# Chapter 7: The Flame Passed Down Through Darkness (13600)
Endless darkness covered the sky, and even the earth was dim and gloomy.
A dazzling streak of light, like a shooting star, broke through layer upon layer of silence, galloping across this dark world.
Flying alongside many ancient powerhouses at the edge of the Twilight Zone, on the road heading toward the Lightless Zone—a place that even the greatest adventurers feared—Alpha, though merely a Gold-rank, felt no fear in his heart.
His daughter had been rescued. Although only her soul remained, Siberia and the other Star Saints had indeed not suffered any torture. His wife and son were not in Radiant City and had not been conveniently saved, but at least they should not suffer any torment or abuse—during the trip to Radiant City, Alpha had not approved of the Ash Order's methods, but he could at least confirm that they were indeed a group of 'good people.' Since the ancient powerhouses' surprise attack had caused no casualties, they would not take extreme measures, let alone vent their anger on ordinary people.
Since that was the case, he had nothing to fear. Rather, the blood of an Explorer was surging with excitement—in the hundred thousand years of history across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens, which Explorer could have over a dozen Legendary-limit 'bodyguards' escorting them? Who could open nearly ten ancient Crystal Obelisk ruins in less than a year?
And now, he was heading toward the Lightless Zone. This place, which since ancient times only the Ten Thousand Races Alliance holding Divine Artifacts during the Chaos Era fifty thousand years ago had reached, was filled with mystery. Legend had it that here lay the secrets of the world's creation and the source of Chaos. Whether they were powerhouses seeking to eradicate Chaos or merely scholars and explorers curious about the secrets of creation, all yearned for this place. But after fifty thousand years of decline and erosion, all Light-Seekers, who could barely survive, had no energy left to explore distant lands or display their curious hearts.
"At least, I am witnessing this world's final and most monumental transformation."
Thinking this, Alpha raised his head to look at the ancient powerhouses ahead. At this moment, everyone was confirming their next course of action.
"According to my research, around the 'World Frontier,' there should be fortresses built by the Silver Fairies in the past. However, because the flames of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens gradually extinguished and darkness continued to spread, the fortresses and ruins along the way had to be continuously abandoned and occupied by Chaos—but even so, unless there was a Near-Saint-level Evil God, it should be impossible to breach that Silver Fortress rooted in the World Barrier itself."
At this moment, at the front of the team was Mycroft. This silver-haired female scholar spoke eloquently; she was the chief planner and strategist of this operation, while Carlis was the actual executor.
Mycroft had awakened her memories very early, roughly around the time she had just learned to write. She had retrieved her past memories as a Steel Serpent. To investigate the current state of this world and uncover the truth of everything, she chose to become the Royal Grand Scholar, gaining access to the world's most classified information—and when she met the Heavenly Sword Empress, Mycroft felt a sense of familiarity. The aura of the Holy Sword in Her Majesty's hand was of the same lineage as the weapon in the hands of that warrior from the past; it was even fragments of that very weapon. After confirming this, she looked back across the Three Realms and Nine Heavens and understood everything in her heart.
She had found Carlis's identity in this life very early on, but it was only a dozen years ago that she found a way to awaken her. The two of them discussed and devised a plan to lead Joshua's revival, and it had been executed smoothly ever since.
"Even if Near-Saint-level Evil Gods haven't been eliminated, they should have long been suppressed into crushed fragments. Even if Joshua were only in physical form, he couldn't activate Chaos at their level. But we cannot rule out the possibility of Ultimate-limit Great Evil Gods at the world's edge. If we encounter them, we need to work together to quickly resolve the situation and not get bogged down. Remember, our target is the World Frontier, and we are also bringing several ordinary people who cannot withstand the aftermath of our battles."
Upon hearing this, both Alpha and Groen remained silent. One was Gold-rank, the other Ultimate-peak. To be honest, neither could be considered 'ordinary people' in any civilization, but faced with these powerhouses who could casually manipulate celestial bodies and fight on a world scale, they were indeed little better than ants.
Thinking of this, Alpha couldn't help but feel some confusion—as for himself, it was because of the 'Silver Fairy bloodline' that Teacher Carlis had mentioned. As the holder of this race's last bloodline, he happened to be the key to unlocking various Silver Fairy sites. In fact, the sleeping seals of those ancient powerhouses all needed him to unlock; he was indeed a 'necessity.'
But Groen was merely an Inquisitor of the Ash Order. Although his status was high, he didn't have decisive power. He should have been released after the previous raid on Radiant City. Why was he still following them forward?
Clearly, the white-haired Inquisitor seemed to be thinking about the same question, his brow slightly furrowed.
Eagle beside them seemed to see through their thoughts and calmly spoke: "It's for witnessing."
"Groen is a member of the Ash Order. Unlike you, he is a true Light-Seeker—he is a native of this world, a representative of civilization and order. We who have revived from ancient times need such a representative of the 'present' to witness our actions."
