Chapter 716 - 448: Forging a Divine Artifact

Chapter 716: Chapter 448: Forging a Divine Artifact

Star Dust Carol’s sealing location was at the edge of the world in Western Gaia, on a solitary island in the middle of a vast ocean.

The journey was extremely long, so Zhou Chen chose to travel by Christmas Sled. By using Invisibility Magic, he wouldn’t have to worry about attracting attention.

The moose pulled the Christmas Sled, galloping through the air as mountains and rivers rushed by below. Zhou Chen looked down to see the land shrouded by the Eternal Dark Radiance. A grim, oppressive tide of Abyssal Demons surged like an ocean, the ferocious horde sweeping inexorably toward the battlefield.

The scale of the Abyssal Army was horrifying. Even after flying for over fifty kilometers, it showed no signs of thinning. Instead, many powerful entities had appeared, the Abyssal Contamination on their bodies so thick it was tangible. Each one was a walking source of severe contamination, and when they gathered, they formed a terrifying, cataclysm-level storm.

Countless Demons underwent further transformations within this calamitous storm. Their bloodthirsty, violent nature left them famished after their metamorphosis. Their instinct to feed drove them to furiously rip into and devour their own kind, constantly evolving through the slaughter.

Brutal infighting erupted throughout the Demon Tide; only the strong survived.

This method of cannibalistic evolution didn’t throw the Abyssal Army into chaos or diminish its numbers. On the contrary, it forged countless powerful Demons, some even verging on Quasi-King Level, that would inevitably pose a serious threat to the cities.

Just as Zhou Chen was wondering if he should turn into a bomber and blast the hell out of them, an intense sense of danger washed over him, making his scalp prickle.

He glanced back and saw several streaks of fiery light rapidly approaching from the distant sky.

They looked like falling stars.

’Shit!’ A cold sweat broke out on Zhou Chen’s back. He quickly commanded the Christmas moose to accelerate, bolting as if for his life.

A dozen seconds later, a brilliant light erupted behind him, illuminating the world as if it were day.

The earth groaned as several massive mushroom clouds rose into the air, spreading indiscriminate destruction. Countless terrifying figures were incinerated in the blinding light. The vast Demon Tide vanished as if it had never existed, leaving only a few small, scattered groups behind.

Flying at top speed, the Christmas Sled had escaped the blast radius just in time.

"That was a close call. Almost got taken out by friendly fire," Zhou Chen sighed in relief. Spotting another Demon Tide converging up ahead, he quickly had the Christmas moose steer around it to avoid getting hit by more nukes.

The mere thought of getting nuked made phantom pains and a burning sensation wash over his body—a lingering PTSD from the time he took a mini-nuke head-on.

"So this is the power of technology..." Danika materialized beside him, gazing at the majestic light of destruction, which blazed like a sun. "It’s even more terrifying than a Destruction-school Forbidden Curse," she murmured. "No chanting, no casting, no need for decades of single-minded devotion to the path of Magic... just a button... It’s... incredible."

"This is nothing. There’s a whole arsenal of Weapons far more powerful than this they haven’t even touched yet. Drop one Antimatter Bomb, and this whole area would be flattened. If they used an Annihilation Bomb, it would leave a massive crater, and even a Tier Five being could die in it if they weren’t careful."

"And I’m sure the Satellite Cities have Extinction Weapons that could wipe all of Gaia off the map with the push of a button."

Zhou Chen tsked as he looked at the scattered remnants of the Demon Tide. "A pity. As long as the Black Sun exists, the Abyssal Demon Beasts will just keep regenerating. Even scouring the land with Destruction Weapons can only hold them back temporarily."

Through his Soul Link, he could clearly sense the Artificial Sun’s current state. It had long been operating at full power, sustained by the Satellite Cities, yet it still couldn’t pierce the Eternal Dark Radiance. This meant the Abyssal Incarnation was finally getting serious. It must have sensed a threat and started this war to eliminate it.

The war would never end until it was dead.

As they left the Demon Tide farther behind, Zhou Chen opened his Player Backpack and looked through it.

He still had several Soul Fragments, which could be used to learn new Skills or be forged into equipment. The materials dropped by bosses could also be forged.

As a Blacksmith himself, he could forge these items directly, or he could use the Prayer System’s forging function.

He had previously exchanged Vine Witch Shafali’s Soul Fragment for Magic: Thorn Prison, but the other Soul Fragments remained unused.

—Great Ktuous’s Soul Fragment, the Magma Giant Beast’s Soul Fragment, Dark Demon Dragon Mazixidun’s Soul Fragment, the Sea Serpent Emperor Dragon’s Soul Fragment, and the Fear Pseudo-Dragon’s Soul Fragment.

Notably, the Filthy Giant Demon hadn’t provided a Soul Fragment. He guessed it was because its condition had been terrible; most of its Power had been eroded during its long imprisonment, and what little of its Soul remained couldn’t even condense into a fragment.

Zhou Chen looked at these Artifacts, pondering how to use them.

Great Ktuous and the Magma Giant Beast shared certain domains with him, making their fragments perfect for acquiring new Skills.

’Maybe I could even learn Great Ktuous’s skill for reverting its own state.’

Hmm... After a moment of thought, Zhou Chen chose to exchange Great Ktuous’s Soul Fragment for a Skill. At the same time, he made a Prayer in his mind: ’I want to learn a skill that can reset my state!’

[Prayer -5000]

[You have used Great Ktuous’s Soul Fragment!]

[You have learned "Reboot!"]

[Reboot: Upon death, you can initiate a one-time reboot, returning you to a time when you were in perfect condition.