The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1776: Dead in Time

It was truly an unforeseen turn of events.

Ever since the day Rex designated his three future generals, his focus had been entirely on elevating their strength.

However, his highest hopes had always been placed upon Gelmar or perhaps Dindora.

Both possessed greater age, superior experience, and a deeper level of resolve. Individuals with their tragic backgrounds either shattered under the pressure or ascended to the pinnacle, and Rex was confident they would choose the latter. With his backing, their success was practically a certainty.

Regardless of the circumstances, those two were the types destined to soar highest upon the path of power.

Rex held no doubts about this.

After all, his own existence served as living proof of that conviction.

By comparison, Linthia’s determination seemed to pale in their shadow.

If the other potential candidates hadn't been so subpar, she likely wouldn't have been selected as one of the three future generals of the Clarentium Empire. Rex’s expectations for her were the lowest—though he maintained a glimmer of hope due to her promising bloodline prospects.

Rex never anticipated she would achieve anything spectacular, certainly not in the immediate future.

For the longest time, Linthia’s performance only confirmed his assessment.

She struggled just to keep pace with the others.

During the confrontation with the Fifthborn, she stood out as the only one unable to trigger an evolution.

It was... a disappointment.

Nevertheless, Rex was not the type to withhold credit where it was earned.

He had observed the bruises and calluses covering Linthia as she pushed herself through grueling training to close the gap with her peers.

That effort alone suggested her situation wasn't entirely beyond salvation.

Following their hard-won triumph over the Fifthborn, Gelmar and Dindora shifted their priorities slightly. Both began focusing on completing missions and adapting to their newly evolved bodies and powers, which was a natural progression for their Cultivation.

To Rex, this development signaled the end of the road for Linthia.

Without a doubt, her progress would be left in the dust by the two leading captains.

Unable to achieve evolution and now lacking the constant protection of Dindora—as her elder sister became preoccupied—Linthia seemed finished. He anticipated that her will would fracture and her spirit would eventually dim. Convinced of her looming breakdown, he had even begun quietly scouting Liliya as her successor.

Liliya was someone he could rely on, and her abilities were unique even when compared to the likes of Gelmar and Dindora.

As for Linthia, her fate was to be demoted to a permanent captain.

She would no longer be considered a future general.

However, when Dindora passed away prematurely—a significant loss for the empire’s future—Rex felt a surge of reluctance regarding Linthia. It felt like a waste to discard her after the investment he had already made in her rise to power.

Thus, he resolved to grant her one final opportunity.

He hoped that perhaps the tragedy of Dindora’s death would serve as the ultimate catalyst for her growth.

Since he was heading to the Spirit Realm anyway, it provided the perfect setting.

It was the ideal chance for Linthia’s last stand, as the location where she could achieve her most potent evolution—the Dark Drifting Spirit—was hidden within the Spirit Realm. Seeing her now, radiating her newfound strength, it was clear he had made the correct choice.

Of all the allies who might have come to his rescue, Rex never dreamed it would be Linthia.

"No, hold on... I recognize her," Alana whispered to herself, her eyes fixed on the dark entity kneeling before Rex like a devoted servant. "I saw her back at the Forsaken Tower. I had wondered if she perished after vanishing from his side, but to think she would return in this state."

A slight smile touched Alana’s lips.

Even those surrounding Rex were transforming into beings that defied all expectations.

Linthia had once been a weakling, yet now—she had returned with enough power to slaughter a Voidal Lord with ease. Despite the bloodshed and fury that followed Rex, there was no denying the immense benefits gained by anyone capable of entering his inner circle.

Rumble—!

Suddenly, the earth began to tremble once more under the weight of the approaching horde.

<Notice: the Countess of the Banished Dark Moon is vanishing!>

<She will die in two minutes.>

Detecting the shift in Rex’s temperament, Linthia rose immediately and took to the air again.

She swept her arms in a wide, circular motion, manifesting a massive and predatory dark vortex that enveloped them. Even without making contact with the swirling void, everyone present understood it could easily shield them from the incoming monsters.