"Whether the future is good or bad, whether we succeed or fail, whether the Light-Seekers and this world's ending is what it may be, we need a different perspective to witness all of this."
Logically speaking, this should be a very meaningless act. At least Alpha couldn't think of any significance.
But for those powerhouses, it seemed to carry great meaning.
But this had nothing to do with him. Thinking this, Alpha stopped speaking. He simply watched the scenery of this long journey within the flowing light.
Because most stars had been moved, the periphery of the Twilight Zone was already very dim, nearly lightless. From time to time, the group had to pass through dark zones completely devoid of stars. There were always many Chaos Monsters living there, surging like waves. The flowing light galloped through, breaking waves and cutting through billows, racing forward, leaving behind a trail of corpses.
Along the way, Alpha saw the remains of some ancient mobile cities or floating cities. These were all ruins from the Age of Gods. Some of the larger remains even bore glorious Divine Marks. They had left rich records in ancient texts, but now they had nearly turned to dust, leaving only scattered remnants.
Without stopping, the group crossed the boundary of the Twilight Zone and entered the [Lightless Zone].
"Carlis and I once tried to explore the deepest parts of this world, but ultimately gave up. What the Light-Seekers call the 'Three Realms and Nine Heavens' is essentially just a small area illuminated by light. To put it in perspective, it's like a solar system at the center of a galaxy-sized region. The Shining Zone is the habitable area of this solar system, and the Twilight Zone is an area with light but where life is difficult to nurture—of course, the Steel Continent is countless times larger than a galaxy, and a small habitable area in the Shining Zone might contain tens of thousands of stars."
Mycroft's voice sounded again. This Grand Scholar was knowledgeable, whether in her past life or this one. She spoke eloquently, explaining the world's structure to the ancient powerhouses: "As for all areas outside this solar system, they are essentially dark domains, the so-called 'Lightless Zone.' In fact, on the other side of the Steel Continent, there should be a similar 'Shining Twilight Area,' with other Steel Serpents and old friends sleeping there. We just happened to be divided into the same place."
"The Lightless Zone is also divided into the 'Eternal Silence Zone,' which is completely devoid of life and light, simply dead and silent, and the 'Extreme Dark Zone,' which has a large amount of Chaos activity. Back then, when Carlis and I tried to explore the world's border, we once came to a space-time anomaly zone in the Extreme Dark Zone. We were surrounded by dozens of Legendary-level Chaos Monsters and almost couldn't escape—not Evil Gods, just ordinary Chaos Monsters. However, I suspect that some Evil Gods have not been completely eliminated but are merely buried and suppressed within the Steel Continent."
Finding the 'World Border' was indeed very difficult. A space-time distortion could be a black hole floating in the Lightless Zone, or it could be a massive cluster of Chaos Monsters. Approaching either was dangerous. During the time Mycroft and Carlis hid and explored, they indeed faced life-and-death situations several times. Upon hearing this, another powerhouse asked curiously why they didn't awaken more former companions. With nearly twenty Ultimate-limit powerhouses joining forces, even a Near-Saint Evil God, unless it was particularly powerful, wouldn't be easily defeated.
"No need, and there's no time."
It was Carlis who answered this question. She shook her head helplessly: "Our main purpose is to prevent the Light-Seekers from truly creating a World Will for the Three Realms and Nine Heavens... The Holy Soul formed by the convergence of many Steel Serpent souls, even if weak at first, if truly worshipped by all living beings and allowed to grow, might actually inherit the authority left by Joshua."
"But this is only a possibility. In reality, even without our obstruction, this world doesn't have much time left because Chaos still exists—the Ash Order's extraction of stars to maintain the Shining Zone essentially means a large-scale withdrawal of the remaining sealing power. Even if they really create a World Will, they would have to face a Chaos tide far larger than fifty thousand years ago. I don't think they could manage it."
"Moreover, the Near-Saint Evil Gods of the past might have been defeated and sealed by Joshua, but a hundred thousand years may not have completely worn them away. The contraction of the Twilight Zone and the Chaos invasion, causing massive deaths among the Light-Seekers, might create new Evil Gods, or even awaken those ancient evils... And if they fully awaken, they might use this world as an origin point, like the Death Evil God of old, merging and gestating the most powerful Near-Saint Evil God in history."
Speaking of this, Carlis's expression was ambiguous. She sighed: "Neither we nor the outside Multiverse probably want to see how strong an Evil God formed from Joshua's incarnation would be."
Of course, no one wanted that. Everyone quickly shook their heads—probably no one in the entire Multiverse wanted that except Joshua himself.
After ending this topic, Mycroft continued to explain various interesting things from her exploration of the Lightless Zone, serving as both education and a way to pass the time.
