The System's blaring red text screamed: "WARNING! UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED! Override System? (Y/N)" Yet, even as the colossal Voidwalker Abomination's final, annihilating void orb surged towards him, Kenji Tanaka ignored the override prompt. His fingers were already pressed against the cold, pulsating surface of the Forbidden Relic. It was a desperate gamble, a suicidal choice, but it was the only one left. The spiritual vacuum from the Voidwalker's attack was already tearing at his essence, threatening to rip his soul from his body. He was going to die anyway. He had to try.
Instinct, raw and primal, took over. Kenji didn't hesitate. He instinctively channeled every last fragment of his Qi Condensation Level 2 cultivation, every atom of his True Aetherial Roots Qi, directly into the Forbidden Relic. It was a reckless, desperate act, pouring his entire spiritual foundation into an unknown, dangerous artifact. He wasn't sure what would happen, but he had to interrupt the Voidwalker's attack, and he had to do it now.
The moment his Qi flooded into the obsidian orb, the Forbidden Relic screamed. Not a physical sound, but a deafening, cosmic shriek that echoed directly in Kenji's mind, threatening to shatter his very sanity. It pulsed violently, absorbing Kenji's Qi with horrifying speed, then unleashing it in a blinding, chaotic explosion of pure, untamed void energy.
The blast was raw, primeval, a terrifying force that dwarfed any spiritual attack Kenji had ever witnessed. It wasn't just dark; it was an absence of light, a tear in reality itself. It radiated a profound, ancient malice that made the previous void dust seem like a gentle breeze. The very air around it warped, shivered, and then seemed to collapse inward, creating a vortex of unmaking.
The colossal Voidwalker Abomination, caught directly in the path of its own relic's chaotic release, let out a piercing, non-physical shriek of agony. Its massive void orb, previously so potent, disintegrated into nothingness as the raw, destructive energy of the Forbidden Relic slammed into its shadowy form. The Abomination's fluid, shapeless body contorted grotesquely, its red eyes blazing with shock and excruciating pain. It was being consumed by the very energy it wielded, the very power it sought to protect.
Kenji felt an immense, alien power surge through him, a terrifying current of raw, void-infused energy that was both exhilarating and profoundly agonizing. It wasn't his Qi; it was the relic's own power, flowing through him, making him a temporary conduit. For a fleeting second, he felt omnipotent, capable of twisting reality with a mere thought. He saw the intricate patterns of the Voidwalker's spiritual essence, its every weakness, its every connection to the void. He understood its fundamental nature, its purpose, its very existence. He felt as if he could tear the entire Echoing Spires apart with a single thought.
But the power was too much. It was overwhelming, tearing at his spiritual meridians, threatening to rip his body apart. His carefully purified True Aetherial Roots Qi battled fiercely against the raw, corrupting void energy, but it was a losing fight. His life force was draining away at an alarming rate, consumed by the sheer magnitude of the power flowing through him. His consciousness flickered at the edges, pulled into a terrifying abyss of unmaking. The reward was high, but the cost was absolute destruction.
He had mere seconds before the power consumed him entirely. He had to deliver the decisive blow. Now.
He focused the immense, alien power, channeling it with desperate, System-guided precision. The Voidwalker Abomination, crippled and screaming, was trying to retreat, its shadowy form flickering, struggling to maintain cohesion. Kenji, acting instinctively, raised his hand. He didn't summon a technique; he willed the relic's power to strike.
A focused beam of pure, destructive void energy, refined by Kenji's fleeting moment of omnipotence, shot out from his palm. It was not a cultivation spell, but a surgical strike of absolute unmaking, piercing directly through the Voidwalker Abomination's flickering core. The Abomination let out one final, agonizing shriek—a sound that was pure despair, pure annihilation—as its entire colossal form erupted into a blinding flash of negative light, then dissipated into nothingness, leaving not even a wisp of smoke behind. It was gone. Completely. Utterly destroyed.
The immense, alien power surging through Kenji's body immediately began to recede, leaving him feeling utterly empty, hollowed out. The Forbidden Relic, its purpose served, its core exhausted by the devastating release of power, let out a final, mournful hum. It began to crack, fissures spreading across its obsidian surface like a spiderweb. With a soft shatter, it exploded into a shower of black dust, its dark energy dissipating harmlessly into the pervasive void of the subterranean chamber. It was gone, too.
Kenji swayed, his legs giving out. The vast chamber, previously alive with the terrifying presence of the Voidwalker and the thrum of the relic, was now silent. Only the pervasive, energy-draining void remained, a chilling echo of the battle. He felt his own spiritual essence, his hard-won Qi, rapidly depleting, leaving him weaker than he had ever been. His body burned with exhaustion, his mind screamed with the aftermath of the terrifying power he had wielded. He was ravaged, utterly spent. But he was alive. He had won.
He collapsed onto the cold, crystalline ground, his body trembling uncontrollably, his vision blurring at the edges. His Qi Sea was a barren desert, his meridians aching with emptiness. His mind struggled to hold onto consciousness. He had paid a terrible price for his victory, but the mission was complete.
Faintly, through the swirling mists of encroaching darkness, he heard frantic footsteps. He felt gentle hands on him, the soft touch of familiar robes.
"Kenji! Kenji, are you alright?!" Lyra Shadowbrook's voice, filled with profound concern and relief, echoed faintly. Her hands were on his shoulders, gently turning him over.
"What happened? The power… it was immense! You… you defeated it! The Voidwalker Abomination is gone!" Ryuu's voice, usually so calm, was filled with awe and disbelief. He was kneeling beside Lyra, his eyes wide.
Kenji tried to speak, to answer, but only a raspy gasp escaped his lips. His body was ravaged, but a profound, quiet triumph swelled in his chest. He had done it.
As Lyra's face, pale with worry, came into focus above him, the System screen, usually a calm blue, illuminated his rapidly dimming vision with a brilliant, triumphant golden light.
MAIN MISSION: Secure or Neutralize Forbidden Relic.STATUS: COMPLETE!
Reward: [Major Realm Breakthrough] + [System Upgrade].
A powerful surge of energy, warm and invigorating, erupted from within Kenji's depleted core. It wasn't the chaotic, alien power of the relic, but pure, life-affirming spiritual energy, flowing like a cosmic river, filling his empty Qi Sea, nourishing his ravaged meridians. His body, moments ago on the brink of spiritual collapse, began to regenerate with astonishing speed. The aches receded, his vision cleared, his mind sharpened. This was the promised reward, the Major Realm Breakthrough, arriving precisely when he needed it most. He felt his cultivation rapidly advancing, breaking through invisible barriers, pushing him to new heights.
The promise of immense power was the last thing Kenji registered before exhaustion, profound and absolute, finally claimed him. He blacked out, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep, the System's golden light illuminating the darkness behind his closed eyelids.