Real Mount and Blade Game

The deafening sound of collapse replaced the previous clamor of battle, becoming the main theme of the Molten Heart Domain.

The sky—that layer of dark red, like dried scabs, a false dome—was cracking and peeling away piece by piece, revealing a deeper, darker void beneath, teeming with the aura of the end times.

The scorched earth trembled violently, cracks spreading like gaping maws, greedily devouring the shattered corpses and fallen weapon fragments of the battlefield. Space itself seemed to have turned into fragile glass, invisible fragments flying everywhere under the influence of turbulent energy, tearing through the air and emitting a teeth-grinding shriek.

The "Primordial Ashes" pulsed irregularly at the center of the Chaotic Cavity. Each pulsation caused the spatial cross-section to tear apart, and an even more intense aura of the "Law of the End" surged forth like a glacial flood bursting its banks. Wherever it passed, matter and energy were silently annihilated and decomposed, returning to the most primordial nothingness. This was not the pollution of the abyss, but a more thorough and colder end.

"Towards the entrance! Gather towards the white light barrier! Abandon all burdens! Hurry!!" Kalanzo's roar sounded unusually weak amidst the deafening collapse, yet it was like a last beacon. This acting commander of the Holy Tree Knights, his helmet long gone, his long golden hair stained with blood and ash and stuck to his cheeks, the purifying flames flickering on his tattered armor, desperately resisting the omnipresent erosion of the end times.

He was acting in accordance with Shen Mu's last instructions before he fell into a coma.

In their desperation, the survivors unleashed their final survival instincts. Swadian heavy infantry discarded their badly deformed tower shields and heavy spare weapons, desperately dragging along the wounded who could still move; Rhodok spearmen supported ballista operators; Vaegir archers fired their last remaining frost arrows at the spatial debris surging along the collapsing path, attempting to create a brief "safe passage"; Khergit horse archers and scouts frantically patrolled and shouted on the flanks, using their last arrows to kill the distorted abyssal remnants ejected from the spatial rifts, and guiding the main force.

The bandits of the grasslands displayed amazing riding skills, daringly navigating the broken ground to retrieve the seriously wounded scattered in various places and toss them onto their companions' horses.

"Lieutenant! The commander... he..." A Holy Tree Knight tried to approach the unconscious Shen Mu. Shen Mu's condition was extremely bad; his face was as pale as paper, dark red blood foam spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his body was convulsing slightly. The mental backlash from the overload of the [Tallinn] network was frantically gnawing at the source of his consciousness.

"Take him! At all costs!" Kalanzo cleaved a massive chunk of lava hurtling towards Shen Mu's location with a single strike of his sword. Holy light flashed, but it was noticeably dimmer. "He's our only hope! Khergits! Cover the passage!"

The Khergit leader galloped in, his face covered in charred soot and blood: "Barrier entrance! The turbulent currents of law are too strong! The white light is dissipating, and the spatial structure could collapse completely at any moment!"

Everyone looked towards the direction of the ancestral mausoleum's giant gate, where the white light barrier that Shen Mu had ordered them to gather—likely the last and most fragile connection between the Molten Core Domain and the main world—was flickering and distorting violently, like a candle flickering in the wind. Outside the barrier were endless, roaring void currents and dimensional barriers that were constantly being squeezed and closed.

"Someone has to hold it steady! Buy some time!" Kalanzo made a decision instantly. He looked at the dozen or so Holy Tree Knights who were still standing beside him; their armor was cracked, and their holy light was also weak.

"Holy Tree Knights! Root Purification! Target—Entrance Barrier Node! With our lives, we will pave the final 'root' passage for our brethren!" This is a forbidden technique that burns the essence of life. Its purpose is not to attack, but to use its own power of order as an "anchor" to temporarily stabilize the collapsing spatial structure. The price is that the caster will be completely integrated into the rules and vanish into nothingness.

"For order! For the survivors! May the Sacred Tree shine forever!!" the knights responded in unison, without hesitation. They swiftly formed a small array, their golden purifying flames burning brighter than ever before, yet carrying a tragic resolve. They gathered all their remaining power, including the burning flames of life, into a condensed stream of light, like golden roots, and slammed it fiercely into the core node of the flickering white light barrier.

Om-!
A deep, resonant sound rang out. The white light of the barrier, on the verge of extinction, suddenly stabilized for a moment, its brightness even slightly increasing, forming a relatively clear passageway, wide enough for only a few people to walk side by side, shrouded in golden veins. The passageway was shimmering with light, yet filled with violent energy turbulence; even approaching it caused a violent tearing sensation on the skin. The Holy Tree Knights who cast the spell, their bodies like weathered sculptures, rapidly turned into golden specks of light, vanishing silently, starting from their fingertips, leaving only their indomitable will imprinted on the brief passageway.

