Chapter 28: Flames of the Final End

Chapter 28: Flames of the Final End

"What do we do? Can we really not detect Joshua's signal?"
"No, it's simply too far away..."

In the heart of a temporary, large-scale void observation array set up on the edge of the Bilros Galaxy, before a gathering of Transcendents and deities, the weary Rune Controller Baniel shook his head. He said with a slight reluctance, "It's really not a problem with our technology. He... has moved beyond the extreme detection range of the void. Do you understand? Just as we are basically unable to see other universal galaxies in the void, even if we set up another observation array a hundred times larger than this one, detection would be impossible."
"At best, we can only indirectly judge Joshua's condition by observing the activity of the Heretic God clusters—that is, by watching the changes in the void's darkness." Beside Baniel, the equally weary Mind Controller William was rubbing his forehead. He said with a bitter smile, "If the dark cluster is still active, it proves Joshua is still alive. That's all we can do... Besides, look, isn't there a red star in the sky that we've never observed before? I bet that's the manifestation of Joshua's divine power."
"Damn it!"
The God of Justice and Power, who had asked this question, wanted to angrily slam his fist on the control panel's cover next to him. But just before it hit, he held back. The deity gritted his teeth, "When did he start preparing all of this?! These forces, these preparations—these are not things that can be readied in a short time!"
"Probably after slaying the 'Heretic God of Death'."
Ailnamilo, a Transcendent powerhouse from the Era of Radiance, didn't know what to say at this moment. In the end, a thousand words condensed into a sigh: "He once approached me alone to inquire about the 'Rebirth Plan'... After slaying the Heretic God of Death, Joshua was always worried about whether he would encounter 'universal galaxy-level' enemies in the future—which are now known to us as the Near-Saints."
"'One universal galaxy was enough to nurture the Heretic God of Death, but a single universal galaxy contains a near-infinite number of world galaxies. If, in places unknown to us, many Heretic Gods of Death have already been born, and they are heading towards us, what should we do?' Those were Joshua's original words."
"I was still thinking back then, why does this guy always dwell on such things? If there really were so many Near-Saints, we couldn't fight them anyway. We'd just fight and then die... I never expected his concerns to be correct."
Recalling past memories, Ailnamilo couldn't help but want to cover her face. If Joshua hadn't thought as she did, but had truly made complete preparations because of his worries—if he had merely fought the endless chaos cluster with the strength of an ordinary 'Near-Saint'—then the present universal galaxy would probably have long been ignited by the cold catastrophe fire, just like the homeland of the Limit Ascension Aggregate, and finally turn into non-existent nothingness amidst the darkness.
"So what do we do?"
Barbarossa said hoarsely. The Element Controller had always been fighting on the front lines. In this greatest battlefield of the universal galaxy, the mage sought his own truth. Now, his strength had indeed taken another step forward, but this didn't bring Barbarossa any joy. He waved his staff in anger. "Helpless, just sitting here watching—no, we can't even see—Joshua fighting alone?"
Facing these words, which were more like questioning himself than asking others, all the Transcendents and deities present fell silent.
—Without a doubt, whether they or them, they had all been protected.
The chaos cluster had indeed already moved far away.
Those countless dark tendrils, the Heretic God army that could absolutely drown the entire universal galaxy, due to Joshua's incredibly decisive and swift actions, had scraped along the edge of the universal galaxy and departed. They, together with the warrior, plunged deep into the endless void and never appeared before their eyes again.
What does it feel like to be protected?
Happiness, security, relief, joy?
No. No.
It is anger, self-blame, hatred for one's own powerlessness, and helpless sorrow and bewilderment.
Protection and being protected is the warmest, and also the coldest relationship in this world, because it is the unilateral sacrifice of one party, to the extent that the protected party feels at a loss.
"This is a situation far more desperate than back then."
The God of Order and Destruction, who had been directly knocked off the Path of Light and Glory by Joshua and returned to the universal galaxy, clenched his fist in shame. The blue-haired beautiful boy seemed to recall the scene from back then, recalling the Saint dragging a large number of Heretic Gods and the God of Abundance together to plummet to the deepest abyss. He said in a suppressed voice, "We... have always... been helpless."
"That's why we need to become stronger."
The God of Life, who had always been exceptionally silent, now spoke. His tone was solemn and resolute: "We, must become stronger."
"Regardless of the cost."

And at this very moment.
The 'god' had not deliberately thought about 'protection'.
Just because he could do it, he did it. Just because he needed to do it, he did it. From start to finish, he only encountered problems that happened to be solvable by him alone, so he naturally and coincidentally solved them all. Therefore, there was no need for deliberate exaggeration, nor for deliberate praise—it was simply the natural thing to do.
In the distant void, amidst the desolate ruins formed by the collapse of countless universal galaxies in the past, within this boundless emptiness where no boundary could be seen from any direction, angle, or method, the giant god who had been leading the Heretic God army at full speed towards the distance, at this moment, turned his head.
He looked back at the infinite enemies surging towards him, that dark tide crashing down like the sky collapsing and the earth overturning. Joshua did not attempt to glance back at the universal galaxy he had left. Instead, he raised his hand and looked at the crimson divine power burning upon it.
In this long pursuit, all the crimson divine sigils had completely spread. Together with the power of steel, they transformed into a revolving sacred emblem. The divine nature and divine power were finally completely controlled by the giant god, becoming his own strength.
So, it was time to begin.
"I am the 'Relative' opposed to all things, I am the only one who 'Transcends' everything."
A voice rang out. Facing the infinite darkness, the four-armed giant god spread his four arms and solemnly declared his sacred words, saying with utter seriousness: "Facing good, I am the greater good. Facing evil, I am the greater evil."
"If the enemy is water, I will be fire. If the enemy is darkness, I will be light. If the enemy brings destruction, I will execute salvation with even greater destruction."
This voice echoed through the void, like the peal of a giant bell, stirring up violent space-time storms. And the deity who had even abandoned the 'future', his soul stronger than steel, began to burn within this declaration: "I am the judgment of all chaos and evil, the sanction of all darkness and malice—I am the God of Battle, Relative and Transcendent!"
"For the sake of fighting you."
"Therefore, I descend here."
The conversion into a True God was completely finished—before, it was merely a Near-Saint manipulating immense divine power. Now, the surging divine power completely merged with the Near-Saint's origin, becoming a part of Him.
The warrior who fought for no one now harbored a miracle. The power gained not from 'wanting to protect' was now protecting the entire multiverse!
In the illusory void, the immense rift phenomenon appeared again. The crimson rift expanded further, causing infinite amounts of the God of Battle's divine power to pour out from the Great Source, inundating the giant god's body!
*BOOM!*
The chaos that had pursued them, the leading Near-Saint Heretic Gods, were forcibly frozen in place by the ripple of divine power emanating from the giant god. They were like fish struggling desperately in a huge wave, but unable to advance even a single step. And in that same instant, within the entire multiverse, the never-before-seen 'Near-Saint God' descended.
And at the same time, the surrounding universal galaxies, even the universal galaxies further away in the silent void, and even the entire multiverse—all existences currently fighting chaos, still fighting chaos, or about to fight chaos, heard the voice of that deity.
And the Gods of War in other worlds, and even all deities related to concepts like battle, war, duel, challenge, slaughter, and destruction, completely lost, or lost a part of their power. They discovered in horror that the eternally open gate to the Great Source was closing on them—no, on *him*! In this brief instant, they were no longer deities, but mortals. The divine nature that had once made them deities was like a flame flickering in a storm, about to be extinguished.
—Something far more vast had obscured everything at the source. This was not a complete blockage preventing deities related to battle from using divine power. To make an analogy: originally, deities drawing divine power was like drawing water from the ocean. Even if tens of thousands of deities drew at the same time, it wouldn't lower the infinite sea by a fraction. But now, the ocean had been frozen by a massive will. If the original deities still wanted to draw divine power, they would have to shatter the ice layer and venture into the depths of the ocean that had not yet been dominated... which was almost impossible.
Because the strongest deity, the strongest God of Battle in all of history, was right here.
"No."
Raising the giant sword and great axe in his hands, aiming at the still eager-to-fight, fearless cluster of Heretic Gods before him, the Heavenly God laughed and shook his head. "I am no mere God of Battle—"
"I AM BATTLE!"
With those words, the burning giant sword, under the infuser of divine power, began to madly swell—no, it could no longer be called a sword. It was a complete and singularized world, gestating and growing in the hands of the deity! Its world barrier released dazzling radiance. Near-infinite divine power transformed at its edges into its blade, creating billions upon billions of layered, constantly moving, constantly flowing space-time storms with the momentum to crush everything!
