The night on the outskirts of Eden City was ablaze with light, explosions ringing out one after another.
When the first pink beam descended, it seemed to ignite the entire night sky.
Then came the second, the third, the fourth—six Floating Turrets fired in alternating sequence, their searing energy beams like Judgment Light, mercilessly pouring down onto the Crystal Corpse Factory below.
BOOM——!!!
The deafening roar of a violent explosion erupted, flames shooting into the sky, illuminating the entire industrial zone’s skyline.
The sound of shattering glass, twisting metal, and crumbling concrete intertwined.
At the moment of the attack, chaos erupted inside the factory.
The technicians in their White Protective Suits, who had been busy at their respective consoles moments before, now scattered like startled ants.
Some ran for the exits with their heads covered, others stumbled and knocked over nearby equipment, some collapsed on the floor, staring in terror at the falling debris and sparks from above.
“Run! Run!”
“It’s the Goddess Angel! It’s Artemis!”
“Retreat! Retreat now!”
Screams, shouts, and the sound of footsteps mixed together, plunging the entire factory into utter chaos.
The technicians had no time to care about the situation inside—the operational Production Lines, the Crystal Husks being assembled, the priceless equipment and materials—in the face of life and death, everything became insignificant.
A Production Line was hit by a pink beam, instantly shattering.
Robotic arms twisted and deformed, conveyor belts snapped and broke, the skeletal frames of half-finished Crystal Husks were swallowed by the searing energy, turning to ash before they could even whimper. The crystals that had just been embedded exploded into countless fragments under the pink light, scattering everywhere.
Not only that, Luna also focused significant firepower on the basic Raw Materials.
The piles of biological remains in the corners—animal skeletons soaking in containers, heaps of twisted plant roots, and those “things” she didn’t want to examine too closely and dared not think about—were all utterly obliterated under the pink beams.
The searing energy not only destroyed their existence but also purified the residual filth and resentment they carried.
Luna hovered in mid-air, her pale golden eyes looking down upon the sea of fire below, her face expressionless.
Her pink hair fluttered wildly in the night wind, the Halo above her head emitting a soft glow. The six Floating Turrets orbited her like loyal satellites, constantly adjusting their angles and firing continuously.
Her heart churned like the sea of fire below.
These Production Lines, this equipment, these “Raw Materials”—they were what manufactured the Crystal Husks that the Goddess Angels had fought countless times.
Luna’s fingers tightened slightly, then she swept her hand down once more—another wave of beams poured down.
However—
The Crystal Corpse Factory quickly mounted a counterattack.
Deep within the factory, several massive iron doors swung open simultaneously. Squads of Combatants in Black Combat Suits, wielding specialized guns, poured out, quickly dispersing across the factory floor, taking cover, and raising their weapons.
These were the Eternal Night Gospel’s Combatants stationed at the factory.
Unlike T’s subordinates encountered earlier in the ruins, these men were clearly well-trained and quick to react.
They showed no panic, didn’t even glance at the fleeing technicians, simply took up positions swiftly, their gun muzzles aimed at the pink figure in the night sky.
“Open fire!”
At the command, dense gunfire erupted.
Countless energy beams rose from the ground like a rain curtain flowing upward, shooting toward Luna in the air.
Luna frowned slightly, her figure flickering as she moved rapidly through the air.
The beams shot past her sides; some hit the Floating Turrets behind her, deflected by their protective barriers; others shot into the night sky and vanished.
But the ground fire didn’t stop.
The Combatants fired continuously, coordinating seamlessly, the web of fire growing denser. While Luna could dodge, her room to maneuver was gradually being compressed.
Worse yet—several figures suddenly shot up into the sky from a corner of the factory.
They were Aerial Troopers wearing Flight Wings.
Their wings were dark black, blending with the night, with specialized energy packs on their backs and Peculiar Energy Guns in their hands.
After ascending, they quickly spread out, forming an encirclement, closing in on Luna from all directions.
Ground fire continued to suppress, aerial forces formed a siege. Luna’s situation instantly became perilous.
By now, she had fully adapted to the combat style “guided” by Adjudicator V.
Four Floating Turrets continued to fire, the searing pink beams pouring down like a torrential downpour.
The remaining two turrets hovered slightly farther from her sides like loyal guards, their barrels rotating slightly, constantly vigilant against attacks from any direction.
Once enemy fire approached, they would quickly intercept or deploy Energy Barriers to block.
Moreover, Luna’s own body constantly shifted position in the air.
Sometimes rising, sometimes sidestepping, sometimes making a sharp turn, sometimes dropping abruptly. Her figure traced countless pink trajectories in the night sky, like an elusive phantom. Every movement was completely irregular, utterly unpredictable.
