In the vial held in Red Gloves' hand, there appeared to be a fragment of a limb.
It resembled metallic skin attached to bones as clear as crystal. It was undoubtedly a fingertip, taken from some Holy Remains. Whether as the seed of a Stigma or a vessel for a descent, it was more than sufficient.
"With so much Source Substance, it should be enough for initial development, right?"
Red Gloves smiled and suddenly smashed the vial inside the box.
In an instant, countless shards of glass flew in all directions, then vanished into thin air. They were not material to begin with. The entire vial was formed from the solidification of Omnifactor Dissolvent, created solely to meticulously separate the inside from the outside.
And in the moment of contact with the air, the segment of fingertip bone trembled slightly, as if sensing the freedom of the air.
Almost instantly, the Source Substance that had accumulated in the box was completely drawn out by the bone, rapidly depleting. Then, screams erupted from inside the hall.
Soon, the screams died away, fading into silence.
Only dewdrops of crystal-clear Source Substance emerged from the hall and slowly seeped into the fingertip bone. Following this, an aura of madness and malice rose from within the bone.
It surged like a tidal wave, sweeping in all directions. That was a storm—a storm of hunger and evil thoughts.
It howled towards the distance, greedily enveloping everything, violently absorbing all consciousness, and pulling at every trace of Source Substance within reach. Its range encompassed the entirety of Old Pond Town!
The pull at its center was so formidable that even Sublimators could hardly maintain their composure within that terrifying storm.
Red Gloves staggered backward, hearing a snapping sound—the sound of his own hair breaking.
Strands of his hair, dry like wild grass, were snapped off by the wind and fell to the ground.
He raised his hand to touch his face, feeling the traces of wrinkles.
At the corners of his eyes, dense wrinkles and age spots, characteristic of an old person, appeared, seeming to have aged him by decades in an instant.
Then, flesh sprouted from the fractured ends of the bone, and the skeleton began to grow. In a flash, the residual Stigma awakened and began spontaneously extracting the plundered Source Substance, rapidly developing towards a complete form.
The seed was growing. No, more accurately… it was restoring.
First came the First Stage·Mercury: the legendary first metal, a Source Fertile Soil created from the three essences of salt, sulfur, and mercury—the cornerstone of all things.
Bolstered by this, the will within the Holy Remains awoke from its dormancy, casting an indifferent glance at a world it once knew but now found utterly foreign.
Next was the Second Stage·Gold. With its properties realized and attributes perfected, the purified Source Substance formed a radiance akin to the sun.
Only, this radiance was of a greenish hue, carrying a cold chill. Wherever it passed, everything seemed to have weathered for thousands of years, turning to ashes.
Then came the Third Stage·Ether, the path to transcendence. Decaying flesh could no longer bind that horrendous brilliance. A powerful force beyond understanding brewed within, like a planted seed of divine power, reclaiming its transcendent status as it struggled with all its might to break free from the bonds of physical laws.
It was akin to a dragon's reverse scale, a phoenix's tail feather, Medusa's eye, an angel's wing, or a demon's horn—no longer bound by common sense.
Finally, the Fourth Stage·Star Antimony. By then, the segment of finger bone had transformed into a slender, pale hand, stretching out from the void as if meticulously sculpted by a master craftsman, every detail flawlessly wrought.
It had fully sublimated, transcended the mundane, and was no longer something mortals could touch! Just one step away from myth.
At that moment, a roar came from afar, shaking the earth and mountains. Iron enclosures grew from the ground, slowly sealing Old Pond Town within, isolating it from the outside world.
The growth of the hand came to an abrupt halt. There was no more Source Substance for it to continue restoring to its original state.
As if sensing the sky outside the hall had turned pitch black, a sigh of regret echoed from the void.
Red Gloves' expression suddenly changed. He pulled out a depth-measuring device resembling a pocket watch and saw the numbers rapidly climbing. In an instant, the border percentage had reached sixty percent! This place is being stripped from the Current Circumstances by the Astronomical Society!
Just a little more. Just a few more seconds, and the Holy Remains could have restored to the Fifth Stage·Philosopher's Stone, truly becoming a Miracle in this world! Even restoring to the Beyond Stage·Crown and possibly taking control of divine power was within reach...
However, the Abyss between the Fourth and Fifth Stages was now insurmountable. One step too slow!
"This is impossible... Was it a blind stumble, or did they notice?" Red Gloves was astonished, murmuring darkly. How could I have revealed a flaw? Or is there some secret regarding King Ocean that I haven't uncovered?
Soon, he heard a fleeting voice, like a whisper carried by the wind.
"No time to worry about that now. Even if it's just one hand, it should be enough."
With that, the hand pointed backward, signaling him to move back.
The next instant, it raised two fingers and waved them towards the space above the hall. The sound of fabric being shredded by machinery filled the air.
A hurricane burst forth. Wherever it passed, bricks and stones instantly crumbled to dust, and wooden beams rotted and shattered, swept into the sky by the violent wind.
The hand rose slowly, suspended between heaven and earth, and slowly began to clench.
A sharp, ear-piercing sound rang out, and the turbulent world suddenly froze, as if its spinning axis had been tightly seized by that hand.
The process of stripping away the Current Circumstances came to an abrupt halt. It was as though the entire space had solidified within the hurricane.
Suddenly, a roar came from the distance.
