Chapter 27: The Beloved Multitude (10000)
The towering pillar of flame, standing proudly in the void, blazed fiercely within the infinite darkness. Even the near-saint evil gods were trapped within it, struggling back and forth for a time, unable to escape.
Faced with such an overwhelmingly bright light, the vast majority of beings in the Multiverse Star River could only remain shocked and silent. After all, this was a flame capable of illuminating the entire universe and all realms. Confronted by it, even those who harbored dissatisfaction and accusations toward Joshua found themselves unable to speak for a moment.
But then, in the distant, blazing inferno, amidst this profound silence, an urgent voice rang out.
"Ring—ring ring—ring ring ring ring!"
Within the Sanctuary Linked Network, in the Bloodmoon Sanctuary, Xiao Guang's voice sounded urgently. Because of his extreme haste, he even forgot to convert it into a language ordinary people could understand. However, upon hearing this, No. 3, who governed all the sanctuary cores of Mycroft Civilization, immediately changed expression. She looked up at the void in shock, at the burning star that was now projecting itself across the entire multiverse. No. 3 exclaimed in dismay, "Wait, no—Joshua's power isn't enough!"
"He can't unify the entire World Star River—let alone the power of the billions of Steel Serpents in the Multiverse Star River—he's going to be backlashed!"
"What exactly does this guy think he's doing?!"
Although all the people and gods who had been knocked off the Path of Flame by Joshua were confused and angered by the warrior's actions, they were now doing their utmost to return. What Xiao Guang could see was blatantly obvious to these experts, each of whom possessed strength at the Legendary Limit level. They guessed that Joshua might have realized he was about to lose control and had pushed them away to avoid harming them. Even so, they still wanted to return and protect Joshua's safety.
But moving against Joshua's power was like swimming upstream against a waterfall. Facing the strength of an entity surpassing an ordinary near-saint, they simply couldn't resist or swim back to Joshua's side. After all, even a near-saint evil god couldn't withstand Joshua's power and would be severely wounded by a single blow—let alone them. Even if his power was tempered to avoid harming them, it was still not something a non-near-saint could resist.
"No good, I can't get through!"
Within the Path of Flame, one of the Seven Gods, the God of Wisdom and Choice—Choice Bright—shouted loudly. This deity, who had already pushed his divine power close to the boundary of Divine Annihilation, knew that even if he pushed his power to the Divine Annihilation realm, he would only remain in place. So Choice Bright could only grit his teeth and roar at Joshua across the void, "Joshua, no matter what you're planning, the most important thing is that you survive!"
"You are the only hope of our Multiverse Star River! Even if all of us die and dissipate, you must live! Think about it! If you die now and cannot become a Sage, when will the next Sage appear in this multiverse?! In the next era, or never again? How long will the Saint and the Shadow Sage have to wait for reinforcements? Will the mastermind's plan succeed immediately?!"
"Joshua! If you die, how many more dark centuries must this multiverse endure before it can welcome hope again? Come back—stabilize your own power, and we can continue to fight!"
The deity's voice pierced the void, and even at the end of the Path of Flame, where the burning giant god stood, it could be heard clearly.
But the man did not waver in the slightest.
"Stabilize? No, there isn't enough time."
Listening to this deity's earnest advice and persuasion, Joshua's expression was like an unchanging reef that had stood for eons. He silently raised his hand, gazing at the flames burning on it. They were eroding the warrior's own essence, scorching and peeling away large patches of the armor condensed from the Steel Serpents. Yet even so, Joshua remained unmoved. "And you've all been mistaken from the very beginning."
"That is, I knew from the start that I could never fully control this power. Or rather, Steel Force alone is simply incapable of unleashing the power of these infinite Steel Serpents to its utmost."
A Steel Serpent was a finger of fire and steel, an incarnation of the world, the embodiment of the cycle of souls. It was one of the primordial gods, a 'World God' born with the cycle of life of all things.
So, there was one final step.
"Thank you—truly, thank you for the sacrifices you have made for me, for this Multiverse Star River, for the entire multiverse..."
