Despair was like the icy tide, silently but irresistibly submerging everyone's hope.
Self-blame was like an invisible chain, tightly binding Byrne.
He replayed every detail in his mind over and over, each magnified infinitely, blaming himself for not having made a wiser choice when it mattered.
However, things hadn't yet reached the point of no return.
Byrne still held his "ace in the hole" close to his chest.
Suddenly, the air was filled with a heart-throbbing fluctuation, as if even time had frozen.
The black-robed figure with Black Starlight for hands gently waved them as if performing some ancient ritual, and following that, a ball of dark energy so thick it was almost tangible coalesced in his palms, its depths seemingly able to perceive the end of all things in the world.
With a deep, powerful chant, the dark energy burst forth, turning into a black shooting star that tore through the night sky with incredible speed, nearly surpassing the limits of visual capture.
This black meteor left behind a thin trail in the air, like an arrow spit out by the Death God, directly targeting the "Blazing Fire" Amos, who was not far ahead, about to launch an attack.
"Instantaneous Transfer!"
Byrne instantly switched Amos's body to a few hundred meters away, but to his astonishment, the black meteor instantly accelerated its turn, auto-tracking and roaring toward the relocated Amos.
The fiery form of Amos radiated a heart-throbbing, powerful aura, but under this strike, he seemed so minuscule and powerless.
The black meteor pierced through his flame-elemental form without any obstruction, striking with precision and erupting in a dazzling yet eerie black light.
In an instant, Amos's body seemed to be devoured by a black hole; after the light passed, only dust and the lingering scent of death in the air remained, bearing witness to the battle's brutality and swiftness.
Ariel screamed upon seeing this scene, trembling with rage that one of the few Monarch powerful experts of the Romann family had been slain just like that!
"Amos, I will avenge you!"
She gritted her teeth and summoned stars to fall, trying to attack the mysterious Black Starlight from a distance.
But the Wordless Elder simply waved his hand indifferently, causing a multitude of wailing undead to appear out of nowhere and collide with those stars, nullifying the impact of both forces.
The attack had tremendous power, was incredibly fast, and was launched from a great distance, to the point where it was basically unavoidable—it was just too strong!
Byrne's heart sank, but he immediately realized that even the "Black Starlight" most likely couldn't launch the same attack again in a short time.
the Black Starlight ordered slowly, his voice devoid of sadness or joy.
The members of the Stars Embrace Order, forming the Hexagram Magic Circle, chanted continuously, beginning to summon a powerful spell from the sky.
In the horizon, ominous black lights suddenly appeared, like the scythe of the Death God, slicing through the sky, carrying destructive force as they sped toward the ground.
These black meteors were not like ordinary celestial visitors, neither shiny nor brilliant; they brought endless darkness and despair, their speed astonishing.
Byrne immediately used his power to constantly shift his and Ariel's positions, dodging the black meteors.
Chris, in contrast, simply relied on his unbelievable speed to avoid them; he had become faster than he was ten years ago.
As Chris charged toward the edge of the Hexagram Magic Circle, he found he couldn't break through its hard shell!
And below in the sky, the people of Fiera Town continuously let out cries of alarm!
The first black meteor crashed at the edge of the town, accompanied by a deafening explosion. A powerful shockwave swept through the vicinity in an instant, buildings began to totter, and dust and debris flew everywhere.
More black meteors followed, raining down on this innocent town with the density of heavy rain.
Each meteor's fall was followed by a violent explosion, releasing destructive energy. Houses, streets, and bridges in the town crumbled helplessly against this force, turning into a heap of ruins.
"Run for your lives!"
The fire blazed, illuminating half the sky and the faces of people filled with despair and screams; cries, sobs, and pleas for help mixed together as people scattered in all directions, searching for a sliver of hope for survival. But faced with this man-made cataclysm, all efforts seemed tiny and futile.