One could even see that within this world, infinite divine power was constructing runes. These were world runes like those of the Quenching Star World, used for reinforcement, augmentation, granting it infinite extensibility and the trait to absorb all energy to grow. They radiated an unmatched might. Without Joshua to exert effort, they began operating spontaneously, devouring chaos to grow!
The giant god swung this sword, solemnly sweeping through the void. Countless chaos lesser beings were reduced to nothingness and dissipated upon merely sensing the aura of this World Sword. Even ordinary Heretic Gods melted like ice and snow under sunlight, rapidly dissolving as the great sword devoured them, transforming them into its power. Only Heretic Gods of the Extreme Limit and Near-Saint level could struggle to counterattack and not instantly perish on the spot. But even so, this single sweep alone suppressed seventeen Heretic Gods of the Extreme Limit and one Near-Saint Heretic God. They were like fuel, imprisoned within the sword's world, constantly being ground away.
Without the slightest hesitation, since one sword stroke worked, then another—Joshua raised it high and cleaved straight down. The trail of crimson divine power connected with the previous sword mark, carving a gigantic cross in the void, once again sweeping towards the infinite darkness.
But after chasing for so long, those now near the front of the Heretic God army were no longer weak lesser beings or ordinary Heretic Gods. The vast majority were Heretic Gods of the Extreme Limit, Near-Saint Heretic Gods, and their lesser kin. Furthermore, as Joshua spurred the divine power storm, within that dark cluster, several equally terrifying auras surged in response!
Without a doubt, there were differences among Near-Saints. The aggregated Heretic God type, civilizations that were not even at the Near-Saint level before their ruin and became Near-Saint Heretic Gods after destruction, were destined not to be very strong—but what if that civilization which became a Near-Saint Heretic God truly possessed a Near-Saint before its destruction? What if they were the remnants of the 'earliest civilizations' in this multiverse, those that had deduced the paths of 'Infinity', 'Eternity', and 'Absoluteness', and were once adjacent to the Primordial Fire?
Then these Heretic Gods would be so powerful that ordinary Near-Saints likely could not compare.
A dark nebula drifted out from the chaos cluster. It was like some boiling smoke, an ever-changing, fluctuating, macroscopic but unobservable electron cloud. This nebula moved towards the World Sword. Not only was it not severed by the sword's trail, it instead created 'Cataclysm', warping the World Sword's edge, causing the space-time storm to collapse. Even the runes covering it began to temporarily lose effect due to the extremely bizarre changes, causing a breach in the world barrier.
Seeing this, Joshua immediately prepared himself. The Heretic God before him must be the 'Cataclysm' Heretic God that destroyed the Limit Ascension Aggregate's homeland universe—a presence that caused the destruction of countless worlds just by existing. In the past, the Limit Ascension Aggregate could not discern the true nature of its power and could only describe it as cataclysm. But now, the giant god could see at a glance that the power it possessed was the essence of 'Chaotic Future', the power to manipulate 'the future and possibilities'!
The 'Cataclysm' Heretic God should be similar to the 'Abundance' Heretic God. Their origin should be one of the 'Earliest Civilizations' that bathed in the initial light of the Primordial Fire in the past. What caused its destruction was likely the 'Mastermind' acting personally, using infinite futures to create infinite 'cataclysmic possibilities' to annihilate it! And the reason for this destruction also granted this civilization's remnant, after becoming a Heretic God, a portion of the Mastermind's 'Chaotic Future' characteristics.
So-called cataclysm, in plain terms, was creating countless possibilities that could lead to the target's annihilation. From large-scale changes to the fundamental constants of a world, down to internal contradictions exploding within a civilization—infinite futures meant infinite possibilities, which meant infinite types of 'cataclysm'!
This was a civilization remnant ancient enough to trace back to the very beginning of creation, possibly even destroyed by the Mastermind. And now, it was arrayed against Joshua. The Cataclysm Heretic God flew past, dragging a distorted trail through the void.
And not only that—another stream of greyish light flew out from the chaos cluster. This was a Near-Saint Heretic God whose aura could rival the Cataclysm. And Joshua currently had no time to analyze its origin and background. Facing these continuously arriving powerful enemies, he unhesitatingly swung the World Sword, blocking the Cataclysm's approach while raising the black great axe high.
That black great axe was no longer merely a weapon forged from the power of steel and divine power. If it could be said that the silver great sword was the 'World Sword', forged by simulating the Quenching Star World and incredibly sturdy, then this great axe was the 'Axe of Finality', forged by simulating the 'Extreme Abyss', devouring infinite chaos and world remnants to condense! It was the embryo of a super-large monad world, still gestating, awaiting the day of the 'Big Bang'. And the flesh and blood irrigating its growth were naturally countless Heretic Gods themselves!
Wielding these two weapons, which were more like 'divine realms' than 'divine artifacts', Joshua charged forward without any fear, plunging into the chaos cluster. In an instant, only infinite light could be seen blooming. Numerous Heretic Gods powerful enough to destroy worlds and make countless civilizations tremble dissolved. And in the depths of the light, the giant god battled several turbid chaos entities so powerful that even ordinary deities could not gaze upon them directly.
If their battle had taken place within a universal galaxy, it would have been enough to cause large-scale world annihilation phenomena, even triggering universal galaxy-level chain collapses. Only in the deepest depths of this silent void, amidst the ruins of countless past universal galaxies, could they fight without consequence—but even so, one could see that each swing of the giant sword and great axe released light as if birthing a brilliant universe, and each blow from the chaos striking the giant god was like shattering world after world.
This battle lasted an incredibly long time. Layers of residual waves spread, infinite energy accumulated. Within this silent void, even a hazy nebula was recreated. The corpses of countless Heretic Gods purified and incinerated, mixed with the residual decaying divine power of deities, was like a recreation of the scene when the Primordial Fire created the multiverse in the void. Numerous embryonic worlds derived within it, only to be shattered by the residual waves of battle.
For the people in other universal galaxies, the crimson divine light suspended high in the supreme void never extinguished—this was proof and proclamation that the warrior at that distant end was still alive.
At this time, the advantage of divine power's single path, its 'infinite reserves', also displayed its might. After battling until now, Joshua still showed no fatigue, his strength always maintained at its peak with no signs of decline. It was as if the entire multiverse's 'battle' line of divine power had all converged upon Him.
Flames burned in the deity's eyes. World after world was born and destroyed within his pupils. The energy contained within transformed into vast streams of light, then infused with divine power, inscribed with runes, and finally became bolts of lightning that bombarded the chaos before him, driving it back. Seizing this momentum, Joshua fiercely swung the great axe, paying the price of taking a direct hit from another Near-Saint Heretic God, and smashed it onto the 'Cataclysm'.
In an instant, infinite chaos was absorbed by the Axe of Finality, then spewed out as countless embryonic worlds—Near-Saint Heretic Gods were nearly indestructible. And Heretic Gods of the Cataclysm's level were even harder to ignite with flame. Just as a sufficiently large fire could burn mountains and boil seas, but if it was a water mass the size of a galaxy, internal cataclysms could occur, birthing stars and manifesting another form of extreme mutation.
To destroy them, one must weaken them step by step. And the 'Extreme Abyss' simulated by the Axe of Finality was precisely the sharp tool for weakening Heretic Gods. That power, once intended to gather and convert all the Heretic Gods of an entire galaxy into a world, was condensed within a single axe. As long as it hit, the overly dense chaos would be directly converted into 'world' embryos, thereby breaking free from the Near-Saint Heretic God's control.
Now, Joshua's strength remained at its peak, while the Heretic God fighting him was gradually being weakened. If there were no other accidents, the deity's victory was foreseeable.
But how could there be no accidents? In this silent void surrounded by infinite chaos, where could 'no accidents' come from?
Even though one axe stroke heavily wounded the Cataclysm Heretic God and another sword stroke forced back the other Near-Saint Heretic God, Joshua still showed no joy. Because the endless tide of Heretic Gods of the Extreme Limit and Near-Saint Heretic Gods still surged towards Him like a wave... Divine power was infinite, but was chaos not also infinite? A dozen ordinary Near-Saints could not threaten Him, two powerful Near-Saint Heretic Gods could not defeat Him—then what about dozens of ordinary Near-Saint Heretic Gods, plus several powerful ones like the Cataclysm besieging Him? Could He still contend?
And this was precisely the situation He would inevitably encounter if He continued fighting. Held back by powerful opponents, His speed through the void had now greatly slowed. Not to mention the Heretic Gods of the Extreme Limit, even ordinary Heretic Gods and their lesser kin could once again catch up to His pace. Joshua could see that the Heretic God army, enough to turn a universal galaxy inside out countless times, had once again caught up and enveloped Him.