Linthia then snapped her attention to the side and thrust her hand forward.

An immense quantity of voidal energy was drawn into her palm.

Before long, another figure was forcibly pulled from the earth, manifesting in their midst.

It was Amanir.

Realizing he had been summoned without warning, Amanir was initially stunned, but he regained his composure the moment his eyes met Rex’s. "We have to secure the Phoenix Feather! The number of voidal beasts targeting it is growing!"

"Linthia," Rex said, turning his gaze back to her. "Retrieve the Phoenix Feather."

"As you command, Your Majesty..." She gave a resolute nod.

Repeating her earlier action, she extended her hand toward the blazing phenomenon as if reaching out to grasp it.

Then, her fingers tightened as though she were seizing an object.

Voidal energy gathered in her palm, compressing into a single, high-density point. A moment later, it flared—a controlled burst of eternal fire that filled the interior of the vortex without leaking out, remaining hidden from the outside world.

She kept the inferno perfectly restrained; the raging firestorm touched nothing except the intended void.

As the flames died down, the Phoenix Feather was fully revealed within her grasp.

Linthia presented it to Rex with the reverence one would show a sacred relic, fully aware of its significance to him.

<Notice: the user has obtained a Phoenix Feather!>

...

<Sudden Quest!>

Objective: Heal the Countess of the Dark Lunirich from her Chaos Corruption!

Find the Divine Chalice: 1 / 1 √

Find a Lotus of Lunar Heart: 1 / 1 √

Find a Phoenix Feather: 1 / 1 √

Gather 10,000 Strands of Divine Energy: 12,000 /10,000 √

...

<Follow the instructions in order to create the cure for the countess!>

"Guard me. Ensure I am not interrupted."

"Yes."

Even if Rex hadn't ordered it, she would have protected him with every fiber of her being.

While gaining her new power was a triumph, she still harbored a seed of guilt for ever leaving Rex’s side.

Rex settled into a meditative posture, preparing himself for a swift journey to the Banished Realm.

He had previously relied on Alana to reach Amanir because his full attention was on absorbing Nightfall Stars to restore his life energy. To access the Banished Realm, he needed to manifest the Mask of the Banished Eclipse.

This would be impossible if his life energy reserves remained depleted.

Fortunately, he still possessed a significant hoard of Nightfall Stars.

It might not fully replenish his empty reserves, but it was more than sufficient to call forth his weakest Soul Artifact. Within seconds, a mask forged from pure shadows covered one side of his face—a Soul Artifact he rarely utilized.

Even Alana felt a flicker of surprise at the sight.

It wasn't that she was unaware of his three Soul Artifacts, but she had simply forgotten about the existence of the third.

A brilliant, crystallized object then appeared in front of Rex.

It radiated a massive amount of moonlight energy, so potent that everyone nearby felt it clearly.

Two minutes remained.

Rex did not dally, allowing the mask to consume the Tear of Moonlight he had pre-purchased.

His eyes vanished into total darkness almost instantly, followed by the appearance of black runes that slithered across his skin like sentient symbols. Unseen by the spectators, his soul was torn from his physical form and launched out of the Spirit Realm.

<Notice: the user has entered the Banished Realm.>

As the familiar sensation of the world's cold silence washed over him, Rex opened his eyes.

He had returned to this bleak dimension, but this time, he was fueled by a sense of excitement and desperate urgency.

He didn't feel the gloom of his previous visits, knowing the cure was finally within reach.

However, as he scanned the surroundings, his heart hammered against his ribs; Nivellen was nowhere to be seen in the vast, empty void.

"Nivellen!"

Rex screamed, demanding she reveal herself.

His raspy voice barely carried through the air, highlighting his desperation.

It felt as though the realm itself was attempting to stifle his cries.

"Nivellen, where are you!!"

When no response came, Rex immediately utilized the System to survey the entire realm. A single panel finally flickered into his view a short distance away. It was Nivellen. Her presence was incredibly faint, and her form was so translucent that his natural eyes couldn't even detect her in the darkness.