Thus, Joshua raised his head and murmured to himself. Amidst the pain of self-immolation, this arrogant warrior, who had always fought alone for all living beings, felt the immense agony of others sacrificing themselves for him. Joshua sensed the residual divine power of the other gods as they departed. He felt the last fluctuations of the God of Love and Decay lingering within his own body, and the power of the God of Protection and Progress dissipating into the void. Joshua felt the courage and determination ignited by countless gods of other civilizations to protect their people and multitudes.
And so, in the light of these countless departing gods, he took a deep breath.
"I have already pushed my power to its absolute limit. But even so, I cannot touch the realm of the Sage... What separates a Sage from a near-saint is not a mere accumulation of power. Even if the latter were to pile up power to the level of a Multiverse Star River, they could never perfectly control it. Like a hypothetical Multiverse Star River Steel Serpent, forcing control would only lead to self-destruction."
The warrior tightened his grip on his weapon, clenched his fists. He could see the surrounding near-saint evil gods, having already burst forth from the overly vigorous flames. They were appearing one by one, encircling him, watching him covetously, or rather, 'full of expectation.'
"I am on the verge of losing control, on the brink of destruction... As a 'living being,' I can become no stronger."
There was only one choice left.
Bathed in the light of the flames, like a silver giant god draped in a cloak of gold-red armor, Joshua raised his head, gazing up at the empty, silent void of the multiverse. He revealed a calm smile. "Ying, Lin, it seems I cannot continue down the path I wished to take."
And two figures emerged from the depths of Joshua's spirit.
"No matter the path—I will accompany you, Master."
"No matter the choice—I will support your thoughts, Master."
"Is that so..."
As he said this, Joshua's voice gradually grew softer, until it was almost inaudible. Facing over a dozen near-saint evil gods, with more constantly appearing, Joshua swung his silver greatsword, using a blade pressure mixed with silver light and flames to force them back. One near-saint evil god was severely wounded, pushed into the pillar of flame, ignited, and unable to save itself, simply perished. After unleashing this full-powered strike, the warrior lowered his head, closed his eyes, and murmured in a barely perceptible voice, "Then, let it be so."
—Hmm.
One could see, at the center of the infinite flames, surrounded by numerous near-saint evil gods, that extremely bright silver star suddenly and abruptly dimmed.
The silver radiance receded.
The flame-like patterns dissipated.
All the near-saint evil gods that had been preparing to advance and attack also suddenly stopped all their movements, beginning to stir in confusion—because the bright, eternal light in their eyes, which had surpassed even the entire Multiverse Star River, had vanished completely in an instant.
Even though the giant god's body, gripping its weapon, was clearly and prominently right in front of them, it was as if they couldn't see it. They began to push against each other uneasily.
[—!!!]
[...!!!!]
Accompanied by the silent roar of chaos, infinite information began to spread in all directions. Having lost their target, the near-saint evil gods, like children who had suddenly lost a beloved toy or beasts that had lost their quarry, began to madly unleash their power in all directions. They didn't care if other near-saint evil gods were nearby; even if attacked, they didn't retaliate. They simply vibrated the void, venting their fury into the nothingness.
This vast, chaotic aftershock, if it had occurred in a normal Multiverse Star River, would have been enough to instantly shake and scatter the entire World Star River, or even completely annihilate it. After all, this was the full-force attack of dozens of near-saint evil gods simultaneously! Even Joshua at his peak couldn't have withstood it head-on; he would have had to use various techniques and maneuvers to evade and weaken it.
But now, the four-armed giant god's body, seemingly stripped of all its miraculous properties, simply rose and fell in the chaotic tide.
One could see that its surface had almost completely dimmed. Except for the core at its chest, it no longer emitted any silver light. Now, like corroded steel, its entire body was immersed in darkness, being destroyed bit by bit.
Facing the attacks of the near-saint evil gods, the uncontrolled giant god's body could hold on, but it was still very dangerous. If one attacked, it might be fine, but if the attacks of more than four or five evil gods converged simultaneously, even the giant god's body would be severely wounded. More importantly, if the structure of the world within the giant god's body was completely destroyed, it would mean the collapse of the entire giant god's form.
However, one could see faint, dim red divine patterns slowly spreading across the surface of the giant god's body, which was immersed in darkness.