"Illegal border crossing detected. Soul mark comparison complete. Threat level escalated—"
In the brief moment it appeared, an alert from the satellite above materialized on Ai Qing's phone, even confirming the origin of the hand:
"Terrorist organization 'Green Day' affiliated mutant—'Ten Disasters' fourth member: Wind Disaster. Threat Level A. Disaster alert sent."
Although everyone had just been shocked and resistant to Ai Qing's report, at this moment they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, genuinely wanting to thank her for her headstrong actions.
Only Ai Qing's expression grew increasingly grim as she silently flipped through her phone.
But she hadn't received any message about the successful evacuation of Huai Shi and the others.
"TCH..." She frowned in annoyance and, without further hesitation, looked up and asked, "What are you waiting for then? For him to order food? Hasn't the Special Affairs Department even made its final contingency plans?"
With permission confirmed from both the middle-aged man and Ai Qing, a rumble came from afar in less than ten seconds.
Thunderous noises echoed incessantly, shaking the earth.
Three kilometers out from the blockade perimeter, on a towering hillside, dust kept rising, and the pungent smell of gunpowder spread with the continuous tremors.
Steel behemoths sprawled upon the earth, their forms reflecting a cold light in the glow of the lamps.
Following the command center's order, their massive bases unfolded, seeming to wedge themselves into the earth. Heavy artillery barrels slowly rose, aiming obliquely at the sky.
Distance calculation complete. Impact point computation done.
The next moment, flames burst forth! Eleven waiting howitzers roared, casting deadly iron light towards the sky dome. The next instant, a terrible power capable of incinerating the entire church dozens of times over descended from above.
The hand, locked in a standoff with the blockade's power, seemed to sense the sudden attack. Its little finger rose slightly, flicking to the side.
The hurricane arose abruptly, iron light shining within it. The intense sound of winds colliding actually emitted sharp noises as countless sparks flickered amidst the storm.
The wind of steel swept through, boldly shattering half the howitzer shells. Then, with a slight swipe of the little finger, the wind of steel collapsed inward, compressing the remaining shells into a single point.
The next instant, scorching light burst forth in the sky. The abruptly appearing light illuminated the unharmed palm.
Then, the second round of bombardment rained down from the heavens!
"Good! Continue! Maintain fire suppression!"
In the command room, the middle-aged man grew excited, not the slightest bit discouraged.
The Hand of Wind Disaster's retaliation only proved one thing: it still lacked the ability to directly endure the bombardment. Otherwise, it wouldn't have wasted effort on such countermeasures.
Current Circumstances, as a shelter for ordinary people and the cornerstone of the world, had the strictest regulations and rules. Unless one reached the Rank of 'Natural Enemy,' transforming into a walking, human-shaped Hell, they could absolutely not contend directly with physical laws.
As long as the firepower was sufficient, there were records of 'Coronated ones' having fallen under military siege.
"It's a pity there are no missiles..." Ai Qing sighed regretfully. Then she heard someone shout in excitement, "Reinforcements from the upper echelons of Current Circumstances have already set out!"
She was stunned for a brief moment, first relieved, but then she vaguely felt something was amiss. The Current Circumstances Guardian on rotation for Dongxia... seems rather unreliable, doesn't he?
Thinking of the rumors circulating among her peers, her heart sank again.
Under the relentless shelling of sixteen howitzers, despite its constant counterattacks, the hand contending against the blockade force was still gradually pushed down, inch by inch. It was suppressed.
The entire church had collapsed by more than half but, unfortunately, surveillance showed no signs of survivors. This was expected.
The mutant known as the Wind Disaster Beast is most adept at creating Source Substance vortices, extracting others' Source Substance as fuel. Now, inside the church—no, the entirety of Old Pond Town—is probably already... devoid of life.
During the brief waiting period, the atmosphere in the command post gradually grew more solemn.
Usually, reinforcements transitioning through the secret realm and 'airdropped' straight to Current Circumstances took less than three minutes. But the wait now felt endlessly long, with only the Current Circumstances Guardian coming to their aid repeatedly texting to reassure those in the command post.
"Already set out!"
"Coming, coming, on the way."
"Just one more minute and I'll be there!"
Messages arrived every few minutes. At first, everyone was hopeful, but as time went on, they grew completely weary of it.
Finally, bad news came from the artillery positions: Ammunition exhausted.
"A bit of a traffic jam, I'll be there soon!"
As the text message alert sounded, the slightly charred hand suddenly lifted, boldly shattering the force that was peeling away Current Circumstances. Then, its fingers clenched into a fist, the hurricane converged, its power distantly focused on the iron blockade that sealed off the entirety of Old Pond Town.
The next instant—CRASH!
The earth shook and the mountains trembled. Amidst the howling hurricane, it sounded as if countless cannons were roaring. The invisible wall sealing the surroundings suddenly shook; the iron blockade thundered, the ground at its foundation quaked, and cracks appeared.
The blockade was loosening. A crack had also appeared on the hand, but it paid no heed and lifted again. CRASH!
BOOM! A fissure appeared on the iron blockade, the metal wailing.
The people in the command post turned pale, but the reinforcements were still nowhere in sight, with only one flippant message arriving:
"Hang in there, I'm just around the corner!"
BOOM! The fist smashed down once more.
This time, the crack on the iron blockade spread further, revealing a fatal breach.
The Wind Disaster Beast broke free!