The flames devoured everything, turning the town that had slowly risen from poverty to riches into ash, the air filled with the pungent smell of burning and blood.
"It's over, Byrne Fischer!"
The massive Marquis Vlad suddenly roared, as if venting years of pent-up anger.
"Your Fischer family will be utterly destroyed here!"
"All the citizens of Nasir will die, your family's decades of accumulation, it will all turn to ashes today!"
Byrne's face was devoid of any expression, understanding that pondering anything else was futile now, he must bravely face the situation that had arisen.
If he didn't act soon, everything would unfold just as Marquis Vlad had stated.
The entire Fischer family would be demolished, and he could not tolerate such a scenario.
For decades, Byrne had anticipated a day such as this.
The outcome, too, had long been accepted.
All of a sudden, Byrne lifted the legendary red Philosopher's Stone. Meant to be still, it was now shaking violently, as if greatly stimulated, emitting a crazy, dazzling glow, as though it contained the purest power between heaven and earth!
"A treasure even the powerful experts of Heavenly Enlightenment dream of, I know what it's made of, because I saw it with my own 'eyes'…,"
"Inside are countless fractured souls, compressed to the extreme after being gathered together, then arranged and combined in bizarre ways by the alchemist who released it as the most basic 'spells', forming hundreds of completely different miniature arrays."
"That is the 'truth' of the Philosopher's Stone."
He took a deep breath, saying with revulsion:
"The process of making this thing is horrifyingly nauseating..."
Marquis Vlad and others caught sight of the red stone, a doubt arising within them.
They didn't know why, but there was a strong sense of foreboding!
Byrne had already closed his eyes, praying to the god with the most sincere feelings in his heart:
"Great Lord of the Lost, please wake up!"
"I am Byrne Fischer, though insignificant, I must face the challenge that is upon me. I petition for Your mighty power so that I can overcome all obstacles and protect those I love."
"Or if this is destiny's arrangement, then please let this Philosopher's Stone respond to my call, grant me the power I need!"
Byrne prayed to the great Lord of the Lost, hoping to take Irene's place…
But that time, he failed.
However, Byrne understood now that he had changed.
Now he was truly a devout person.
God would surely protect him.
Just then, a wave of crazy red light burst forth from the Philosopher's Stone, circling Byrne's body.
He felt a strength like never before pulsing within him, as if the energy of the entire world converged upon him at this moment. His mind became exceptionally clear; the world before his eyes brighter and more vivid.
Byrne suddenly realized that his own lifespan and Spiritual Power were being devoured by that red light.
"So that's it, miracles of unimaginable power aren't free..."
He was calm, continuing to activate the terrible power of the Philosopher's Stone.
"That kind of thing is quite normal,"
The Philosopher's Stone, since ancient times, has been a mythic and legendary treasure, the ultimate crystallization of alchemy, an object even the powerful experts of Heavenly Enlightenment covet, containing the purest, most profound miraculous power in the cosmos!
People witnessed a shocking celestial phenomenon, the red light like a blazing giant dragon, tearing through the sky!
The light was not only dazzling but also contained endless energy and life force, as if it could dispel all evil!
As the red light spread, both the sky and the earth underwent cataclysmic changes; clouds turned a brilliant red as if imbued with life, and the ground trembled incessantly. All creatures felt the presence of this force, looking up reverently, hearts full of awe.
Farther away, whether it was the profound oceans, vast grasslands, bustling cities, or remote villages, nearly everyone in Cyart was drawn to the sudden red light, with some even believing it to be the fulfillment of a prophecy, or an omen of a divine arrival.
In Nasir City, Darren and Lilian both looked up at the same moment, wordless.
"What in the world is that?"
Marquis Vlad watched the spectacle in utter astonishment, his volcanic body retreating instinctively.
Not just him, almost everyone present was irresistibly drawn in; they could all clearly feel that the stone possessed a force so powerful it was beyond belief!
It was not something they could contend with!