The Invincible Full-Moon System

Chapter 1625: Insarka Bubble

Alana stood sombrely as she watched the priests and priestesses rebuilding the sanctuary.

After being visited by the Petalbound Bride of Decay, Selantra, the inhabitants of the golden and white sanctuary began to rebuild their destroyed home. Bit by bit, with their minuscule power, they push aside the mist of decay so that the sanctuary can heal.

It was a hard task to do, especially seeing first-hand the sight that greeted them.

Once a place bathed in golden sunlight, where divine power radiated through every stone under the very blessing of the Sun Echo, the sanctuary now lay in ruin. As the mist of decay parted, it revealed a sheer painting of devastation.

A desolate expanse—charred, melted rubble stretching endlessly in every direction.

No trace of what it once was, as if the light that once gave it life had been scorched from existence.

But the priests and priestesses keep on working.

Under their collective effort, the High Cathedral of Noracci and a hundred-meter radius from it were cleansed of the corruption. Though the cathedral still bore cracks, the sight of it still standing was more than enough to empower the people to work even harder.

Slowly but surely, their sanctuary was healing.

Even so, Alana wrapped her arms around herself—her fingers digging into her sleeves.

”It’s healing... We’re healing...” She bit her lower lip reluctantly. ”But we shouldn’t be punished.”

Reluctantly, she glanced over her shoulder, staring at the cathedral.

Hesitating for a moment, Alana eventually headed inside with steady steps and stopped when she arrived at the mouth of the nave. She looked ahead, ignoring the broken remnants around her, as she fixated on a lone figure inside.

Kei Xun was standing alone at the center of the nave, looking at the broken altar and throne.

Scattered across the ground were fragments of marble that had once been part of the unbroken walls.

Rumble...

Alana looked around and saw the fragments begin to shake as Kei Xun spread her arms to the side.

Soon, the fragments levitated, reaching ankle-height and rising.

Kei Xun’s entire body trembled, her frame taut with strain as every muscle screamed in resistance.

No voice slipped from her lips, but it was painfully clear that this task was far beyond her current self.

Her breathing turned ragged, shoulders trembling as she pushed herself beyond reason, hands raised to keep the floating fragments aloft. She desperately wanted to turn back the cathedral to how it once was, hoping to see its grace once again.

As the fragments hovered at her chest level, her legs gave a faint shake, and she shut her eyes tightly.

She clenched her jaw hard, turning to look at the ceiling as if someone above would give her strength.

But all she could muster was holding on for a moment longer before her strength finally gave out.

In the next second, the fragments clattered to the floor as she collapsed with them.

Kei Xun glanced around in silence, her expression unreadable—as she masked the storm of emotion churning within. With a weary breath, she lowered herself onto the shattered staircase. Only then did she notice Alana standing at the entrance of the nave, her eyes fixed on her with quiet sorrow and worry, clearly shaken by the state Kei Xun had been reduced to.

”Divine Saintess...” Alana hesitated before she approached.

She walked until she was a good distance away from Kei Xun, her hands clasped in front of her stomach.

As she stopped, no words came out of her mouth.

Even though she couldn’t say the words she had in mind, Kei Xun knew exactly what this was about.

Having Alana beside her for a long time, it was an easy read for her.

But still, Kei Xun allowed Alana to ask the question she had in mind without interrupting.

”I...” Alana started, but quickly shook her head, deciding that she wasn’t going to beat around the bush in expressing her feelings. ”We shouldn’t be punished for this. It wasn’t our fault—It was his fault, and we suffered in his stead. And yet, you decided to help him? Why?”

Her questions hung in the air.

Despite paying the price with their sanctuary, Kei Xun still decided to help Rex.

Alana wanted to know why—no, she needed to know why.

It was true that Kei Xun was the ruler of the sanctuary, the one who had built it from the ground up, but for many, like Alana, this place wasn’t just a sanctuary; it was home. And now, watching the very woman who was meant to protect it aid the one responsible for its destruction... it was something Alana couldn’t bear.

Kei Xun knew clearly what she was feeling, and even empathized with her.

She was emotional, and it was proven by the single tear that raced down her cheek.

But even then, she didn’t ask Alana to understand her.

”Please attend to the people,” Kei Xun stood up again and climbed the staircase, giving no answer to the questions Alana desperately wanted the answer to. She looked out to the golden expanse and clouds, her hands clasped behind her. ”Our people need someone influential to be present to not lose hope.”

Alana looked at Kei Xun in defeat.

She wanted to argue, wanted to say something more, but it was clear that Kei Xun wouldn’t talk.

Demanding more from her would only make things worse.

”As you wish,” Alana reluctantly bowed and exited the cathedral once again.

On the other hand, Kei Xun remained gazing ahead, her troubled gaze scanning the expanse.

Just then, her eyes slightly widened as she inhaled deeply, smelling a particular scent.

”His path to the First Stage is nearing,” Her lips curled a little. ”I’ll warn him for the last time. I wonder what his fate would be. Will he become a Blank—and ascend further? Or will he fall like many others before him?”

...

Rex’s crimson eyes fixed ahead.

But unlike a second earlier, there was no hesitation or doubt inside them anymore.

