Soul of Searing Steel
chapter-800

A new dawn has come.

The turbid tides stirred when the silver-blue Azurite fell into the Ocean of Souls, with a silver flame that had no warmth spreading along the ripples, unfurling everywhere in that split second.

The unignited Flame Seed now burned. Light of the fire filled the world, its immeasurable radiance as bright as first light. Like a keen edge, it cut through the thick Ocean of Souls and penetrated its dark depths, its tides of countless spirits flowing rapidly—they feared and dreaded the light, and yet unwittingly heads toward it, like a moth toward the flame.

Ten minutes had passed.

Joshua quietly counted the time and waved, issuing a command.

Thus, his 'Light of Order' swiftly activated and began to incinerate Chaos, changing it to Order.

***

[Chaos and Order are absolutely not interchangeable.]

In the past, the corrupted Steel Python of Mycroft had said that it was the first being to apply the Evil God of Wither's conversion technique, which the Sage learned by imitating that entity. The Earth Mother and the Sage had worked together then, using Chaos to restore the Steel Python's body, and then convert Chaos into Order to hence revive the world.

But ultimately, the Steel Python failed, unable to withstand the tremendous anguished during the conversion and hence descending to madness, almost directly destroying the world of Mycroft itself. Though it had been stopped, it ended the Glorious Era.

Mycroft was right—Order and Chaos were absolutely not interchangeable.

For Chaos and Order were not opposing forces in the first place.

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Standing above the Ocean of Souls, Joshua's expression showed neither sadness nor delight. He gazed indifferently upon the sea of grey-black flames, hence burning the root of the Evil God of Wither.

The warrior had ignited the Chaotic sea that hosted boundless vengeance and despair, shredding off all vengefulness and sadness, reverting the Chaos that had corrupted all things into their original state, just as he closed his eyes and shouldered the emotions of a world.

That which opposed Order was Chaos, the beastly evil that dispels civilization. Its symbol were the demons, the bloodthirsty beasts that lost their homes and world, lost in the Abyss. Order could be converted to Chaos at any moment, but should the opportunity arise, civilization could certainly be rebuilt as well, and Order restored.

But the Evil Gods of the Chaos were different.

Someone once claimed that Evil Gods were ghosts of worlds destroyed, but it was a mistaken notion: worlds have no ghost, only intelligent life has them.

Evil Gods were no ghosts. It was a mere weapon, ruins of worlds were its fuel while its core was the ghosts of a civilization and an entire race, combined with primeval Chaos and some unknown supernatural power and forged into an absolute 'Anti-World Weapon'. It destroys civilizations and worlds, turning it into Chaos even thought it was not absolute—the Chaos would be reignited in the distant future, becoming a world and civilization. When that time comes, the Evil God would be there once again for another round of reaping.

And the range of that harvesting cycle was the entire Multiverse.

Joshua's soul remained unaffected even as he felt the former self of the Evil God, the anguish and hate that unnamed species felt before their demise. Unlike other Legendary champions, his soul was a mere tool and not a spirit that embodied self-awareness—he could simply switch for another when one broken down, as simple and convenient as normal humans transplanting organs.

In truth, the antithesis of Chaos was the Initial Flame. It could only be converted through either the real Initial Flame at the heart of the Multiverse, or other measures that wilted and changed its form so that it could be influenced—because of its own powers, the Evil God of Wither might have been the single Evil God over the entire Multiverse which hinted such a pattern. It was only when it had decayed its Chaos powers into primitive Steel Strength that the warrior became able to hurt it.

With all hate and vengefulness being drawn away distinctly, while Chaos was being eroded and converted by Steel Strength into dazzling silver crystals. The Ocean of Souls that had been turbid, gloomy and welling with the scent of rot began to turn clear and transparent. Blinding light shone right into the depths, just as the Evil God's power diminished like mist beneath sunlight.

Beneath the sea, Priest had gathered fifty-two soul dots. He sensed that ten minutes had passed as well, and his own soul, corrupted by Chaos was laden with wounds as well, no longer able to dive deep to rescue the souls within.

It was then that he saw a light deep in the dark ocean, and an absolute repulsive force.

"So, this is my limit."

With neither begrudging nor regret, Priest sighted softly as he clutched the fifty-two soul dots while his gaze became determined. "Today, I could only save fifty-two souls…"

"But that's just today."

'I understand now, Sir. I shall become stronger.'

Then, the brutal repulsive force shot him out of spiritual space.

At the same time, the Great Khan, the Nature's Magister, her Legendary beast companion, and everyone in the Elite Party all felt that same force. Powerful gravity stirred the dimensions, mildly but unyieldingly sending them out of that realm.

***

The universal vacuum of the Sealed World.