Like a man possessed, he charged toward her.

Or at least, he tried to.

All he could manage was a ragged, limping shuffle that was barely faster than a walk.

His soul should have been more recovered by now, but the inferior quality of the Soul Artifact he had hastily summoned was affecting his very essence here—weakening and thinning it. It was a vital detail he had overlooked in his frantic race against the clock.

"Rrggh!"

Rex tripped and collapsed just a few paces away from her.

His eyes widened in horror as he saw that Nivellen’s form was fracturing, with half of her already crumbled into ash.

She was clearly hanging on by a single thread.

"I... I have the cure!" Rex scrambled forward on his hands and knees until he reached her side.

He focused intently on the holographic instructions for crafting the remedy and began the process.

First, he squeezed the essence of the Lotus of Lunar Heart into the Divine Chalice.

Next, he began infusing that shimmering, translucent liquid—which nearly overflowed the chalice’s edge—with raw divine energy. Rex worked with frantic speed, his eyes locked on the fluid as he channeled more and more energy, waiting for the color to turn violet.

<Notice: the Countess of the Banished Dark Moon is vanishing!>

<She will die in one minute.>

Rex’s gaze darted to Nivellen, watching as her last leg dissolved into grey ash and drifted away.

His eyes bulged as he glared at the liquid. "Come on!!"

A mixture of fury and panic surged through his system.

He forced even more divine energy into the concoction, but the water was only just beginning to show a hint of violet.

<Fifty seconds.>

Swish—!

Blood sprayed from Rex’s mouth as he attempted to accelerate the process further.

<Notice: the user soul cannot sustain a higher circulation speed of divine energy!>

<Your soul will start to break again.>

"I don’t care! Move faster!!"

<Forty seconds.>

"Violet! Turn violet!!"

<Thirty seconds.>

<Notice: the user’s soul is suffering from Divinity Overload.>

Swish—!

Rex’s eyes lit up as the liquid finally took on a pale violet glow. However, the shade was too light, failing to match the deep, royal purple shown in the system's instructions. He had to provide more divine energy.

As he gathered his resolve for one final push, more blood welled up in his mouth and stained his lips.

<Twenty seconds.>

Tears of blood began to leak from the corners of his eyes.

The veins beneath his skin throbbed violently as his soul visibly shriveled, paying the price for his recklessness.

<Ten seconds.>

Once the color changed, the final step was simply to add the Phoenix Feather. This was the only part that required significant time.

<Nivellen, the Countess of the Dark Lunirich, will succumb to Chaos Corruption in nine seconds.>

<Eight seconds...>

"Please! I can't let it end like this!"

<Five seconds...>

"Come on... COME ON! I’M RIGHT THERE!"

<Three seconds...>

<Two seconds...>

<One second...>

The moment the liquid solidified into a deep, rich violet, Rex shoved the Phoenix Feather into the chalice. He raised it immediately, positioning it over the spot where Nivellen had been—but her body had already crumbled into a pile of ash.

Only her head remained, the very last part of her to fade.

As he tilted the chalice to bring the liquid to her lips, her head dissolved into a flurry of dust.

<Notice: Nivellen, the Countess of the Dark Lunirich, has died.>

Rex stared at the screen, his entire body going rigid.

He read the words over and over, trying to convince himself he had misread them.

Even though the message was clear, he continued to stare as his vision blurred with tears.

Below him, the final specks of dust were beginning to vanish.

A silent proof of his failure.

Just then, a new notification flashed before him.

<Notice: an entity has entered the Banished Realm.>

<The Dame of Snow takes pity on the user.>

"The Dame of Snow...?"

Before he could react, a swirl of frosty blue energy descended from above. It collected the final remnants of Nivellen’s ashes, and to his utter amazement, the dust began to pull back together—her head was being reconstructed from nothingness.

He blinked, and his instincts took over.

Tipping the chalice, he poured the life-saving cure into her newly restored lips.