Translator: CinderTL
A/N: This chapter is best read with the background music " Two Steps From Hell - Victory." I wrote this chapter by first getting into the mood and then listening to the music to enhance the feeling.
The domain world suddenly accelerated its rate of devouring the Real World, a development Feng Qi hadn't anticipated.
He had assumed the collapse of the future world was still far off, giving him ample time to connect with the human survivors.
Staring at the distorted, encroaching boundary between the domain world and the Real World, he stood frozen, feeling utterly helpless.
The domain world rapidly expanded toward the shelter, withering all vegetation in its path as if eons of decay had occurred in an instant.
The wide road leading to Star City Shelter began to crack and crumble under the domain's oppressive force.
Seeing this, a profound sense of helplessness washed over him.
Faced with such overwhelming cosmic power, individual strength seemed utterly insignificant. He knew he couldn't possibly alter the course of events.
Just then, the ground trembled violently.
He turned to see billowing dust clouds rising from the horizon as countless grotesque domain creatures surged from all directions, as if intent on devouring the entire world along with the expanding Domain Field.
Simultaneously, countless spatial nodes materialized in the sky.
Tendrils tearing through space emerged, accompanied by raspy whispers that poured forth from the dense mist.
In the far distance, a mountain-like humanoid figure strode heavily toward Star City Shelter.
"ROAR!"
The thunderous roar shattered the dark clouds, revealing a ferocious bestial face.
Countless terrifying domain creatures materialized in that instant.
Feng Qi glanced back at Star City Shelter and saw the Iron City Wall retracting like an accordion gate, as warriors clad in Rune Battle Armor marched out in formation.
After the first squad halted before the Iron City Wall, subsequent squads fanned out to either side.
Within moments, they had formed a neat line before the wall, a Human Defense Line of over ten thousand soldiers gazing at the encroaching Domain Field, weapons at the ready.
Seeing this, Feng Qi's anxiety surged.
Victory in this battle was clearly impossible. Their only hope lay in evacuating to other safe human cities and consolidating their forces. Choosing to fight to the death here was utter folly.
With this thought, he immediately sprinted toward Star City Shelter.
Meanwhile, the Iron City Wall slowly closed, and the warriors raised their weapons in unison.
Feng Qi channeled his psychokinesis to accelerate his sprint.
Despite his enhanced speed, Feng Qi couldn't match the agility of some domain creatures. Many ignored his presence, surging past him to follow the Domain Field's relentless advance.
Moments later, the vanguard of domain creatures clashed with the human warriors at the front lines, igniting a brutal slaughter.
The human warriors swung their weapons with furious precision, channeling heaven and earth spiritual energy to harvest the charging domain creatures like reaping wheat.
The Future People's combat prowess far exceeded Feng Qi's expectations.
After 1,500 years of refinement, the Future People's starting point in cultivation studies surpassed even the modern era's peak, granting them mastery over a far more advanced Cultivation Studies System.
The warriors, clad in Rune Battle Armor, their faces concealed by helmets, revealed only their eyes burning with murderous intent.
Feng Qi finally reached the Human Defense Line after his frantic sprint.
He stopped there, knowing that advancing further would only lead to the same fate as the domain creaturesโmerciless annihilation.
Standing rooted to the spot, he watched the blood-soaked battle unfold, a sense of helplessness washing over him.
Suddenly, countless globs of viscous fluid rained from the sky. Upon impact, these coalesced into grotesque, writhing lifeforms, launching a flanking assault on the Human Defense Line.
"Seal Formation Team One!" a thunderous roar erupted from within the human ranks.
Instantly, a squad of warriors in the rear ranks levitated into the air. Their hands moved rapidly, weaving intricate hand seals as bolts of lightning coalesced into whips that lashed out at the slime-like creatures.
Upon contact, the bodies of the slime-like creatures were instantly incinerated.
"Shield Mountain Team, advance! Create a safe space for the Art Magic Team!"
At the command, the heavily armed warriors with shields surged forward, pushing through the frenzied attacks of the domain creatures.
While awestruck by the Future People's combat prowess, Feng Qi still couldn't understand why they chose to fight to the death instead of retreating to safer human settlements.
Just then, a figure soared from the Human Defense Line, ascending to a height of about a hundred meters before closing their eyes.
The free-floating spiritual energy particles in the air seemed drawn by an unseen force, rapidly converging toward the sky.
