138: Chapter 138 A Battle Across the Universe

The tremors in space began the moment the shadow of the end's tentacles pierced through the barriers of the Time Corridor.

It wasn't a shattering in the ordinary sense; it was more like a starry sky canvas splattered with ink. The once distinct boundaries of time and space twisted and flowed like melting wax under the erosion of the pitch-black substance. On the crimson firmament of the parallel universe, the already dense network of cracks suddenly expanded, emitting a piercing screech like glass fracturing. Deep within those cracks lay an absolute void from which even light could not escape—the precursor to cosmic collapse.

Lin Fan's dark matter body reacted instantly.

As the avatar of the shadow of the end slowly emerged from the rift, he didn't even have time to look back at Kate, who was performing the ritual. The dark matter around his body surged like a boiling sea of ink. Silver-gray energy circuits raced across the pitch-black battle armor, outlining sharp, angular contours. Every circuit vibrated at high speed, emitting a low hum.

This body was reconstructed in the parallel universe using the Dark Matter Engine left behind by Franklin. Unlike his physical body in the main universe, it lacked pain receptors, yet it was more sensitive to the depletion of energy and spatial fluctuations. But at this moment, the second the shadow of the end's gaze locked onto him, Lin Fan clearly felt a chill originating from the depths of his soul.

It was the fear of being "formatted."

The avatar of the shadow of the end was not a physical entity; it was more like a condensed mass of shadows. Its outline was blurred, yet it constantly devoured everything around it—light, dust, and even the residual emotional energy in the air. Countless tiny specks of light swirled around its "body," the memory fragments left behind by the last group of humans to perish in this parallel universe.

"Truly a nauseating scene."

The cold voice exploded directly in everyone's minds. It required no medium, yet carried an unquestionable pressure. The voice didn't seem to come from any specific location; it felt as if the entire universe were speaking on its behalf.

Lin Fan slowly raised his head. His right hand, condensed from dark matter, slowly clenched into a fist. The energy density at his knuckles continued to climb, compressing the surrounding space into visible ripples.

"You shouldn't have come here," he said, his voice heavy with a suppressed, extreme calmness.

The "outline" of the shadow of the end flickered slightly, as if it were laughing.

"Shouldn't have come?" Its voice was full of mockery. "You were the ones who 'cheated' first. In the Sower's rules, a closed causal loop requires an equivalent exchange, yet you want to rely on sacrificing a long-collapsed universe to ensure the survival of another—is this your so-called 'emotion'? Is this the 'justice' you take such pride in?"

Its tentacles slowly rose, pointing toward the light orb ritual array not far away.

There, Franklin's mechanical body was suspended in mid-air, with countless slender mechanical arms splayed out like spider silk, connecting to every energy node of the ritual array. At the center of the array, Parallel Kate's body was becoming increasingly transparent. She was surrounded by soft Light Orb Energy, which flowed like a trickling stream, continuously pouring into the light core beneath the array's center.

That light core was the key to restarting causality in this parallel universe and the only passage for Lin Fan and Kate to return to the main universe.

Fine golden patterns had already emerged on the surface of the light core—the prototype of the "Light Orb Birth Event." Franklin's optical sensors flashed red continuously, and his cold mechanical voice rang out urgently in Lin Fan's communication channel:

"Colonel Lin Fan, ritual progress at 89%. Estimated 11 seconds remaining for energy filling. Warning: The energy intensity of the shadow of the end's avatar is rising continuously and has currently reached three times that of the main universe's flagship main cannon. Immediate evacuation is recommended—repeat, immediate evacuation is recommended!"

"Evacuate?" Lin Fan chuckled, and the energy circuits on his dark matter armor suddenly flared to life. "If I evacuate, who will protect the ritual until it's finished?"

He pushed off the ground with sudden force, Dark Matter Energy exploding beneath him to form a massive crater. Using the recoil, Lin Fan shot forward like an arrow toward the avatar of the shadow of the end. His fist, condensed from dark matter and carrying a space-tearing edge, aimed straight for the opponent's "core."

He poured his entire strength into this punch.

dark matter is the most mysterious substance in the universe; it does not interact with electromagnetic forces, yet it can generate powerful gravity. With this punch, Lin Fan instantly combined the gravitational and repulsive forces of dark matter to form an ultimate energy shockwave. Wherever his fist passed, the air was instantly compressed into plasma, emitting a blinding blue light.

However, the avatar of the shadow of the end didn't even try to dodge.