Alpha listened with great interest as she humorously described several dangerous situations during her explorations. But then he detected an extremely massive Chaos fluctuation coming from ahead. He sensed that a large Chaos cluster was approaching their direction, like a huge cosmic storm, rushing toward them with star-destroying force—but the ancient powerhouses didn't prepare for defense. Most were still listening to Mycroft's exploration stories, which made him somewhat worried. He opened his mouth several times to speak.
However, just as the Chaos storm was about to approach, an ancient powerhouse who looked like a spider but was covered in thick armor with crystal veins shining all over her body stood up. She casually raised several of her limbs, and endless Aether power seemed to appear out of nowhere, condensing in the light, finally forming a sky-covering, majestic star-level light-patterned spear.
Boom!
The spear shot out like a thrown star. It turned into flowing light, pierced through the Chaos storm, and carved out a path. The group followed this path through the Chaos storm without further entanglement.
After the spider powerhouse threw the Aether spear, she returned to the flowing light as if nothing had happened. In the following days, whenever they encountered a Chaos cluster, one or several powerhouses would strike, breaking through obstacles very easily and effortlessly.
"This time we're not seeking complete annihilation, just making sure they don't get in the way. It feels so easy."
After one such strike, a powerhouse commented: "Not a single Evil God. Completely different from back then."
"Don't be careless. Legendary-level Chaos Monsters aren't far from Evil Gods. If an Evil God perishes without being completely purified, and there's a Chaos Monster of similar power nearby, its essence will transfer to it. This has been verified."
"Speaking of which, is the World Frontier deep in the Lightless Zone? How much further do we need to go?"
Someone asked, wanting to know the duration of the journey. Carlis's answer was simple: "Soon."
Noticing everyone's subtle expressions, she emphasized somewhat awkwardly: "I'm not being perfunctory—it really is soon. The World Frontier is a space-time distortion point, unrelated to physical distance. As long as we grasp the corresponding coordinates, we can easily reach it. For example, think of it as a demiplane stuck in the World Barrier, like the relationship between Mycroft World and Boundless Heaven. Once we sense the existence of the space-time distortion point, we can directly ignore distance and enter it. The deeper we go into the Lightless Zone, the more obvious this sensation becomes."
"Based on our previous experience of getting close, we should be able to arrive in less than ten days of travel."
Of course, to actually arrive, besides needing luck, they also needed Silver Fairy authority. Last time, she and Mycroft were stuck at that step, unable to truly enter. Thinking this, Carlis turned her head to look at her student in this life. Alpha's silver hair now wasn't due to weakness but had a metallic luster, proving that after several Crystal Obelisk enhancements, the Silver Fairy bloodline within him had fully awakened.
Everyone's speed was very fast, moving through space-time warping mixed with long-distance leaps. In a short time, they could cross the physical distance of over a dozen Milky Ways. The Shining Zone behind them had already become a tiny speck of light barely visible even with astronomical telescopes. The Light-Seekers' technology was indeed very advanced in this regard, but even so, they had only just begun to penetrate the Lightless Zone, as Mycroft put it, 'just starting out.'
"The Steel Continent is so vast..."
Even Legendary-limit powerhouses, when comparing this vast space-time and the unimaginably massive endless continent, felt their own insignificance. One couldn't help but shake his head: "The gap between Near-Saint and Legendary is this large? And the gap between Sage and Near-Saint probably isn't much smaller—but above that, there is one powerful enough to kill a Sage, the mastermind behind all this..."
Joshua had never hidden his speculations about the dark picture of the Multiverse from anyone. All of this had long been explained in the Dao-Elucidation and subsequent data disclosures. At least the Legendary-limit powerhouses knew it very clearly.
But even feeling this terrifying gap, those who had already experienced despair, walked out of it, and fought face-to-face with despair, at most just laughed: "When Joshua revives, we can't let him be stingy with guidance. We also want to become Near-Saints."
"Yeah, twelve thousand years have passed. Who knows how many of our former comrades have become Near-Saints? We've been delayed so long; we can't keep falling behind."
"I wonder if my race still exists... Don't be so embarrassing as to go extinct without Evil God invasion. I don't want to recreate them and raise children."
"Hmph... Mine must still exist. I gave specific instructions before I left. If they follow my advice, they definitely won't encounter great disaster."
"You mean your catalog that fills the entire archive, the 'Multiverse Crisis Memorandum'? I suspect they'll enshrine it rather than read it."
"Outdated upon release. In the outside Multiverse, Legendaries might be everywhere, Ultimates as common as dogs. Only Near-Saints can be considered strong. We're already old antiques left behind by the times—hey, don't hit me, I'm just joking..."
The deeper they went into the Lightless Zone, the more the Ultimate-limit powerhouses talked, thinking they might be able to contact the outside Multiverse. Hearing all this, Alpha and Groen couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Even the powerful beings revived from ancient times were essentially normal intelligent life, with their loves and concerns. Especially after sleeping for so long, what awaited them might be a dream of one day while a thousand years passed in the world. Everything they had fought and strived for might have vanished like smoke.
