# Chapter 17: Absolutely Not the Same 7200
When Joshua von Radcliffe emerged from his long **silence** and once again presented his power to the multiverse, the myriad realms of the Lost Star River trembled in response.
Starting from the Genesis Maelstrom, then the Abyss, a **fluctuation**—vast yet affecting none of the world's operations—swept through the immense expanse of spacetime, directly entering the normal World Star River.
In the Chronos World, the Thunder Ancient Dragon suddenly felt a daze. It heard a desolate and distant horn call, like a thunderclap sounding beside its ear. Instinctively spreading its wings to fly into the sky, the ancient dragon felt the Steel Force within its body surging, responding to the call coming from afar.
"That is..."
In a hidden place of the Abyss, the Dragon-Sleeping Abyss, the Five-Color Dragon God and the Five-Colored Dragon Clan lay in slumber. Since the last battle against the Death Evil God, when It had helped Joshua, It had never again appeared in the normal World Star River. Similarly, the people of Mycroft had never sought It out. Both sides acted as if they could not see each other.
But now, it was no longer a time to pretend not to see. The Dragon God raised Its five heads, ten dragon eyes flashing with astonished light. It could hear the horn call. As a deity, It could hear even more—a roar hidden beneath the grand sound, coming from the Genesis Maelstrom. A deeply suppressed anger, carried by the **fluctuation** sweeping across the myriad realms, came howling forth, making It almost unable to breathe.
"He has grown stronger again... But why? Why is he so angry?"
No one knew the answer to this question, not even the acquaintances of the Mycroft World. Nostradamus hurriedly searched for the ultra-secure communicator that could directly connect to the deepest layer of the Abyss. Baniel shrank his head, looking around with uncertainty and fear—they all felt that anger. Even across vast distances of spacetime, the pressure was as tangible as substance. It was the sign of that man emerging from seclusion. Joshua had left the seal he had placed upon himself, proving he had found the answers he sought, the truth behind Chaos—and it seemed that was precisely the reason for his fury.
But at this moment, Joshua was not contacting anyone, nor communicating with any acquaintances. His vast, cold will crossed spacetime, stirring the maelstrom, causing everything related to him to tremble and shake. And in the center of the Lost Star River, at the former Void Great Maelstrom, the Steel Serpent of the Siberia World coiled up abruptly. It felt the projection of some enormous existence descending upon its world, but it had no power to stop it.
And in the Siberia World—this superpower world that had already revived and begun rapid development—at the center, amidst the ruins of the former Tower of Babel, a small grave. The tombstone of Fatlervi flickered. A piece of **spirit crystal** embedded in it shone, as if a will had swept over this place.
"So that's it... I never imagined, Fatlervi, that you could stumble upon a similar path by accident."
The will murmured thus: "The King of the Universe within the Shell, the Controller of Fate, the Manipulator of Time and Future, the Deity who plays with Possibilities—you who brought me the inspiration of 'Blissful Paradise' are truly an unfathomable genius. What a pity, you never received a complete education in the system of transcendent power, merely groping your way forward on your own, yet you still reached this step."
"If you had walked a relatively correct path, perhaps you could have..."
As if confirming something, the suffocating pressure that had oppressed the Steel Serpent receded. And at the Genesis Maelstrom, Joshua's true body opened his eyes.
The Giant God raised his hand, gazing at the embers of the Evil God in his palm.
For ordinary people who cannot see the full spectrum of light, cannot visually perceive electromagnetic waves, and cannot even directly sense transcendent power, verifying anything requires numerous tools, countless experiments, and correct methods groped for in the darkness. But for the strong, all of this is as simple and clear as picking up a stone from the ground and placing it on a table.
And Joshua was naturally the strongest among the strong. For him, many things were as clear as having the essence of truth placed directly before his eyes. But even for him, seeking the essence of the Evil God required a long time, countless verifications, and even a bit of good luck to succeed.
And over these past ten-plus years, relying on the **properties** of the Genesis Maelstrom, **condensing** the countless worlds, **analyzing** the Evil Gods billions upon billions of times, Joshua had finally caught the flaw of 'Eternity'.
With a thought, the Evil God's ashes in the Giant God's hand began to dissipate, like sand between his fingers blown away by the wind. But the ashes vanished, yet one thing remained, resting in his palm.