And at that moment, a point of light leaped out from the core at the giant god's chest.
It was Saint Eagle. Joshua's friend, the former Pope of the Seven Gods.
Having transformed into light and hidden within Joshua's light, the old pope, who had not been pushed off the Path of Flame like the other civilization's experts, looked with a complex expression at the face of the giant god, whose eyes were tightly shut. He gazed at that utterly calm, expressionless face and sighed.
"My friend."
Facing Joshua, who had fallen into complete silence, with no one knowing what he was doing or thinking, Eagle reached out and touched the dimmed Steel Serpent armor on the surface of the warrior's body. The old man said with emotion, "Although I have no idea what choice you've made or what plan you have, and I don't know if I should believe in you or support you."
"But you are my friend. You are Joshua van Radcliffe, who has saved the world countless times."
"So, just as you believe your choice is correct, I also believe that your choice is correct."
In a low but extremely firm tone, Eagle uttered his oath. One could see colorful spectral bubbles appearing behind him. Countless bubbles of light merged, expanded, and shrank. All sorts of unfathomable holy light was coalescing. "I will accompany you on this final stretch of the road."
"Let me bring you final safety."
As he said this, a warm and bright white holy light arose. Amidst the gold-red flames, it was both abrupt and harmonious. In this sacred radiance, Eagle's form dissolved into it, as naturally as water merging with water, light merging with light.
Soon, a domain filled with radiance directly submerged into Joshua's body. It transformed into an invisible but solid barrier, enveloping the outer side of the world within the warrior's body. It repelled the chaotic waves, acting like a filter, blocking and deflecting all potentially dangerous attacks for the warrior's true core.
One could see the giant god's body rising and falling in the chaotic tide. Its form was gradually being eroded by the blind, random attacks of the near-saint evil gods. But because of that faint light, its core world remained safe, far safer than it had predicted or calculated.
Unknown to anyone, even Joshua, another friend had burned himself out, dissipating into silence.
The chaotic tide surged.
At the source of the blazing pillar of flame in the void, all was still silent.
"No... impossible, right?"
"Joshua... has fallen?"
"Really, I can no longer sense his fluctuations..."
In this long silence, despair spread little by little. All the experts in the Multiverse Star River, all the beings in the sanctuaries, couldn't believe it. They couldn't see what was happening in the distant void, but there was no doubt that Joshua's radiance and fluctuations, which had been like the blazing midday sun, had now completely dissipated.
"Not yet."
Only No. 3 firmly believed this. She sensed information coming from an extremely hidden place, feeling the calm, unfluctuating power. The artificial intelligence said with absolute certainty, "He is definitely not dead!"
Some believed, some doubted, some clung to it as a lifeline... But regardless, because of the 'dissipation' of Joshua's fluctuations, everyone in the entire multiverse focused their attention and poured their hearts onto the individual 'Joshua.'
It was like a spark, igniting some vast tide.
And then, everyone, all intelligent minds thinking of 'Joshua' and watching that void, heard a heartbeat—a slow, deep, but extremely clear 'pulsing sound.'
In the distant distance, the dark cluster fluctuated violently like a tidal wave. Having lost their target, the evil gods were flying around chaotically, rushing back and forth. For a time, they couldn't find a new target, unsure whether to continue towards the dimmed Multiverse Star River or head towards another bright Multiverse Star River in the distance.
But then, accompanied by the sound of a desolate horn and a stirring, sacred hymn that echoed across the star river, two crimson points of light lit up in the depths of the darkness.
It was a shadow immersed in chaos, its bodily contours almost invisible. It was stalwart and robust, its four arms seemingly capable of lifting an entire star river. But the most striking feature was its eyes. A divine light, as hot and scarlet as blood, was igniting there, as dazzling and captivating as the sun.
With these two points of light as the source, a series of profound patterns began to spread. They flashed by like racing ribbons of light, instantly covering the entire body of the four-armed giant god, outlining its form. One could see that the giant god's body was not intact; it had been damaged by the chaotic aftershocks, missing some flesh and blood.
But now, under the spread of the red divine patterns, all these wounds were repaired. Every injury was mended, leaving no flaws.
—What's going on? Why am I not more injured?