But even so, they showed no signs of dejection. No matter how bad the situation, at least they were still alive. Legendary-limit meant one person was a civilization. Even if everything had vanished like smoke, they could forcibly pull back everything they cared about from the flying ashes of history and recreate it. The confidence granted by this power was the crystallization of their ten million years of struggle.
The journey was long, but there was always a day of arrival. As Mycroft and Carlis, who were leading, gradually slowed down, the many powerhouses who had always shown relaxed expressions also became serious.
"We've arrived." She said to the other powerhouses who were also preparing, then nodded to Carlis and Alpha: "Get ready."
The light stream decelerated, finally stopping on a completely dark, silent land near absolute zero. Mycroft and Carlis stood side by side. The two former Steel Serpents raised their left and right hands respectively. Two streams of pure Steel Force shot out like swords, aiming for the sky—but after the light flew for over ten seconds, it suddenly disappeared, seeming to enter another strange space, triggering some unknown mechanism.
Boom—Boom—
Immediately, a dull rumbling sound arose, as if the entire sky and earth had become a giant drum, and space-time the drum surface, violently shaking, twisting, and producing loud noises.
Then, at the moment when space-time was violently shaking like water waves, a brilliant silver gap, emitting dazzling silver light, broke through the ripples and appeared before everyone's eyes—it cast down a path of light, guiding before them. This path was entirely composed of light, with strange and profound runes floating on it, seeming illusory yet incredibly real.
Alpha, who had long been informed of the procedure, stepped forward. He took a deep breath, then raised his foot and stepped onto this path entirely made of light—and the moment he stepped, the path also emitted sounds.
[Detected similar energy fluctuations]
[Confirmed as Silver Fairy / Silver Fairy subspecies]
[Port Fortress currently in unmanned automatic operation mode, total duration 77,429 years, 4 days, 12 hours, 5 minutes, 13.7796 seconds, far exceeding standard automatic operation duration]
[Confirmed current state as crisis state]
[Beginning crisis period authority transfer]
[Welcome, new Fortress Lord]
The voice spoke in Mycroft Common Tongue with a Silver Fairy accent. Everyone present, except Groen, could basically understand. Upon hearing that Alpha had become the new Fortress Lord, Carlis, who had been clenching her fists, let out a long sigh of relief.
She had been afraid, afraid that a non-pure-blood Silver Fairy couldn't enter this 'World Frontier Fortress,' which was clearly a higher level than the Crystal Obelisks. If so, Alpha wouldn't be able to enter the core area of the Shining Zone in the future, the area of Joshua's 'core igniter,' making the possibility of awakening Joshua basically zero.
Fortunately, the Silver Fairy's authority judgment wasn't so rigid. These warrior dependents seemed to have long anticipated that one day, the Steel Continent's flames would extinguish, making it unsuitable for their survival... Perhaps the bloodline of Alpha's ancestors was preserved at that time, as a backup and spare key hidden among the Light-Seekers.
"Hurry in. The commotion is too big; Chaos Monsters might surround us."
Without further words, since authority had been confirmed, they advanced. Along this path of light, everyone quickly reached the end—soon, they saw that at the end of this path was a demiplane whose space-time was completely twisted, fragmented like a broken mirror.
This demiplane had been completely torn apart. Space-time was chaotic, everything twisted, more terrifying than even the most intense space-time storms in the Void. Even the Ultimate-limit powerhouses couldn't help but frown and assume combat stances, because they sensed that within this chaotic space-time, remnants of the battle from twelve thousand years ago still remained—Chaos aura and Divine Power fluctuations intertwined, continuously breaking space-time and destroying everything. They had shattered the entire world but maintained a delicate balance, preserving the demiplane's existence.
Within this chaotic space-time, only at the edges were some relatively small silver buildings... Calling them small was only in comparison to the entire demiplane. In reality, these silver buildings were completely super-fortresses, each nearly a kilometer high. Hundreds of fortresses and strongholds connected to form a stable area that was neither large nor small. The path of light led to the entrance of one fortress. The gate was already open, and everyone entered one by one. The path of light then retracted, and at its end, the space-time rift connecting to the Three Realms and Nine Heavens also closed.
"Take us to the control center!"
Seventy thousand years had passed, and the fortress was still operating normally, everything as new. It could be seen that although the 'Port Fortress' was built by Silver Fairies, its internal structure was unexpectedly spacious, suggesting they had considered that not only Silver Fairies would enter and exit in the future. After entering, Alpha didn't bother admiring the strange decorations of the alien civilization or the unique artistic style of the Silver Fairies. He directly gave orders, commanding the fortress to take them to the control center.