It was a strange and mysterious rune, incredibly complex, yet appearing utterly simple—like a black hole built from information. And around this bizarre rune, as if infused with all the information of a civilization, the material world began to blur. All cognition was distorted, just like the erosion and chaos brought by the Evil God, warping the essence of all things.
And from within it, endless streams of information were coming forth.
"So that's it. Why Psionic Energy prevents the birth of most Evil Gods, why an Evil God must be born from the death of a civilization, yet the death of an extremely powerful individual does not create one... This point, I understand."
A long time ago, Joshua had been puzzled.
Why must an Evil God be born only from the destruction of a civilization?
To be honest, a civilization is nothing rare, nor does it possess any sacred halo. It is merely an ecosystem of intelligent life, a collective of many minds living together. Intelligent life attaches countless meanings to it, but those meanings are only relative to themselves. For this dark multiverse, for the **puppet master**, a civilization and an ecosystem of beasts should, in principle, be no different.
Even more so, for a being of Emperor Amos's level, civilizations are merely toys they casually **mold**. They themselves far surpass the concept of civilization, existing as a complete entity unto themselves.
If such a being died, why would they not transform into an Evil God? Whether in Mycroft's Unified Grand Database, the mysterious **core** of the Knowledge Seizer, or the knowledge of the Triple Veil and the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate, there was no such tendency.
The reason, in fact, was very simple.
"Because the possibilities of a single person, no matter how powerful, can never surpass an entire civilization in the calculations of the **puppet master**, of 'Malignant Chaos'."
And the Steel Serpent, **condensed** by Psionic Energy, the collective will of intelligent life, in a sense, evades this calculation method, making the civilization a single **merged** entity, where all possibilities live and die together.
Just as Joshua was sighing with emotion, a voice came. It was Nostradamus's voice, using the ultra-secure communication array that Joshua had left in the Mycroft World to awaken him in times of crisis. Now, the situation was not yet urgent, but Joshua had already emerged from seclusion.
"Joshua... you, have you finished?"
"Mm, I have finished."
Hearing a familiar voice, even Joshua couldn't help but curl the corner of his mouth into a hint of a smile. He wanted to immediately tell the other party all his discoveries, but just as he opened his mouth, the warrior held back. He remained silent, because there were still many things he needed to verify later.
"Wait a moment, Master Nostradamus. There are still a few final points I need to practice and confirm."
"It's fine, Joshua. We will all wait for you."
The brief communication ended, and the warrior silently reached out, closing his hand that held the strange Evil God rune into a fist, then opening it again—the rune disappeared, and a complete, beautiful continental world appeared in the Giant God's palm like magic.
But soon, this seemingly very normal world, without any Evil God aura appearing, suddenly manifested a state of Evil God erosion!
Wind and sand howled, vegetation receded, elements decayed. Along with the decline of Arcane Power and Life Energy, **ether** and Holy Light simultaneously extinguished. A once thriving, seemingly vibrant continental world was devoured by 'Famine' in just a few minutes, becoming a purely barren wasteland.
During this process, there was no aura of an Evil God, no aura of Chaos. Everything happened as if it were **natural**, as if an invisible hand had guided everything towards a similar future.
Gazing at the world in his palm, Joshua's expression was solemn. He released it, letting the world float directly in front of him for better observation.
"The essence of Evil God erosion is actually the '**countercurrent** of Possibilities'."
"Countless parallel timelines, even the possibilities of infinite futures, **flow backward** to the present, thus creating phenomena similar to erosion and brainwashing. And those mad people, precisely because they directly witnessed those chaotic futures and possibilities, fall into madness."
"The so-called 'Dead Eternity' refers to this!"
The world **floated** before Joshua, no matter how you looked at it, was already dead—all energy had been **annihilated**, all matter was about to collapse. If he hadn't deliberately maintained it, it would have disintegrated into ashes in the next instant. But although it could be said that this world had indeed been 'destroyed', this was only 'in this multiverse' that it had been destroyed.
With the Giant God's thought, beside this already destroyed world, the phantom shadows of countless worlds appeared, **layered upon layered**, like **encased in** infinite kaleidoscopes.