The first thought of the revived giant god upon waking was a puzzled self-question. Although he believed that the defense of his core world was sufficient to withstand the attacks of the near-saint evil gods until he was ready, he should have been severely wounded. After all, this was a siege by near-saint evil gods. Even if they had lost their eternal target, the aftershocks alone should have destroyed most of his body. Not being injured made subsequent actions much easier and saved a lot of time.
But soon, he saw it—the gentle light still enveloping his core world.
"Ah..."
The giant god was stunned for a moment.
"Ah—Ahhhhhh!!!!"
Exactly as before, a roar of agony rang out once more.
And this pain was not because his body was injured, nor because he had given up something important, but because others had sacrificed themselves for him. This pain was something the arrogant strong could never accept, a wound that, no matter how many times, pierced the bone and seared the soul.
And accompanying this roar, spreading rapidly, was a vast, unbelievable, surging divine power!
The red divine light, in an instant, swept away all the chaotic waves generated by the blind attacks of the surrounding near-saint evil gods, like a hurricane clearing away mist. Its power was so immense it was simply unreasonable! Under the pressure of this terrifying radiance, even the near-saint evil gods instinctively clustered together, like ants resisting a flame, gathering in groups to withstand it. Otherwise, an individual body, swept by this light, would be directly and severely wounded!
Divine power!
No matter what kind of life, when ascending to godhood, they would become stronger based on the depth of their own divinity. As long as conditions were met, even a mortal could become a deity capable of influencing the fate of a world upon ascension.
However, the more powerful an existence, the more reluctant they were to become a god. Because they often already possessed the authority to influence a world. Becoming a god would merely make them stronger, but also subject them to constraints. From the perspective of self-will, this was extremely low cost-effectiveness, with no real need to become a god.
But this is not to say that a strong person becoming a god wouldn't become stronger.
Quite the opposite.
Bearing countless expectations, with an unwavering personal conviction, and holding incomparably powerful strength—such a strong person, possessing a limit of divinity far beyond what ordinary people could bear, would, upon becoming a god, reach an unimaginable level of power!
Just like...
This.
A dazzling sword light flashed as the giant god swung its arm, but the surging divine light torrent did not cease. It was like countless endless blades, cutting into the dark cluster. The near-saint evil gods might barely manage to stay safe, but other ordinary evil gods and their minions were like willow catkins in the wind—scattered and gone with a single gust, vanishing without a trace.
One could see a perfect circular red light mass expanding on the void canopy. All the darkness that touched this light mass was instantly reduced to nothingness. The tips of multiple extending dark tentacles were all annihilated before this light mass, leaving only a few dozen deep, dark points stubbornly remaining, not blown away.
Carrying the power of the World Star River, and even the Multiverse Star River's radiance, using it as a source, connecting to the Great Source to obtain divine power, the man released 'Ascension Divine Light' in this instant, directly illuminating the infinite darkness, forcing even the numerous near-saint evil gods to join forces to resist.
Furthermore, at the moment the light bloomed, all the deities in the entire Multiverse Star River felt an absolute suppression. Because a supreme god, surpassing the combined power of all the gods in the Multiverse Star River, was being born in the distant beyond!
[—God... is a wish.]
[People respond to wishes, pray for the future. They desire better change but are trapped by a lack of power. And a god is an existence that holds power, responds to wishes, creates the future, and turns change into reality!]
And now, all the multitudes of the Multiverse Star River were expecting and believing in Joshua's power!
"Huff..."
Even with his teeth clenched tightly, red divine flames leaked from the corners of his mouth. The giant god walked out from the vast divine light. One could see that behind him, a massive rift seemed to be opening in the depths of the void. It was an incomparably vast, boundless super rift, capable of tearing apart a World Star River. It was splitting open bit by bit, causing surging, unparalleled divine power to pour out like a collapsing sky.
In that instant, all the deities felt that the divine power they received from the Great Source weakened for a moment. Although that moment was as brief as an illusion, it was not false. It was as if an incredibly huge vortex was sweeping away the torrent of divine power on the sea of divine power, affecting them, the other smaller vortices.
