Chapter 38: Final Battle
A slashing mark suddenly appeared in front of Su Xiao, cutting through the space passage and gradually forming a doorway. Su Xiao stepped into it, and the scene before him changed drastically.
Above was a cloudless, clear sky stretching for thousands of miles. Beneath his feet, on the flat crystalline ground, a layer of mist rose past his ankles. A massive clock tower stood in the distance, its hands frozen at 12 o'clock. This structure, certified by the Void Tree, represented that the Star Realm was in the "present," rather than being invaded by "Extradimensional Entities" causing time reversal or similar anomalies.
Su Xiao stood in the mist. A hundred meters away, a figure sat on an ancient stone seat atop a platform. This figure was over five meters tall, clad in loose gold-white robes—the same attire worn by the leaders of the Star Apostles recorded in the historical scenes of the "Black Maple Mother Tree."
At this moment, Su Xiao understood who those commemorative wooden carvings in the room originally belonging to the Supreme Being on the top floor of the "Elemental Superconducting Tower" in Arcane Eternal Star truly were—all former Star Apostles.
The Supreme Being leaned back on the stone seat, his eyes lowered as he gazed at Su Xiao, as if looking at a rare prey or a delicacy on a plate.
Yes, the Supreme Being had been eroded more severely by the passage of time. If this were the Supreme Being of old, seeing Su Xiao now might have brought him some comfort. But in the ensuing life-or-death battle, he would certainly show no mercy. If even he could not be killed, there would be no need to face those "Extradimensional Entities"—he would inevitably fail to suppress them.
The Supreme Being rose from the stone seat, which gradually crumbled. As he stepped down from the platform, everything he passed shattered.
World Thunder streaked across the sky. The World Thunder of the "Land of Beginning and End" was unprecedentedly powerful—or rather, this was the true World Thunder. The World Thunder of the Void, Transcendent Worlds, and various other realms were merely conceptual projections of this place's World Thunder, which was also why all worlds had World Thunder, and why it was always golden.
As the true World Thunder, it had once been one of the forces that suppressed the "Ancient Original Sins." Therefore, even Su Xiao and the Supreme Being would be injured by this true World Thunder.
A piercing sound came from above as a weapon slammed into the ground. It was an ancient yet imposing staff, over two meters in length, coiled in shape. At its top, a gem-like stellar eye opened, staring at Su Xiao.
The next moment, another weapon stabbed down from the World Thunder vortex above, embedding itself beside the Supreme Being. It was a longsword, its hilt taking up a third of the blade's length. Sparks of World Thunder occasionally flickered along its edge. A hand gripped the hilt.
The Stellar Staff floated beside the Supreme Being as he held the Thunder Blade with one hand. His gold-white robes billowed without wind, and his pupils, like golden rings, gave him a cold, oppressive aura.
World Thunder struck the Thunder Blade, and the Supreme Being's disheveled hair flew wildly. While exuding supreme power, he also carried a faint, maddening sense of oppression eroded by time.
Drip, drip~
Golden liquid dripped from the blade, turning into a devouring, annihilating thunder force upon hitting the ground.
Unbeknownst to them, a massive World Thunder vortex had formed above, with howls or low moans echoing from within—the remnants of Extradimensional Entities slain by the Supreme Being in the past.
Boom!
A thunderous column of World Thunder crashed down, spreading across the area behind the Supreme Being. Within this thunder domain, a colossal face loomed, looking down at Su Xiao.
In this scene, though the Supreme Being remained silent, his might and oppressive presence were unmatched by any enemy Su Xiao had ever faced.
Fortunately, Su Xiao was no longer what he once was. He drew his longsword from his waist, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. Where the blade passed, the air itself seemed to split, as if space, time, causality, and even the power of rules were within this blade's cutting range.
Dong~, dong~, dong~
The distant clock tower emitted a dull toll. A gust of wind swept through, lifting the mist from the ground of the Land of Beginning and End.
The battle had officially begun.
Pfft!
A longsword pierced through a body; a Thunder Blade pierced through a neck. Surrounding them was a blinding white light—this was the realm of consciousness, the clash of souls. In a single exchange, both confirmed that neither could overpower the other in the soul domain.
Su Xiao and the Supreme Being opened their eyes almost simultaneously. A Blood Smoke Cannon had already reached the Supreme Being, but with a crack, a net of invisible World Thunder formed a wall, devouring the incoming attack.
Su Xiao vanished from his spot. The destructive force of his full-speed charge left a pitch-black rift in his wake, which rapidly collapsed into a black hole, pulling everything nearby inward.
The next instant, he appeared before the Supreme Being, his longsword slashing down. The journey here had been for more than just this strike, but there was no denying that delivering this blow meant he had truly reached the peak.
