develop energy weapons, they, like the other great powers and organizations across the world, had gradually suspended research into most conventional weapons technology apart from aerospace engineering. They had also begun loosening technological restrictions on the civilian sector, all so they could concentrate manpower on developing energy weapons as quickly as possible.
However, technology and magic were two entirely incompatible developmental paths. How difficult would it be to unify them? Even Huaxia, which had begun its research earliest, had only developed weapons like energy guns according to their reports.
Their own energy weapons followed a different direction, yet they had been confident they would undoubtedly surpass Huaxia's researchers.
Fine. Fine. Fine. Barely ten days after making that promise, the other side had unveiled a weapon shocking enough to astonish the entire world.
They did not know why Huaxia had fired such a blast without any prior warning, but that did not prevent them from interpreting it as a warning.
Perhaps some arrangements they had made before the Miami dragon incident had angered the other side? They did not know, but they could not afford to ignore that possibility.
Moreover, the world was now beginning to change. More and more extraordinary individuals and incidents were appearing among the public, causing the situation to become increasingly unpredictable.
To deal with such matters, a government had to possess armed forces of its own if it wished to maintain stable control.
They were not like the government in Huaxia, whose word carried absolute authority and which could act however it pleased. Even the White House had to spend an enormous amount of time discussing a single decision, let alone exerting control over the civilian population.
"We are currently searching for the ultimate source. If necessary, we must obtain this technology even if it means starting a war. Please rest assured." What else could they do now? As subordinates, they could only promise to provide an answer that would satisfy the president as soon as possible.
However, no one present believed the statement about starting a war. Such words were acceptable as empty posturing, but actually carrying them out was another matter. Even before considering how the president might be impeached, the general public would never support such reckless behavior.
Their opponent was a great nation that had stood for thousands of years and now occupied the pinnacle of the world. Although various circumstances had once caused it to miss many opportunities for development, allowing the United States to catch up, that did not mean the United States was guaranteed victory.
If war truly broke out, there was no telling whether the relatively young and limited number of American superheroes could contend against the other side's various cultivators. Even in terms of present-day technology, the United States was at a disadvantage.
That was not even mentioning the fact that the other side had developed an energy cannon free of pollution yet comparable in power to a nuclear bomb.
They were certain that if they angered Huaxia, the other side might recklessly aim one of those cannons at an American military base and fire. It caused no environmental harm or pollution, only tremendous destruction, leaving them with no grounds to protest.
"Phew. Contact them for me. In a few days, I will make an official visit to Huaxia. This time, we will go with sincerity." By this point, the president had calmed down and understood that these matters could not be resolved so easily.
To prevent Huaxia from striking first, he still needed to make the trip and determine exactly what the other side intended.
After hearing his order, the subordinate left to make the arrangements. At the very least, this would be far easier than fighting a war with Huaxia, would it not?
In truth, they were not the only ones shocked. The people of Russia and the European Alliance were equally stunned. Just how many geniuses and outstanding individuals had that land of Huaxia nurtured?
"Have you found the source?" Chu Xiao sat in his office chair and asked the newcomer without even turning his head.
"We found it, but I don't think you'll be pleased by the information." The newcomer was a woman wearing a black skintight outfit and glasses.
She held a thin stack of documents in one hand. After hearing his question, she hesitated over whether she should give them to him.
"Give them to me." What kind of man was Chu Xiao? No matter what happened within the field under his responsibility, he would never refuse to confront it and learn the truth personally. He was also confident that no setback could ever defeat him.
"Lian'er..." However, that confidence vanished completely the moment the document was placed in his hands.
As he read through the information line by line, a bitter smile appeared on Chu Xiao's lips. Why was that girl still causing such a commotion even now? It seemed he had no choice but to return home this time.
"I need to go back and deal with something. Until I return, none of you are to make any moves. Understood?" Chu Xiao was a man of action. Since something had happened at home, as her father, he had to return and ask exactly what had gone wrong.
"Do as you please. We'll keep the people below under control. Just handle your own affairs properly." The woman adjusted her glasses and made no attempt to stop him. She merely stepped aside and allowed Chu Xiao to leave.
"How truly... interesting..." Who was it that murmured those words?