[Complying with instructions]
The light of teleportation flashed. The next moment, everyone appeared in a semicircular central hall. At the edges of the hall were projection screens showing the entire demiplane and the situation of various Chaos nests around the demiplane.
It could be seen that in most screens, the Chaos nests had developed to an abnormally large extent. Those Chaos nests rooted in the Steel Earth—some flesh, some crystal, some energy constructs—were thriving, gestating one Chaos creature after another. Without the starlight of Holy Light characteristics, they faced no suppression and expanded freely.
"So, so many Chaos..." Not only Alpha, but even Groen was dumbfounded—the Chaos nests shown on the screens, even just one, contained enough monsters to trigger a demonic disaster. More than ten would make the Ash Order stand on alert and issue a 'Demon Exorcism Order.' If all advanced, the entire Light-Seeker community would have to unite and cooperate, or face the danger of collapse at any time.
At this moment, even the ancient powerhouses had serious expressions, because they saw that at the center of these Chaos nests, countless strange darknesses were writhing... Without accident, these were fragments of Evil Gods recondensing—their previous speculation was correct. Twelve thousand years had not completely worn away the essence of the most powerful Evil Gods. Like themselves, they were now awakening again, preparing to invade this world.
"Hurry, Alpha. Ask the fortress intelligence: Can 'Port Fortress' connect to the outside Multiverse and send messages?"
With thousands of thoughts swirling in her mind, Carlis still calmed her star-spirit. She frowned and instructed her daydreaming student. Hearing this, Alpha snapped back to reality. He immediately nodded and began to inquire.
"Can I connect to the outside Multiverse and send messages?"
[Connecting to outside Multiverse... Project check... Found approximate target 'Organize and analyze the energy remnants of the Great Wound demiplane']
[The demiplane formed by the Great Wound can theoretically communicate with the outside Multiverse and can even be used as an entrance/exit. However, the residual power of the Dominator and Chaos caused great interference, annihilating all information. Port Fortress was created to solve this problem]
[Project progress·Shield and utilize interference source: 100%, successfully completed for 7,655 years]
[Port Fortress ready, Multiverse Information Transmitter charged, ready to send cross-world broadcast at any time. All for the glory of the Dominator]
Although this was very joyful news, for some reason, Alpha's heart suddenly felt a pang of bitterness... Silver Fairies were not a race with particularly harsh living requirements, but they were ultimately energy lifeforms of the Order side. In the Three Realms and Nine Heavens where flames had extinguished and light had dissipated, they could only retreat step by step. A hundred thousand years ago, they built huge Crystal Obelisks around the world, reviving ancient powerhouses. Seventy thousand years ago, they hastily evacuated from Port Fortress, leaving only the fortress intelligence to handle problems. Fifty thousand years ago, the last of them fought a decisive battle with the revived Chaos clusters caused by the fall of the Age of Gods, unleashing their remaining strength, leaving only the bloodline of his ancestors.
The Silver Fairies had burned out completely. All for the glory of the Dominator. The power contained in the bloodline allowed him to feel the Silver Fairies' extremely optimistic mindset even in the face of destruction. They felt no regret, only slight regret that they couldn't witness the world's glory and the Dominator's revival with their own eyes.
They regretted that this world, which they had maintained with their own hands for tens of thousands of years, could no longer accommodate them.
[Ah, all for the Dominator... But who exactly is the Dominator? This existence that these ancient powerhouses would rather destroy the world and extinguish flames to revive, this existence that the Ash Order calls the Heavenly Father—he, or He, is truly worth such sacrifice from everyone?]
[If he is worth it... then this Dominator must have sacrificed greatly for the beings of this Multiverse in the past. Otherwise, how could so many newly revived powerhouses, upon merely hearing the news, unhesitatingly follow Teacher and the others in running around?]
Not only Alpha, but Carlis's heart was also silent. Silver Fairies were born from the former Carlis World, a life form created by the combination of Joshua's residual power and the Carlis World. In other words, they were also her children. The extinction of the Silver Fairies in the Three Realms and Nine Heavens was also a very sorrowful matter for her.
—Hopefully, the Silver Fairies in the Carlis World are still flying happily in the outside Multiverse.
Sadness could not bring anything. The results brought by sacrifice could not be ignored. She stepped forward and patted Alpha's shoulder. Carlis's tone was calm: "Begin. Send the cross-world broadcast message."
Alpha nodded silently. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "Activate! Activate the Multiverse Information Transmitter and begin cross-world broadcast!"
[Complying with instructions]
[Activating Multiverse Information Transmitter, beginning cross-world broadcast, starting charging... Charging complete, success rate: 100%]
At the World Frontier demiplane, where the 'Great Wound' was located, a thunderclap suddenly sounded.
In the shattered, kaleidoscope-like space-time, a fluctuation of the same origin as the power entangled with Chaos began to emanate from the small fortress at the edge of the demiplane. It entered the power that had lost its master's control and was in delicate balance, like a drop of water falling into the ocean.