Finally, even if ordinary Heretic Gods could not approach Him at all, with infinite chaos surrounding Him on all sides, He could not run, could not escape. Ultimately, He would inevitably be defeated by the increasingly numerous Near-Saint Heretic Gods' siege.
—It seemed this was His limit.
The deity showed no change in expression. His face remained calm.
The power of steel was a power hiding traps. In this multiverse where the Sage of Steel might have perished, any existence attempting to advance to a Near-Saint or Sage using the steel system would inevitably fall into the Mastermind's trap and be twisted into a Near-Saint Heretic God—Joshua had already seen several Near-Saint Heretic Gods with such origins. And psychic energy was the same.
And the 'Quenching Star World' and 'super-large monad world', as well as the Limit Ascension Aggregate's path to Near-Saint, were far too self-contained. As weapons, they felt quite good to use, but they were merely weapons, and could not serve as power for resistance.
Therefore, while other paths were still incomplete and unreliable, he could only choose to become a deity, using this primordial transcendence to face all these enemies of sentient beings.
But even so, the limit of divine power was right here—The power from other systems fluctuated. They could have bursts, and they would weaken. At their peak, they could easily defeat opponents of the same level. But when weak, no matter how hard they struggled, defeat was inevitable. Divine power was different. Divine power could always maintain its peak state, without any fluctuation, naturally without burst or decay.
Or rather, to burst was to die. Divine annihilation was the Sword of Damocles hanging over every deity's head, deterring them from ever unleashing their strongest power.
But this only worked on deities afraid of death.
Taking a deep breath, Joshua, who had long prepared everything, roared. Crimson blood-flames ignited upon his body once more. Boiling divine power poured down from the Great Source, as if commanded by the deity to be bestowed upon His body—without the slightest hesitation, without any delay, Joshua unreservedly pushed his power to 'surpass the limit', reaching the realm of 'divine annihilation'!
*BOOM!* The already heavily wounded Cataclysm Heretic God was directly shattered into several fragments. With another sword strike arriving, the sword spine sweeping sideways carried terrifying force to send those fragments flying, causing them to continuously decompose and shatter midway through the void. The other Near-Saint Heretic God, resembling a dark vortex, also faced the giant god's direct attack—two giant hands wreathed in divine light became the heaven and earth, above and below. This heaven and earth colliding produced a primordial genesis explosion, directly hammering it from a 'dark vortex' into a 'vortex pattern on black paper', which was then ignited and turned to ash.
The Flames of the Final End burned fiercely! This overly dazzling and blinding crimson divine light completely illuminated the surrounding darkness!
Now, it was not just the dark cluster at this location.
The entire multiverse—all the Heretic Gods, all the chaos, those that had not come, those still invading other universal galaxies, all the darkness—turned their attention, stopped their attacks, and became restless towards the distance.
They saw a crimson star suspended at the highest point of the void. It was eternal, incomparably dazzling eternity—It burned fiercely, as if wanting to condense all power from the present to the endless future into this very moment, releasing light bright enough to illuminate the entire multiverse!
And at this moment, amidst this desperate life-and-death struggle against the Heretic Gods, in this brutal confrontation with chaos, in this battle where death was certain, Joshua's heart was filled with a profound tranquility.
【—Battle.
If this is my destiny.
Then I shall conquer this destiny as well.】
Even pushing His power to the point of divine annihilation, feeling the terrifying 'attraction' from the Great Source, that ever-rising, ever-expanding pull emanating from the Primordial Fire, Joshua still felt no fear. He had never feared His own death, never feared His own destruction. Wielding the giant sword and great axe, He ruthlessly slaughtered all incoming chaos and Heretic Gods. Burning, the deity only felt one slight regret.
Just a slight regret that His true path could still not be walked. It was a path that, though arduous, had incomparably beautiful scenery. He had originally thought He could become a Sage following it, but this hope had been severed by His own hand.
"A path that was clearly very fitting for my identity."
A fleeting sadness quickly dissipated. The deity immersed in battle soon had no more room for thought—because more, stronger, infinite waves of Heretic Gods once again began to charge, wanting to extinguish this flame.
And at this very moment, the divine natures left upon Joshua by the God of Protection and Progress, and the God of Love and Decay, the steel pythons residing within Joshua's body, all sensed it. Scorching heat was radiating from every part of the deity's body. Those still possessing intelligent minds had long since understood the outcome of his choice, but now they couldn't help but sigh.
The steel python of Karlis watched this. It watched how the overwhelming divine power not only destroyed the Heretic Gods before it, but was also destroying the deity's essence. It could see how the warm light of flame was descending from infinite distance, guiding the 'strongest god' back to its embrace.
And before that, the first to return would be them, the children of fire and steel.
"Joshua... you are no longer you, but you are still you."
Before being guided away by the overwhelming firelight, the steel python murmured softly to itself: "Saint... so that's how it was. Back then, you fought against such chaos? The destruction of Karlis' people truly cannot compare at all... it really wasn't your fault..."
"But now, I can finally stand side-by-side with your successor. He is someone stronger, more resolute than you... but... what a pity... also, a relief... Joshua, I don't have to... see your end... I can go first... one step..."
And Joshua.
No.
The warrior could no longer hear any sounds.
Even the steel python's armor had its limits.
Amidst the endless battle, Joshua suddenly had a realization.
The final divine annihilation was coming.
At this, Joshua smiled.
—So swift, so fierce, so immense a power, was pulling him into the flames, into that incomparably peaceful, incomparably serene resting place of gods.
"Is this... the Primordial Fire?"
He murmured to himself, then shook his head firmly. "But I shall not rest peacefully like this!"
"I am the King who Burns Souls, the Lord of Myriad Armies."
"The expectation to become stronger, the anticipation for the future; the Sage's path, the longing for life—affection, emotions, memories, even my name, I abandon them all, sacrifice them all."
The god of battle and slaughter made his final solemn proclamation, his voice ringing in the silent void. Joshua's eyes no longer held any other color, only the crimson of divine nature, like a flame burning to its very end. He laughed and said: "I will embrace death, embrace the inferno!"
"I will embrace all the sorrowful chaos, embrace this dark multiverse!"
Divine power surged violently.
The final step of divine annihilation arrived.
There was no sorrow, no tears. Everything about the deity had been abandoned, yet He embraced everything. And nearby, even the Near-Saint Heretic Gods were pushed back by the light alone, unable to approach even a single half-step. They roared, wanting to surge forward and drown that light, but instead, they were burned by it.
At this moment, his entire body covered in golden cracks, infinite divine flames spilling from within, the deity discarded the sword and axe. In the very final moment, He chose to charge forward alone, laughing, towards the endless darkness of chaos. One could see how the flames spilling from His body could incinerate Heretic Gods and grievously wound Near-Saints just by touching them. And He, uncaring, tore open His own chest. While annihilating His own godly form, He allowed the boundless divine power within to erupt, engulfing everything in the vicinity.
One embryonic world after another spewed out from the residual waves of this battle between god and chaos. They shot forth, trapping Heretic Gods within one after another, just like trapping the weakened Heretic God earlier, gradually converting them into ordered worlds. And the deity itself also tore open His own chest completely, revealing the core silver world at the very center. With His last strength, far surpassing ordinary Near-Saints, Joshua dragged all the Near-Saint Heretic Gods He could control, forcibly constraining them, and pulling them all into His own body to be sealed away.
Infinite, resplendent brilliance lit up at that very instant.
The colossal crimson rift phenomenon suspended behind the deity, at this very moment, was transitioning from illusory to real. And the crimson light of the God of Battle's divine power also began to gradually thin, becoming transparent, as if encompassing all brilliance.
That was the light of the Primordial Fire.
Spanning infinite space-time, spanning the entire multiverse, the radiance of the origin of all things descended here. It gently shone upon the deity's body, carrying an overwhelming, irresistible infinite power to guide Him. And at the same time, from the source of the Primordial Fire, it seemed as if some infinite will perceived something, but the conflict between them was so fierce and prolonged, they were both powerless and had no opportunity to do anything.
This gentle flame-light instantly blew out all power except divine power in the vicinity of the silent void—but even so, infinite darkness was still approaching. Like a rift opening in a sky blanketed with dark clouds, letting the distant sunlight illuminate the sea surface. But whether it was the darkness of the deep sea or the clouds filling the sky, they were only temporarily retreating.
"O dark entities of all things."
"I am your annihilation!"
Until the end, the deity's figure, still sealing Heretic Gods, was no longer visible. Within that ball of light, only gradually blurring, gradually indistinct sounds remained. But one could still vaguely see a figure punching, as if punching towards that infinite chaos and darkness, and also towards the Primordial Fire that was guiding everything.