A dark green tree crept and stretched over the edge of the world, curling as the Nature's Magister took the nine warships and the connected Hub Accrafa and kept them shielded beneath its branches, forming a huge sphere of creepers and thorns. Layers after layers of Nature's Power barrier extended from the tree trunk, combining into a single body, a fort that could withstand almost all attacks.

But such a fort was still pushed by an unstoppable but gentle power.

And before Galanoud was driven out of the Sealed World by that force, she saw something that would leave anyone astonished.

Where the Evil God Wither's seal—the planet had been, a silver planet was expanding. The silver Steel Strength that appeared solid and sturdy was melting, as if water ripples.

A tidal wave that was hundreds of stories tall rose, while dozens of massive swirls whirled wildly over the planet's surface. Incalculable prism crystals protruded out of the oceanic surface, lifting up from the center of the swirls. Although the crystals that jutted out of the surface was not huge, the silhouette beneath the waves hinted that each must be more imposing than any mountain in the world, while a golden-red flame appeared to be burning within their bulk.

The planet was transforming along with the entire world.

Galanoud could seemingly see a colossal Φ sign flashing at the center of the Sealed Worlds. The original elemental sun had already been consumed by the Silver Planet as energy, while the mists of Chaos that filled the world was cleansed by the light released from the crystals, the entire world purified like never before.

"Joshua, what are you up to?!" The Nature's Magister could not hold back from shouting, knowing that Joshua could definitely hear her just as he definitely could answer.

Meanwhile, the entire Sealed World began to twist unnaturally, just as its World Barrier abruptly shrank and collapsed. Then, as if a tin can that had all air removed, it crumbled.

Thus, a rumbling and heavily echoing human voice resounded.

"Like I said, Galanoud, I'm going to eat it."

"And grant all souls rebirth."

'In my world.

'That's the only way.'

***

The souls corrupted and consumed by the Evil God of Wither had already lost all sense of self. All that was left of them were simple information and parts, a fundamental existence that provide energy and corruption capacity—saving them was impossible, for that was equivalent to mold a new soul.

At present, even Joshua could not remake billions of souls. It had nothing to do with power, because almost all of those souls were defective. All information they held were broken in the dozen thousand years of strife, just like the spiritual ramparts Joshua shattered. Even when restored, the result would be new souls instead of what had been.

If that was the case, everything should begin anew, reborn.

Along the 'world'.

The Nature's Magister was 'invited' to leave the Sealed World with everyone else, just as the Void Behemoths beyond the planet retreated in panic, leaving that place which kept compressing and shrinking. They instinctively felt a profound fear, for a power that could kill them all was dancing in that shrunken world.

"Radcliffe!"

Gritting her teeth, Galanoud fixed a complicated gaze at the Sealed World. She generally understood what Joshua was about to do, which was why she could not leave things alone—he would use the Sealed World as materials to create a new world like Fairyland by using the frame of a world he himself held as a source!

However, how could he do something so dangerous on his own initiative? They had agreed that Joshua would only create worlds under the protection of several other Legends when necessary, preventing any danger that would risk having Mycroft lose a powerful Legend who approached the class of the Sage.

And soon, the Nature's Magister could not just watch. She had saw that all of the Void around the Sealed World was now quaking violently, the dimensions turbulences raging as a terrible dimensional storm began.

Even the Nature's Magister was forced to retreat from the soundless storm. Binding the nine warships, Hub Accrafa and the Great Khan's physical spirit form with her roots, she instructed Shaggy so that it led the other Void behemoths away, just as she began to evade the dimensional storm. She looked around reluctantly, only to notice that she could indeed do nothing, and therefore left in annoyance.

It was then that, after seeing that collapsed world, one of the claws of the Great Khan's soul form shuddered involuntarily when it should have fainted.

'I have to distance myself from these freaks,' it thought silently, 'never would've thought that this place is no better than outside.'

The Starherders were a nomadic race seeking refuge in the Multiverse to escape the dangers and disasters of their own galaxy. They headed toward the Lost Galaxy which could have been an ancient battlefield of the Forerunners, a choice made by their entire race since the galaxy that did not shine over ten thousand years would, in their opinion, definitely be safer than other places.

Nonetheless, they had barely arrived when they encountered an Evil God's awakening, and a powerful Forerunner who could subjugate it—and it appears that there was a revived Forerunner civilization too!

Their decision had turned out to be countless times worse than they imagined!

With the Great Khan thinking how it should recover its strength and navigate its fleet away from that terrible planetary region, a powerful energy fluctuation and a figure appeared in the dimensions nearby.

Soon, to the Great Khan's shock, eight Legendary champions appeared in its senses.

***

Not long after Nostradamus returned to spread the news, everyone had hurried here from the distant end of the galaxy within the hour—it was not slow, and indeed very punctual.

But now it appeared that they were just slightly late.

"Galanoud, what's the present situation?"