But this terrifyingly immense divine power was also a kind of impact. An existence that couldn't withstand it would be instantly crushed upon acquiring the divine power, entering Divine Annihilation, and then being assimilated by the Great Source!
However, contrary to the expectations of all the deities and experts who were nervous about this, facing the erosion and attraction from the Great Source, the Steel Serpent armor on the giant god's body—the protection formed by the cluster of Steel Serpents from the entire World Star River—instead became a barrier. The wills of countless Steel Serpents connected together, forming an incredibly solid will. It became a kind of 'faith' anchor, nailing Joshua firmly in place, completely unaffected by the scouring of divine power!
—Just as a deity holding two conflicting divinities could grant the deity itself greater freedom and divine power authority, the conflict between the power of the endless Steel Serpents, which Joshua couldn't perfectly control, and his divine power, allowed him to harness them more easily.
Drawing power from a single source was like a tug-of-war—laborious with little gain. But drawing power from two conflicting power sources, which even formed a kind of cycle, only required a simple guide.
Boom!
One could see an incredibly huge φ-shaped rune appearing behind the giant god. This rotating steel divine ring spun, with Joshua at its very center, like the vertical stroke dividing the divine power and the Steel Force!
"Just like that?!"
Falling along the Path of Flame, falling back towards the Multiverse Star River, the God of Order and Destruction looked up at the void in disbelief. "Divine power and Steel Force—there's such a usage?!"
"Incredible, unimaginable! Just this combined use of Steel Force and divine power is enough to achieve near-sainthood, or even the path to Sage! Is this the path he chose? No, no! This is completely different from the power he showed before! It's an entirely new, direct path to Sage! He can open up so many paths all by himself?!"
But then, an even louder roar sounded: "Wait, stop! Why are you still drawing in divine power?! Don't continue! This way, you'll really become a god!"
On the Path of Flame, the God of Law and Freedom, who had also been knocked down by Joshua, roared, "You can still maintain the delicate balance between divine power and Steel Force now, at most becoming a 'demigod' or 'sub-god.' But if you continue, if you really become a god..."
"Once you become a god, there's no going back!"
It was hard for others, experts from other civilizations, to understand the agitation of the God of Order and Destruction and the God of Law and Freedom. Was becoming a god such a strange thing? Facing an unstoppable, powerful enemy, choosing to become a god to gain power was also quite normal, wasn't it? Rather, what they found hard to understand was why Joshua hadn't become a god earlier.
But then, the words of Law and Freedom made them suddenly understand, while also feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
"Why give up the path to Sage—Joshua?!?!"
But just as the giant god had previously ignored their words, knocking them back to the Multiverse Star River and blocking them from advancing, the giant god now also ignored their words and began to formally ascend to godhood, relying on the endless divine power surging from the Great Source.
—Flee?
—Break out?
How could it be—how could it possibly work!
That was the darkness whose end couldn't be seen even by the light Joshua had released with all his might! It was a cluster of evil gods whose total mass was unknown, but certainly far exceeding the total mass of the Multiverse Star River!
—That was, before today, the bones of all failed civilizations in the multiverse, the condensation of all despair and darkness...
No one was stronger than Joshua, so no one understood better than Joshua. How could he break out? How could he escape?
Just the vanguard of this infinite darkness appearing before his eyes had over forty-five near-saint evil gods. And in the short time he had been delayed, more near-saint evil gods were approaching. Gods couldn't sense them, experts at the Legendary Limit couldn't sense them. Only a near-saint, only a warrior who had now surpassed an ordinary near-saint, could sense that over a hundred near-saint evil gods were surging from the rear of countless chaotic clusters.
Facing such an enemy... don't be ridiculous. Trying to break out with the Sanctuary World? He would probably exhaust himself to death halfway through. If he ran alone, he might have a chance to escape under the pursuit and interception of that many near-saint evil gods. But even bringing one more person would drastically reduce the success rate.
But...
[Perhaps one day, civilization and order can transform the world into a more suitable place for survival, but that day is not today. Before that, someone must stand up to fight and then sacrifice.]
These were the words of his cheap father in this life.
They were also words that countless experts and deities in this life regarded as truth and personally fulfilled.