Just as Lin Fan's fist was about to touch that mass of pitch-black shadow, countless slender tentacles suddenly shot out from within, coiling around Lin Fan's arm like venomous snakes. The surfaces of those tentacles were covered in a layer of fine black patterns—the energy field of "Emotion Erasure." Once touched, not only would energy be devoured, but even the emotional memories deep within the soul would be erased along with it.

Lin Fan's pupils constricted. He jerked his wrist, and Dark Matter Energy formed a high-speed rotating shield on the outside of his arm. The moment the tentacles collided with the shield, a piercing sound of metal grinding against metal erupted. The black energy field and the silver-gray dark matter shield eroded each other, sending up plumes of black smoke.

BOOM!

With a loud blast, Lin Fan's body was knocked back repeatedly by the massive impact, and several fine cracks appeared on his dark matter armor. He stabilized himself and looked down at his arm—the places touched by the tentacles were slowly dissolving, revealing the semi-transparent energy body beneath the armor.

"Interesting," the voice of the shadow of the end rang out again. "A hybrid of dark matter and a human soul... A defective product of the Sower, yet you've managed to come this far."

Its outline slowly moved forward. With every step it took, a circle of black ripples appeared on the ground. Wherever the ripples passed, even the metal wreckage in the ruins began to melt and vanish.

"Do you think you can stop me with this pittance of power?"

The avatar of the shadow of the end suddenly raised its hand. Dozens of thick tentacles emerged from the void, coiling like giant pythons as they smashed down toward Lin Fan. Dense black energy was concentrated at the tips of those tentacles, clearly intended as a lethal blow.

Lin Fan took a deep breath. Kate's voice, tinged with a sob, came through the communication channel:

"Lin Fan! Don't try to tank it! The ritual is almost ready, just hold on for a few more seconds!"

He turned his head and looked through the swirling dust toward the ritual array.

Kate was kneeling beside the array's center, her hands tightly gripping Parallel Kate's hands as her own Light Orb Energy continuously poured into the light core. Main Universe Kate's face was covered in tears. Her eyes were full of anxiety and worry, yet they also held an unquestionable resolve—she knew she couldn't stop. If she did, not only would she and Lin Fan be unable to return, but the last sliver of hope for this parallel universe would be completely extinguished.

Parallel Kate's gaze also happened to fall upon Lin Fan.

Her body had become so transparent that the light core behind her was almost visible, yet a calm smile rested on her face. In that smile, there was no fear, no resentment—only a sense of relief.

Lin Fan's heart suddenly throbbed with pain.

It wasn't a reaction of his dark matter body, but a tremor from the depths of his soul.

He looked back at the tentacles smashing down from all directions. Dark Matter Energy surged wildly around him, and his originally semi-transparent body instantly became solid. Silver-gray energy circuits formed a massive energy barrier around him, its surface inscribed with complex runes—the "Spatial Anchoring Runes" of this parallel universe that Franklin had just transmitted to him.

"I said," Lin Fan's voice spread across the entire battlefield through the energy barrier, "I will be the one to protect her."

"Overestimating yourself!"

The tentacles of the shadow of the end smashed violently against the energy barrier.

BOOM—!

An earth-shattering explosion rang out. The energy barrier vibrated violently, and the runes on its surface began to flicker and dissipate. Lin Fan's body was bent slightly by the massive pressure, and the cracks on his dark matter armor grew more numerous.

He could clearly feel his energy depleting at a terrifying rate.

Reconstructing a dark matter body required a massive amount of soul energy. And every attack from the shadow of the end was devouring his soul energy. At this rate, his soul would be completely consumed before the ritual could finish.

"Colonel Lin Fan, ritual progress at 95%, 3 seconds remaining!" Franklin's mechanical voice carried a hint of urgency that was hard to detect.

"2 seconds!"

The shadow of the end had clearly noticed this as well, and its attacks became even more violent. Dozens of tentacles exerted force simultaneously, the black energy field eroding the energy barrier like a tide. The runes on the barrier's surface began to vanish in large patches.

"1 second!"

Just as the golden patterns completely covered the surface of the light core and the ritual was about to be completed, the avatar of the shadow of the end suddenly let out a screech.

It abandoned its attack on Lin Fan's energy barrier. Instead, it gathered all its tentacles into a single, massive black claw and lunged violently toward the ritual array's light core!

"Oh no!" Lin Fan's pupils shrank. Without a second thought, he directly detonated the Dark Matter Energy around his body.

BOOM!

The self-detonation of Dark Matter Energy generated a destructive shockwave. In the instant of the explosion, Lin Fan's body was torn into countless tiny specks of dark matter light by the shockwave. However, this shockwave also successfully forced the shadow of the end's massive black claw back by half a step.