—Even the Primordial Fire was not, could not, be left unchallenged.
And in this gentle radiance, the man who fought until the very end smiled, and then, the light in his eyes vanished.
The flames receded, the radiance dissipated. A deity's will departed from this multiverse, returning to the Primordial Fire.
【Seeking freedom, strife continues. The final flames race through the darkness.】
【With eternal, endless battle, eternally, endlessly saving the trembling stars.】
Distant starlight flickered in the far reaches. Infinite darkness surged, drowning the horizon of space-time.
And at the distant end of the void, in the universal galaxy, those who had waited for an incredibly long time saw the crimson star suspended high in the sky suddenly blaze with brilliance, then abruptly dim. Countless people wept for it, countless people grew despondent for it.
As if this were the end of everything.
But this was far from the end.
Whether man or deity, warrior or Joshua, his or His battle was far from over.
*BOOM!* Once again, a peal of thunder echoed in the void.
After the will had departed, after the wisdom had dissipated, after all souls and minds had returned to the Primordial Fire, the giant god's body still moved resolutely. It showed no hesitation at all, and like this, it charged towards the numerous Heretic Gods that, having lost their target, were wandering confusedly in the void, seemingly searching for their next objective.
It had been eroded by chaos. Even its silver core world, due to having forcefully sealed numerous Heretic Gods earlier, had been stained pitch-black—but this was precisely the effect that man desired. One could see that, freed from all restraint, freed from all control, the giant god's body began to act according to the final command left by his mind, still 'waging battle'! It began to absorb, absorb the power of all surrounding Heretic Gods. In this distant end of the void, unknown how far from the universal galaxy, a pitch-black world began to uncontrollably 'devour', 'convert', and 'evolve'!
Tremendous mass began to pull at everything around it. Infinite gravity spread towards the infinite distance. And infinite embryonic worlds thus revolved around that constantly devouring black world, rotating, gestating, waiting.
And was this the end?
Far from it.
...
Longer eons passed.
Within the ultra-giant detection array established on the edge of the universal galaxy, No. 3, Hei, and Xiao Guang, who remained stationed here, made daily attempts to observe the depths of the silent void in the infinite distance. Of course, they saw nothing. Ever since that crimson star extinguished, the depths of the silent void seemed completely covered by chaos. Only some enormous dark shadows could be seen writhing, advancing, retreating. But even so, they had no intention of giving up.
No one wanted to stop them. Even just to detect whether the Heretic God cluster might return, this ultra-giant detection array had value. And No. 3, Hei, plus a world-will willing to take turns stationed here was naturally not a bad thing. After all, everything was in ruins, and the many powerhouses had much to do. Whether reviving worlds, cultivating the next generation of powerhouses, or contacting other universal galaxies, all required time and energy.
Like this, day after day, year after year, space-time changed its colors, and the stars in the heavens turned on their trajectories.
Hei, who had already become a Transcendent Ancient Dragon, once again arrived at the core nexus of the ultra-giant detection array.
She still harbored hope, just not expectation. Rather than relying on this artificial device to observe from afar, the dragon maid wanted more to use her own strength to travel to the distant void and find the place where her master's star finally extinguished.
Crying? Sadness? Confusion? These emotions, as her master once said, were meaningless emotions, meaningless fluctuations. The once lazy and idle she had long since abandoned these. She only moved forward firmly, just as that man always expected.
Sitting in her familiar position, Hei scanned the waterfall of data streams flickering across the light screen with practiced ease. She looked carefully. Most of the information was identical to the past, holding absolutely no value. But even so, the dragon maid remembered it all without missing a single point, comparing it with past information and the information passed to her by No. 3 from the previous shift.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Hei made a sound of surprise. She touched her horn with some confusion, looking doubtfully at one of the panels. "Here... why is it blank?"
Hei's brow furrowed. She immediately placed her hand on the main control seat's array, using her authority to maneuver the detection array, turning it to converge energy—towards the area that man had left, taking the infinite chaos Heretic Gods away, scanning for anomalies within.
But no matter how many times she tried, that area remained blank—originally, some shadow shifts or subtle space-time fluctuations could be detected, but now, it was just like nothing at all, completely becoming a void in the data.
"No," Hei murmured. "Impossible... how can there be nothing?!"
Then, she thought of an incredibly improbable, but only possible, guess.
"What is it, Hei? Did you discover something?!"
Not long after, accompanied by a powerful wave of magic, No. 3's avatar condensed here. Along with her came Xiao Guang, the God of Power and Justice, Nostradamus, and a host of Mycroftian and non-Mycroftian deities and Transcendents. They had all learned that Hei had suddenly began frantically operating the detection array, scanning the depths of the void. They weren't worried about Hei losing control—after all, so much time had passed. Even if sorrow still remained in their hearts, the living still needed to move forward. Otherwise, it would be betraying all the sacrifices of the fallen.
But what they saw was the black dragon maid collapsed over the control console, silently sobbing. She had long since stopped operating the detection array, and on the central light screen, that blank, empty void was displayed.
"He hasn't left..."
They could hear Hei's muffled, sobbing murmur: "Master is still here... he is still fighting, still protecting us..."
Clenching her hands, No. 3 approached with a serious expression. She carefully scanned all the data on the light screen, comparing it with her own observation information gathered over this long period. She calculated, she guessed, and then, her clenched hands loosened, and began to tremble slightly.
A mist also began to fill her eyes.
Shortly after, all the powerhouses present cried out in alarm. They stared in shock at that patch of void. Everyone found it hard to suppress their astonishment, sighs, and awe. No one was an exception.
The truth was simple.
Because the greatest 'time trap' in the history of the multiverse, one that had almost completely netted the incoming dark cluster and shrouded the entire former battlefield, had taken shape before their very eyes.
—Eternal, endless battle; even death is not the end.
In this incredibly cruel, but also incredibly gentle multiverse, as long as one is strong enough.
Death is merely the beginning of a new battle.
—Volume 19: Flames of the Final End · End

EX: The Endless Ten-Thousand Years (13,600 words, requesting monthly ticket)

【For those weak-minded individuals prone to forgetting, all heroic stories and legends are nothing but lies. They will call the numerous sacrifices of the past 'foolish' or 'crazy', and mock the immense courage concealed behind them. I understand. Children born into light, living in excessive luxury, cannot comprehend the cruel darkness about to descend. They will only treat it as a cruel joke—they will cast behind them the warnings stained with the blood of martyrs, focusing on enjoying the flowers and pleasures before their eyes, to the point where they cannot see the mist that has already arrived.

But truth is always truth. History will not be lost, sacrifices will not be forgotten. I firmly believe this record will endure, serving as a turning point. We will recall again the suffering that sank into darkness, weathering hardships, reborn from the ashes. We will regain glory and brilliance, rising once more from nothingness. I firmly believe destiny must be decided by us, the future ultimately grasped by us. As long as we endure this long, mist-covered forgetting and confusion, we will surely be able to find the beacon of hope and truth again.】
【—Anonymous Recorder, recorded in the Book of Hope, Chapter One, Preface, early in the Great Schism Era】
【—'Solitary Expedition', 150th year】
After the long period of silence caused by the dimming of world galaxies, countless species finally slowly recovered from the too-great trauma.
In the past, tens of thousands of Transcendent powerhouses had heroically sacrificed themselves for that 'Solitary Expedition'. Their remains no longer existed, and those who remained had no strength left to expand. They could only barely maintain their crumbling civilization, preventing it from sinking back into the abyss of ignorance.
But now, everything was improving. The changes brought by Holy Light and Shadow were finally showing their positive side: the radiance of all worlds, the flames of all worlds, naturally possessed the nature of Holy Light. Countless silent or chaos-polluted worlds were slowly recovering in the Holy Light of purification and restoration, mending the great wound in their origin. And Shadow, permeating the myriad worlds of the multiverse, also brought magical tides and transcendent elements from other universal galaxies. Like clean water flowing into a lowland, they were restoring the vitality of this universal galaxy.
Among the numerous void civilizations slowly recovering from trauma, the 'Mycroft Stellar Fall Alliance' stood out. This was a vast dominion whose sphere of influence spanned the universal galaxy. Its center was located in the extremely remote, and in that past battle, the most heavily damaged, Lost Galaxy—but it was still the first to rise, like a resilient spring. The deeper it was pressed, the higher it sprang back. While other civilizations were still trying to rediscover their past borders, reactivating long-lost survey beacons and observation posts, the 'Stellar Fall Alliance' had already organized a massive fleet and begun visiting the nearest civilizations one by one.
