Chapter 698 — Corrupted

"Please stop..."

Accompanying that voice was a power no weaker than Liora’s.

It arrived before the woman in an instant, transforming into an invisible barrier that prevented Liora’s hand from moving any further.

In response, Liora calmly withdrew her hand. She showed no displeasure at being stopped from killing her enemy.

Instead, a faint smile appeared on her face.

"You’re finally here. As expected, this woman is quite valuable to you."

While she was speaking, Liora turned around.

Unknowingly, the Human Realm, which had never been discovered before, had its third visitor today.

It was another woman.

Wearing a laboratory uniform and possessing the demeanor of a mad scientist, her identity was clear.

Anna!

Liora’s aunt in this world.

More importantly, she was the person who had interfered with her birth and subsequently influenced her growth.

Although their relationship was complicated and deep, it was the first time Liora had met the other person since awakening her memories.

A trace of solemnity flashed in her eyes as she sized her up.

Anna’s aura was ethereal and constantly fluctuating.

One moment, she looked like an ordinary mortal. The next, an unfathomable aura would spread from her as the center, powerful enough to make Emperors submit.

No one would dare underestimate her.

Even so, Liora showed no fear.

She reached out and grabbed her first opponent.

With blue hair and blue eyes, every young Awakener would instantly recognize her.

She was the person conducting the College Examination every year, the person who decided the fate of most Awakeners.

In the past, Liora had been quite curious about her existence. She had wondered whether she was an AI Assistant or a creature born in the Information World.

Now, however, the blue-haired woman had no secrets before her. Having reached her current level of strength, everything about her had become clear.

Clasping the woman, Liora’s hand suddenly tightened.

With a thunderous boom, her body exploded.

Yet what came out was not flesh and blood. Instead, it was streams of information.

The information rushed straight toward Anna, fusing into her body and becoming a part of her.

"It seems that it’s true..."

Liora shook her head. Her gaze grew deeper.

"Are you the main consciousness of the Information World? Or an Artifact-like Spirit?"

Liora’s tone was plain.

However, if any human were here to hear her words, they would be stunned.

Main consciousness of the Information World. Artifact-like Spirit.

These were only two possibilities, but they were both shocking.

The Information World had always been humanity’s greatest reliance. It was the reason it could constantly give birth to powerful experts despite what could be considered average potential among all the races.

If such a place were controlled by someone, or worse, had given birth to its own consciousness, everything in the Human Federation would change!

Humanity itself would be in danger!

Anna’s expression visibly shifted. She hadn’t expected such words to come out of Liora’s mouth.

However, she quickly regained her composure. She gave back the same faint smile.

"Does it matter what my origin is? Is it important when the result is the same?" she asked a question of her own.

Liora nodded briefly. But then, she shook her head.

"You’re right. Your origin is not important. What I’m more interested in is what your position is."

"The Information World should be one of the trump cards left behind by that invincible being who brought humanity to this universe. Your task should be to protect humanity..."

"So, what’s your goal?"

"Why did you interfere with my birth? What were your last words referring to?"

"What are you trying to accomplish through me?"

As she spoke, Liora’s momentum soared.

Countless energies rushed from the surroundings, sealing this entire galaxy.

Time and space were affected.

For a moment, Anna sensed her connection with the Information World being severed. More precisely, she seemed to have traveled back to before the illusory world had even been created, losing her authority over it.

Even so, she didn’t show any fear.

Just as Liora had said, she was indeed a consciousness born from the Information World.

This body of hers was only a split clone.

Although its death would definitely affect her and the Information World as a whole, it was far from enough to shake their foundation.

More importantly, she and Liora were not enemies.

Rather, they were allies.

...Or at the very least, this was what Anna believed would be true when Liora finally learned the truth.

With that thought, Anna subconsciously relaxed.

Faced with what seemed like an interrogation, she didn’t try to argue back.

She maintained her faint smile.

"To understand my goal, you first have to understand the history of the Cosmic Universe."

"I don’t know the situation of the previous Eras. But in this Era, the history of the universe is relatively simple."

"Billions of years ago, when the Cosmic Universe had just undergone destruction and reconstruction, an invincible being arrived."

"It is the person you saw before," she added.

"That person left behind humans and Nova Terra. At the same time, they left behind several backups."

"The Information World. The Human Realm. Maybe some things even I don’t know about."

"From then on, humanity developed rapidly. Several powerful individuals emerged and gradually colonized the universe. Under that being’s power, they slowly forgot about Nova Terra."

"However, a race cannot dominate a world forever."

Anna sighed regretfully.

"Just as it seemed that humanity would become overlords of this universe, several other races emerged."

"Zerg, demons, Mechanical Beings... They all appeared at once and began fighting against humanity."

Anna’s voice was solemn. Although it was only a few words, Liora felt as though she had returned to that era and was experiencing the tragic wars of the past.

"After billions of years, the state of the Cosmic Universe became as you know it. Four Apex Civilizations tower above all with countless other races below them."

"Everything proceeded smoothly. Powerhouses were born one after another. Until..."

Anna raised her head.

"In their experiments to grow stronger, people discovered a shocking secret."

"This universe... has become corrupted."