When Lucy emerged from the well, she found that Arasaka Corporation's forces had arrived.
However, it wasn't a large-scale army, as their company didn't have that much power on the mainland.
But that didn't mean they were weak. In fact, they had sent the newly upgraded Adam Hammer and an elite ninja squad.
These people were the core of Arasaka Corporation, and no one had ever escaped from them.
"Boom!" Adam Hammer landed on the rooftop, sending up a large cloud of dust. His red cybernetic eyes scanned the area, locking onto Lucy,Peel, and Xuan one by one.
"This time, all of you will die." His voice was chilling as he spoke the cruel words. Then, the launchers on his back fired multiple missiles straight at the enhanced humans.
"Run!" Peel activated his fluid shield, attempting to block the missiles and buy time for Lucy and the others to escape.
However, he hadn't expected that Adam Hammer's missiles were infused with CPH4. At the slightest contact, his fluid shield was torn apart, and the missiles continued toward Lucy.
Fortunately, Xuan chanted a spell, triggering an early detonation of the missiles. Amid the explosions, Adam Hammerr leaped into their midst, sending tiles and beams flying as dust and debris filled the air.
Lucy and the others quickly fled, leaping from the buildings of Hongya Cave, while Arasaka's elite ninjas pursued them. With explosions and dazzling lights illuminating the chase, the visuals were spectacular.
Vincenzo and the others watching the screen held their breath, both worried for Lucy's group and amazed by the enhanced fight scenes.
After several minutes of intense combat, Lucy and her team found themselves in a dire situation.
The elite ninja squad had them surrounded, and Adam Hammer was closing in, swinging his massive hammer, ready to crush them.
Just as the situation turned desperate, a ripple of purple energy suddenly surged in from afar, carrying a silvery-white radiance that froze all the ninjas in place.
Then, from beneath Hongya Cave's bridge, countless figures emerged, wielding various high-tech weapons and launching a barrage of firepower at Adam Hammer and his troops.
"You've been chasing us for so long! Time for you to taste our counterattack!" Peel laughed as he retreated.
Several figures appeared from different directions—it was Cleopatra and Adonijah! They had been lying in wait the entire time, preparing an ambush for Arasaka Corporation.
"You think you insects can stop me?" Adam Hammerr remained unfazed despite the sudden attack. He cracked his neck and charged back into battle with Lucy and the others.
The ensuing fight was so intense that it sent adrenaline surging through the audience. The battle raged on for ten whole minutes before finally concluding.
In the end, Lucy's group managed to severely injure Adam Hammer once again, but they didn't escape unscathed.
Arasaka Corporation had implemented a new technology in Adam Hammer specifically designed to counter Lucy, significantly limiting her abilities.
Cleopatra and Adonijah also had their powers suppressed, preventing them from fighting at full strength.
Despite the challenges, the group successfully destroyed the anchor point and escaped Chongqing.
Meanwhile, in New York, Reese encountered a young boy. The boy was kind and courageous, and the two got along well, inspiring Reese to take him as a disciple.
He gave the boy a "Seed of Courage," a crystallized form of his abilities, allowing the child to inherit his powers.
Afterward, Lucy and her team returned to New York.
They planned to eliminate the final anchor point on their home turf, preparing for whatever the universe had in store.
"What if we remove the Veil and discover nothing but desolation? Or worse, realize we've been trapped in a bottle all along?" Peel supported the plan but wasn't optimistic about the future.
Victor countered, "Only by removing the Veil can we achieve true freedom."
They didn't hesitate much. Even though removing the Veil might provoke a colossal entity, they were eager to see the true universe beyond.
Besides, since that entity hadn't destroyed Earth outright but instead concealed it with the Veil, Earth must hold some value.
Lucy analyzed all the clues and concluded that the chances of Earth being destroyed after removing the Veil were the lowest possibility.
Even if they angered the entity, it was far more likely that they, as individuals, would be eliminated rather than the entire planet.
In essence, they were risking their lives to tear apart the Veil shrouding Earth.
Before long, they arrived at the Veil's location in New York, only to find it heavily guarded by Arasaka Corporation and Militech.
An even larger force had gathered, and war was imminent.
This time, Reese and David stepped forward.
Using his powers, David remotely seized control of orbital weapons, obliterating enemy armored vehicles.
Reese, meanwhile, unleashed the full might of his Solar Knight abilities, shielding everyone present and eliminating most of the ninjas and enhanced soldiers.
Just as they poured the 4HPC into the soil, sealing their victory, Adam Smasher detonated himself on the spot.
The CPH4 and hyper-energy within his body erupted like a nuclear explosion, engulfing everything.
At the same time, Norman Professor's secret base—where Lucy's true body was stored—also came under attack.
Faced with this dire crisis, Reese transcended the limits of time and space, manifesting his true form. He transformed into a boundless radiance, neutralizing Adam Hammer's explosion.
However, by violating the laws of time, his death was inevitable.
Furthermore, due to the attack on Lucy's true body, Cleopatra,Adonijah,David, Victor, and Xuan were all forcibly returned to their respective timelines.
Only Peel and Lucy remained at the anchor point, watching as it was gradually destroyed.
At last, the entire sky transformed into shimmering fragments, scattering in the air.
"What a beautiful sight." Peel couldn't help but marvel.
Lucy felt the same. Gazing at the countless reflective shards drifting in the air, her eyes turned profound. In that instant, she detached from her body and ascended beyond Earth.
In the next second, she witnessed a scene that defied all calculations.
A colossal tentacle lashed out from a distant point one light-year away, shattering entire planets.
Countless figures—humans, beasts, and more—rushed from the destroyed planets, using their own strength to resist the tentacle.
But their efforts were futile. Like ants against a chariot, they were slaughtered one by one.
Then, a glowing halo spread out, resurrecting the fallen warriors, who charged into battle once more.
Suddenly, another massive yet indistinct figure entered the fray, tearing the tentacle apart.
As the severed tentacle disintegrated, countless shadowy entities emerged from within, engaging the warriors in combat.
Within mere seconds, the battlefield changed dramatically.
Lucy absorbed the overwhelming influx of information and immediately understood everything.
At that moment, a divine figure draped in white robes appeared beside her.
"Though this is an unusual time, congratulations. You've successfully broken through the Information Veil." He spoke calmly while wielding his staff, continuously bestowing blessings upon the warriors.
"Who are you?" Lucy asked.
"Me? You can call me the Omniscient One. But now's not the time for conversation. We'll talk once this battle is over."
With that, the Omniscient One vanished before Lucy's eyes.
From the battlefield's data flow, Lucy had already learned everything.
"So that's how it is."
She returned to New York. Seeing her, Peel immediately rushed over.
"Lucy, what happened? What is the true nature of the universe?"
Lucy looked straight into the camera and calmly stated:
"Earth… is under protection."
"What?"
Peel, Norman Professor, and everyone else were utterly shocked.
The same astonishment was mirrored on the faces of the audience watching the screen.