Just like back then, when he fought against Fatlervi, the phantom shadows of possibilities that appeared beside both of them.
Among these phantom shadows, there were good ones and bad ones. Some were not destroyed by Famine and continued on. Others were destroyed by other Evil Gods—for example, the Calamity Evil God, devoured by the Plague Evil God, destroyed by the Imbalance Evil God... Endless phantom shadows disappeared and reappeared. Using the already dead world, now only a wreck, as a base point, a 'Tree of Possibilities' composed of phantom shadows was **derived** endlessly.
Anything was possible. Any future existed.
Sighing, Joshua extended both hands, clapping them together to destroy this world. But when he separated his hands again, what appeared was not a world, but a dark nebula, an Evil God—at first glance, the nebula **condensed**, transforming into the crystal-insect-like form of the Famine Evil God. But in the next instant, it changed into a mass of mosaic, then into a mass of mist... It kept changing, and numerous phantom shadows **split**, taking the forms of the many Evil Gods Joshua had killed before.
But even after transforming into an Evil God, the phantom shadows appearing around the Evil God were still in the form of worlds—in those worlds, there were still phantom shadows of civilizations continuing to develop, even developing very powerfully, very advanced. Regardless of which Evil God destroyed this world, and what Evil God it finally became, this point was not affected in the slightest.
Just like Eternity.
After confirming this, the Giant God was silent for a moment. At this moment, he could finally be one hundred percent certain of his **speculation**.
"The so-called Evil God, whose dead eternal essence, is actually a base point for the termination of a civilization."
"A civilization is destroyed, **perished** here. But if there were another possibility, would a different result be obtained? Based on this base point, deduction and imagination begin, and infinite possibilities are thus born."
'Gently' holding this ever-changing Evil God, Joshua lowered his head, gazing down at the corpse of this world and civilization—he held this base point called 'Dead Eternity' in his hand. Through the information that would drive countless mortals mad, eroded, turning them into lunatics and Chaos believers, he saw countless 'futures' where 'the world still exists', 'the civilization still continues', and sentient beings still live happily.
"Ha, ha."
Laughing coldly, Joshua began to slowly shake his head, closing his eyes. The Giant God's other three hands couldn't help but clench into fists. He murmured softly: "Even though the world and civilization are here, dead, turned into a corpse, transformed into this ugly Chaos form—but in the infinite parallel worlds, the infinite **derived** spacetime, it still exists eternally, possessing happy, perfect, dreamlike possibilities."
"The Sage of Demons was right, this really is eternity—Dead Eternity is **split**, True Infinity is being born—"
The essence of the Evil God is precisely this, clearer than clear. It is a 'dead base point' created by Malignant Chaos twisting the essence of civilization. And through this dead base point, eternal possibilities are created in infinite parallel worlds.
And the so-called Eternal Wonder is even simpler.
It is a self-created base point of a civilization, made in **formlessness**.
'Eternal Wonder'—generally speaking, it refers to civilization creations of the level of the complete Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, the complete **super-large single world**, the complete Black Mist, the complete Infinite Divine Energy Variable Source. As a creation, the possibilities it **carries** are too vast. How to put it... its significance for the civilization that created it is almost like the discovery of fire by ape-men.
For humanity, all modern civilization originates from the use of tools and fire. In the **haze** of darkness, flames illuminated the path of wisdom—and the Eternal Wonder is something similar, even more so. The change it brings to a civilization is enough to cause an 'explosive' leap in development. Therefore, as a base point where infinite possibilities converge, the 'Eternal Wonder' **severed** the past and the future. If it were truly successfully built, then no matter who or what tried to extend the possibilities of its creator, they could not avoid it.
To put it in a simpler example: the Eternal Wonder is like an artificial save point. After it is built, if some powerful existence wants to **derive** related possibilities, they can only start from the time point after the Eternal Wonder has been completed. They can no longer trace back upstream to find the root of this civilization—it is artificial eternity.
It is a foundation that **pierces through** past and present, self-anchoring. From then on, for the civilization that possesses it, there is no possibility of not having created the Eternal Wonder.
"So, **puppet master**, that's why you want to destroy all prototypes of Eternal Wonders, all overly developed civilizations."