So many gods, so many experts, so many familiar people had sacrificed themselves, just to accompany him and open a path of certain death? Just to let him, Joshua, escape alone in disgrace?
Even if all the lives in the entire Multiverse Star River would rather he leave alone, preserving so-called 'hope,' he would never stoop so low.
Quite the opposite. He would personally snuff out his own hope.
The giant god, with the φ-shaped steel divine ring spinning behind him, faced the numerous near-saint evil gods that had broken through the red divine light circle and were charging towards him. He closed his eyes, then opened them again. Infinite divine power was released from them, like countless blazing swords.
It was like a rain, a downpour of divine swords. The endless, scorching swords, as if guided automatically, precisely struck the countless evil gods in the dark cluster that surged forward again. In that instant, tens of millions, or even more, evil gods were destroyed. Billions upon billions of chaos turned to charcoal. They were ignited, forming massive, enormous flames in the void.
Facing these swift divine swords, even the near-saint evil gods found it hard to block. When hit, their bodies were pierced, and inextinguishable flames ignited at the wounds, causing injury. But facing the dazzling, eternal god before them, they paid no attention to these injuries. They casually discarded the ignited parts of their bodies and charged forward at high speed.
But in response, Joshua did not continue to swing his greatsword and giant axe, which were now burning with divine flames. He turned his head, looking at the darkness that was encircling him from behind, trying to trap him and starve him to death under the siege of the infinite chaotic evil gods. He clenched one fist and then punched out violently. Instantly, a colossal force, enough to shatter the barrier of a super world like the Starry World, pulverized the void, blasting all the evil god clusters that tried to block his path into dust!
A path appeared before him, leading to the distant void beyond the Multiverse Star River, where no one could see the end. Joshua, without any hesitation, followed this path and sped off into the infinite distance!
And at that very moment, from the writhing, approaching infinite dark tentacles, numerous deep, dark points flew out again. The appearance of these dark points was enough to suffocate the many deities and experts in the Multiverse Star River who were still watching the void. They simply couldn't imagine why there would come a day when near-saints and near-saint evil gods, which a Multiverse Star River might not produce even one of in several eras, numbered in the hundreds.
And these hundreds of near-saint evil gods all centered on Joshua, rushing forward with all their might.
At this moment, even the dullest among those in the know within Mycroft Civilization understood the mastermind's extremely simple idea.
No one would underestimate a Sage. And as the prototype of a Sage, a near-saint was naturally the most important target to eliminate.
One wasn't enough, so send ten. Ten wasn't enough, so send a hundred. Add the endless army of evil gods, add the chaotic cluster capable of drowning a Multiverse Star River. Add as much power as possible, never hold back, use a planet-destroying cannon to kill a mosquito, always go all out, mobilize as much power as possible.
Even if an accident within an accident occurred, and the near-saint could become a Sage amidst the siege of the infinite chaotic evil gods, they could still be forced to head towards the origin of the First Flame, leading this endless evil god cluster away from their home Multiverse Star River and into the trap he had set.
As for spending time to wipe out this infinite evil god cluster? Fine, that was a good thing. It would delay a Sage's progress, and no matter how many evil gods were consumed, it would be worth it. This open scheme was right here, leaving no one any choice but to enter.
Joshua knew this was a trap. He had no choice but to enter. Even if the abyss of Nai Luo lay before him, he would stride into it.
But that didn't mean he had no way to deal with this trap.
"So-called courage is life facing everything it doesn't want to face."
On the giant god's body, the red divine patterns continued to spread. Endless divine power was transforming the warrior's body, undergoing a gestation, a transformation. This process, which should have been stabilized through slumber, was being gradually completed during the battle under his incredibly powerful control. Joshua murmured calmly, "And the greatest courage is self-sacrifice."
[Flesh and blood are destined to be unable to overcome calamity. Hot blood can never extinguish the flames of disaster. Relying on courage, awakening, hope, and love, relying on expectations, belief, prayer, and heart, it is absolutely impossible to defeat 'darkness.' That is an eternal calamity, an infinite disaster.]