That half-step was enough.

"Ritual complete! Spatial passage, open!"

Franklin's roar echoed across the entire battlefield.

The light core exploded, and a massive pillar of golden light shot up from the ritual array toward the heavens, piercing through the crimson firmament. At the center of the light pillar, a distorted spatial rift appeared—the passage leading to the main universe.

Kate's body was enveloped by a soft golden energy, slowly floating toward the spatial passage.

As for Parallel Kate, the moment the light core exploded, her body lost all energy support and began to slowly dissipate. In her hand, a shimmering silver chip lay quietly.

That chip was a memory carrier she had sealed using the last of her life energy. It recorded everything about this parallel universe—how she survived alone after Earth's destruction, how she found Franklin's ruins, how she researched the secret of the light orb's birth, and her final expectations for Main Universe Kate.

Parallel Kate's gaze passed through the swirling dust and fell upon the dark matter light specks that were currently reorganizing.

She reached out and gently pushed the chip in that direction.

"Lin Fan..." Her voice was very soft, so soft it was almost drowned out by the explosions. "Help me... give it to her."

The dark matter light specks quickly converged around the chip, reforming into Lin Fan's appearance.

At this moment, he looked even more haggard than before. His dark matter armor had almost completely vanished, leaving only a semi-transparent energy body. There was a massive hole in his chest—a mark from being grazed by the shadow of the end's giant claw. His hair had turned pure silver-gray, but his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He reached out and steadily caught the chip.

The chip felt slightly cool in his hand, still retaining Parallel Kate's warmth.

Parallel Kate looked at him and gave one last smile.

"Tell her," her body began to turn into countless tiny specks of light, drifting away with the wind, "don't become me."

"Don't... live in loneliness."

As her words fell, her figure completely vanished into the golden pillar of light.

Lin Fan clenched the chip tightly, his fingertips trembling slightly from the force. He looked at the place where Parallel Kate had vanished, his throat feeling as if it were blocked by something, unable to utter a single word.

"Lin Fan! Get into the passage, quick!" Kate's voice came from the direction of the spatial passage, choked with tears. "This universe is about to collapse!"

Lin Fan looked up toward the spatial passage.

Kate was standing at the entrance of the passage, her hand outstretched, waiting for him. Her face was covered in tears, and her eyes were full of anxiety and hope.

The avatar of the shadow of the end let out a furious screech the moment the spatial passage opened.

"How dare you—!"

Its massive black claw lunged toward Lin Fan once more. This time, its attack carried a world-destroying hatred.

Lin Fan didn't dodge again.

He turned around, his back to the spatial passage, facing the lunging black claw. He carefully placed the chip into his energy body, and then, using the last sliver of his soul energy, he triggered the "Gravitational Collapse" of the dark matter.

"I know, you want to erase all emotions." Lin Fan's voice rang out calmly. "You say emotions are redundant data, a bug in the universe."

"But you're wrong."

"Emotions are the reason we live."

"They are our only weapon against nothingness."

The gravity of the dark matter reached its peak at this moment.

Lin Fan's body began to collapse rapidly, forming a tiny Dark Matter Singularity that contained immense energy.

"Boom—!"

The singularity exploded.

This explosion was more than ten times more powerful than the previous self-detonation. Under the shockwave of the singularity's explosion, the giant black claws were instantly torn into countless fine tentacles. The clone of the shadow of the end was also forced back repeatedly by the shockwave, its silhouette becoming even more blurred.

At the moment of the singularity's explosion, Lin Fan's body was enveloped in the golden energy of the spatial tunnel and flew rapidly toward the entrance.

"Lin Fan!"

Kate reached out and firmly grabbed his hand.

His hand was cold and illusory, yet it carried a determined strength.

The spatial tunnel began to shrink rapidly.

The collapse of the parallel universe entered its final stage. The crimson sky shattered completely, revealing the chaotic void behind it. The ground began to sink rapidly as mountains, ruins, and oceans were all swallowed by the void.

In the final moment before the spatial tunnel closed, the clone of the shadow of the end let out an unwilling roar:

"I will find you!"

"Emotions will eventually be erased!"

"The universe will eventually return to nothingness!"

With the complete closure of the spatial tunnel, everything in the parallel universe was isolated behind that golden curtain of light.

...

Main Universe.

Inside the command cabin of the Star Alliance United Fleet's flagship, the "Starship Dawn."

The alarm was still blaring piercingly.

The holographic projection screen displayed the battle situation on the outskirts of the Solar System—the main fleet of the shadow of the end was still frantically bombarding the Solar System, and Earth's protective shield already had several massive cracks.