The one in the lead was Pope Igor of the Seven Gods Church. The kind old man's expression was utterly solemn, with countless bubbles of light that expanded and contracted appearing behind him, glinting in rainbow colors—a sign that he had mustered his full power and could unleash it at any moment. "I sensed the Chaos presence vanishing, but now there's new dimensional turbulence."

"What about Joshua?"

Right behind the pontiff was Nostradamus himself, who was utterly drained after teleporting Joshua's cumbersome true form to the edge of the galaxy, with the aid of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds not doing much to reduce the burden. Even so, the old mage was just as bewildered and spoke with a sense of urgency. "How did his presence vanish?"

At first, Galanoud appeared to have much to say, but she ended up saying nothing then, and feebly pointed, gesturing to the reinforcements where the warrior now was.

Thus, everyone turned and saw the dimensional storm, as well as the 'world' that kept shrinking at its heart.

"Could it be… Joshua blew himself up?"

Vahina the Sage of the Oceans gaped in shock. As a person of scholarly exchanges with Joshua, she naturally knew the essence of his power, and his theoretical final move. "He—he detonated his world frame and killed the Evil God?!"

The idea itself was nonsensical, and yet somehow, every Legend present showed varying degrees of agreement, clearly indicating that Vahina's guesswork was good enough and that Joshua was indeed someone who would do such things.

After all, it was Joshua.

"No. Well, Joshua did blow himself up, but… ah. He's fine regardless, and very much so."

Galanoud wanted to explain, but her thoughts were in disarray and she could not at once tell them about the course of events, which was why she gave up and talked directly the outcome. "One way or another, we've managed to suppress the Evil God of Wither before it awakened. To stop its last counterattack, Joshua even created an Azurite to completely cleanse the root of its power… Then, he simply released the world inside his body and began 'rebirth'.

Rebirth here meant the certain future where Joshua would develop the world frame inside his true form, a 'rebirth' instead of 'birth'. He believed that the development would be a brand-new resurgence, be it for himself or the world frame that constituted of the remains of countless worlds.

"Details can wait."

Igor stopped the Nature's Magister and looked around. "Whatever happens," he said quietly, "now that Radcliffe had reached that stage, we have to ascertain that his 'rebirth' goes smoothly."

"Certainly."

"That's the important thing."

Knowing that they were late with the presence of the Evil God gone, the Legends nodded together. Even if it was regretful that they could not experience the Evil God's power firsthand, Joshua's ascension was equally important for the world of Mycroft.

Ultimately, it was the birth of a world too—they would gain much from Joshua's ascension. Though lower factions in Mycroft were still in conflict and competition, for the champions who had arrived upon Legend and assumed their own path, it was of utmost importance that they repel the Evil Gods that were about to come.

Legendary champions—even those whose ascension was incomplete and their lifeform not immortal would easily live a thousand years. However, the Evil Gods' invasion would arrive in fifty years, and any civil strife or enjoyment now would last longer than that. In comparison, the champions would naturally earnestly cooperate for their longevity.

The ascension of a champion now was equal to more hope in the future. None would refuse that.

Hence, the nine Legends including the Nature's Magister entered the dimensional storm, staunchly guarding the world surrounding Joshua even as they maintained the stability of the world itself.

Time passed.

After who knows how long, a streak of light suddenly shone within the dark Void.

It was the light of stars. 

The entire edge of the galaxy around the galaxy was now illuminated by a distinct silver flash, like lightning amidst the Void—brief, but none would ignore it.

"He did it!"

"That went smoothly."

"But of course. Who would have the cheek for nine Legendary escorts?"

The atmosphere of the Legends alleviated considerably from the success. They even began to joke, even as they kept guarding that Silver World which was now one size smaller, waiting for Joshua to awaken after rebirth.

But all of them did not know that it was not only the galaxy where Mycroft was found that witnessed the single flash.

***

Endless galaxies in the vast Multiverse were stunned in the split second that silver light appeared. Many powerful, weak, curious and vigilant gazes turned abruptly at the dark frontier of the Multiverse that could only glint in dim red light. It was the first time over dozens of thousands of years that they took notice of that planetary region that had no sense of existence at all.

In other words, the Lost Galaxy.

"That's the galaxy of the 'Grand Ruins'…"

"The Red Light that obscures all has vanished. Has the path to the Lost Galaxy opened?"

"No, perhaps the beings inside the Lost Galaxy had opened a path outward."

"The ancient battlefield is changing. It may be a sign…"

Infinite voice spoke all at once, the innumerable civilizations and intelligent beings pondering as the gaze of ten thousand worlds focused here.

Meanwhile.

At the core of the realm known presently as the Silver World, formerly the Sealed world.

Joshua opened his eyes.

Chapter 15, Lost Galaxy. End.