In the 41st year of the Star Dome Calendar, the wail of the alarm from the Cold Pool Quantum Lighthouse shattered the silence of the universe. The Resonance Compass in Chen Feng’s hand suddenly exploded; gear fragments hung suspended in the air, automatically assembling into a star map of the Sculptor Galaxy. There, the red supergiant known as the "Soul-Forger," revered as the "Cosmic Forge," was pulsing at an uncontrollable frequency. Giant Forging-Pattern veins on the star’s surface were leaking black fissures, each one devouring the surrounding planets.
"The Soul-Forger’s energy output has exceeded the star’s structural limits by 300%!" Su Yuhan’s voice was laced with tears. On the holographic screen, the forge-city of the Star-Forger civilization was being stripped away by stellar storms. "Their stellar forge... is using the String Breakers' Chaos Core to drain energy!"
Liu Ruyan’s communication feed suddenly distorted, and the mechanical voice of the Star-Forger leader was marred by static: "Chen... Resonance-Seeker! We were misled by the technology of the 'Shadow Forgers.' Now, the Soul-Forger is about to collapse into a black hole!" In the video, semi-mechanical Star-Forgers were desperately scrambling to repair the forge. On their metallic arms, they bore the exact same patterns as Old Zhou’s Gear Mold.
Chapter 25