[Don't you understand yet? Facing the eternal nothingness, the infinite chaos, the absolute future of the multiverse—boundless, endless, edgeless, limitless—what unity of purpose, what human determination will triumph over nature, what concerted effort can achieve anything? All the efforts and struggles touted by intelligent life, the so-called indomitable will and faith forged through hardship, are bubbles in water, tears in the rain, smoke and dust inevitably crushed by the wheel of time, meaningless ashes.]
But...
But—
But even so!
The flame will still burn!
Speeding towards the infinite distance, Joshua tightened his grip on his sword and axe. The warrior sensed two other minds burning just as fiercely, gripping their weapons. He laughed heartily.
The final flame blazed fiercely! The red giant god, in the silent void, illuminated the darkness with a brilliant fire, like a meteor, leaving an incredibly heavy mark on the dark canopy.
While speeding into the distance, Joshua swung his greatsword and giant axe to attack. In an instant, the dark cluster in the void split open again, with red divine light spilling from the cracks, destroying billions of chaos and evil gods. This brilliant light, if it were in the Multiverse Star River, would be enough to illuminate thousands of star rivers, bathing countless civilizations in its holy radiance.
Sometimes, the warrior even turned around and forcefully swung his axe. This axe was different from the greatsword that emitted infinite radiance. It was as black as ink, like the embers after the end, the destruction of all things. It simply chopped straight down, yet it could split a star river. Even a near-saint evil god trying to block it would be split open and destroyed, its chaos turning into a torch, its infinite possibilities dissipating, returning to the multiverse.
But for every one eliminated, countless more came. One near-saint evil god turned into a torch and was ignited, but dozens or hundreds of chaos surged forward, extinguishing the flames and carrying its residual power onward. This power was enough to make the warrior retreat, but he paid it no heed, continuing to provoke and fight.
—Breaking the enemy's edge at its sharpest, holding back the tide at its most perilous!
Thus, fighting and speeding along, gradually, all the evil gods, all the tentacles of the chaotic cluster, converged into a single long dragon, a chain of fetters formed by infinite dark chaos, chasing behind the warrior!
[Even if it is destined to be extinguished, destined to fail, and efforts are destined to be fruitless, intelligent life is also destined to wage such a battle with no hope of victory, a struggle with no hope, a resistance with no result!]
[Just as foolish humans will foolishly slaughter their own kind, foolish intelligent life will also foolishly engage in meaningless battles—against their own kind, against this multiverse, against the eternal, endless, boundless despair and darkness!]
The moment intelligent life gained intelligence, it was destined to be foolish. Hoping that intelligent life would always remain rational was simply a luxury. Whether it was foolishly slaughtering each other or foolishly challenging an invincible enemy, it was all due to this destined foolishness. Because if it weren't foolish, it could never break through the inevitable, shattering all possibilities!
—If life were not foolish, and did not do things it knew were impossible, it could never challenge the 'destined future'!
This was the path of the fool!
This was also the warrior's truth!
And just as Joshua rushed out of the observable limit of the beings in the Multiverse Star River, just as he led all the evil god clusters and darkness towards the infinite distance.
The warrior, who would never look back, couldn't help but turn his head, using the last corner of his vision to glance at the dimmed Multiverse Star River.
Joshua had taken the power of all the Steel Serpents of the Lost Star River, plundered the radiance of the Multiverse Star River. He had caused countless worlds to fall into silence, no longer able to nurture life and transcendence... And countless civilizations would be unable to return to their mother worlds for a long time, having to recuperate in sanctuaries.
But he had also left seeds of rebirth. If one day, a new Soulflame King awakened, then these stars would surely return to brightness.
And it was precisely because of this that if he failed, and the evil gods lost their eternal target, they would no longer head towards this dimmed Multiverse Star River, but would choose other brilliant Multiverse Star Rivers... This was probably the warrior's final selfishness.
Darkness chased light, chaos chased fire. The red star sped into the distance, leaving behind a sky full of the remains of chaotic evil gods. Countless stars were extinguished because of this, countless lives perished. But within this infinite destruction was housed infinite salvation.
"All of this..."
Thus, at the moment when the Multiverse Star River was about to completely disappear from the corner of his vision, the warrior resolutely turned his head back, staring at the empty void ahead. He softly uttered the last words of his life as a human.
"My..."
—Beloved multitude.