"Go!!!" Kalanzo roared, his eyes bloodshot. He himself had not participated in the spellcasting; as the leader, he had to stay behind to command and cover the retreat.

Suppressing their grief, the survivors unleashed their final burst of speed, rushing like a torrent towards the passage they had fought so desperately for. The most wounded were carried to the front, followed by the lightly wounded who could move, and finally the soldiers still capable of fighting. Khergit horse archers formed a final line of defense on both sides of the passage entrance, suppressing with a dense rain of arrows the eerie "terminator"—composed of spatial fragments and lingering resentment from the abyss—that was resurfacing from the edge of the collapse.

"Lord Kalanzo! Let's go!" a Swadian knight shouted as he turned around.

As Kalanzo was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of the irregularly pulsating "Primordial Ashes" at the center of the Chaos Chamber. Just moments before, as the Holy Tree Knights burned their life-stabilizing channels, the ashes seemed to be drawn by something. A faint wisp of white light, carrying the lingering warmth of order, emanated from the core of the ashes, drifting like a wisp of silk towards the unconscious Shen Mu.

Kalanzo was shocked! This ash was the residue after the core of the abyss was purified, containing the primordial power after the collision between the abyss and order, and a trace of... the world's rules being forcibly reversed? It was reacting to Shen Mu at this moment?
Before they could think further, an even greater crisis descended! The crack in the spatial cross-section suddenly expanded, and a visible "final tide," like a cataclysmic wave, was no longer just an aura, but a solidified, grayish-white torrent of energy exuding an absolute sense of "returning to zero." With unstoppable force, it swept towards the remnants of the allied forces that were pouring into the passage! Wherever it passed, even fragments of space were instantly reduced to nothingness!

The passageway trembled violently, and the golden veins that had just stabilized instantly dimmed, threatening to collapse at any moment! The soldiers inside the passageway cried out in despair, and their pace slowed down.

The greyish-white final tide surged and roared, the shadow of death instantly engulfing the entire fleeing group. The golden veins at the entrance to the passage flickered violently, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable strain, as if they would be completely annihilated by this all-ending torrent at any moment.

"Hold on!!" Kalanzo roared, his eyes blazing with fury. He gathered every last wisp of holy light within him, even burning his remaining life essence to push the purification halo to its limit, attempting to buy a mere sliver of time for the passage. However, faced with this pure manifestation of the "Law of the End," his holy light was like a spark thrown into the ocean, instantly swallowed and assimilated, its effect negligible. Despair, like a chilling tide, began to engulf everyone's hearts.

At this critical moment——

The faint, orderly white light emanating from the "Primordial Ashes" finally enveloped the unconscious Shen Mu. There was no earth-shattering sound, only extremely subtle ripples spreading out like water droplets falling into a lake.

Shen Mu, who was in a coma, suddenly jolted!
Deep within his consciousness, in the overloaded and dormant [Tallinn] network, a faint light suddenly shone. It wasn't his own mental energy, but rather some external "fuse" bearing the imprint of pure information. This ray of white light precisely triggered a profound "trajectory" left deep within Shen Mu's soul from countless times during previous battles when he guided the will of the Allied Forces and condensed the spear of rules through the [Tallinn] network—a reflection of the underlying logic of the [Mount & Blade] rules in his individual consciousness!
hum!
A faint yet incredibly pure fluctuation of order silently spread out from Shen Mu's center. This fluctuation was not power, but rather a kind of "resonance signal," a call to the "Rules of Mount & Blade"!

The miracle happened!
The soldiers struggling within the collapsing passage, the blood-soaked Khergit archers covering the rear at the passage entrance, the warriors on the verge of death from their grievous wounds… even the lingering purifying light on Kalanzo's body—at this moment, a faint, fleeting white light, carrying the connotation of "battlefield order," flashed across their surfaces! This light was extremely dim, far less dazzling than during the battle, and even vanished in an instant, yet it was undeniably present!
This wasn't Shen Mu's deliberate guidance, but rather a reactive response of the [Mount & Blade Rules] to a strong resonance signal within its own existence! It was the subconscious desire for survival, the obsession with victory, and the reluctance to part with comrades-in-arms within countless soldiers. After the remnant of order in the "Primordial Ashes" triggered the trajectory of the rules within Shen Mu's body, at this moment of impending destruction, it passively resonated with the remaining power of the rules permeating the Molten Heart Domain!

This collection of faint resonances formed an invisible "field of order," which stood in the way of the surging final tide.

laugh--!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the violent sound of a red-hot iron being plunged into cold water. The grayish-white final tide collided with this thin, flickering glimmer of order, and was abruptly slowed for a moment! The momentum that was about to annihilate everything seemed to have struck an invisible wall of sighs. Although this "wall" was also rapidly dissolving and thinning, this brief moment of delay became the dividing line between life and death!
"Now! Charge through!!" Kalanzo roared, seizing this fleeting opportunity. He no longer held back any strength, even risking the rupture of his meridians, he blasted his last ray of holy light into the passage, creating a powerful thrust. "Abandon everything! Survive! Go!!!"

