Then let the witch offer her loyalty

"Ah."

She had long seen through Chen Moxin's tricks.

Of the two Chen Moxins that appeared earlier, one must be real and the other fake.

The one whose shoulder was cut off earlier must have been a fake body, used to provide cover for the real body so that it could launch an attack from behind like it is now.

"Little tricks!"

Anies immediately turned around, her eyes filled with a bloodthirsty ferocity. Having prepared in advance, her attack was extremely swift, giving Chen Moxin no time to react. The light blade sliced ​​across his body.

"laugh--"

Under the razor-sharp blade, Chen Moxin was tragically cleaved in two.

However, in that instant, the dead "Chen Moxin" suddenly expanded, and its original physical body transformed into a substantial torrent of energy, exploding like a bomb.

This torrent of psionic energy was extremely powerful, and given the close proximity, Anies had no time to react and was directly blasted into the ground. Her entire body was covered in bloody gashes, from which crimson blood flowed continuously.

The thing behind me is fake?!

So... the one whose shoulder was cut off before was the real one?!

Once again, a deadly pressure rose from behind.

The battle unfolded too quickly, leaving Anies no time to think; she could only swing her light blade and sweep it backward with all her might.

There was no way to dodge it, so Anies's intention was to simply sacrifice herself and force Chen Moxin to withdraw her attack with a full-force strike.

Even if Chen Moxin doesn't back down and chooses to fight head-on, with his broken body, if he were to exchange blows with me, he would definitely be the one who suffers.

I might be severely injured, but he will surely die!

But this time, Anies was wrong again.

Facing the light blade aimed directly at his vital chest, Chen Moxin did not flinch, only a surge of powerful spiritual energy ripples appeared in his eyes.

[Enemy Witch] Activated!

When subjected to a psionic attack, there is a 5% chance that the attack will be rendered ineffective.

If activated actively, the next psionic attack targeting you within 10 seconds will be nullified!

All the groundwork laid before was for this moment!

The indestructible light blade seemed to be crushed by an invisible force the moment it touched Chen Moxin, shattering into countless fragments.

Due to inertia, Anies' movements were already out of control, and it was too late for her to either re-defend or dodge to create distance.

"Pfft-"

Chen Moxin's selfless attack with his lightsaber pierced straight through Anies's heart, exiting from behind, the charred blood turning into embers that scattered on the ground.

The long-planned fatal blow had been delivered, but Chen Moxin did not relax in the slightest. Only two words were in his mind—finish him off!

He gripped the lightsaber tightly and frantically churned it into Anies's heart, completely shredding her vital organs and continuing to tear apart her internal organs.

Just as Chen Moxin was using all his strength to finish off the enemy, suddenly, a hand landed on his face.

Just as Chen Moxin was amazed by Anies's terrifying vitality, she suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Anies had a light blade under her wrist, but it had been completely extinguished at some point. The hand that landed on her face was not heavy; instead, it was a gentle caress.

Chen Moxin looked up and saw a pair of unfocused, empty eyes.

Anies's previously crazed and distorted expression had vanished, and she appeared somewhat dazed, as if she had only just realized where she was.

The thorny black marks around her eyes gradually faded, revealing her original skin texture, pale and fragile.

Anies's hand trembled on Chen Moxin's face, as if she wanted to wipe away the blood splattered on his face, but in the end she lost her strength and slowly let it fall.

The wind scattered the embers on the scorched earth, carrying the scent of blood and fire into the boundless night, swirling and circling around the two of them.

The broken body finally gave way and fell forward, collapsing against Chen Moxin.

Blood kept flowing from Anies's mouth, but the corners of her lips slowly turned up, revealing a smile of relief and liberation.

"Thank you... Chen... thank you for killing me..."

Her eyes slowly closed, her face as peaceful as if she were asleep, her breathing gradually weakened until she fell into complete silence.

Chapter 158 Towards the Stars

At this moment, the battlefield has entered its final, brutal phase. The planetary defense forces and the dead are completely intertwined, and the sounds of gunfire are barely audible. Both sides are engaging in close combat with melee weapons, fists, and even teeth.

Amidst this fierce battle, a strange phenomenon from the heavens drew everyone's attention.

The dead zone that had enveloped the southern part of the colony suddenly receded, and the eerie and ominous energy vortexes stopped churning and began to fall back downwards.

