Chapter 700

Chapter 700

Sabrina buried her face in the crook of my neck, her rapid, warm breaths brushing against my skin with a faint, barely noticeable tremble.

"James, you have to come back!" Her voice was muffled, heavy with a nasal tone, each word soaked in tears yet filled with unwavering determination. "I'll wait for you here! No matter how long it takes, no matter what happens!"

Her embrace was brief but heavy, like a pledge that carried the weight of her entire soul.

I could feel her racing heartbeat through the thin fabric, pounding against my chest, almost in sync with my own thundering heart.

I hugged her back tightly, with a force that felt like I could meld her into my very bones, conveying a silent promise and comfort.

"Wait for me." That's all I said, my voice low but carrying a weight heavier than a mountain.

I suddenly let go of her. In the moment our eyes met, no words were needed—everything was understood.

Sabrina took a step back, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. She just nodded firmly.

I didn't hesitate any longer. I turned sharply and pressed the Control Spirit Crystal, imbued with ancient power, into the matching groove on the surface of the massive crystal without a second thought.

A crisp, metallic click echoed through the basement as the two crystals fit perfectly together.

In that instant, an indescribable, ancient, and overwhelming energy erupted! The entire space of the basement felt as if it was gripped and twisted by an invisible giant hand!

The soft, flowing blue light transformed into a violent, tangible torrent of energy! It was like millions of living blue electric snakes bursting out from within the Control Spirit Crystal, instantly filling the entire room!

The blinding light forced Gilbert and Sabrina to raise their hands to shield their eyes. The energy currents scraped across their skin, stinging like needles.

The air shrieked!

The sturdy alloy panels on the lab walls groaned under the strain, fine cracks spreading like spiderwebs! The ground shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment! A sharp smell of ozone mixed with a strange, metallic scent, like molten metal, filled the air.

The Control Spirit Crystal was like a fully activated star core, releasing unmatched light and heat! It was no longer a lifeless object but a roaring, awakened cosmic will!

I bore the brunt of it! The raging energy torrent swallowed me whole! I felt like I'd been thrown into the deepest part of a stellar furnace! Every inch of my skin, every muscle, every bone screamed in agony! The immense energy surged into my body, tearing through my veins, slamming into my organs!

Pain! Unimaginable pain! It felt like my body would explode or be torn to pieces by this brutal force in the next second!

But at the peak of this destructive agony, something dormant within me—the "Aether Blood," the blood of the divine—was fully awakened!

It was as if an invisible barrier inside me was shattered by this external destructive energy! A completely different, older, nobler, and deeper power roared to life from the depths of my bloodline!

A brilliant silver light, pure and untainted, burst out from every pore of my body! This silver glow carried a sacred, untouchable majesty, instantly overpowering the violent blue light of the Control Spirit Crystal!

The silver and blue lights clashed fiercely on the surface of my body! Each collision sent out silent ripples of energy, pushing back the distorted air around me!

"Aether Blood, Resonance Crystal Nexus!" Amid the soul-tearing pain, I roared the incantation decoded by Tick with every ounce of my willpower!

This wasn't a spell—it was a supreme command!

Something miraculous happened!

The moment I shouted the incantation, the sacred silver light erupting from within me seemed to find an outlet. Instead of resisting, it began to merge with the violent blue energy of the Control Spirit Crystal in a mysterious, intricate dance!

The silver light, like the most skilled weaver, started to guide, tame, and shape the wild blue electric snakes!

The pain on my body didn't disappear—it intensified. But it changed! It was no longer pure destruction but a transformative forging! It felt like millions of silver needles pierced through me while rebuilding my flesh! Under my skin, silver streams of light flowed like molten lava. My bones glowed with a jade-like sheen, and my blood seemed to turn into liquid starlight!

I floated upward! My feet left the ground, suspended in the center of the raging energy storm, encased in a cocoon of silver and blue light!

My hair whipped wildly in the energy currents, each strand shimmering with silver! Under my closed eyelids, a chilling silver glow seeped through, striking fear into anyone who saw it!

An indescribable pressure, a mix of divine and destructive aura, radiated from me like a tangible tsunami, sweeping in all directions!

Gilbert and Sabrina were pushed back by this force, stumbling until their backs slammed against the cracked alloy walls, barely holding themselves steady. They stared at me in the center of the storm, as if witnessing the revival of an ancient deity!

"The resonance has begun!" Gilbert's voice was hoarse, filled with extreme shock and a hint of hidden fear. "His divine blood is forcibly taking control of the Control Spirit Crystal! Either he succeeds and becomes its master, or he's consumed by this fusion and burned to nothing!"

At that moment, I seemed to hear Sabrina whispering an ancient vow in prayer for me. I could almost see the New World Alliance's Homecoming Operation destroying the Elite Alliance headquarters!

Time seemed to freeze.

In the basement, only the roar of the violent energy and my suppressed, pained growls from within the light cocoon remained.

Each second felt like a century.

Success or failure hung in this fleeting moment!

Suddenly, the light cocoon contracted inward! All the silver and blue light vanished in an instant!

Then, a beam of light, indescribable in color and made purely of energy, erupted from the core of the Control Spirit Crystal like a divine sword splitting the heavens. It pierced through the thick basement ceiling, through layers of alloy and rock, shooting straight into the endless sky!

The entire Elite Alliance headquarters—no, the entire city, and even beyond—could see this towering beam of light! It radiated a pressure that made everything submit, making time and space tremble!

Within the beam, my figure slowly emerged.

I was still floating, my eyes now open. My gaze was no longer human but burned with two cold, silver flames like cosmic spirals! Countless intricate silver runes, filled with endless information, flowed and flickered across my body.

I slowly raised a hand, fingers spread, pointing toward the void.

An invisible, global mental wave, centered on the beam of light, spread out like quicksilver, instantly covering everything!

I did it!

The divine blood resonated, and the crystal nexus submitted!

The crimson tide of the New World Alliance had finally met its true and only nemesis!

"Leader! Leader!"

At that moment, Jack's panicked shouts came from outside the basement, accompanied by heavy pounding on the iron door. "Open up! Hurry, open the door!"

My heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling crept in.