The longsword, coated in a crystalline layer, clashed with the Thunder Blade, surging with World Thunder.
Dong~!!
A thunderous, earth-shaking roar spread outward, then fell silent. The power of this clash annihilated everything around them, creating an eerie stillness. Embers and residual thunder scattered in all directions.
It was fortunate that this was the Land of Beginning and End; otherwise, it would surely have crumbled under their clash. The mist on the crystalline ground dispersed instantly. Even though this place was exceptionally durable, the world around them exploded into massive cracks, as if struck by a giant's heavy fist.
With a hum, Su Xiao's ears rang. As the crystalline layer on his body shattered, he was sent flying sideways, struck by an invisible force.
Just as he was about to land, a terrifying column of World Thunder, nearly a hundred kilometers wide, descended. It was compressed to a few meters in diameter mid-fall, amplifying the already fearsome true World Thunder to an astonishing degree.
Su Xiao was engulfed by the World Thunder. As shattered crystalline fragments scattered, the descending World Thunder was suddenly drawn into his longsword—it was "Heaven's Wrath: Surging Slash."
With a deafening clang, the longsword struck an invisible weapon. Amid the surging golden World Thunder, a formless figure appeared.
This figure had long hair flowing, standing about 1.9 meters tall. Strangely, it possessed an elegant beauty and a familiar yet foreign feeling. It held an invisible longsword but used it in reverse—striking not with the blade but with the spine of the sword, sending enemies flying.
Seeing this technique, Su Xiao recalled a weapon recorded in the "Soul Library" called "Severance of Fate." Its blade could cut without harming, severing the causality of pain and injury. Reversed, it had an "absolute knockback" effect. If Su Xiao's physique were not already at its peak, this formless figure's strikes would not just knock back—they would shatter whatever they hit.
Su Xiao estimated that this formless entity's physical strength was about 70% of his own—the same as his Demon Spirit.
Blood blades pierced out from within the formless figure, but it paid no heed, stepping back and vanishing from perception. No, it wasn't a matter of sensory blocking—it simply had no existence.
Law Destroyers ignited their power with the darkness of the Abyss, giving rise to Demon Spirits. Did Star Apostles, who ignited their power with elemental fire, have no equivalent? Of course not. The Demon Spirit was not a cost but an optimal solution. Thus, what appeared when Star Apostles ignited their power was called "Destiny's Echo."
Demon Spirits were initially formless. Su Xiao's Demon Spirit took on a female form because it had nearly devoured Tide Hunter. In contrast, "Destiny's Echo" was always the opposite of its host. Whatever backlash it entailed aside, what they faced now was a limit-reached Destiny Incarnation. It had no existence, making its attacks utterly unpredictable.
Dong~
A surge of blood energy spread from Su Xiao, scanning everything around like a blood radar, yet finding no trace of the "Destiny Incarnation."
Suddenly, Su Xiao felt a bone-chilling sense of crisis. He looked toward the Supreme Being, who had been floating in midair. The Supreme Being had undergone a drastic transformation. He now wore loose black robes, the same style but radiating a tangible darkness. The Stellar Staff beside him had turned pitch black.
The Supreme Being was fully dominating the power of the Abyss—something even the Lord of the Abyss, whom they had recently fought, had not achieved. That entity had relied on the Abyss as its foundation for power, essentially depending on it. But the Supreme Being gave the impression that what he held in his hand was the entirety of the Abyss.
Yes, the Supreme Being of old was essentially the Lord of the Star Realm. The Star Realm, the Abyss, and the Elements—all were under his protection, his dominion. And now, all were under his control.
The Supreme Being floated in midair. As he slowly raised his hand, darkness rapidly enveloped the Land of Beginning and End, plunging everything into shadow. When his hand aimed at Su Xiao...
Boom!!!!
A vision appeared: a Supreme Being so vast that his entirety could not be seen, standing in the chaos beyond the Star Realm. His massive hand pressed down, shrouded in darkness.
Crack, crack!
The crystalline ground beneath Su Xiao's feet fractured. His bones creaked and popped. If not for his ultimate physique, he would have exploded into a mist of blood.
The terrifying pressure of darkness intensified. The world around Su Xiao shattered one layer after another. Worse, it felt as if the will of the entire Star Realm was piercing into his consciousness.
Give up.
Surrender.
Accept... the death of darkness.
"Extreme Blade: World Severing."
Clang!
A brilliant slashing arc crossed the top of the Star Realm. The colossal figure in the chaotic mist began to crack from its pressing hand, splitting with slashing marks until it exploded into darkness.
On the ground, Su Xiao took a step forward. He had never truly possessed the ability to fly, but he could solidify the world with absolute force. It wasn't that he couldn't develop flight—it was that speed wasn't enough. Like now.