Mycroft World, the core of the Stellar Fall Alliance, location of the Altar of Myriad Worlds, birthplace of the ancient Civilization of Radiance, the homeland of a Sage and a Near-Saint. It had faced destruction multiple times, yet always managed to rise again. Perhaps thanks to this experience, the Mycroftian people were always indomitable, able to stand up faster than other species. Even though they had suffered greatly 150 years ago due to the massive campaign named the 'Solitary Expedition', it did not diminish their dominant position.
Under the leadership of over seventeen new and old Transcendents, nine deities, and twenty-two void fleets possessing 'Dauntless-class battleships', they returned to the grand stage of the universal galaxy and attempted to form an enormous Order Federation. There were those who joined willingly, and those who firmly refused. Some questioned the strength of the Stellar Fall Alliance, intending to challenge their position as leaders. Others doubted whether the Stellar Fall Alliance still possessed the ability to maintain order in the universal galaxy after losing that Near-Saint.
"Since that is the case, and you desire battle, then let us battle."
One of the former Seven Gods, the God of Power and Justice, acting as the Stellar Fall Alliance's representative, coldly issued a declaration of war: "We will destroy all your groundless doubts, letting you witness the true power of 'Order' and 'Correctness'."
War—war was always inevitable. Those civilizations knocked down by the pain of the past, no longer daring to look up into the void, no longer daring to face the darkness, were no cause for concern. But those civilizations wanting to challenge were major trouble. Challenge meant confrontation, confrontation meant victory or defeat. And victory or defeat not decided by absolute power always bred 'unwillingness' and 'hatred'. Under the fermentation of these two emotions, original disputes would transform into war.
Soon, in this era not long after chaos had departed, war between orders erupted once more. Blood and fire exploded in the void. Steel fragments and world remnants drifted through space-time storms. It was a memory too painful to recall, filling the entire century with blood, cruelty, and indifference. Among them were not only wars launched to unify order, but also conflicts between numerous civilizations and species, suppressed by that warrior in the past. They had been held down by chaos and disaster for so long, only to completely erupt today.
But even the blazing fire of hatred has its moment of burning out. After a long era of turmoil, as the 'Stellar Fall Alliance' conquered the civilizations of more than half the universal galaxy with overwhelming strength, a truly enormous Order Union finally took shape. It had to be said that the order watered by the blood of numerous powerhouses and species was as solid as iron. And only at this moment did the countless civilizations and species of the entire universal galaxy finally manage to truly recuperate and develop.
But after establishing a foothold and unifying the forces of the entire universal galaxy, the high command of the Stellar Fall Alliance did not stop. They looked up, gazing into the distant depths of the void, where there were countless shadow tunnels. They had once allowed the infinite dark cluster to cross infinite distances to reach this galaxy, but likewise, they could also carry the messengers of order to distant places.
And so, once again, after countless deaths and sacrifices, atop numerous corpses and ruins, a brand new, magnificent era of great exploration belonging to all civilizations and life began.
【—'Multiverse Expansion Era', 500th year after the 'Solitary Expedition'】
It should have been an ordinary morning. Among the countless exploration bases on the edge of the universal galaxy, billions of professional explorers would set sail on such a hopeful morning. They would carry resources subsidized by the United Government, specially modified semi-new void exploration ships, and professional artificial intelligence assistants, venturing into the deep void's shadow subspaces for a long voyage that could only be called a gamble of luck. The vast majority would only find the ashes and ruins of countless annihilated galaxies, forced to return in disappointment. But there were also lucky few who, following the drift of shadow spaces, found several world clusters isolated in the silent void.
These successful explorers became overnight millionaires, heroes in the United Government's propaganda. And the isolated world clusters they discovered would be transformed by the United Government's professional exploration fleets, becoming stepping stones for exploration within the silent void, replenishing resources and serving as bases for numerous explorers wishing to explore deeper.
During these hundreds of years filled with dreams, hope, and ambition, countless natural-born restless elements became the vanguard of exploration, or became void pirates drifting in the void. The strongest and luckiest among them found several extremely hidden worlds within the incredibly vast silent void, and these became their headquarters. Complex shadow subspaces provided them shelter, and their specially modified pirate ships were highly elusive, giving the joint fleets sent to eliminate them a tremendous headache.
However, rather than saying this group was robbers preying on explorers, it was more accurate to say they were anarchists wanting to break free from all constraints, descendants of civilizations or species heavily damaged when the Multiverse United Government was established. To maintain this independent 'freedom', the pirates would unscrupulously plunder any vessel they saw, but rarely killed explorers. Some explorers even secretly reached agreements with the pirates, searching for new isolated worlds for these individuals.
Regarding this, the pirates were not stingy about offering the most generous rewards. There were even rumors that one explorer, having found a small isolated world cluster for the pirates, became a true 'World Lord'. This was a reward impossible to obtain by working for the Federation.
To deal with the increasingly powerful Free Pirate groups, the United Government issued numerous high-bounty warrants. Those who could capture or kill the pirate leaders would not only receive autonomous rights over a world but also obtain the highest level of information browsing privileges from the 'Grand Synthesis Information Vault'. Among them was even the experience and path to achieving 'Supremacy' left by that Near-Saint.
Thus, overnight, tens of millions of bounty hunters prepared to set sail, leading teams into attack—the struggle between hunters and pirates lasted for hundreds of years, while explorers set out towards the farthest ends of the void against this magnificent backdrop.
But on an ordinary morning, a morning identical to all others, without anything remarkable, an unprecedented great piece of news spread throughout the entire universal galaxy!
The flagship of the 'Voyager Exploration Fleet' led by Legendary Explorer, 'Indomitable Holy Shield', Near-Saint successor 'Priest Omegni', the ark behemoth 'Spark', returned from the distant other end of another universal galaxy!
Loaded with unique resources and information from other universal galaxies, these descendants of the earliest explorers received the most glorious reception from the Multiverse Order United Government. And through this, everyone learned of a legend from another universal galaxy.
The 'Voyager Exploration Fleet', which had set out before the 'Solitary Expedition' even began, entered the sub-space channel indicated by prophecy. The unpredictable shadow space was impossible for civilizations of that time to predict. Even using a Near-Saint's power to observe prophecy could not guarantee one hundred percent accuracy. The Voyager Fleet truly endured hardships. They got lost in the void several times, nearly crashed into the remnants of destroyed worlds, almost perished collectively in traps left by a lost civilization's ruins. But in the end, they still reached the boundary of another universal galaxy and took root to develop in an edge galaxy.
Now, under the leadership of several Transcendent powerhouses, the Voyager Fleet had established a native force in another universal galaxy, and its name had begun to spread among the local powerful void civilizations. To protect themselves, and also feeling the time was right, having accumulated sufficient strength, the Voyager Fleet set sail again. This time, however, it was not for exploration, but for guidance.
And so, under the guidance of the ark behemoth 'Spark', and with the support of the entire Multiverse Order United Government, billions upon billions of explorers, countless fleets, and even numerous pirates gathered into a tide called 'Advance', charging unhesitatingly towards another universal galaxy.
But within this magnificent advancing tide, one exploration squad, through luck or misfortune, was caught in a vortex of shadow space, arriving at an unknown, unfamiliar silent void. With their engines destroyed, they believed they would desperately await death in the void when they saw an ancient but remarkably familiar-looking fleet.
Summoned by an inexplicable power, the entire exploration squad, along with their ships, was instantly teleported to this fleet's flagship, an ark behemoth called 'Glimmer'. Here, they were received by a seemingly young powerhouse. They honestly recounted their origins and their plight, pleading for help from this powerhouse.
"Is that so? You come from the homeland."
But this powerhouse smiled and revealed a fact that shocked them—this Legendary powerhouse named 'Alva Diamond' was also a powerhouse from Mycroft World. Before the 'Solitary Expedition', he had been dispatched by the predecessor of the Stellar Fall Alliance, carrying a copy of the Information Vault to the farthest depths of the silent void. And now, the battle was over, the darkness had receded. Moved by Alva's sacrifice and dedication, and also for his own glory, the middle-aged man in the exploration team hoped Alva and his fleet would turn back, return to the universal galaxy, and receive the praise and honor that rightfully belonged to him.
However, this powerhouse calmly refused the invitation.
"The 'Drifting Fleet' will not turn back, will not stop. I will continue sailing with everyone on the fleet, sailing forever... How much of a price did our teacher pay to protect us? I am merely enduring this insignificant loneliness to maintain the spark of civilization... Please go back. Thank you for telling me news of the homeland. If possible, please relay a message for me—just say 'Alva is still advancing'. Those seven words will suffice."