The Giant God's voice echoed in the Genesis Maelstrom: "They hinder your ability to master this multiverse, hinder your possibility of manipulating all things."
Why can't a single powerful individual become a base point? It's also very simple—because for possibilities, the possibility of an entire civilization being composed of powerful transcendent beings also exists. The **distortion** created by this kind of possibility is far stronger than that of a single powerful individual.
Unless, one reaches the Sage.
The possibilities of a Sage stir the multiverse. That is a 'change' so **enormous** that it surpasses deities, even the **puppet master**—who **transcended** deities, perhaps even the first to reach the Sage, the 'Infinite Realm' since the multiverse was born—and makes It feel fear and trouble!
"So it's this, so it's this, the essence of 'Malignant Chaos'—or rather, the infinite possibilities of parallel worlds! This is your truth!"
Even though he had **analyzed** the essence of the Evil God's dead eternity, found the source of Malignant Chaos, and even learned the **puppet master's** purpose, Joshua could only clench his fists and smile bitterly. The Giant God looked up at the void, gazing at the rotating Genesis Maelstrom: "The multiverse **derives** the possibilities of parallel worlds. How normal is that? How could I have imagined that the power represented by the **puppet master** and Malignant Chaos is actually 'the Future'!"
Who could have thought of such a thing!
So-called Chaos erosion is merely the backflow of information from infinite futures and infinite parallel worlds. So-called Chaos thinking is nothing more than the chaotic madness after being eroded by future possibilities. And the formerly incomprehensible fanaticism of cultists is also easy to understand—they simply threw themselves into the future, and those who **blur** the boundary between present and future are naturally mad!
—This multiverse is still very young.
—This multiverse still has many things not yet **derived**.
If one must say, it's like a seed. The current multiverse is like a seed.
And the seed will eventually sprout, grow countless branches, and become a towering tree.
The change brought by the **puppet master** is **confirmed** on this point—His power is **catalyzing** the infinite parallel worlds of the multiverse. His infinity is used here—every Evil God represents a dead civilization, an eternal base point, a base point through which He can master 'Infinite Future'. And every Sage is a variable that affects His mastery of the future.
Joshua looked up at the Genesis Maelstrom. His gaze seemed to pierce through this endless source of worlds, cross the infinite Silent Void, and directly gaze upon the origin of the First Flame. The warrior stared in that direction, flames burning fiercely in his eyes.
At the upstream of everything, at the true origin of the multiverse, infinite beings are fighting—this is no metaphor, no substitute name. All Sages are truly fighting for 'the Future'!
"Hahaha, 'I am correct, I am far more correct than you.' For some reason, I suddenly remember words I once said."
For some unknown reason, Joshua suddenly recalled the past, in the void base of the Jetram Star Domain, the words he had said to his own students. At that time, he held no arrogance in his heart, merely stating facts. But to others, to other civilizations, that was arrogance.
[Eternity] [Infinity] and [Absolute].
[Evil God] [Sage] and [Self-Mastered Multiverse].
And beyond these three ultimates, the final goal, [Omniscience and Omnipotence].
What exactly does this **puppet master** want to do? Isn't the answer already obvious?
He wants to kill all sources of possibility while the multiverse is still a seed, to be mastered by Him. He wants to re-control the First Flame, let the multiverse sprout once more—and this time, it will be a 'Re-Creation' carried out by Him. He will master everything, all things, and even transcend all this.
[It doesn't matter—it's all the same—Eternity is **split**—]
[It doesn't matter—it's all the same—True Infinity is being born—]
From the **analysis** of the essence of the Evil God, there was still immensely grand information coming forth. These two sentences precisely **confirm** the essence and truth represented by the Evil God and the **puppet master**.
But they only drew a sneer from the warrior.
"I kill you once, and then say, I grant you eternal infinite possibilities—although your existence in this multiverse is truly dead, in parallel worlds, you still live, your civilization flourishes, existing eternally and happily—isn't that good?"
[It doesn't matter—it's all the same—]
—I am correct, I am far more correct than you.
It is not arrogance, merely stating facts. Just like when Joshua commented on other civilizations back then. For the **puppet master**, perhaps everything really is the same... because the arrogance of the strong is like flowers of similar colors, gems of similar hues—always different, yet always similar.
"This arrogance is exactly like mine, like ours."