Little Kate sat in the command seat, her fingers tapping rapidly on the console's keyboard. Her face was full of exhaustion, but there was a hint of stubbornness in her eyes.

Seven interstellar hours had passed since Lin Fan and Kate were knocked into the parallel universe by the shadow of the end.

During these seven interstellar hours, the Star Alliance United Fleet suffered heavy losses. After she paralyzed the Escapees' Ark Project, the Interstellar Council completely split. The Escapee fleet had broken away from the United Fleet and headed toward the depths of the universe. Meanwhile, the Resistance Faction fleet, led by her and the former leader of the Anti-Emotion Alliance, held their ground at the Solar System, waiting for the return of Lin Fan and Kate.

"Little Kate, Earth's shield energy is down to only 12%!" a Star Alliance officer shouted anxiously. "The main fleet of the shadow of the end is preparing to fire their ultimate main cannon; we can't hold on much longer!"

Little Kate's fingers paused slightly.

She looked up at the Earth on the holographic projection screen.

That azure planet was currently shrouded in the flames of war, and the cracks on the shield were growing larger. That was her home, the place Lin Fan and Kate were trying their best to protect.

"Hold on a little longer." Little Kate's voice was slightly hoarse. "Brother Fan and Sister Kate will definitely come back."

Just then, a violent spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared in the center of the command cabin.

A golden light slowly emerged from the center of the spatial fluctuation.

"Warning! Unknown spatial energy reaction detected!"

"Energy intensity is extremely high, suspected opening of a spatial tunnel!"

"Target: Center of the command cabin!"

The Star Alliance officers instantly became tense, drawing their weapons and aiming at the golden light.

Little Kate, however, suddenly stood up, an unbelievable smile appearing on her face.

"It's them!"

The golden light grew brighter and brighter.

Two figures slowly emerged from the light and landed on the floor of the command cabin.

It was indeed Lin Fan and Kate.

The command cabin instantly fell into silence.

Everyone's eyes fell upon them.

Lin Fan's condition was terrible. His left arm had completely transformed into pure Light Orb Energy, glowing with a soft golden light but unable to touch anything physical. His body was still in a translucent dark matter form, and energy was still slowly flowing from the hole in his chest. His face was as pale as paper, but his eyes remained bright.

Kate was supporting his shoulder, her face covered in tears. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from having just cried.

But what made Little Kate feel most uneasy was the look in Kate's eyes.

There was a kind of emptiness and confusion in those eyes that she had never seen before, as if she had lost something important.

"Brother Fan! Sister Kate!" Little Kate ran over quickly and grabbed Lin Fan's other arm. "You're finally back!"

Lin Fan forced a smile at her. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Just then, Kate's body suddenly trembled slightly.

Subconsciously, she covered her chest with her hand.

A surge of unfamiliar memories flooded into her mind like a tide.

It was a crimson sky, a silent ruin.

A girl who looked exactly like her sat alone on top of the ruins, looking up at the sky. There was no expression on her face, and only endless loneliness in her eyes.

The girl survived alone in the ruins, searching for food alone, and fighting mutated mechanical beasts alone. She learned to disguise herself, learned indifference, and learned to bury her emotions deep in her heart.

She found Franklin's remains and learned to control Light Orb Energy. She discovered the secret of the light orbs' birth, only to find that she had long since lost her 'humanity.'

Finally, she chose to sacrifice herself in exchange for the return of the other 'self.'

"Don't become me."

"Don't live in loneliness."

The unfamiliar voice echoed continuously in her mind.

Kate's body began to tremble violently. Her eyes became increasingly confused and empty.

Lin Fan noticed her abnormality and quickly turned to look at her. "Kate? What's wrong?"

Kate looked up at Lin Fan.

Her gaze was foreign and cold.

"Who are you?"

Those three short words exploded in Lin Fan's ears like a thunderclap.

The command cabin fell into a dead silence once again.

Little Kate's smile instantly froze on her face. She looked at Kate, then at Lin Fan, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Lin Fan's body stiffened abruptly.

He reached out, wanting to touch Kate's face. But the moment his left arm, which had turned into Light Orb Energy, touched her cheek, she subconsciously dodged it.

"Don't touch me." Kate's voice was still cold, tinged with wariness. "Who are you? Where is this?"

Lin Fan's heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp blade.

He opened his mouth to say something, but found he couldn't utter a single word.

He could clearly feel that Kate's soul was still in her body. But her memories seemed to have been completely 'locked' by something.

Just then, Franklin's mechanical projection suddenly appeared in the corner of the command cabin.

