Lucian dodged with agile movements, narrowly avoiding the strike.
The Yamato materialized in his hand, and with one slash, he reduced the giant hand to dust.
The hand vanished, revealing a vast space where the blood-red Death Star hovered, emanating an ominous aura.
The next second, a massive iron hammer flew out from the Death Star, crashing into the ground with a boom, shaking the entire space.
Then, a humanoid construct, also vividly colorful and highly futuristic, emerged from the Death Star.
Rover's Speaker scanned the construct and analyzed: "Error of No Return, the Tethys System's final defense protocol, patrolling the boundary between reality and data space."
"We've reached the closest point to the Tethys System, accelerating analysis progress…"
"Simultaneously detecting human coordinates within the Death Star…"
Fallacy of No Return reached for the giant hammer but grasped nothing.
It froze, then looked ahead to see Lucian, struggling slightly, hefting the hammer that should have been its own, his face alight with excitement.
[Detected upgradable weapon, recommend acquisition!]
Lucian, carrying the hammer, laughed: "Hahaha… Serve me!"
Rover: "Isn't that my line?"
Lucian mocked: "Big guy, what's this hammer called?"
TheFallacy of No Return seemed enraged, stomping its foot, causing ripples across the illusory ground.
As the ground trembled, another giant hammer flew from the Death Star. This time, theFallacy of No Return caught it precisely, preventing Lucian from stealing it again.
TheFallacy of No Return glanced at Lucian, then raised the hammer high, smashing toward their position.
Lucian chuckled under his breath: "Heh heh heh… No name, huh…?"
Lucian also raised his hammer: "No name's fine, as long as it works when I smash your head!"
With that, Lucian swung the hammer, the sound of it cutting through the air filling his ears. The two hammers clashed, producing a deafening explosion.
[Your hammer technique is all brute force, no finesse.] The system remarked.
"Who needs finesse with a hammer? Just smash its head hard!" Lucian thought.
Meanwhile, Rover wasn't holding back, wielding the Emerald of Genesis and slashing furiously at theFallacy of No Return's heavy frame.
TheFallacy of No Return was forced back under their combined assault.
Lucian laughed wildly: "This is husband-and-wife mixed doubles!"
Rover: "…"
Rover didn't respond, focusing solely on attacking.
Lucian reveled in the feeling of overwhelming power.
"Under the giant hammer, all are ants!"
"Die—!"
Lucian roared, mustering all his strength to swing the hammer. TheFallacy of No Return, unwilling to yield, raised its hammer to meet him.
But to its surprise, the clash numbed its grip, nearly causing it to lose the hammer. Its form staggered backward from the shock.
Lucian wouldn't miss this rare opportunity, instantly moving in front of theFallacy of No Return.
TheFallacy of No Return, startled, hurriedly raised its hammer to counter.
But Lucian's lips curled into a sly grin. Beneath the giant hammer in his hand was a bright yellow gun.
Lucian cackled: "Big guy, times have changed."
As everyone knows, beyond seven steps, a gun is fast; within seven steps, a gun is fast and accurate!
A earth-shaking explosion rang out, colorful geometric shapes dazzling Lucian's eyes. He quickly shielded Rover and retreated.
As the mesmerizing data patterns faded, Lucian looked closely and saw theFallacy of No Return standing upright, propped up by its hammer, silent.
"Died pretty heroically," Lucian remarked with a smirk.
Before he could catch his breath, the Tethys System's voice echoed in the space: "Defense protocol verification failed…"
"The system must persist…"
"Executing restart, initiating third protocol."
"Executing format, target: Shorekeeper."
As the Tethys System spoke, the Death Star unleashed a flood of corrupted data, staining the ground blood-red. Countless Tacet Discords emerged, like a parade of ghosts in the night.
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding Tacet Discords roared and charged at them in waves, creating a sense of an army closing in.
At the same time, Rover's Speaker suddenly said: "Analysis complete."
"Replacement protocol ready…"
"Based on Lucian's personality, attempting the first replacement plan—simple and brutal…"
Lucian: "?"
Rover's Speaker continued: "Recommendation: Directly shatter the Death Star and compile the Tethys System into my module."
"This will allow seamless continued support for the Black Shores."
Rover asked, puzzled: "Shatter the Death Star directly? Won't that destroy the core? And what about the humans inside?"
Rover's Speaker explained: "After I replace the Tethys System, a 'core' is no longer needed."
"The humans in the Death Star will not be harmed. I will compile a temporary space for their consciousnesses to reside in, and decisions can be made afterward."
"Warning: The Tethys System is attempting to format Shorekeeper. Please rescue her quickly."
With that, Rover's Speaker flew toward the Death Star.
Lucian exchanged a glance with Rover, and their bodies transformed into the form of Jué, soaring into the sky.
The surrounding Tacet Discords, like headless flies, lost their target.
"Formatting progress… seventy-five percent."
"The formatted Shorekeeper will serve as this unit's new core."
"This is the only way to sustain this unit's existence."
Golden light blazed in the majestic eyes of Lucian, now in Jué's form.
As a dragon's roar tore through the air, the world shattered in his vision.
Endless Tacet Discords, vibrant data, and even the blood-red Death Star all froze into a silent amber.
Only Lucian's figure, raising the giant hammer, tore through the frozen time.
The next second, the hammer crashed down.
The moment the hammer met the star, the silence was more deafening than any explosion, with supernova-like light piercing through the retina.
Shorekeeper's figure emerged from it. She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was that figure, a familiar warmth enveloping her…
Shorekeeper finally saw the concern in Lucian's eyes, feeling as if she had been reborn.
"This is… our promise…" Lucian whispered in her ear.
Shorekeeper gave a faint smile, her beautiful eyes overflowing with emotion. She gently embraced Lucian.
"If the universe's existence requires a reason, it must be your mass bending all my lonely spacetime."
She said softly.