A golden point of light suddenly appeared in the heavens.
The light darted across the sky, tracing the outline of a massive Art Magic Array Diagram.
Then, a torrent of flames erupted from within the array, incinerating any domain creatures it touched into ash before they could even scream.
Fortunately, Feng Qi was far enough away to escape the inferno.
Even so, the scorching heatwave that washed over him forced him to retreat several more steps.
"So powerful!"
They are among the few surviving humans, and warriors guarding the shelter. How could they be weak? Otherwise, the shelter would have long been overrun by Domain-Transcending Creatures.
Hearing the Narrator's explanation, he nodded immediately.
"Roar!"
A roar echoed from the sky as a domain creature with twin wings swooped down, its massive jaws snapping open to bite at the figure still casting spells in the air.
The figure turned, thrusting both hands toward the winged creature. Instantly, the formation above his head reversed direction, unleashing a torrent of flames directly at the winged beast.
The surging flames devoured the creature, which let out a piercing shriek before plummeting from the sky.
Seeing this, Feng Qi, who had been holding his breath in suspense, clenched his fist in exhilaration.
But before his joy could last even a few seconds, a spatial vortex suddenly materialized in the sky. A colossal hand formed from gray mist slammed down on the spellcaster.
After the sneak attack, both the Gray Mist Giant Hand and the spatial node vanished simultaneously.
The strike was too sudden; the spellcaster, caught completely off guard, coughed up blood and crashed to the ground.
With a dull thud, he landed within the encirclement of domain creatures.
Seeing this, Feng Qi roared and activated his Blood Source Ability, immediately charging toward the scene.
His muscles rapidly expanded, transforming him in an instant into a towering, two-meter-tall, ferocious figure.
Plowing through everything in his path, he stormed directly toward the spellcaster.
There, he saw a domain creature tearing at the runes on the spellcaster's Rune Armor.
Feng Qi immediately stepped forward and slammed his fist into the creature's face, sending it flying several meters away.
Bending down to help the severely injured spellcaster, he asked urgently, "How are you? Can you still move?"
"Cough... who are you?" The badly wounded man stared in shock at Feng Qi's monstrous appearance.
"I'm human. I accidentally turned into a domain creature... Ugh, never mind. I'm human, but I accidentally ended up looking like this. No time to explain. I'll get you back."
As he spoke, Feng Qi whirled around and punched a domain creature lunging from his right rear, sending it flying.
Then, he scooped up the spellcaster, crouching slightly.
This technique was a body cultivation move he'd learned from the future database, using his own body as a bow to unleash maximum force.
His back slowly arched backward, like a feline coiling up before pouncing.
"Take this!"
With a roar, he unleashed his full strength, hurling the spellcaster toward the Human Defense Line.
Psychokinesis surged from his body, transforming into a propulsive force that gave the spellcaster an extra boost mid-air.
Yet his power still fell short. Before the spellcaster could reach the Human Defense Line, his body began to plummet.
Just then, a figure leaped from the Human Defense Line, catching the spellcaster mid-air before landing back within the defensive perimeter.
Yes!
Feng Qi clenched his fist in triumph.
As he prepared to retreat and maintain distance from the Human Defense Line, another figure sprang from the line, charging straight toward him.
Clad in Black Rune Battle Armor, the figure landed beside him with lightning speed and seized his right arm.
A tremendous force yanked him into the air, leaving him no time to resist as he was dragged toward the Human Defense Line.
When his feet touched the ground, a Black Long Spear pressed against his neck.
"You claim to be human? State your Resident ID Number!"
Feeling the chilling cold of the Black Long Spear against his throat, Feng Qi's heart sank.
Resident ID Number again? If I had one, I would have given it already. Why would I wait until now?
"I'm human, but I don't have a Resident ID Number."
"Prove it, or I'll kill you as a domain creature," the voice said coldly.
Claiming to be Feng Qi from 1,500 years ago would obviously be met with disbelief. Thinking quickly, he replied, "I'm a human who participated in the Rune Modification Plan and left the city long ago."
After a few seconds of silence, the figure holding the spear said, "My name is Chen Mo. I'm the group leader of Combat Regiment One at Star City Shelter. I'll temporarily believe you, but I won't let you enter the shelter."
Realizing he was temporarily safe, Feng Qi immediately asked, "Group Leader Chen Mo, why aren't you evacuating the shelter residents? Why choose to stay and fight to the death?"
