Chapter 691: Soul Crystal
The Aftermath of J'onn's Sacrifice
Light—endless light, endless heat, just like the previous explosion.
The difference was that the Mother Entity's "Spirit Bomb" was an all-encompassing force covering the entire plain, while J'onn's "nuclear blast" was a localized strike. To avoid harming Clark and Diana, he compressed the blast radius as much as possible, creating an annihilation field similar to a black hole.
Extreme energy brought extreme destruction.
The ring of light expanded outwards at a seemingly slow but actually incredibly rapid speed, carrying intense light, high temperatures, and world-ending electromagnetic pulses. Diana fought against her exhaustion, dragging Clark and running far away.
They flew for countless kilometers until they pressed against a wall before the ring of light finally halted.
Diana gasped for air, too tired to even lift her arm. But thinking of J'onn's situation, she gritted her teeth and returned the way they came.
The explosion had sterilized the air. A massive amount of charged particles hovered in the sky, looking like a starry expanse from a distance.
"I wonder how J'onn is doing, if he survived."
Recalling the events of the past few days, Diana felt overwhelmed with despair. Four people, and not a single one was whole. Luke was missing, J'onn's fate was unknown, Clark's soul was wounded, and she herself was severely injured.
The Underworld!
It truly was not a place for the living.
After the explosion, the auras of both the Mother Entity and the hostile twin had vanished, and their bodies were nowhere to be found. After searching for a long time without finding what she sought, Diana had no choice but to return to their original hiding spot. J'onn's original, unconscious body was still there.
"What should I do now?"
Diana was lost, staring blankly around, completely without a plan.
Luke's Fiery Return
After an unknown length of time, a gurgling sound echoed in the darkness. A monster covered in tumors and with tentacles sprouting from its back appeared before her.
"Human, hee hee hee hee!!!!"
"I finally found you."
Diana's pupils constricted. "Who are you? You... you're still alive."
Though the monster's appearance had drastically changed, its eyes still vaguely held the look of the hostile twin. The twin was previously barely human; now it was a monster through and through.
"I should have killed you. I should have killed you."
"Damn it, I'm going to eat you all right now."
The monster hissed in rage, filled with endless hatred and malice. Its initial hesitation, driven by fear of Luke, had led to this disastrous outcome.
Its body was completely destroyed in the explosion, and its soul suffered an unprecedented blow. Even reborn, it no longer possessed its initial strength.
It was now weaker than when it was first born.
"You all deserve to die!"
The monster roared and charged. Dozens of meters of white, sharp light erupted from its palm.
Diana drew the Sword of Hephaestus.
Clang!
The light blade met the sword's edge. A terrifying force slammed into her. Diana spat blood, flying straight backward.
"Die!"
The monster raised its hand and sliced down. A crescent light blade broke through the air, traveling at an incredible speed.
Diana gritted her teeth, barely managing to raise her long sword to protect her body. Her exhausted hands couldn't withstand the attack. Her body retreated relentlessly, crashing heavily into the wall along with the light blade. Excruciating pain shot through her internal organs, and she finally succumbed, falling unconscious.
"All humans must die!"
The twin was still not satisfied. It grabbed J'onn's body and shoved it directly into its mouth. After chewing twice, it realized something was wrong and quickly spat it out.
A familiar aura emanated from J'onn's body.
Ghostly green light!
Burning fire!
The terror of a soul devourer!
"Human!"
The twin roared, spitting a seven-colored energy column.
Boom!
A violent explosion rocked the sky. A torrent of fire surged forth, forming a wall that blocked the energy column. Luke was born from the flames, his form rapidly swelling into the six-armed giant.
He raised a hand. The Soul-Devouring Bow, which had fallen underground, flew toward him at high speed.
The sky-high flames transformed into a single arrow, merging with death, darkness, and lightning. Amidst the flashing electricity, a ghostly green pillar of light shot through the void, its afterimage refusing to dissipate.
The twin looked down blankly. Seeing the bloody hole in its chest, its expression was a mixture of shock and terror. Without a word, it turned and fled.
"Trying to run? Where will you go?"
Luke drew his bow again.
Bang!
As the bowstring sound faded, the twin's head suddenly exploded. Blood and brain matter sprayed everywhere.
Luke soared forward. His six hands simultaneously made hand seals. The moment the head began to heal, he extended his index finger, pressing it into the twin's forehead like a bolt from the blue.
"Soul-Sealing Technique, Suppress!"
Countless golden chains leaked from his fingertip, piercing the body and locking down the soul.
"This time, no one can save you."
Luke scoffed, making hand seals to establish layer upon layer of defensive barriers around them. Simultaneously, a massive stream of materialized heat surged from the vortex on his chest, which had not yet closed. The energy contained within was dozens of times more potent than the green flame. If not for the barrier's isolation, Diana and Clark would have suffered permanent soul damage.
The materialized green flame engulfed the twin's body, constantly corroding it from within. It screamed in agony, thrashing frantically, making the chains clang loudly.
Luke showed ruthless determination, expending all his divine energy. If one hundred chains weren't enough, he'd use a thousand, ten thousand. He was determined to seal this thing to death.
His fingers radiated dazzling golden light. The crisscrossing chains formed a massive net, tightly confining the twin.
The fire, the chains, and the constantly flashing lightning—the attack was relentless. Even though the twin had merged the residual souls of hundreds of Gods, it couldn't withstand such an assault.
Its soul was whittled down bit by bit, finally condensing into a single, crystal-clear bead.
The bead was the size of a billiard ball, shimmering with seven-colored light, giving it an intensely mysterious aura.
Luke frowned slightly, changing his hand seal. Green lightning shot from his palm, striking the bead. The bead trembled slightly, then returned to normal.
"I don't believe this."
Luke curled his lips. The surging sea of fire turned into a raging thundercloud. Lightning surged through the clouds, striking the bead from all directions.
Boom!
The crisscrossing lightning seemed to shatter space itself.
Cracks appeared on the bead's surface. The cracks rapidly spread until the bead finally burst with a pop. The billiard-ball-sized bead vanished, replaced by an immaculate, crystal-clear, empty void crystal.
"This is... a Soul Crystal?"
Luke's eyes widened, full of disbelief. The Tianshi Records contained a brief description of a Soul Crystal, also known as the Soul Source. Only the most powerful Gods had a chance to condense one upon death. Its value was incalculable, making it the most precious material in existence.
The hostile twin had actually precipitated a Soul Crystal?
Luke frowned deeply. He suddenly reached out and touched the crystal. A faint phantom flew out of the crystal—the hostile twin, shrunk countless times. Its eyes were closed, and its expression was peaceful, like a sleeping infant.
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