Solaris' Strongest Resonator

The two made their way toward the walls of Jinzhou City.

Along the road, Resonators and Midnight Rangers were everywhere, comforting the ordinary citizens of Jinzhou. Lucian spotted Verina, Yuanwu from the Thunderous Fist Dojo, and others.

Clearly, the effects of the Retroact Rain on the common folk were still quite severe.

Upon ascending the city walls, they found Aalto and Encore already there, standing before a pink-haired girl.

Aalto: "How's the barrier holding up?"

The pink-haired girl replied, "The barrier is being urgently repaired, but if the Tacet Discord waves keep coming, it might not last much longer."

As Lucian and Rover approached the three, the pink-haired girl turned at the sound of their footsteps. "Oh! It's Rover and Lucian!"

Lucian: "You are…?"

The girl smiled faintly. "I'm the Director at ministry of Development, Taoqi, responsible for all matters related to border defenses."

"Thank you for coming to assist."

Lucian asked, puzzled, "What's this barrier you mentioned?"

Taoqi explained, "The barrier is Jinzhou's defensive structure against the Retroact Rain, designed to shield the city from its effects."

Rover: "Has the Tacet Discord wave not ended yet?"

Taoqi's expression turned grave. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. This wave of Tacet Discord was caused by the Retroact Rain."

"If the barrier meant to repel the rain is damaged, the Tacet Discord could spawn directly within Jinzhou itself…"

Lucian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I recall correctly, Aalto once mentioned that the essence of Retroact Rain is high-density Remnant energy from the Tethys System."

"So, this Remnant energy can attract Tacet Discord, is that right?"

Aalto nodded slightly. "Exactly. On the other hand, this energy also allows those exposed to the rain to see phantoms—echoes of past events that occurred in these lands."

"These are what we commonly refer to as Retroact Rain 'ghosts'."

"The principle behind their formation is similar to what we call 'Resonance'. Thus, the deeper a person's connection to the rain-affected area, the clearer and more real the ghosts they perceive."

"Additionally, Retroact Rain has another property: in larger rain zones, it can replicate multiple memory-derived images simultaneously…"

Lucian pondered for a moment. "If that's the case, wouldn't the battlefield in Norfall Barrens replicate countless 'ghosts'?"

After all, the site of the 'Battle Beneath the Cresent' was Norfall Barrens, and the reason the battle became so infamous was precisely because of the Retroact Rain.

Aalto acknowledged, "Your intuition is sharp."

"Jinzhou is a land of battlefields, facing the Threnodian that represents war—and war, in turn, means sacrifice."

"If the Retroact Rain reaches its final stage, the replicated ghostly images would likely consist of tens of thousands of soldiers and Tacet Discord, locked in combat."

Taoqi added, "This has always been Jinzhou's greatest hidden peril."

"The city's barrier was commissioned by the Magistrate precisely to counter this scenario."

Lucian asked, puzzled, "From what you're saying, do these 'ghost' images possess significant lethality?"

Taoqi explained, "The ghosts formed by Retroact Rain mechanically repeat a single moment's actions and, by nature, lack the ability to interfere with reality."

"However, under the influence of the Threnodian's power, the rain's effects have been drastically amplified."

"The 'ghosts' within the rain zone have thus grown increasingly tangible, to the point where they can inflict real harm upon humans."

Her gaze sorrowful, Taoqi walked toward the city gates and looked northward. "On the day of the 'Battle Beneath the Cresent', the Midnight Rangers, the native Tacet Discord of Norfall Barrens, the Tacet Discord formed by the rain… and countless soldiers' 'ghosts'—all four forces clashed in chaos."

Lucian suddenly understood—Retroact Rain had appeared more than once, and each time, it had influenced the battlefield.

Taoqi continued, "The Midnight Rangers replicated by the rain endlessly repeated their attacks, striking indiscriminately at everything around them."

"Unable to distinguish friend from foe, losing all sense of direction… That merciless downpour even vividly recreated the gruesome deaths of soldiers from the past."

"For a time, Norfall Barrens became a living hell. Even now, the echoes of that despair can still be heard…"

Seeing Taoqi's grief, Aalto interjected, "The 'Battle Beneath the Cresent' was humanity's first close observation of 'Retroact Rain amplified by the Threnodian'."

"The footage transmitted back by that general was an invaluable record. It was precisely because of this that nations could accelerate the development of Retroact Rain barriers."

"Members of the Black Shores also have a hypothesis: the Threnodian, the lunar phase, and Retroact Rain may be intrinsically linked."

Lucian looked up again at the illusory full moon in the sky and ventured, "Is there a possibility… that the moon is fake?"

Aalto: "...That's a bold thought."

Rover: "The lunar phase corresponds to the strength of the Threnodian's power."

Aalto nodded. "Broadly speaking, yes. But due to insufficient data, this remains only a conjecture."

"We still haven't deciphered the pattern of Retroact Rain, only that its scale is deeply tied to the Threnodian's complexity."

"The successive waves of Tacet Discord are also an omen."

Taoqi turned her gaze back. "The lunar phase shifted almost instantaneously. If the Black Shores' theory is correct, this means…"

Rover: "The signs of the Threnodian's revival have arrived ahead of time."

Aalto: "Indeed. The predicament Jinzhou faces now may be no different from three years ago."

Rover said firmly, "Human effort can change fate."

Aalto: "The Threnodian's revival is no isolated incident. There exists a profound, bloodline-like resonance between them."

"The awakening of Jinzhou's Threnodian will trigger a chain reaction—other nations won't be spared either."

"We must return to the Tethys System base immediately to recalibrate The Lament monitors and share Jinzhou's situation with other nations as a warning."

"In any case, everyone… take care."

Encore waved. "Good luck, big brothers and sisters…"

With that, Aalto and Encore departed.

Taoqi turned back to the two. "Rover, Lucian, this is the current situation in full."

"As long as the Retroact Rain persists, Tacet Discord waves can erupt at any moment. We cannot let our guard down for even a second."

No sooner had she spoken than a Midnight Ranger soldier rushed over. "Report! Another Tacet Discord wave has been detected approaching!"

The three immediately looked beyond the gates—a dark tide of Tacet Discord surged forth like a flood.

Lucian had never seen so many Tacet Discord in his life.

Taoqi sighed deeply at the sight. "Ah, speak of the devil."

"Once this battle is over, I'm going to sleep for a week."

Lucian retorted, "Don't jinx it!"

Taoqi shouted, "Activate the defensive measures at once!"

Ahead, the seething tide of Tacet Discord loomed. Several powerful Resonators stood shoulder to shoulder, their gazes resolute as they faced the onslaught.

Lucian yelled, "Geneva Convention be damned—I'm fired up!"