"Retreat? Retreat where?"
"Is Star City the last human shelter in the world? Are there no other places where humans can survive?"
Chen Mo shook his head. "We lack the ability to cross the Domain Field to other shelters, and we don't even know if any other human shelters still exist."
"Even without other shelters, you could retreat eastward with the shelter's residents. How long can you hold out here in a desperate fight?"
"There's nowhere left to retreat to."
With that, Chen Mo turned away and strode toward the defense line.
"I don't have time for this now. Take care of yourself. The shelter is sealed; no one can enter."
"One last question: why didn't you choose to hide in the shelter with everyone else?"
"Resources are limited, and we are warriors. To die in battle is our fate."
Chen Mo replied casually, without looking back. He tightened his grip on his spear, then leaped into the air, charging toward the surging domain creatures.
Hearing these words, Feng Qi suddenly realized something.
These warriors had cut off their own retreat, prepared to fight to the death.
The reason was simple: the shelter's resources were finite. Maintaining a sustainable cycle required limiting the population. If the cycle collapsed, every resident would perish.
The revelation shook him to his core.
The battle raged on. With the emergence of powerful domain creatures, the human warriors could no longer maintain their earlier ease.
One by one, warriors fell, their places immediately taken by those behind them.
Wearing helmets, their expressions were hidden, but Feng Qi sensed the solemn weight of the moment.
Throughout the battle, wounded soldiers were constantly dragged back to the rear lines, where medics performed emergency triage before sending them back into the fray.
At that moment, Feng Qi could only watch helplessly, powerless to change the unfolding tragedy.
As casualties mounted and the pressure on the Human Defense Line intensified, the warriors refused to yield an inch.
Some had their arms bitten off by domain creatures, others their legs shattered, yet they stood firm at the front lines, their figures like towering mountains, unyielding and unwavering.
Feng Qi stared blankly at the scene, his fists clenching tighter.
The future of humanity shouldn't be like this.
As time wore on, more and more warriors fell in pools of blood, and the tens of thousands-strong Human Defense Line gradually crumbled.
The remaining fighters retreated to the statue standing at the city gate, where they made their final stand against the domain creatures.
Again and again, warriors sacrificed themselves to prevent the domain creatures from approaching the statue.
"Is it really worth dying to protect this statue?" Feng Qi murmured to himself.
"Yes," a voice answered from his right. "It's a symbol of the dignity we've sworn to defend with our lives, not just a decoration."
Turning, Feng Qi recognized the speaker as the Guarding Man who had blocked his path earlier.
Lying on the ground, his arms gone and his eyes turned a dull gray-white, as if he could no longer see, the man stared blankly at the sky. He continued, "This statue has been reforged twenty-eight times. After each battle, the rune crystals among the spoils of war, drained of their energy, become part of this statue."
"It embodies the dignity of our warriors. It must never fall while we still stand."
"Cough, cough... One book, one sword, though far away, we will..." The man's voice trailed off abruptly, his body going still.
"Dignity?" Feng Qi murmured, his heart churning with emotion.
An overwhelming sense of oppression weighed on him. He resolutely charged toward the Human Defense Line.
Though he was weak, he would fight alongside these human warriors, even to his death.
As he ran, his Nightmare ability automatically activated.
Fragments of memories from the minds of the dying warriors flooded his consciousness.
A cacophony of voices echoed in Feng Qi's mind:
"Captain, can we win this final battle?"
"I don't know. But we don't fight because we think we'll winโwe fight because we must win!"
"The future has become this. We've betrayed the sacrifices of our ancestors. All we can do now is keep fighting until our last drop of blood is shed."
Finally, all the images merged into one.
In the scene, they stood beneath a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, fists clenched at their temples, solemnly swearing before his statue:
Eternal night approaches; we shall never forget.
We will not seek glory, but stand united with our comrades, fulfilling our duties with unwavering loyalty. We will live and die here, our hearts steadfast, without fear or retreat.
We will sound the alarm against external threats, forge divine shields of hardened steel, and secure the eternal prosperity of the human race.
We rise today, offering our lives. Even in death, we shall have no regrets.
The human race shall endure forever!
"The human race endures!"
Feng Qi roared, and his cry was echoed by a rising chorus of voices.
Fueled by bone-deep hatred, he charged alongside the remaining human warriors in a final assault against the domain creatures.
(End of the Chapter)
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