The remaining Khergit archers at the entrance, led by their chieftain, unleashed a deafening roar, using their last arrows and their horses to shove through the soldiers blocking the entrance. They whipped their mounts into the turbulent energy flow like arrows released from a bow. Their actions inspired everyone!

The will to survive overcame fear. Soldiers let out incoherent screams, closed their eyes, and charged forward recklessly, letting the raging energy turbulence tear at their armor and flesh. The seriously wounded were carried on the shoulders of strong soldiers, their bodies scraping against sharp spatial folds. Rhodok's heavy crossbowmen even overturned their beloved explosive ballistae to use as stepping stones, just to give their comrades a head start.

Kalanzo grabbed Shen Mu's arm, dragging him along, and in the final instant before the fading light of order completely extinguished and the tide of the end surged forth again, he leaped into the violently distorted passage of light and shadow! Behind him was the entrance to the Molten Core Domain, completely swallowed by gray-white light, and the frozen, resolute yet tragic faces of the Holy Tree Knights before their dissipation. Chapter 464: The Twisted Path Home and the Lingering Shadows

Entering the passage does not mean safety, but rather entering another form of purgatory.

This is not a physical space, but rather a "corridor" formed during the collapse of spatial structures, a place where violent energy and broken rules intertwine. The five senses are utterly distorted and confused here. Before one's eyes is a kaleidoscope of colors, spinning wildly, tearing apart, and reforming; in one's ears are countless sharp hisses, deep rumbles, and bizarre, soul-crushing sounds of the space itself twisting and breaking; the body is torn and squeezed by turbulent currents surging from all directions, as if it will be ripped to pieces at any moment, or as if repeatedly hammered by an invisible giant hammer. The thin air is incredibly hot, carrying the smell of sulfur and molten metal; each breath feels like swallowing scalding sand.

"Ugh—!"

"my hand!!"

"Hold on! Don't let go! Grab the person in front!"

Chaos and sounds of pain mingled within the passageway. Soldiers, unable to withstand the tearing force of the turbulent currents or driven to madness, constantly loosened their grip on their comrades' hands, screaming as they were swept into the depths of the vortex of color and vanished without a trace. The seriously wounded were pushed to their limits in this environment, their groans growing fainter and fainter.

Kalanzo clung tightly to Shen Mu, covering the two of them with the remaining holy light, forming a fragile cocoon of light that struggled to resist the onslaught of the turbulent currents. He felt his power rapidly draining away, and his vision began to blur. But he dared not stop, relying only on instinct to desperately "swim" towards the only relatively stable spatial coordinate ahead—the faint spatial coordinate that guided the way to the exit—a remnant of the node stabilized by the "roots" of the Holy Tree Knights who had just burned their lives.

"Kurgiates! Vygians! Weak points in fire support!" Caranzo shouted the order hoarsely, his voice barely audible in the turbulent air.

The surviving ranged units once again proved their worth in this desperate situation. Unable to fire from horseback, the Khergit horse archers drew their last scimitars or used themselves as anchor points, holding tightly to ropes so their comrades could fire arrows from relatively stable "points." The Vaegir ice archers gritted their teeth, firing their few remaining enchanted ice arrows at the particularly volatile, potentially crumbling "weak points" in the passage walls. The frost exploded, unable to freeze the turbulent flow of energy, but it briefly slowed its ferocity, buying the group a breather and time to advance. The Rhodok heavy crossbowmen abandoned their ballistae, gathering scattered fragments of tower shields, and together with the Swadian heavy infantry, formed mobile miniature shield formations, using their own bodies to shield their comrades from the most intense energy shockwaves.

This was a desperate sprint through distorted spacetime, every step teetering on the edge of life and death. The soldiers relied on their remaining discipline, their will to survive, and their trust in their commander to barely keep the ranks from falling apart.

I don't know how much time passed, maybe only a few minutes, maybe like centuries. The spatial coordinates ahead became clearer, no longer just pure chaotic colors, but faintly revealing a... familiar, main-world-like fluctuation, carrying the scent of earth and vegetation!

"Exit! It's the exit!" The sharp-eyed Kujit scouts cried out in ecstatic relief.

The shout acted like a shot of adrenaline, infusing the exhausted ranks with renewed vigor. The surviving soldiers mustered their last strength and charged desperately toward the glimmer of hope.