It was a backup of consciousness that Lin Fan had left for Franklin in the parallel universe.

"Abnormal situation detected." Franklin's mechanical voice was as cold as ever. "An abnormal energy encryption reaction has appeared in Ms. Kate's cerebral cortex. Her memories have not disappeared; rather, they have been 'encrypted' by a high-dimensional energy."

"Encrypted?" Little Kate turned sharply to look at Franklin's projection. "Who did it? Was it the shadow of the end?"

"Currently unable to determine." Franklin's optical sensor flickered with blue light. "The frequency of the encryption energy has a clear difference from the energy frequency of the shadow of the end. However, it also has a close connection with the Light Orb Energy of the parallel universe."

His gaze fell upon Lin Fan.

"Colonel Lin Fan, the chip in your hand should be the key."

Lin Fan snapped back to his senses. He reached out and took the silver chip from his energy body.

The surface of the chip still glowed with a soft light.

"This is... what Parallel Kate left for her." Lin Fan's voice was hoarse and trembling. "She said that her memories are inside this."

Franklin nodded. "The memory energy in the chip is perfectly consistent with the frequency of the encryption energy in Ms. Kate's brain. It is speculated that Parallel Kate's memories triggered an unknown protection mechanism the moment they merged into Ms. Kate's mind, causing Ms. Kate's main universe memories to be temporarily encrypted."

"Then can it be unlocked?" Little Kate asked anxiously.

"Yes." Franklin's mechanical voice carried a hint of solemnity. "But the core of the encryption is located deep within Ms. Kate's consciousness. To unlock it, someone must dive into her conscious world and find the core of the encryption."

"I'll go." Lin Fan said without a second thought.

"No!" Little Kate immediately objected. "Brother Fan, your physical condition is too poor! Your dark matter body hasn't fully stabilized, and your soul energy is over-exhausted. If you dive into the conscious world and encounter danger, you might be trapped inside forever!"

"I must go." Lin Fan's gaze was exceptionally determined. "I was the one who brought her back. I am also the one who made her endure all of this."

He looked at Kate, his eyes full of tenderness and guilt.

"She remembers Parallel Kate's loneliness, but has forgotten the warmth we shared together."

"I want to help her find it again."

Just then, an emergency alert suddenly popped up on the holographic projection screen.

"Warning! The shadow of the end's main fleet has finished charging its ultimate main cannon!"

"Target: Earth!"

"Countdown: 10! 9! 8!"

The command cabin instantly fell into chaos.

"Activate all defensive shields!"

"All fleets, intercept with full force!"

"Antimatter Main Cannon, prepare to fire!"

The Star Alliance officers roared loudly, commanding the fleet for a final stand.

The voice of the shadow of the end once again resounded throughout the entire universe:

"Hand over Kate, otherwise, the Solar System will completely disappear from the universe!"

Lin Fan's gaze moved from the holographic projection screen back to Kate.

He reached out and gently held Kate's hand.

Her hand was cold and stiff, but it trembled slightly the moment he held it.

"Kate," Lin Fan's voice was soft but exceptionally clear, "wait for me to come back."

"I will help you find all your memories."

"Including how we looked when we first met."

"Including how you looked when you first smiled at me."

"Including the promise we made to protect the Earth together."

Kate looked at him, her eyes still filled with confusion. But within that confusion, a faint light seemed to be slowly igniting.

"Lin Fan..." She subconsciously murmured the name.

A gentle smile appeared on Lin Fan's face.

"I'm here."

He turned to look at Little Kate. "I'll leave this place to you."

Little Kate nodded vigorously, tears in her eyes. "Don't worry, Brother Fan! I will definitely guard the Earth and wait for you to come out!"

Franklin's mechanical projection slowly floated in front of Lin Fan and Kate.

"Consciousness dive program, ready."

"Target: Ms. Kate's conscious world."

"Diver: Colonel Lin Fan."

"Program starting, countdown: 3! 2! 1!"

Golden light once again enveloped Lin Fan and Kate.

Within the light, Lin Fan's consciousness slowly detached from his body and drifted toward the depths of Kate's consciousness.

Outside the command cabin, the shadow of the end's ultimate main cannon had already fired.

A massive black beam of light smashed toward Earth with immense force.

The fate of the Solar System, Kate's memories, Lin Fan's safety—everything was pushed into an unknown abyss at this moment.

And deep within Kate's consciousness, a maze composed of memory fragments quietly awaited Lin Fan's arrival.

In the depths of the maze, the shadow of the shadow of the end was slowly circling.

It was the Maze of Memories.

It was also the final obstacle they had to cross.