But its entry was not silent—instantly, light was infinite. With the entry of the same-origin power, with each resonance and amplification, the vast power capable of tearing apart all worlds, whose mere aftershocks could destroy star rivers, finally overwhelmed the Chaos power of the same Near-Saint level. It surged through, grinding the Chaos power down into nothingness.
This was the result of twelve thousand years of analysis and twelve thousand years of waiting. Everything was natural and without any accident.
Boom!!!
A violent roar resounded through the heavens. The next moment, the entire demiplane was on the verge of collapse. The power maintaining this fragile space-time disappeared. Surging Divine Power and Steel Force began to sweep through all the shattered space-time!
But this power brought not destruction. It could be seen that all ancient wounds, all annihilated things, were erased and smoothed over—the demiplane shattered, and a new world began to be born here! It could be seen that in the void, flames formed from Divine Power burned, and Steel Force condensed, beginning to shape the primordial things!
And at this moment of destruction and rebirth, within Port Fortress, still in the stable area, segment after segment of information was sent out. This information transmitted, using the world's creation and the power shaping all things to amplify itself, breaking through the frontier between this newborn world and the Three Realms and Nine Heavens—and then, it transmitted outward to the outside Multiverse.
[This is a distress signal]
The vast power sufficient to instantly create a world supported this voice. It broke through layer after layer of world barriers, arriving at the outside Multiverse Void. The moment this information appeared, its energy level leaped to the limit in an instant, sweeping through the surrounding dark void, reaching the distant World Star River.
And not far from the origin of this voice, an ancient black dragon, so old it was beyond compare, sleeping in eternal silence, heard this voice first. The light emitted by the crystal on the black dragon's chest illuminated dozens of worlds. Several Void civilizations had been established around Him. Upon hearing this voice, the black dragon raised its head in shock, causing several worlds around it to rise and fall, shaking all beings.
[All who hear this voice, please listen to my words]
This information was sent not only to the outside but also to everything within the Three Realms and Nine Heavens. It crossed the heavens and stars, ignoring all distance, transmitting all information completely to every corner of the Three Realms and all things, allowing all sentient and wise beings to hear and understand.
And in the 'Heavenly Sword Realm' and 'Earthly Axe Realm' intersecting with the Steel Continent, some sleeping wills began to awaken after being stimulated. She and he, after being thrown away in the past, exhausted their last bit of power to return. They turned into seals, assisting their master in imprisoning all Evil Gods—and now, hearing the call, they began to awaken, and all Divine Artifacts, even the Nine Heavens and constellations, trembled.
[Whoever you are, whatever race you belong to, whatever civilization you are from, whatever your alignment, whatever you are doing now, we apologize for disturbing you in your busy schedule]
In the distant Multiverse Star River, in a chaotic area, at the center of a super space-time storm raging through many World Star Rivers, was an ordinary, extremely common world. This world was a school, a very famous Transcendent academy in several Multiverse Star Rivers. Countless powerhouses and scholars had emerged from it, developing many cultivation methods and technologies, making great contributions to Order's fight against Chaos.
And now, at the top of this world, in the 'Principal's Office' on the world's inner side, a twisted space-time humanoid sitting on the World Throne heard some sound. The former Space-Time Controller, now the Multiverse Dominator, shook his head somewhat confusedly. He perked up and listened carefully. Then, he suddenly stood up. On his chaotic space-time face, which would shock and knock out anyone who merely looked at it, appeared genuine 'shock' and 'joy.'
[But all of this is closely related to you, all of this has countless connections with you, so please do not ignore it]
A traveler journeying between many Multiverse Star Rivers, not knowing where she was going, was now drifting aimlessly in the silent void. But this was not boring, because her essence was one of the hubs of the 'Multiverse Magic Net' spanning several Multiverse Star Rivers. Even in absolute nothingness, her powerful strength allowed her to connect with countless people anytime, anywhere. But even so, she could never contact the person she wanted to contact.
But now, a voice crossed all worlds. Hearing it, the drifting traveler stopped. Her loose power recondensed, forming a flawless magical body. The winged woman turned her head, looking toward the distant dark void, at some place in the endless distance. In her eyes flowed endless joy and determination.
[The Multiverse is about to face a great calamity. A person is sleeping in eternal solitude]
[His name is Joshua van Radcliffe]
In a huge Void Fortress cluster training by fighting Chaos at the edge of a Multiverse Star River, one fortress was illuminated by magnificent Holy Light, like an eternal lighthouse hanging in the dark void. Its mere existence could deter endless Chaos. Under its guidance, all fleets following its lead advanced courageously and were invincible in battle.
But in an instant, this light went out. This immediately caused all fleets to pause in shock for a moment, but good training prevented major chaos—soon, the light reignited, even brighter than before! The blazing Holy Light source even leaped directly out of the fortress, appearing in the void, revealing a huge Holy Light body. The former blonde Paladin had long become a hegemon guarding a Multiverse Star River. But even so, upon hearing that name, He still felt tears welling up.