Boom——!
Just as the front of the line was about to touch the exit light membrane, the entire passage collapsed violently! A powerful suction force came from behind, and at the same time, the exit light membrane became extremely unstable, fluctuating violently, as if it would disappear at any moment!
"You abyssal bastard! You haunt me!" the Khergit leader roared. At the center of the collapsing vortex, countless torn fragments of the abyss, foul energy, and shattered matter from the Molten Core Domain, under the combined influence of the "Law of the End" and spatial forces, strangely coalesced and fused together, forming a gigantic, distorted "aggregate of resentment"—a composite of countless tormented faces! It wasn't a living being, but rather a negative energy phenomenon caused by spatial collapse, radiating a nauseating aura of hatred and destruction. It extended enormous tentacles of chaotic energy, desperately coiling towards the end of the group, attempting to pull everyone back into the abyss of destruction! Even more terrifying, its very existence was accelerating the collapse of the passage!
"Cover their retreat!!" Kalanzo knew perfectly well that no one could escape safely without dealing with this thing. Without hesitation, he pushed Shen Mu toward the few Vaegir archers closest to the exit. "Take him away!" Then he turned, his golden pupils burning with a desperate flame, the broken holy sword unleashing its final brilliance as he resolutely faced the massive aggregate! He knew his strength was dwindling, and this time, there would likely be no turning back.

"My lord!!" the soldiers cried out in anguish.

"Don't let the Knights' sacrifice be in vain! Go!!" Kalanzo's roar was filled with unwavering resolve as his holy sword slashed fiercely at the core tentacle that the aggregate of resentment had extended! The flames of purification collided violently with the chaotic energy, erupting with blinding light and deafening energy roars. He used his own body and his last vestiges of holy light to desperately hold back the collapsing vortex and the deadly pulling force, buying the team a final chance to escape!

"Go!!" Amidst the soldiers' tearful roars, the remaining survivors, carrying, dragging, and pulling their last remaining comrades and the unconscious Shen Mu, crashed into the light membrane representing the main world like a school of fish being slapped on the beach by a giant wave, disheveled yet filled with the ecstatic joy of surviving a catastrophe!

The cold, grassy air rushed into their mouths and noses, causing all the survivors who had rushed out of the passage to cough greedily and violently. They fell heavily onto the rubble outside the ruins of the ancestral tomb entrance, their bodies feeling like they were falling apart, unable to even move a finger.

This is the main world! This is the continent of Calradia! This is the border of the Kingdom of Swadia, on the edge of the Gnoll Ancestral Hills! The afterglow of the setting sun shines on the tattered flags and the blood-stained land, bringing an almost illusory peace.

However, this tranquility was shattered in an instant.

"Alert!!" The Khergit leader struggled to his feet and roared the order. Despite being utterly exhausted, his ingrained battlefield instincts made him immediately sense that something was wrong.

It's so quiet.

The chilling, foul pulse deep within the ancestral tomb vanished, and the roars of the false god-like creatures ceased. In their place lay an even more oppressive, eerie silence. The mountain wind carried the scent of gunpowder and blood, and also… a faint, almost imperceptible, yet unsettlingly stench of decay. This scent differed from the filth of the abyss; it was more like… decaying embers, carrying the chilling remnants of the “Law of the End.”

The soldiers forced themselves to lift their heads and look in the direction of the ancestral tomb.

They witnessed a sight they would never forget.

The colossal ancestral tomb gate, adorned with blasphemous totems, along with the vast rock walls behind it, vanished in large chunks, as if devoured by an invisible maw. No, not vanished, but "collapsed" and "transformed." Where the entrance once stood, a massive "void" remained, its edges constantly shimmering with grayish-white light, its interior a chaotic mix of swirling, twisting colors.

At the edge of the void, the rocks exhibited an eerie, ash-like texture, silently peeling away and dissipating. Inside the void, glimpses of spatial fragments from the collapse of the Molten Core Domain occasionally flashed by, but the grayish-white, all-annihilating aura of "end" was emanating from the void in wisps. Though extremely thin, it carried a chilling stench, polluting the surrounding air and causing nearby vegetation to wither and decay at a visible rate.

This is the "gate" through which they escaped, and also the "wound" left in the main world after the complete destruction of the Molten Core Domain, a gateway to nothingness filled with the aura of the end!
"Lord Kalanzo..." someone choked up, staring at the empty space. The golden figure who had covered their retreat ultimately failed to break through.

After a brief silence came immense grief and the bewilderment of surviving a catastrophe. The soldiers helped each other to their feet, looking at their remaining comrades—less than a tenth of those who had set out—at the ground lay unconscious and groaning wounded, at the hollows that seemed to connect to the scars of hell, and they wept uncontrollably. The price of victory was suffocatingly high.

"Quickly! Treat the wounded! Take a headcount! Establish temporary defenses!" The Khergit leader suppressed his grief and unease; as the highest-ranking officer present, he had to shoulder the responsibility. He looked at Shen Mu, who had been carefully placed on the clean grass by the Vaegir archers. "And the commander! How is he?" (End of Chapter)