The dark purple light that permeated the air like a living thing gradually thinned out and could no longer maintain its original form. It disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing the night sky that had been covered up.

At first, one could barely observe a sliver of the night sky through the gaps in the dead zone, but as the dead zone continued to dissipate, the distorted sky began to regain its clarity, and even the stars became faintly visible.

Although there were still scattered dark purple specks of light in the sky above the city, they were like ashes from a burnt-out fire, constantly disintegrating and falling into the sky until they disappeared completely.

"Brother Chen succeeded?!"

Alexander and Reilly witnessed this scene and were immediately overjoyed.

The fact that the Dead Zone disappeared so quickly can only mean one thing: its source is gone, which means Anies is dead!

Chen Moxin succeeded!

However, this ecstasy lasted only a moment.

Because this seemingly huge victory seems to have come a little too late and can no longer change the situation.

The mortal warriors of the Planetary Defense Forces displayed remarkable bravery, demonstrating incredible resilience in the face of an unknown enemy. They repeatedly lost ground under the bloody onslaught of the Dead Apostles, only to launch counterattacks and retake it time and again.

However, faced with overwhelming numerical superiority, they were unable to reverse the brutal situation, and the core defense zone of the planetary defense force had already been breached.

The Dead Apostles have crossed the defense line in large numbers and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Planetary Defense Force soldiers. Everywhere on the battlefield, one can see figures wrestling and fighting at close range.

The two sides were locked in a fierce battle, unable to effectively use even slightly powerful firearms, let alone large-scale artillery shells and missiles. The outnumbered planetary defense forces were forced to retreat steadily under the ferocious onslaught of the Dead Apostles.

There is also the threat posed by aberrations.

Anies is dead, but the aberrations created by her dead zone will not disappear. Each of these monsters is a carrier of madness and pollution, constantly eroding the guards exposed to their own dead zones.

Blessings are unparalleled, and misfortunes do not come singly.

Just as Alexander and Reilly were about to kill a few more mutants to buy time, they suddenly felt a sharp pain in their hearts, and a bizarre feeling of exhaustion instantly spread throughout their bodies, as if something inside them had disappeared.

Immediately afterwards, the scenery in their field of vision began to disintegrate and collapse, as if their own existence was being stripped away from this place.

The two quickly realized that it must have been their witches, Lin Ya and Mu Qing, who unilaterally broke off the spiritual contract.

In the previous battles, Alexander and Lei Lie frequently used psionic energy, which had already pushed the witch's psychic energy into a dangerous range.

In such cases, the court has a specific procedure for handling them.

Witches are, after all, citizens of the Empire and an important part of the Bureau's power, so the Inquisition would not simply euthanize them without a second thought.

They usually try to negotiate with the witches first, forcing them to break their spiritual contract with the hunters.

If the witch refuses to break the spirit contract for any reason, and her subsequent mental value exceeds the super-danger zone and is on the verge of exploding, the Tribunal will consider taking extreme measures.

Based on Alexander and Lei Lie's understanding of their witch, Lin Ya and Mu Qing's assumptions were already in the super dangerous zone.

At this moment, the spiritual contract suddenly disappeared, presumably because the court intervened midway. Lin Ya and Mu Qing, concerned for their own safety, voluntarily dissolved the spiritual contract.

With the Spirit Pact gone, Alexander and Reilly were no longer psionicists and were rejected by the Cube, so they could no longer stay in the Resonance World.

The firelight and shadows on the battlefield became blurred, and the ground beneath their feet seemed to have its stable structure stripped away by an invisible hand. Countless tiny cracks spread like a spider web, and then suddenly disintegrated, collapsed, and split into countless fragments.

Their bodies were also disintegrating and dissipating in a bizarre way, like ink drops falling into water and scattering. The scenery in their vision was layered and disordered, constantly disappearing.

Looking at the collapsing scenery and the completely destroyed battlefield, the two were filled with resentment.

Just a little bit more...

Two out of three tasks were completed...

The last task, just a little bit more...

The two looked at each other, and in each other's tired eyes they saw the same meaning—all their efforts had been in vain, and they had to accept their fate.

They have done their best; there is nothing more they can do here.

Just as the two were waiting to be expelled from the Resonance World, a buzzing sound suddenly came from the communication frequency.

Not only their communicators, but all the soldiers' communicators and all the city's public address systems rang out, and a familiar voice came through.

