Ark Base, top secret analysis room.
The atmosphere was more solemn than before.
Mark had changed into new combat uniform, and his damaged skin healed quickly under the nourishment of solar energy, but the fatigue and solemnity between his brows lingered.
The holographic screen in front of him displayed the results of the robot's comprehensive analysis of the remains of the underground monsters and the data urgently retrieved from ancient ruins around the world.
"Creature codename: C'Thun."
"Classification: Ancient cosmic life form."
"Danger Level: Planet Devourer."
The robot's cold voice carried an unprecedented seriousness.
"Based on dating of its biological tissue and reverse engineering of energy decay models, this individual arrived on Earth approximately... 650 million years ago, far earlier than the earliest known fossil record of multicellular organisms."
"Its energy characteristics and biological structure patterns are highly consistent with the following ancient texts."
"Tiamat, the Beast of the Abyss, in the Sumerian King List..."
"The offspring of Apophis, the star-devouring serpent mentioned in the Egyptian Book of the Dead..."
"The prototype of Nidhogg, the poisonous dragon that gnawed at the roots of the World Tree in Norse mythology..."
"The beast that devours the era in the Mayan prophecy..."
"Even...some of the ancient Tibetan terma texts describe the Old Ones sleeping beneath the earth's veins..."
Fragments of these ancient documents and corresponding energy simulation diagrams flashed quickly on the holographic screen, and their core features were strikingly similar to those of the demons in the earth's core.
"Combining all this information, we've preliminarily confirmed that this creature called C'Thun... belongs to a terrifying race known to ancient civilizations as the Great Old Ones."
"Born from the chaos of the early universe, they feed on the energy of the planet's core. They possess near-immortal life and incomprehensible power."
"They sleep deep in the core of certain planets, waking up periodically and falling back into a long slumber after eating."
"And every awakening means complete ecological extinction for the host planet."
"The Earth... is just a food bowl in its long life?"
Samson's voice was dry and held an indescribable chill.
The wounds on his body were still aching, and he felt a chill down his spine when he thought about how he had just fought with this magical and mythical monster.
"Hatchling... dormant state..." Atomic Eve's face turned pale.
"So what would its adult form... its complete form... look like?"
"It's impossible to accurately simulate, but based on energy levels, a fully awakened adult Great Old One would be powerful enough to easily tear apart continental plates, alter planetary orbits, and even... devour stars."
The temperature in the room plummeted at the robot's words.
"Why wake up now?"
Mark asked in a deep voice, his golden-red pupils staring at C'Thun's shattered core crystal on the holographic screen.
"Is it because of the war between Nolan and Anglum? Or...something else?"
"The direct cause was the violent spatial energy fluctuations caused by the activation of the Sky Shield and the approach of the Angrum fleet, as well as the abnormal activity of the Earth's core energy. These stimulated its dormant instincts and awakened it prematurely."