[We need his revival, his return, to save everything once again—whether you still remember or not, whether you still know or not, the fact is this]
[I believe you have not forgotten that memory. I believe you have not lost that history]
In absolute pitch-black darkness, an elite squad was racing through the invasion of endless Chaos Monsters. This squad's composition was complex, including humans, dwarves, elves, and other beings of unknown races. Their strength was formidable; even facing billions of Chaos Monsters, they showed no fear. The squad's leader was a swordsman. He raised his head and heard the voice.
So, the swordsman drew the twin blades at his waist. The light of the destroying twin swords formed a huge cross-shaped sword scar, annihilating the endless Chaos before him. Then, the blades returned to their sheaths. He turned and left, behind him the violent energy fluctuations of endless Chaos being eliminated. The others beside the swordsman also smiled, because they too had heard that voice, so they felt no strange. At this moment, they also felt eager to return, to see what was happening.
After all, they had not forgotten.
And the voice continued to spread. It spread through the heavens and all worlds, crossing many Multiverse Star Rivers. Never had any Near-Saint been so extravagant, using the power of their limit strike merely to transmit a message—but today, this happened. A vast holy sound resounded, passing through the Abyss, through the Void, through the Genesis Maelstrom, through endless worlds with and without life. It resounded, allowing countless people to hear.
And finally, the voice came.
[I believe that just as he stepped forward without hesitation back then, today, when he needs help, you will also come without hesitation]
[I believe that the blazing fire in your hearts, the flame originating from the 'Final Flame,' the flame that has been passed down through darkness]
[Is still burning]
"—Heh."
A cold laugh came from the Abyss, which had merged into the Shadow Subspace and become part of the Shadow Realm. A Demon King showed a disdainful expression. He frowned, staring at the Multiverse beyond the Shadow Realm.
What nonsense—that person wants to awaken? Who believes that! It's been twelve thousand years. All traces of that past battle have vanished like smoke. The Multiverse Star River Grand Alliance has changed seven generations. Talking about needing help... When we were arduously pioneering our homeland in this dark Multiverse, branching out in countless shadow worlds, when we were lonely fighting in unknown territories against all enemies and all Chaos, we didn't see many people helping us!
"Your Majesty, what are you doing? Are you going to leave the Shadow Realm?"
"Shut up. Don't talk too much. Prepare my travel."
The Demon King rather roughly pushed aside the Succubus reporting official information to him, then involuntarily looked in that direction.
"Tch. They were right. Demons really do have mental illness."
"I really am crazy."
But this doesn't count as me being kind—back then, you stepped forward for us. Today, I step forward for you. Cause and effect cycle. That's all.
"—We should set out."
At the intersection of many World Star Rivers, there was an extremely prosperous huge Void City, an abnormally prosperous trade empire. It transshipped materials from many World Star Rivers and even Multiverse Star Rivers, devouring endless resources daily. No one knew who was behind this trade empire called the [First Trade Alliance]. But countless Void civilizations had tried to incorporate this Void City and its subordinate worlds into their territories, hoping to become the hegemon of the surrounding World Star Rivers, even this Multiverse Star River. But endless time passed, and the Void City still stood, while those Void civilizations that had made moves all vanished into the river of history.
And now, after that voice passed, everything became clear. With Void vibrations and space-time storms surging, in the worlds subordinate to the First Trade Alliance, one after another, huge continental-level warships, even planetary-level warships, flying the flag of 'Mycroft People,' were rising. The entire huge Void City's outer structure also began to slowly disassemble, transforming into countless small trade stations. And the Void City itself, under the shocked gaze of everyone, transformed into a massive world warship.
"It's Teacher's message... Such a long time has passed. I was starting to wonder if Teacher had forgotten us." A human male with platinum-white hair stood on the bridge. Beside him were a woman with similarly platinum-white hair, a dwarf, and a magical projection that appeared to be a human female. The four looked into the distance, commanding the fleet to turn.
"At least we're bringing Teacher a large group of disciples and disciples' disciples... Well, I'm not sure if Teacher will be happy about that."
"Cough, to be fair, I think Teacher should be happy. He's the type who likes to teach others when he has time."
"The real question is whether our disciples and disciples' disciples can withstand Teacher's training."
"—Reverse direction. Confirm coordinates!"
In the depths of the distant silent void, a huge fleet that had been advancing toward endless distances stopped its twelve-thousand-year-long expedition. The powerhouse who had long become the guardian will enveloping the entire fleet commanded this expedition fleet composed of endless steel star clusters to turn. This wandering fleet, once a lone ship, had gradually multiplied over the long years. But ah, all wandering and departure had an end. In the distance of the vast stars, at the origin of the departure place, a voice needing them was calling.