And at this very moment, communication from Mycroft came again.
"Joshua, are you alright? I sensed the Genesis Maelstrom oscillating. Is there a problem?"
This time, it was not Nostradamus who asked with an anxious tone, but 3's voice. She seemed to be biting her lip, hesitantly asking: "Did you discover something bad...? It's okay, tell us. The Evil God's army has already invaded the Multiverse Star River. There's no worse news."
"3..."
At this instant, Joshua truly wanted to directly reveal all his information about the Evil God and the **puppet master**. But in an immeasurable unit of time, he seemed to have made some decision. He narrowed his eyes, gazing towards the direction of the First Flame. The warrior said calmly: "There are some discoveries. Some I can say, some I cannot. But no matter what, it's time to start fighting now."
"Don't you need to rest for a while?" At the other end of the communication, the Artificial Intelligence Girl's voice came, somewhat surprised: "You've been in seclusion for over ten years. You probably don't understand the current situation yet. Don't you need to rest? Joshua, don't be so impatient. We still have time..."
"There is still time."
At this instant, all the worlds surrounding the Giant God—some illusory, some real—all turned from **void** to **substance** in this moment. At the bottom of the Genesis Maelstrom, an even larger maelstrom was being created. And at the center of all these maelstroms, the God of Steel took a deep breath. Then, he seemed to be laughing, and also seemed to be roaring: "But I can no longer endure."
"3, the future is not on our side. The infinite parallel worlds are also not on our side. We are **lonely** fighters fighting alone. The more we delay, the closer we get to failure. You say we still have time—yes, there is still time, but not for rest, for battle."
Joshua's tone was unprecedented in its solemnity, and unprecedented in its fervor. He spread his four arms, closed his eyes. Countless figures appeared before his eyes. The messages of all Sages echoed in his ears.
—Creating hope from Divine Power, the first Sage belonging to intelligent life, the Founder who brought forth soul and transcendence, the Psionic Sage.
—The unknown Explorer, the traveler in the mist, the **protector** of civilization and knowledge, the guardian of history and future, leaving behind **legacy**, collecting knowledge, **sheltering** civilizations, using his own departed tide of magic light to teach sentient beings to return to the right path from the ruins, the Sage of Demons.
—Helping all things, connecting all realms, like light itself, illuminating the multiverse, wishing to bathe the multiverse in light, to better help all worlds and civilizations, even the Abyss, creating the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, the Holy Light Sage, the Saint.
—Continuing hope, continuing the path, like the omnipresent shadow, continuing all the hopes left by predecessors, born from the solitude of eternity, and **lonely** traveling to the source of the multiverse, the Shadow Sage.
The hopes They left, the clues They left, the possibilities They left, this **continuation of legacy** through countless generations—it must not be wasted.
—If the gaze of the myriad realms is **focused** upon me, if all Sages are watching me, waiting for me, then this very moment is the time for me to set out.
Joshua slowly opened his eyes, his gaze unprecedented in its peace. Though his heart was filled with infinite battlelust, he was utterly **calm**.
Because everything is **natural**—so the Giant God began to step forward.
Boom! The Genesis Maelstrom shook. The myriad realms vibrated violently like a giant drum being struck. This originally stable **cycle of the star river**, which had returned to its proper course, began to **distort**. One could see the very foundation of an entire World Star River **deform** because of a man's firm step.
Before him, even the **countless** tide of created worlds retreated like floating waves, like a divided sea, making way.
Then, the Genesis Maelstrom temporarily ceased its rotation, **calm** like a sea without waves.
"If we do not fight now, then after Chaos destroys us, it will revive our corpses, and even point at those things and say, 'Look. This is our eternal form.'"
—Because of hope, because of responsibility, because of the desire to fight, because of the anger born when an arrogant man meets an even more arrogant enemy.
Therefore, the [Near-Saint] Joshua von Radcliffe absolutely will not allow such a future to come.
"**Puppet master**, you say this is all the same?"
—This is absolutely not the same—
Year 862 of the Falling Stars Era, June 10th, 11:03 PM Mycroft Standard Time, at the very center of the Genesis Maelstrom in the Abyss of the Lost Star River.
Silver radiance was born, sweeping across the myriad realms.