This made it difficult for the ground fire to hit her.
The Combatants on the ground raised their energy guns, desperately pouring fire at the figure in the night sky, but the beams always missed her by a hair’s breadth, some even veering completely off course.
Occasionally, a few lucky ones got close, only to be promptly intercepted by the two Floating Turrets at her side or deflected by the Energy Field around her body.
The Aerial Troopers who had ascended were equally helpless against this agile Goddess Angel.
They relied on Flight Wing assistance—mechanical devices, third-party peripherals. Turning required time, acceleration required distance; their mobility was inherently limited.
And Luna? She was a Goddess Angel with her own hovering ability; flight was instinctual to her, her agility on a completely different level.
The Aerial Troopers desperately chased, desperately fired, but could only watch helplessly as that pink figure weaved between them.
Before long, one Aerial Trooper after another was shot down, some plunging into the factory’s sea of fire, others crashing to the ground, never to rise again.
Soon, all the Aerial Troopers in the night sky had been shot down by Luna, one by one.
The Combatants on the ground also suffered heavy losses.
They had to dodge falling debris and wreckage from above while constantly watching out for the pink beams that swept down from time to time.
The factory grounds were filled with cries and screams.
Just then—
Deep within the factory, a heavy door slowly opened. A figure walked out.
It was a powerfully built man, broad-shouldered and muscular, exuding an oppressive presence just by standing there.
He wore a Black Combat Suit, different from the standard equipment of ordinary Combatants.
This suit was clearly more sophisticated, with dark silver patterns flashing on the chest. And on his face, he wore a pure White Mask.
The mask had no extra patterns. Only in the center, above, a vivid capital English letter was outlined in slowly flowing crimson liquid—
“G”.
Adjudicator G.
The belatedly arriving factory overseer.
He stood at the factory entrance, looking up at the pink figure in the night sky.
The flames reflected on G’s white mask, making that red letter appear especially glaring. Beneath the mask, his expression was invisible, but it must have been very grim.
Because at this moment, the Crystal Corpse Factory under his charge was burning fiercely.
Those priceless Production Lines, those carefully trained technicians, those well-trained Combatants, and those long-stored “Raw Materials” were all being destroyed bit by bit by that damned Goddess Angel.
G’s fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking from the force.
At the same time, his mind was filled with confusion.
This factory was one of the Eternal Night Gospel’s most important facilities in the outskirts of Eden City.
It was deeply hidden, located in a remote area, surrounded by camouflage, with a surface identity as a legitimate Biotech Research Center. Even within the Eternal Night Gospel, few knew its exact location.
How did this Goddess Angel… find this place?
G’s gaze fixed on Luna in the night sky, his mind rapidly flashing through various possibilities.
Was there an intelligence leak?
A traitor within the organization?
Or… did this Goddess Angel have some special tracking ability?
But reality didn’t allow G to ponder further.
His gaze swept over the battlefield—the burning factory buildings, collapsed Production Lines, fleeing technicians, and those Combatants lying on the ground, dead or alive.
That pink figure in the night sky still weaved, attacked, destroyed, the six Floating Turrets firing alternately as if tireless.
If this continued, the entire factory would be destroyed.
He took a deep breath, abruptly turned, and gestured sharply to several senior subordinates behind him who also wore masks, but without letters on them. His voice was low and urgent.
“Release the ‘Proliferation’ Z early.”
The subordinates looked at each other, momentarily stunned. One of them mustered the courage to step forward, his voice clearly hesitant and worried.
“Sir, Z… isn’t complete yet. It’s still just a prototype. If we release it now, it might go out of control…”
“We’re at this point now, and you’re still dawdling?”
G’s gaze, through the mask, fell coldly on the man.
There was no warmth in that gaze, only an undeniable pressure. His voice was low and dangerous, each word seeming squeezed from between his teeth.
“Execute the order.”
“Yes, sir!”
The subordinate trembled, not daring to say more, immediately bowing in acknowledgment. He turned and hurried back to the Control Room.
The other subordinates also began organizing personnel retreats according to G’s instructions.
In the Control Room, that subordinate rushed to the main console, his fingers quickly tapping several key buttons, and finally—forcefully pressed the red activation key covered by a transparent protective shield.
Hum—!
The entire factory suddenly shook violently.
The ground cracked open.
In the deepest Core Region of the factory, that massive Sealed Space that had never been opened under layers of protection, the ground slowly split apart to both sides, revealing an abyss of darkness below.
From the darkness, a heavy, rhythmic sound faintly emerged.
Like a heartbeat.
Or like the breathing of some enormous creature.