Chapter 241
Chapter 241. Data Collection, and Pandora’s Appearance
Two hours quietly passed amid anxious waiting and the continuous rumbling in the distance.
At that moment, a dark figure silently appeared behind Marcus, bowed respectfully, and said, “Master, all experimental data has been collected. Nothing was missed.”
Marcus slowly nodded, his gaze turning toward the royal capital in the distance, which had already been reduced to ruins.
The once prosperous city now had only broken walls, shattered remains, and flames soaring into the sky. The air was filled with the scent of smoke and destruction.
There was no excess emotion on his face, as though everything before him was merely a result he had long expected.
After that, he no longer lingered. Bringing along the still expressionless Second Princess beside him, he disappeared from the mountain peak in a few flickers.
Yet the battle above the royal capital was still continuing with savage intensity.
Suddenly, the enormous creature let out an earth-shaking howl of pain. The magic power around the wound where one of its arms had been severed fell into disorder, and its body, already somewhat weakened by the depletion of magic power, became even more frenzied.
“Magic power... I need more magic power...”
It roared, greed and madness mingling in its eyes. Its attacks became even fiercer and more reckless, and waves of energy filled with destructive aura exploded at random, making the surrounding space tremble.
Greg rode on the giant dragon’s back, dodging left and right, gradually finding it somewhat difficult to withstand the assault.
The enormous creature’s suicidal style of fighting placed immense pressure on him. Although the giant dragon’s breath was powerful, it was still difficult to completely suppress an opponent that had fallen into madness in such a short time.
Left with no choice, Greg’s gaze sharpened. He took out the black box he had carefully stored away from his Spatial Ring.
Without hesitation, he forcefully pried open a gap in the black box. A surge of energy far richer than his own magic power, yet far stranger as well, instantly leaked out.
Greg grabbed the black box and hurled it hard into the distance, far away from the royal capital.
The black box traced an arc through the air, and the magic power leaking from it was like a bright lamp in the darkness, instantly drawing the enormous creature’s attention.
Almost instinctively, it abandoned Greg and the giant dragon before it. With an excited roar, its massive body changed direction.
Recklessly, it charged straight toward where the black box was falling. Clearly, that magic power held a fatal temptation for it.
Taking advantage of this rare opening, Greg immediately shouted in a low voice and commanded the giant dragon.
“Leave, now.”
The giant dragon understood. It spread its wings and soared upward, carrying Greg swiftly in the opposite direction from the enormous creature. In moments, they vanished into the horizon.
After absorbing the energy that had leaked from the black box, the enormous creature shook its heavy head. Its muddled consciousness finally reacted.
Greg and that giant dragon had actually fled while it was focused on the energy.
That realization instantly ignited the fury in its heart. An earth-shaking roar erupted from its throat.
The sound waves swept across the already ruined royal capital like invisible waves, shaking those crumbling broken walls until they rattled again and sent countless stones falling.
Yet rage was rage. Very soon, its attention was drawn away by another temptation.
Within the royal capital, the magic power that filled the air was still continuously gathering and condensing according to some invisible pattern, as though unseen threads were pulling it toward specific places.
Dragging its somewhat cumbersome body, the enormous creature carefully moved the black box with the opened gap onto a faintly glowing node.
Then it lay beside the black box, opened its mouth greedily, and began to suck in the pure magic power that had just condensed, bit by bit.
As the energy continued pouring into its body, its frenzied aura gradually calmed.
Its massive body slowly curled up as well. Its eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and in the end, they slowly closed as it gradually fell into a deep sleep.
Only the faint rise and fall of its chest proved that it had not perished.
At this moment, the Eden royal capital had completely lost its former noise and vitality.
The ruined city walls stood crookedly in place. Charred beams lay scattered everywhere, and the ground was covered in pits of varying depth and congealed black blood.
Apart from faint remnants of magic power, only deathly silence remained in the air.
Wind passed through the broken walls and ruins, producing a mournful whimper that added even more desolation. The entire royal capital seemed to have become a dead and silent place forgotten by the world, without the slightest trace of life remaining.
No one knew how much time had passed before a pale light appeared on the horizon. Weak morning light struggled through the smoke and dust hanging above the royal capital and fell upon the devastated land.
The shadows of the broken walls were stretched very long, like hideous scars silently recounting the brutality of the previous night.
The sleeping enormous creature still lay curled beside the black box, but the fluctuations of magic power around it had grown increasingly weak, as though even the endless energy gathering around it was unable to fill the void within its body.
It was dying little by little in its sleep.
Just as the enormous creature slept, a graceful figure appeared silently beside it like mist drifting through the forest.
It was an Elf. Her long silver hair flowed like moonlight, and her pointed ears gleamed faintly beneath the morning light. Her eyes carried appraisal and a trace of interest.
She walked halfway around the enormous creature’s massive body, clicking her tongue softly.
“What a perfect war weapon. The power contained within it is indeed rare. Not bad, not bad at all.”
After speaking, a leaf filled with vigorous vitality appeared between her slender fingers. Its veins were clear, and warm green light flowed across it, as though it had condensed the spiritual aura of an entire forest.
The Elf raised her hand and gave a light wave. Countless complex golden Runes instantly appeared upon the Leaf of the Tree of Life. They were the ancient contract marks of the Elf Race.
Her gaze sharpened, and she pressed the Leaf of the Tree of Life, now bearing the contract, fiercely toward the enormous creature’s body.
The instant the Leaf of the Tree of Life touched the enormous creature’s skin, it transformed into a streak of green light and sank inside.
In the next second, a violent collision of energy erupted within the creature’s body.
The pure Life Force contained within the Leaf of the Tree of Life began to resist madly, like a spark thrown into darkness, burning away the filthy magic power inside the enormous creature.
At the same time, it continuously corroded the creature’s flesh, causing the sleeping creature to let out a pained muffled groan. Large patches of green and black interwoven markings surfaced across its body.
However, the enormous creature’s formidable regenerative ability was revealed beyond doubt at this moment.
The corroded flesh writhed and regenerated at a speed visible to the naked eye.