"This is the Stargate Base. I am Deng Xuemin, the chief engineer of the Stargate project. I am now giving a final report to all my compatriots who are sticking to their posts."

"An hour ago, an interstellar spaceship crashed at the Stargate Base. Our repair personnel have done everything in their power to minimize the damage, and we are now just one step away from obtaining the final data from the Reality Veil Tearing Experiment."

"Unfortunately, the cooling system of the psionic core reactor was severely damaged and can no longer be used normally."

"If the experiment is forcibly started, the overloaded energy of the psionic core will annihilate the entire stargate base."

In an instant, a deathly silence spread across the battlefield.

Why did so many soldiers defend their positions to the death, sacrificing their lives one after another? It was for the stargate behind them.

The Governor's Office had previously made it clear to them that the Stargate experiment had reached its final stage and could not afford any failures.

As long as they hold the front line and ensure that the Stargate Base receives the final data, humanity will take a crucial step toward the stars, and each of them will be a hero to all mankind.

It was this sense of responsibility and mission that made them persevere through their desperate struggle.

But now the Stargate base is telling them that the experiment can no longer continue.

Everyone died in vain.

So what are they persisting for now...?

Someone leaned against the edge of the bunker, limp and weak. The bullet belt in his arms slipped to the ground and scattered, but he just stared blankly at it without bending down to pick it up. It was as if something was pressing down on his back, and his bewildered eyes lost focus.

A soldier severely wounded by the explosion removed his helmet, revealing a blood-stained face. He picked up his pistol, ejected the magazine, found it empty, tossed it aside, closed his eyes, and murmured, "If I had known this would happen, I should have kept one for myself."

The military medic in charge of treating the wounded squatted beside a corpse. Her eyes were already red, but she didn't cry out. She just absentmindedly took off the name tag that recorded the other person's identity, not knowing where to put it. Her pockets were already stuffed full.

The entire front fell into a numb despair, a silence born of shattered hope. All sacrifices, along with the announcement of the Stargate Base, lost their meaning.

However, amidst this deathly silence, a steady, powerful, and unwavering voice from the radio resounded throughout the entire battlefield.

"If the experiment is restarted, the psionic core will overload, which means the entire base and everyone inside will be wiped out."

“A few minutes ago, all staff members of the Stargate Base held a discussion, and by unanimous decision, we decided to give up our lives.”

"The Stargate base has a total of 1624 staff members, including noble spirit descendants, ordinary people of humble origins, engineers with extensive knowledge, and workers who do manual labor."

"We will stay at our posts, risk our lives to complete the final experiment, and send the final data to Gaia's home planet."

"We all know that we will not live to see the day when humanity surpasses the speed of light."

But history will remember us!

"One day, our descendants will leave their footprints throughout the universe because of our efforts!"

"As long as that day will eventually come, no sacrifice is too great to be accepted! Every life lost on Planet Cicero will become an eternal milestone in human history!"

"In Gaia year 2573, m7d23, the final stage of the experiment tore open the curtain of reality has been restarted! For all humanity! For the stars and the sea!!!"

Accompanied by Deng Xuemin's powerful shouts, the Stargate Base began its final experiment.

In an instant, a blazing pillar of light rose from the massive ring-shaped structure in the north, and the entire stargate base was instantly engulfed by the torrent erupting from the psionic core.

All 1624 staff members inside were annihilated in the torrent of energy; their lives transformed into the ultimate resonance of light and heat, particles and gravity, composing a final elegy.

At the very moment the psionic reactor overloaded, the data that had been sought by several generations was finally born at the Stargate base and transmitted to distant Gaia in the form of electromagnetic waves.

This data will drift through the universe at the speed of light and will not be received by the home planet for 1.4 years.

But on this day, humanity had already knocked on the door to the stars and the sea.

Countless people from the planet Cicero came to this door, proving with their lives that truth is worth dying for.

Human civilization as a whole has taken a giant leap forward at this moment.

[Ensure the successful implementation of the Stargate Project here and obtain the final data from the "Reality Veil Tearing Experiment" (Completed)]

[The resonance has ended; the return to normalcy has begun.]

The moment they saw the prompt, Alexander and Reilly felt their consciousness plunge into a vast, dark ocean, just like when the resonance first began, and their whole bodies plummeted into the boundless darkness.