After repairing the engines, the explorers prepared to return along the path they had drifted in. But some were unwilling to leave. They voluntarily joined this solitary fleet, willing to accompany them on this eternal expedition.
The stories of this vast era, if narrated, would seemingly never end. But just as every era has its end and every story has its conclusion, the end of the Great Exploration Era stemmed from a war—not between the order of the Multiverse Galaxy and the order of another universal galaxy, but between numerous orders and numerous chaos. Just as the official fleets of the Stellar Fall Government arrived in this brand-new universal galaxy, a messenger from another universal galaxy also arrived in this universal galaxy.
And what they brought was a call for help, a letter of despair—Heretic God armies had invaded their homeland, destroying countless civilizations and worlds. They were fighting back desperately but could hold on no longer. This messenger, seeking help from any order that might exist in the distant void, was the final struggle of that universe's sentient beings.
One order needed help—so another order extended its hand. The era of expansion had not yet concluded, the sparks of expedition were already igniting on the curtain. In this millennium not yet forgotten of the suffering brought by chaos, all the brave individuals from both universal galaxies were mustering. Soon, a heroic volunteer expeditionary force was fully assembled, filled with fury and pride, order and hope, sailing towards where the distant stars lay.
【—'Expedition Era', 1,500th year after the 'Year of Rebirth'】
For the long-lived Transcendent powerhouses, the Order Expedition a thousand years ago seemed to have happened just yesterday. Both the sacrifice and struggle, and the final triumph were firmly etched in their memories, unforgettable for a long time.
But for ordinary people, a thousand years meant dozens of generations. Ordinary people couldn't even remember their great-grandfathers' names, so how could they possibly remember history so distant? Furthermore, those histories of hardship and suffering weren't worth remembering. By the time they were born, the 'Multiversal Order Federation' had already developed to its zenith. This super-giant Order Union comprising the order civilizations of over eight universal galaxies was now at the height of its power. Except for fleets still sweeping the void and annihilating chaos at the Union's edges, the many civilizations in the Union's heartland had long forgotten what war was, what chaos was, and what the horror of Heretic Gods was.
They were born amidst flourishing flowers, bathed in brilliant sunlight, as if eternal light shone upon them, allowing them to grow happily, joyfully, and without worry. This was not a bad thing. On the contrary, this was what all the many warriors and powerhouses who had sacrificed and fought for it hoped to see.
In this era, the cultures between civilizations truly reached their peak. In the universal galaxy, boundaries between numerous civilizations, species, and nations began to disappear. As the Coordinating Government worked tirelessly to smooth over all exclusions and instill the concept that 'all sentient beings, all orders, are inherently one', finally, the 'union' of these numerous civilizations and nations truly became a 'Federation'. And the first Federation Chairman was a powerhouse from the 'Stellar Fall Alliance Universal Galaxy', 'Mycroft World'—the 'Saint Loranda'.
This practitioner of the Holy Light path was not the most powerful in the entire 'Multiversal Federation', but he was the most just, most popular with the people, and most acceptable to all factions. An impartial, absolutely just Holy Light Chairman was indeed the leader this newborn Federation needed most.
Soon, with the establishment of the 'Multiversal Federation', new laws and new calendars began to be unified. Under the will of numerous powerhouses and civilizations, they sought to forge the myriad sentient beings of multiple universal galaxies into a single iron plate, a true 'fist' that could be clenched, a fist of iron capable of destroying all 'chaos'!
But oddly enough, the Federation's new calendar did not use the day of the Federation's birth as the year one. Originating from the Stellar Fall Universal Galaxy, the first leadership of the Federation solemnly proclaimed that this was the '1,500th year' that they, and all sentient beings of the entire multiverse, should remember—while people from other universal galaxies always found this hard to understand.
At such times, people from the Stellar Fall Universal Galaxy were always happy to explain the reason. They were always willing to speak, telling a legend of sacrifice, salvation, protection, and battle—a story of a man, a deity, a true warrior.
And this year happened to be exactly 1,500 years after Joshua van Radcliffe sealed the infinite Heretic God cluster.
【—Federation Calendar, Year 3000】
"Finally, we are close."
In the deepest reaches of the silent void far away, a small squad piloted the latest exploration ship, speeding through the darkness.
This was not a strange sight. Even though the Multiversal Federation was at its peak, flourishing brilliantly, the explorers sent into the silent void never decreased. Whether the first, second, or even the current fifteenth Federation government, all took upon themselves the mission to unite more universal galaxy civilizations. In any reachable void, Federation exploration fleets could be seen.
However, if anyone could carefully observe the true identity of the members of this squad, they would be shocked enough to bite off their own tongue or mouthparts—within that small exploration ship were seven Transcendents and three deities, a total of ten Supreme-class existences!
And at this very moment, this squad with an unprecedentedly luxurious lineup abruptly stopped—and before them appeared a pitch-black, silent barrier that could not be penetrated or crossed, infinite and still expanding.
Infinite blackness, like a wall spanning the void. Its top and bottom could not be seen for height; its left and right could not be seen for an end. It was like a barrier so solid it isolated the multiverse, silently standing here, and slowly but unstoppably 'expanding'.
"This is the location of the 'Time Trap'. After spending three thousand years, we have finally caught up with his footsteps from the past, arriving at the place he departed."
The one who spoke first was a Legendary powerhouse with eyes full of the vicissitudes of time—the first Federation Chairman, Saint Loranda, said in an incredibly rare tone tinged with a hint of tremor: "If we cross this barrier, can we find his remains? Or is he still alive, merely slumbering within?"
"No."
A single word was spoken briefly. The Supreme Space-Time Master, Nostradamus, gazed at the dark barrier before him. Responsible for constructing space-time tunnels connecting multiple universal galaxies, he was silent for a long while before speaking slowly: "Unlike ordinary time traps caused by 'relative velocity'... the so-called 'time trap' here is fundamentally a man-made, expanded 'event horizon'."
"This is a box, a seal, a... seal that exceeds our imagination even three thousand years later... All the chaos, all the darkness, is compressed within this box. We cannot enter, they cannot leave."
"Event horizon... That is to say, he ultimately transformed his body into a 'world' of super-mass?"
The words were phrased as a question, but the tone was an undeniable statement. Her aura was sharp, resembling a queen more than her original self—the former seventh Federation Chairman, No. 3, couldn't quite suppress her excitement: "That is to say, time within this event horizon might pass very slowly!"
"Perhaps, at the very center... there, the final moment of that great battle might still be preserved!"
"That is not necessarily so."
Shaking her head calmly, now clad in military uniform, the commander of the Federation Government's one hundred and four heavy battle fleets and Great Marshal of the Western Region, Lisa Chronos, said coolly: "I know teacher's power very well. Let alone not yet having become a Near-Saint, even before he achieved the Supreme Transcendent level, he could already manipulate space-time to a certain degree—even to destroy Heretic Gods, he would not let time within his event horizon pass this slowly. I even have reason to suspect that teacher might have accelerated the time within, attempting to destroy the numerous Heretic Gods he had sealed as quickly as possible."
This was indeed very possible. Lisa's words brought a moment of silence. Everyone, every deity, was lost in thought.
But no matter how they pondered, facing this wall of the black event horizon, this wall of space-time, they were helpless and without recourse. All they could do was guess, and then sigh.
"We still haven't even touched the power of a Near-Saint. Even if it's the Great Emperor Amos, he probably needs several more thousand years to devour the abyss of the Blood War Galaxy, then use his power to forcibly become a Near-Saint... That's too far off. This path is simply not easy to walk. One might even say, only the Great Emperor Amos can walk it."
The one speaking was the God of Life. This deity entered the void and condensed a hand of divine power, attempting to touch the black event horizon. The instant she touched it, her expression changed. She discovered that her divine power was instantly swallowed by the black barrier, no longer under her control.
Retreating to the exploration ship, the God of Life shook her head: "The Supreme Transcendent level and the True God realm is one threshold. Even many high-level Transcendent powerhouses, even at the cost of self-annihilation, would find it difficult to cross this boundary. And for the supreme powerhouses at the Supreme Transcendent level, a Near-Saint is another incredibly vast threshold. Nowadays, except for the Great Emperor Amos and a handful of special individuals who can exert Near-Saint level power only under specific conditions, we simply have not mastered a true path to Near-Sainthood."
"The myriad sentient beings in the universal galaxy are numerous, but to have someone similar to that man appear is basically impossible." The God of Justice and Power, facing this infinite darkness, this infinite protection, couldn't help but let out a long sigh. She lowered her head to look at her own hand, saying softly: "How lucky we were to share an era with him."
"How unfortunate we were to personally witness the end of this era."