Almost instantly, his body convulsed and began to contort in a grotesque symphony of bone and muscle.

Joints snapped out of place with wet, cracking sounds before realigning into new angles. Muscles tensed and twisted, rippling through skin that regenerated as quickly, forming dense, corded flesh beneath. The pain was no longer a problem for Rex; he had gotten used to it by now, even with the gradual penalty’s pain.

He surged in height, towering now, allowing him to cover ground at a faster speed.

On his head, two thick, curving horns tore through his scalp with a sickening crunch.

It was a testament to his royal bloodline.

Fur erupted across his body in waves, dark and coarse, protecting him from the Black Rift.

Claws extended from both hands, razor-sharp, ready to tear as he began to lower his body, sprinting not only with two feet but with his hands too. His jaw elongated, teeth reshaping into a predator’s maw as his senses heightened to the point that he could pinpoint where the Special Voidal Knight was, even with the Black Rift in the way.

From a man to a Werewolf.

Rex decided that he would take the risk of getting exposed.

At least, he couldn’t let the Special Voidal Knight take out three hundred thousand people.

As long as he could prevent it, he’d do it.

Swoosh!

Meanwhile, not too far from Rex’s position, the activity within the Black Rift thickened.

Gushing winds laced with static hissed across the uncovered expanse, brushing against the outer shell of the protective bubble that kept the corruption at bay. Beyond it, swirling tendrils of black smoke and shadows danced like living ink, coiling and recoiling with restless desire.

A man stood at the edge of the bubble, one eye hidden beneath a black leather patch.

Though he was blind in one eye, his other eye made up for his lack.

He could see more with this one eye compared to having both eyes.

For a moment, he was standing still, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him as his hand rested on the hilt of a polished sword, its engraved guard catching what little light pierced the gloom. Judging by how the soldiers nearby—clad in full armor—eyed him, half with trust and half with fear, he was surely their captain.

Perhaps more.

All of the soldiers formed a straight-line formation that stretched along the edge of the bubble.

In front of them were enchanted stones that acted like shields.

Knowing that the Whtie Mask was only passing, the soldiers waited for the captain to give the news.

Hopefully, good news.

A frown crept to the captain’s face as he noticed the movement inside the Black Rift was unnatural.

’I can’t see through the haze, but I feel cold.’ The captain’s eye narrowed.

Vicious plumes twisted in ways that the captain had never seen before, distorted and irregular.

And though the presence of the White Mask, a Voidal Monarch, was known to stir the Black Rift into frenzies, this... this was different. His guts churned, feeling that the irregularity didn’t seem to be caused only by the White Mask.

A chill slithered up his spine as he turned, pivoting with a soldier’s fluidity, and looked behind him.

About a mile away, there was an outer ring of jagged stone walls rising from the ground.

It was the natural wall protecting their beloved land, Insarka, that was created within an old, big crater.

People weren’t aware of the event happening today, but the leaders meant to keep the situation regarding the White Mask a secret. Boasting hundreds of thousands of people, chaos and uproar would be really hard to deal with.

So, the leaders decided to only notify their military to make preparations.

Thousands of soldiers lined the top—weapons drawn, bows nocked, eyes fixed outward.

All of them stood ready, though some had muttered earlier that they were there only because of the captain’s paranoia. With Empress Morgana dealing with the White Mask, their bubble need not worry about anything.

Soon, very soon, the White Mask would pass, and their bubble would be freed from danger again.

But the captain would take paranoia over regret.

”Good, they were stationed properly,” The captain nodded before his gaze turned to the woman beside him—modestly dressed in a flowing white robe, her hands folded at her front. ”Maya, if you would be so kind...”

Maya nodded her head and looked toward the Black Rift.

She raised her hands to cover her face.

Once she lowered them, her eyes had turned pitch black—mirrors of the Black Rift itself.

It was one of her gifts from being a Seeker, to see through the Black Rift’s darkness.

As her eyes adjusted, she looked beyond the bubble.

And something looked back.

Splash!

”Erghhk!”

Maya recoiled violently as a sudden, searing pain lanced through her eyes, excruciatingly.

It was sharp enough to steal her breath and blur the world.

Her eyes flared, veins blackening as she stumbled backward, but her gaze was fixed on something.

Something that greeted her the moment she used her ability.

Blood welled at the corners of her eyes before she clamped them shut, gasping as the vision broke.

Despite also being caught off guard, the captain reacted instantly, catching Maya before she collapsed onto the ground. Her body trembled in his arms as he looked at her in confusion, ”Maya! Maya! What happened? What did you see?!”

Groaning in pain, Maya covered her throbbing eyes.

She was still disoriented.

Her senses were everywhere.

But soon, she caught the captain’s question, and that immediately yanked her back to reality.

”It’s coming!” She screamed. ”It’s coming!!”

Upon hearing this, the captain’s body froze for a second as his heart skipped a beat.

For the second time, his gaze drifted back to the Black Rift—but this time, through the swirling gloom and ink-like smoke, a pair of eyes stared directly at him. Cold. Unblinking. And they were growing rapidly until a massive silhouette appeared.

Within moments, a voidal monster surged out from the darkness.

CRASH!

The bubble shattered upon impact, and with it, the darkness invaded.