Chapter 6: Tide of Awakened Bones
Li Tianming stood upon the energy platform within the Primordial Void, his eyes lightly closed, yet his consciousness was already synchronized with the entire Rust Sea. This was not simple control, but a deeper level of fusion. He was the senses extended by the Rust Sea, and the Rust Sea was the vessel of his vast will.
The engine nozzles of the "Plunderer" mothership were like blazing torches in his "sight," while the dark golden divine light radiating from the three Blade of Judgment Titans was a glaring stain invading his domain.
Expel.
His thought was the command.
BOOM—!!!
The rust-colored sea surrounding the mothership erupted completely, no longer forming waves, but shaping into countless forms of giant arms, tentacles, and even draconic heads, all coalesced from activated nanites and fragments of Divine Skeletons. They seized the massive hull from all directions. The metal shell was torn apart, compressed, and assimilated amidst a teeth-grating shriek, becoming part of the Rust Sea.
"Shields overloading! Structural integrity falling below critical!"
"The engine sector is lost!We're being... digested!"
Desperate shouts on the bridge were drowned out by more violent explosions.
Simultaneously, the three Titans found themselves in dire straits. The dark golden light around them dimmed at an unprecedented rate, not shattered by force, but disassembled. Countless nanites, like microscopic analyzers, attached to the divine light. They didn't oppose it with brute force, but reversely parsed its energy composition, dismantling and absorbing it, reducing it to the most fundamental energy particles that fed the Rust Sea.
"This is impossible!" roared the commander within the lead Titan. He felt his connection to the Celestial Realm system being interfered with, blocked by an older, more fundamental force. "This sea is executing a... format!"
Lia stood beside Li Tianming, watching the apocalyptic scene beyond the energy barrier, her body trembling slightly. It wasn't fear, but awe stemming from a lifeform's primal instinct. She could clearly feel the colossal streams of commands radiating from the Divine Skeleton beneath their feet—acting as the "heart"—through Li Tianming, to the entire Rust Sea.
"You... are rewriting the rules here," she murmured.
Li Tianming finally opened his eyes. His pupils had completely transformed into flowing galaxies of rust-colored light.
"Not rewriting," his voice echoed with multiple layers, as if billions of nanites were whispering in unison. "Restoring the original rule of this place—the weak are prey to the strong, and only the fittest survive. And at this moment, I am the 'fittest'."
He slowly raised his right hand, aiming at one Titan that still resisted.
The space around that Titan instantly compressed and solidified, as if trapped in transparent amber. Then, a gigantic spike, spiraled and twisted from countless ship wreckage, shot up from the sea below at a speed defying physics, instantly piercing through the Titan's chest core!
There was no explosion, only silent disintegration. The Titan's massive body crumbled like a sandcastle blown apart by the wind, rapidly dissolving into a stream of pure dark golden energy, which was then greedily devoured and absorbed by the churning rust-colored nano-mist.
The remaining two Titans completely lost their will to fight, attempting to tear through space and escape. But the very space of the Rust Sea was now locked down by Li Tianming's will. Their escape attempts were like insects crashing against an invisible wall.
"The system... will not let this slide..." the last Titan managed a venomous curse before being completely swallowed by the Rust Sea's tendrils.
"I'm waiting."
Li Tianming's soft response was followed by him clenching his fist abruptly.
The two Titans were torn apart by countless Rust Sea constructs, sharing their companion's fate, becoming nourishment.
A temporary "calm" returned to the sea surface. Only the wreckage of the Scavenger mothership and the dissipating energy signatures of the Titans remained, quickly sinking or being absorbed by the ever-hungry sea.
Lia looked at the man who was both familiar and a stranger, taking a deep breath. "They were just the vanguard. The system's true power..."
"I know." Li Tianming cut her off, the rust-colored galaxies in his eyes slowly calming, returning to a deep black, but the intangible pressure around him grew even heavier. "This is only the beginning. But before they come again..."
He turned, his gaze seeming to pierce through layers of obstruction, looking towards the deepest parts of the Rust Sea, where even larger shadows slumbered, not fully awakened.
"...It's time we paid a visit to our other 'neighbors'. It's time for this Sea of Divine Bones to speak with one voice."
Beneath his feet, the great Divine Skeleton emitted a low hum, as if responding to the will of its new sovereign.
Throughout the Rust Sea, undercurrents were stirring. More ancient existences, in their deep slumber, opened their eyes.