"Regardless, we cannot allow other explorers or powerhouses from other civilizations to approach this area."
Finally, the former 'Sage of Nature', now the 'Lord of All Things', the new generation Nature God Galanod, came to a conclusion: "We need to seal off this area. This is also for their own good—casually touching this event horizon, even a True God would likely be instantly ensnared."
"Then, let me do it."
Having remained silent until now, the black-haired dragon maid stepped forward. Transcendent Ancient Dragon Hei smiled and looked around at everyone. She said calmly: "I am willing to voluntarily guard this place, watching over this void."
This was something no one could refuse. Not even No. 3 and Xiao Guang. As one of the lives closest to that man in the past, the black ancient dragon transformed into her original colossal form, guarding this void. For this, the Federation Government even secretly dragged several worlds here to build massive world fortresses, void citadels.
The silent, peaceful times flowed rapidly. With countless warnings passed down through generations, a legend of the 'Forbidden Zone of All Things' began to spread throughout the Federation's explorers.
Unknowingly, several more millennia passed.
【—Federation Calendar, 'Era of Stability', Year 5000】
If the mundane daily life of peacetime could be counted as a story, then the occasional ripples appearing in the river of time would probably suffice as 'big news'.
In these two thousand years of incredible stability, where not even a hint of war, chaos, or internal strife could be seen, perhaps only a few events were worth recounting—one of which was the dissolution of the Mycroft Stellar Fall Alliance in name only.
As the Multiversal Federation continued to expand, even a powerful civilization like the Stellar Fall Alliance found it difficult to maintain its cohesion. With the 'Aether Star' disappearing into the void under the leadership of several deities, numerous new-generation Mycroftian Transcendents and new deities spread to every corner of the multiverse. They took their followers and subordinates, permeating the entire Multiversal Federation.
From then on, 'humans' were no longer a species primarily residing in the Stellar Fall Universal Galaxy, but a 'pan-multiversal species' distributed across almost the entire multiverse, spanning at least thirty-seven universal galaxies. Their figures spread with the steps of the Multiversal Federation, and each branch had almost walked an entirely different path.
Some humans intermingled their bloodlines with local species, becoming countless unique sub-human races. Others, even venturing to the corners of the multiverse, always maintained the purity of their bloodline and took pride in it. But similarly, some modified themselves into geometric bodies carrying the bloodlines of numerous magical beasts, merely humanoid monsters. Even more extreme, some completely mechanized, psychically altered, or elementalized their physical bodies, then breeding an entirely new race.
In addition, there were 'information' beings who uploaded their consciousness onto the multiversal magic network, relying solely on controlling alchemical magic-powered puppets in the material world. This mode of existence was quite popular because it consumed virtually no material world resources and allowed residence in various extreme worlds. Many humans chose to merge their spirits into the magic network, existing in the virtual world, only using biological or mechanical puppet bodies to move in the material world when necessary.
But regardless of the type of modification, the type of 'evolution', or which bloodline they carried, they all called themselves human. Because, for the Mycroftians of this moment, whether human, elf, or dwarf, or any other species, so-called names were not terms describing bloodline, but a cultural aggregation, a symbol of civilization, an incredibly firm belief, and an incredibly sincere conviction.
And yet, within this stable era, there were still some unwilling to settle for this stability. They were always acting, searching, living in their own way.
"I want to seek a certain power."
In the distant void, at the 'Forbidden Zone of Life', within the fortress before the 'Dark Event Horizon', No. 3 was preparing to leave. Her gaze was firm, hope always present in her heart. Having long become a True God and achieved Legend status through the path of magic, she said to the colossal black ancient dragon before her: "It is a power that can awaken something. By now, relying on the residual 'seed', I can clearly sense that he has not died. Although I have never been able to awaken this seed, I still firmly believe in that man's tenacity. I believe even the Primordial Fire might not have killed him, only caused him to slumber—no, perhaps not even slumber. He is simply fighting somewhere I don't know."
Only facing this ancient dragon who had steadfastly watched over this place for two thousand years could No. 3, about to leave this universal galaxy and even the entire Multiversal Federation, freely express her thoughts: "I heard a rumor. In a distant universal galaxy not yet incorporated into the Federation, on its other side, there is a vast void empire with an emperor. A powerful Heavenly God. Legend says their god once died, but revived from divine annihilation. He calls himself the Son of Miracles, borrowing a certain power to return from eternal slumber. I want to see if this is true or false."
"Highly likely false. But if it is true, what will you do?"
After a long silence, the ancient dragon who hadn't spoken for countless years shook her head. Hei gazed at her friend before her, asking in confusion: "They won't tell you. No. 3, I share your determination, but sometimes, determination alone cannot accomplish anything."
"Then I will attempt to communicate, exchange, bargain. If that doesn't work, then I will destroy, interrogate, and seize by force."
No. 3 revealed a gentle smile, flapping her wings. This deity, this Transcendent, this powerful existence chasing someone's shadow, spoke clearly and brightly: "I will do anything—by any means necessary, I will achieve my goal."
"Then farewell, my friend. I hope you succeed, I hope you have a smooth journey."
Sensing the other's determination and resolve, the watching dragon offered heartfelt blessings: "Although he might not necessarily approve of this method, we are not living to please him, are we?"
"You're absolutely right. In the end, this is the way of life we chose for ourselves. I am quite willing."
Turning around, No. 3 departed resolutely. She raised her hand, waving behind her at the dragon without looking back, signaling her departure.
"Then farewell, Hei."
In the silent stillness, with the steady passage of time, another friend departed, heading into the infinite distance. And the dragon accustomed to watching all this turned her head, looking at the event horizon still slowly expanding, and then revealed a smile.
"Everyone can no longer bear to wait, Master."
"But I will continue to wait, until the end of time."
【Federation Calendar, 'Era of Chaos', Year 7000】
This was an incredibly chaotic era.
After several thousand years, the Heretic Gods of chaos descended again. The dark cluster attacking from the other end of the multiverse did not directly assault the order's most solid front, but seeped into every component, corroding its joints and core, causing it to lose control and collapse.
Whether it was the power of the Heretic Gods, or the restlessness originating from civilization, from the blood of all sentient beings, the colossal Federation, every component of it, began to gradually drift apart in spirit while maintaining form. This was actually not a strange thing. In the entire observable multiverse, the largest Heretic God cluster had been eliminated and sealed thousands of years ago. The surrounding universal galaxies had not experienced large-scale chaos invasions for thousands of years.
Even for Transcendent powerhouses, several thousand years was not a small number. Even for the theoretically immortal Eternal Ones, several thousand years of memory could wash away all emotions, fear, despair, and the shock they had sworn to remember. Not to mention weaker Transcendents, and the infinite mortals.
Long-term peace had hollowed out the Federation's foundation. Without the pressure of external enemies, a massive alliance was inherently unsustainable. Even though the Federation Government had spent these thousands of years tirelessly trying to erase all traces of nations, all differences between species, and all characteristics of civilizations, this was impossible. One might even say, even if the Federation Government succeeded, as long as there was beauty and ugliness among life, good and evil, radicalism and stability, activity and calmness—as long as there were differences among sentient beings—eternal 'peace' was an impossible task.
Under the erosion of chaos, endless indulgence, and the corruption of desire, weakened by thousands of years of peace among the stars, the order of the Federation was slowly but unstoppably crumbling. And the sudden appearance of dark clusters around numerous universal galaxies, the long-forgotten Heretic God attacks, were the final straw breaking its back. Armies without enemies, without tempering, crumbled at the first blow from the Heretic Gods. The destruction and isolation of numerous production bases and transportation hubs deprived the Federation's core regions of resources. Numerous core worlds faced imminent destruction, even staging scenes of people eating people.
Even more terrifying than the encroaching darkness is that order clashed with order even sooner. To seize the few still functioning production worlds and void bases, armies and species within the Federation began to slaughter each other. Even, to block the chaos, one side would unhesitatingly issue an extermination order against another, destroying an entire world, regardless of how many innocent screaming masses were within.
Even if the Heretic Gods were eliminated, the infinite hatred, pain, and the oppression and despair caused by countless lives killing each other during this chaotic era would completely shatter the Federation's efforts of thousands of years, even giving birth to new Heretic Gods.
—They had forgotten what should be remembered most. Therefore, the seeds of self-destruction took root at the Federation's very core.
During this millennium of wandering, order could only tremble behind their fortresses and worlds, while other orders filled with hostility and malice, and chaos, surrounded them on all sides. Everything returned to the primitive state of seven thousand years ago, or even became worse—even if numerous powerhouses gathered and expelled the chaos from a region, they could no longer unify that region into one whole again. Because in all likelihood, the number of people killed by Heretic Gods and their lesser kin in that region was far fewer than those killed by invasions from other worlds.
