Chapter 164: Embers of Starfire

The Black-haired Girl in White Robe gently pushed open the decrepit door of the tower, stepping into a realm of utter silence.

“Nothing remains after all.”

Surveying the surrounding ruins, the Priestess sighed lightly, though she wasn’t particularly surprised.

After all, even the tower itself had been corroded by time to such an extent. The history of this ruin’s destruction likely spanned over a thousand years; in the absence of any protective measures, it would be hard for normal objects to endure the open air for so long.

However, most of the remnants here were neatly arranged, as if those Abyss Beasts hadn’t entered the tower to wreak havoc. It was unclear why that was the case.

Without attempting to ascend to the higher levels and overburden the already shaky stairs, the Priestess wandered around the first-floor hall and soon fixed her gaze on a particularly conspicuous large desk displayed at the center of this area.

If Miss Vilyric guessed correctly, this should be similar to the Adventurers’ Guild’s reception counter, where most commonly used documents would likely be stored. Perhaps she could find some useful remnants of information here.

Though she was not entirely sure of this world’s past cultural form, the desk was indeed cluttered with many items resembling “books,” confirming her suspicions.

Perhaps due to the material, this massive desk had endured for millennia, standing tall despite the many scattered bones of what had once been living beings, which likely hid here to escape the slaughter of those Abyss Beasts.

From the shapes of the skeletons, they appeared to be quite close to Humans.

Miss Vilyric approached the desk and tried to pick up a notebook sitting beside one of the skeletons, but the pages had long since rotted, snapping apart in midair with a pop! and falling on the desk, reduced to unrecognizable fragments.

“…”

Shaking her head in resignation, the girl refrained from touching any other books and, after looking around once more, her gaze fell upon a small square wooden box nestled inside one of the skeletons.

This box was one of the few remaining items within the tower that still emanated a faint energy wave. Given the skeleton’s posture, it appeared to have clutched it tightly even in death.

This might be something important to it, something vital to this ruin. According to those who entered the Endless Ruins Sea in search of treasures, it could be what they call an opportunity.

Apologizing gently in her heart, Miss Vilyric reached out to lift the wooden box, placing it on the desk.

The box wasn’t locked. She simply nudged the lid, and it popped open naturally, revealing its contents before the girl’s eyes.

“A crystal? And this… is it a journal?”

Though she felt a twinge of curiosity, it was clear that the energy she sensed earlier emanated from the crystal. Perhaps due to being preserved in this special wooden box, the energy within it hadn’t depleted much, and upon opening the lid, that feeling became even more pronounced.

It seemed this was something deliberately preserved by the last surviving inhabitants of the tower.

Not rushing to study the unknown purpose of the crystal, Miss Vilyric habitually grabbed the moderately thick notebook beneath it and flipped to the first page.

“Hmm… I can’t read this.”

It was written in a script she had never encountered before, clearly unique to the civilization that once inhabited this ruin. However, in the wake of its destruction, deciphering it seemed exceedingly challenging.

But no worries! With help from items she obtained in games, translating these foreign world texts wouldn’t be wholly impossible for Miss Vilyric.

She retrieved a pair of ornate glasses from her pack, wearing them on her nose.

In theory, this rare item could translate any systematic text. Even the Priestess herself only possessed this one pair. When helping Liliya learn the [Illusory World] skill, she had lent them to her, but later, the young lady promptly returned them, so they found their way back to Miss Vilyric.

Sure enough, once she donned the glasses, the incomprehensible text on the notebook transformed into something entirely different.

[Year 112 of Destruction, Month 7, Day 21

We have no choice left; we decided to retreat into the Tower of Babel. Survivors from all over the world will gather here to seek shelter under this miraculous creation. How ironic… the mighty tower built by the Harlent Empire for war and destruction has now become the last refuge of the world…

Sigh… At this point, complaining is useless; the Harlent Empire has long since fallen. They probably didn’t realize that the dimensional rift they eagerly opened to invade another world would unleash such terrifying Destroyer Beasts.

How arrogant… the Tower of Babel, the God-making project, perhaps these fools have violated the divine laws, and destruction has come to our world…

No more of this, starting today, I plan to document every significant event that occurs. After all, if we cannot find an effective method to combat these Destroyer Beasts, our world’s time is running out. But even if we are destined for extinction, at the very least, I want to leave the last traces of civilization, paving the way for future generations.]

After reading the first page, Miss Vilyric continued to flip through the subsequent pages without showing her emotions.

[Year 112 of Destruction, Month 7, Day 28

The evacuation operation is complete. Regrettably, though we did our utmost, at least half of the people didn’t survive to arrive here.

The tower’s exterior has been completely overrun by the endlessly proliferating Destroyer Beasts, which are rapidly consuming lives to grow even more numerous and stronger, continuously increasing their resistance to our weapons. The adaptability and vitality of these monsters are truly terrifying.

Communication is impossible. Though we possess superb combat skills and teamwork, we lack true rationality. What kind of world gives birth to such illogical beings? Were they designed to exist solely for annihilation?

There are still three hundred thousand souls inside the Tower of Babel; this is the last ember of our world. At this life-and-death moment, everyone has cast aside past grievances of race, ideology, and culture, working together to preserve the existence of the world.

To enhance collective coordination, I plan to organize everyone. As for the name…

Hmm… let’s call it [Starfire], hoping we can reignite the earth like a flickering flame, rather than extinguishing it entirely.]

After this, there were about a dozen more entries, all with similar content, detailing significant events during the [Starfire] organization’s research and combat against the Destroyer Beasts.

That said, the content was not optimistic. Most entries recounted tragedies: important figures killed by Destroyer Beasts during investigations or missions, or shortages of resources leading to stagnation in related research.

It was evident that the writer held a significant position within this [Starfire] organization, managing many aspects and possibly being a figure akin to a boss. Through the notes left behind, Miss Vilyric quickly gained a relatively comprehensive understanding of the situation at that time.

The writer, or whoever was involved with the [Starfire] organization, faced severe pressure. The increasingly agitated phrasing throughout the entries clearly indicated this. Most likely, the situation within that organization was deteriorating.

This wasn’t surprising; Miss Vilyric knew quite well what these [Abyss Beasts] were like. Frankly, had it not been for their swift success in decapitation operations during the Abyss Tide, the military strength of neighboring countries alone would have struggled to hold off the Ruins Sea for long, merely prolonging their time.

From the notes, it was apparent that the world’s inhabitants had suffered disastrous defeats in their war against the Destroyer Beasts, that is, the Abyss Beasts. The national structures had been completely devastated, and survivors could only take refuge in the so-called Tower of Babel, which for some unknown reason had not been attacked, seeking temporary safety.

While they gained a brief reprieve, the tower’s space was ultimately limited and could not support large-scale agriculture or livestock, making it difficult to obtain many resources needed for survival. They were likely just barely managing by relying on their savings.

This tower had become the last island in that world.

In other words, even if the Destroyer Beasts could never break through the Tower of Babel, once the living resources inside ran dry, and these survivors hadn’t found a way to deal with the beasts…

That would be when their doom truly arrived.

   

---