So, that will laughed loudly and gave the order.
"We're going home!"
"—If I go back like this, will the Captain and the others still recognize me?"
In the void, in some remote star river, within a huge Void civilization, the alien Great Emperor sitting on the stellar throne felt uneasy for the first time. He touched his ferocious head with tentacles, which, apart from pointed ears, had no resemblance to an elf, and expressed unease for the first time: "Will the Marshal still recognize me?—But last time we met, the Captain seemed not to recognize me."
"He was pretending not to see you. Too embarrassing. You didn't even bother to become a bit more handsome before returning. You almost scared his descendants."
Beside him, the human Mage incarnation who had been gathering earlier, the Priest incarnation who had merged Holy Light and Shadow power, and the humanoid Knight incarnation who had been force-fed spiritual liquid by the Mage and Priest and still couldn't speak a word broke free. They spoke to comfort: "But that doesn't matter at all. Now, we are so powerful. Our will is so pure—we have joined forces to conquer all worlds, pioneer territories, and strike Chaos. Whoever sees us will praise us and boast of our glory."
"But seriously, your alien true form is really ugly. You modified it, but why did you keep the pointed ears? Suddenly sprouting from bone plates is very incongruous."
"Haven't you heard that the World Tree doesn't recognize you? Stop struggling. If the Captain hadn't said not to, I really want to broadcast your appearance to him in real-time."
"Shut up!"
"—Detecting Void main signal. Code 0000000001."
Similarly, in a peripheral World Star River, a cold machine intelligence collective that was collecting resources and developing in many worlds picked up this sound. Compared to intelligent life, their actions were very simple and direct. It could be sensed that in the data virtual world, a calm command was issued.
"Awaken the original consciousness unit. 'Chu Hao Dominator Unit' activated."
"—We have been silent for too long. Bodies decayed, minds dried up. We slept in the dream of peace, falling into a long stagnation called confusion. The glory of ancient times made us live in a drunken stupor, numb and indifferent. The overly peaceful environment of the Aether Ring World made us too complacent, failing to fulfill our responsibility as inheritors of a great civilization."
In the silent void, a pitch-black, inconspicuous world suddenly lit up with endless brilliance. A powerhouse's vast voice echoed within: "We indeed forgot that memory and lost that history—but that doesn't matter, because now we have remembered."
Exactly. Because of this.
At this moment, we should set out, we should move.
"We should awaken, to seek our responsibility and glory."
The world emitting light began to move toward the distance.
—Not only that.
In the distant Starry World, a huge Psionic aggregate awakened.
—Far from only that.
Adventurers exploring the ruins of the Sage of Demons were hurriedly packing their tools, preparing to return.
—At the moment the call sounded.
The traveler exploring the end of the void, the two powerhouses respectfully called Dragon Empress and Holy Flame Great Emperor by many civilizations, happily bid farewell to a Void civilization they had helped.
—All people.
—Whether they were the upper echelons of civilizations holding supreme power in the Multiverse Alliance.
—Or those warriors fighting Chaos on the front lines, enjoying the thrill of battle and life and death.
—All people had indeed heard that voice, heard that call.
So, they acted, they responded. These beings who had inherited the flame of the 'Final Flame' still had the blazing fire in their hearts unextinguished. They continued the flame, passing the 'Final' down from generation to generation, allowing the 'hope' that always seemed about to be extinguished to continue without loss to countless generations later.
[Fire brings light and heat]
[The beginning of most civilizations starts with fire]
[Even for life born in pitch-black worlds, feeding on cold elemental Aether, not needing light and warmth, fire is not such a superficial thing]
[In this Multiverse filled with despair and sorrow, all life burns the will and faith in their hearts, turning them into their own light, dispelling darkness, illuminating the path ahead]
[This faith is fire, this will is light. This fire and light are passed down: father to son, son to grandson, teacher to disciple, disciple to those who come after—back and forth, endlessly. The flame is always transmitted through the alternation of civilizations. Even death cannot extinguish it]
[In the burned black ashes, there are always hidden sparks. And these seeds of fire will eventually ignite again, illuminating all things]
[All beings, please ensure the flame continues]
And at the World Frontier, in Port Fortress.
The group, who had sent the message and were waiting in silence, suddenly heard a long, vast dragon roar that shook the world.
"Don't worry."
An extremely solemn, extremely serious voice penetrated the world barrier. It resounded through the heavens, carrying infinite faith and determination. And simultaneously with this voice came a huge roar as if something had exploded—under everyone's shocked gaze, a force accumulated over a hundred thousand years violently struck the World Barrier at the World Frontier—this strike directly hit the only weak point of the Steel World's indestructible World Barrier, creating countless cracks in the World Frontier, even bursting open a small opening.
And a small box wrapped in a silver shell was thus sent into the World Frontier.
"I'll be right there."
"We'll be right there."