Of course, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. Even though the Federation was in such a sorry state, the numerous Transcendents and deities cultivated over thousands of years were not as fragile as mortals. After painstaking efforts, they finally eliminated all the invading Heretic Gods—but the Federation, with the enemy completely destroyed, also officially disintegrated. The extreme order had given birth to extreme chaos, which now raged through these infinite galaxies.
Following the end of the chaos invasion came the Great Schism Era. The massive Federation split into millions of civilized alliances, fighting each other, distrusting each other, turning multiple universal galaxies into an enormous battlefield of warring states. At this time, humans had long since become a species distributed throughout the multiverse, and the main body of Mycroftian civilization had long since vanished with the departure of the Star Ring Boundary thousands of years ago. They seemed to have anticipated this long ago and were not truly caught up in this turmoil.
【My memory of this era is limited to this—we fell from glory, sinking into complete bewilderment. We wandered ignorantly in the darkness, fantasizing about the past's peaceful happiness. But memories and fantasies are useless. The past has departed and will never return. We are in a dark era filled with suspicion and brutality.
We once lived in peace, as if life only held pleasure. But this was wrong. In reality, war never left us. They were called desire, corruption, cowardice. They erupted right beside us, but we would rather play the ostrich, burying our heads in the ground and pretending not to see. And the most foolish thing was that while knowing this was wrong, we continued with a sense of relief. Every one of us thought, 'Even if disaster strikes, it won't reach me.' Every one of us attempted to protect ourselves in this inescapable calamity. And the facts proved this to be the root of destruction, because no one dared to stand tall, no one dared to face truth and darkness.
In the distant past, in those ancient myths and legends, there was a powerhouse who would rather sacrifice himself to protect all sentient beings. He looked forward to the day when other powerhouses could stand beside him, protecting this multiverse together. He hoped those wanting peace could live in peace, and those madmen and fools wanting war could join him in battle. But we surely disappointed him, didn't we? If he could see, he would surely be disappointed, because what he sacrificed everything for was nothing but shameful corruption and indifference.
Therefore, I call upon us—let us regain courage. Let us regain determination and fierce fire, anger and wild winds. We must remember all this suffering again, and chew upon it over and over—because only under the tempering of pain will the flower of hope blossom within human determination.】
【—Anonymous Recorder, recorded in the Book of Hope, Chapter Eight - Declaration, Paragraph 34, mid-Great Schism Era】
And finally.
【—Rebirth Era, 10th Millennium】
In the distant tenth millennium, in the depths of the dark silent void, the forgotten ancient land welcomed the first visitors of the Rebirth Era.
In that great schism and unification war, countless civilizations and countless species were destroyed, several galaxies annihilated. Even the clouds of the Power of Steel had ceased to exist. All of this was truly too tragic, too painful. The war inflicted wounds on sentient beings greater than the hatred between them. So, trembling in agony, shuddering in severe pain, a new Federation was reborn upon the corpse of the old one. Although its territory was far less than one percent of its former peak, this time, they understood what despair truly meant.
So, they could comprehend what hope truly was.
But even so, recovering those lost homelands was not something that could be done overnight. Moreover, upon the corpses of those destroyed civilizations, entirely new native civilizations had been born. The long war and isolation had long since made them forget what an order union was, what Federation glory was.
And this time, it was a newborn civilization, in a rash exploration, that arrived at this absolute forbidden zone where, during the former Federation's existence, not a single civilization or fleet dared to venture.
Legend had it, this was a pioneer ruin shrouded in mist, a lethal trap-filled zone of death for life. There, it was filled with the toxins of chaos, deadly killing intent, and the remnants of countless shattered worlds. It was undoubtedly the forbidden zone feared by all civilizations in the multiverse. It was wrapped in blazing flames and even guarded by terrifying void colossal dragons.
In a sense, these descriptions were all correct. Some had even been fortunate enough to see the legendary guardian—an incredibly ancient, incredibly massive black dragon, as vast as a world itself. It drifted aimlessly among the ashes of countless shattered worlds, wandering along the edge of the 'Wall of Myriad Worlds', preventing any approach or exploration.
It seemed to be guarding something, but no one ever knew what it was guarding. After all, this was an ancient ruin, a place where historical debris piled up. During the Chaos Era and the Great Schism Era, countless world and fleet corpses accumulated here, shrouding it in mist. Some even said the dragon itself had forgotten its mission, which was why it only eternally wandered, never leaving this place a single step.
But these terrifying legends held little meaning for this newborn civilization, who knew nothing of all this. They only knew that it was dangerous, that there was a huge void dragon there, and that it was filled with unknown ancient ruins and remnants, filled with the knowledge they craved.
So they summoned their courage and advanced, approaching that black dragon, vast as a world, resting with closed eyes in the void.
"Guardian—do you still remember what you are guarding?"
This newborn civilization was in an era of exploring the stars and worlds, which was why they came here with such curiosity. These somewhat human-looking, but different-eared species were incredibly bold and full of initiative. Their greedy, uncontrollable curiosity even led them to question this supreme being: "Could it be you have forgotten?"
Forgotten?
Hearing this language somewhat similar to the ancient Mycroftian common tongue, sensing the faint, familiar bloodline still lingering within them, the pondering ancient dragon opened its eyes. Its golden, sun-like pupils turned to gaze at those small beings. Its heart filled with emotion.
—Memory is dead, only legends remain. History forgotten, only the wind of suffering howls through the ruins.
Looking up at these stars and worlds, each was a tomb for civilization. Calls of unwillingness rang out from within. They desired revenge, to fight again, to reclaim their glory—but they were gone. Ashes were all that remained of them.
And now, a new generation of civilizations had grown up. Surrounding them were the embers of the pioneers. They grew in the lingering warmth left by the previous civilization. Composing their bodies was the stardust remaining from countless warring enemy species. Even the steel fragments nurturing their worlds and suns were the ashes left by the battles and sacrifices of countless powerhouses of the past.
Look! This lucky and brave, rash and curious civilization was probing lost history, investigating what had happened in this vast, infinite multiverse during the millennia before their own civilization's birth. They were setting foot on the path of glory once more, seeking guidance from the forerunners, from the powerful!
And the powerful were willing to guide them.
The watching ancient dragon gazed at these small beings, seemingly seeing its own past shadow. It raised its head, looking up into the dark void, then let out a long, resonant dragon roar. The dragon's own light could illuminate all things, making all stars shine. It had watched over one millennium, then another, until now, ten millennia had passed, and finally something similar and moving had appeared before its eyes. Only now, the roles of guide and guided had been reversed. The little dragon once taught had now become the supreme guardian.
"You say I have forgotten my mission? No."
Of course not.
The ancient dragon lowered its head, meeting the eyes of those in the warship, trembling but still with a stubborn expression, wanting to know the answer. It said gently: "I remember."
Remembered forever.
"But before I tell you my mission, let me tell you first about the one I watch over—my master, that deity who in the distant past protected the multiverse... no."
"A human. A warrior's story."
【—Stars still shine. Flames still burn.
In this multiverse of repeated loss and retrieval, forgetting and remembering, civilizations still grow strong.
The sky-filling darkness has not yet departed, but it is brighter than the past. Some take it for granted, while others remember to whom they owe it.
New stories and legends are being born, but old epics and myths are not yet forgotten. In this generation where anger still burns, this century where battle has not ceased, some advance, some halt. Some walk steadfastly towards the distant origin and end, others watch over silent ruins, waiting for the hope in their hearts to appear once more.】
"—The darkness will return, but can we witness that light again?"
After listening to the ancient dragon's story, someone tremblingly asked the ancient one. They were frightened by the darkness behind this history. Chaos lingered in their minds, making them tremble with doubt, or simply disbelieving. But even so, some still asked. Because whether legend or myth, story or lesson, there were always those who remembered and passed them on.
"I fear not, children. In the next ten millennia, even dozens of millennia, it likely will not happen. But we can still remember that light, that spark of fire. And this is the ember of hope. We can expect something to be reborn from it."
The ancient black dragon flapped its vast wings. It stirred up winds of space-time, sending these brave yet tiny beings away from this dangerous forbidden zone. But even so, the one watching over hope left one final piece of words.
"This is my story. I was there at the location of your homeland when the myriad worlds were illuminated by divine light, when the void was ignited by blazing fire. I saw the distant chaos and darkness torn apart by the deity's fury and roar. On that day, a true hero and deity, a true warrior, perished. And hell was buried with him."
"There were no cries of grief then, no weeping. We worked as one, vowing to battle the darkness. In that age of nothingness, we