Chapter 9: Rallying Spirit (6800)
In the void beyond the world, at the boundary of the star river not too far from the "Forbidden Zone of All Things," several colossal beings were gazing from a great distance at the blazing fire that had suddenly flared up in the distance.
They had not gone to help earlier, nor had they called for that being's return, because their power was relatively too great. Due to the instinctive repulsion between powerful entities, they likely could not enter the vast world within the forbidden zone. Judging by the number of fleets that had gone ahead, the rescue force should be sufficient. Only if some unexpected situation arose would they need to lend a hand.
Among these colossal, powerful beings, some were present in their true forms, while others were merely avatars or split bodies left behind. Among them were familiar figures and unfamiliar faces. One such powerful being's avatar was a massive stellar vortex, spanning both the shadowy and normal multiversal realms, with its core Aether true form situated between the two realms, as if it were condensing a new and different multiversal prototype.
Emperor Amos, who had achieved Near-Saint status over one hundred and twenty thousand years ago, had long since departed from the many multiversal star rivers and embarked on a journey toward the end of the First Flame. It could be said that He had grown tired of the game of civilization and weary of creating and nurturing races. Alternatively, it was possible that He felt the current multiversal star rivers lacked opponents from whom He could gain anything, so He set out, heading toward the end, seeking His own path.
Unlike the vast majority of Near-Saints, who might walk the path of [Infinity] or [Eternity], Emperor Amos had chosen the path of [Absoluteness], similar to the former [Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate]. He had devoured the Abyss of the Bloody Star River, connecting the shadowy and normal multiversal realms. His "Aether true form," condensed from the sublimation of countless world stars, served as the midpoint between the two realms—a physical void rift passage.
The other Near-Saints were among the most brilliant geniuses in the Grand Multiverse Alliance. By integrating the knowledge and technology of multiple multiversal star rivers, the Grand Multiverse Alliance, even after being repeatedly destroyed and reborn seven times, could still nurture a few extraordinary Near-Saints. They were now the leaders of the four major political parties within the Grand Multiverse Alliance, commanding what was perhaps the largest coalition of forces in the multiverse.
And now, they were all thinking.
Thinking about whether they could compare to that powerful being who had "awakened" one hundred and twenty thousand years ago.
At the far end of the void, the flames grew increasingly intense, the light source brighter and brighter. It could even be seen that silver and red light were condensing into a massive rune, a great wheel. At first, the gazes and expressions of the Near-Saints could be described as "solemn," but as time passed, their expressions grew more astonished, incredulous, to the point where they seemed ready to exclaim "unbelievable," shocked beyond measure.
"No—this is not the power of a Near-Saint!"
Feeling the vast divine power expanding endlessly in the distance, along with a strange fluctuation, the avatar of Emperor Amos, who had thought he had finally caught up and could even surpass the other with his one hundred and twenty thousand years of arduous cultivation, stiffened. As the strongest among all the Near-Saints present, He could sense that behind the brilliant light of divine power, there was another inexplicable, formless fluctuation sweeping across the entire multiverse!
But unlike Holy Light, unlike Shadow, unlike any known power in all legends, this sweeping fluctuation had no tangible phenomena... However, Emperor Amos could clearly feel and confirm that something in this multiverse had been changed without anyone noticing—some shackles, some chains, had been silently opened and shattered!
"This is..."
The Emperor gazed at the light in the distance. It had completely illuminated the former Forbidden Zone of All Things, all the dark void, and under the gaze of countless lives across the multiversal star rivers, the [Φ]-shaped wheel was fully condensed. His voice was faint, indistinguishable from loss or a peculiar kind of "excitement": "Yes, indeed, it is..."
"This is the 'Sage'!"
And at this very moment, at the center of the former Time Trap·Forbidden Zone of All Things, now the location of the [Only God], the void around it had been illuminated by divine power, becoming bright and clear.
All the void fleets and individual powerful beings that had previously approached Joshua were gently pushed back by a soft force, sent to a safe distance.
Not only that, but with each distortion of time and space and violent energy fluctuation, the many powerful beings from within Joshua's inner world—the friends and family who had called for his return—were also sent away. At this moment, the sound of chaos being destroyed could still be faintly heard within the world. The moment the War God returned, all the darkness and powerful enemies that had not yet been erased vanished into nothing, like bubbles in a dream, disappearing at a touch.
There was no time to think, no time to sigh. After all this was done, the rift in the Great Source changed again. It was originally a long rift behind the deity, piercing through the endless void, a line derived from the "Origin Point of the Great Source."
But now, it could be seen that in the center of that enormous rift, countless finer "lines" were being released from the origin point, turning into streams of light. This scene was like countless light points being thrown out from the Great Source by a force, as if a divine rainstorm were descending upon the entire multiverse.
These raindrops, carrying endless light and endless flame, flew toward every corner and every end of the myriad worlds, as if to illuminate everything from ancient times to the present. Whether it was the bright center of a multiversal star river or the pitch-black edge of the multiverse, the light shone, descending equally.
The people watching this scene were initially confused, but as each "raindrop of light" flashed before their eyes, even the Near-Saints could not help but be shocked. No matter which light point—big or small, bright or dark—each contained a powerful aura, as if it were a deity!
No, it was a deity!
—This is the return of the gods!
Not having gone to the Time Trap·Forbidden Zone of All Things, now the location of Joshua, the former [Unified Will of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground], now the [Central Hub of the Super-Temporal Network] holding Near-Saint power, analyzed the truth behind those light points faster than anyone else. Each raindrop represented the holy emblem of a deity, each raindrop held all the divine power of a deity! They turned into a rain of light, bathing all worlds of the multiverse in gentle divine power!
It could be seen that countless deities, transformed into light points, were flying through the void in strange trajectories, carrying their power. They returned along their orbits, descending. Some returned to worlds that still had life, still had civilization. Some even returned to the capitals of civilizations. Of course, besides that, some deities descended into the void, in the midst of large tracts of world wreckage, or even in the "Silent Void" where there was nothing at all.
And in these once-empty areas, there had once been brilliant civilizations and powerful legends of deities. Even though endless time had passed, civilizations had been annihilated, races had been exterminated, and even worlds had ceased to exist, in the infinitely distant ancient era, these places indeed had myths and legends of deities entering extinction and returning to the source.
And now, they had all returned, descending again upon this world for which they had given everything.
All light-chasers, all light-chasers who could observe, stared intently at this scene.
Having left the Three Realms and Nine Heavens, the overseers of their own homelands were now in the void, watching the true form of the world they had once lived in.
They saw that it was the center of the chest of an infinitely massive giant god. The vast expanse where all light-chasers lived was merely a part around a component called the "Core Igniter" within the giant god's "World Central Domain."
But in that insignificant little area, on that actually vast continent, countless myths and epics belonging to the light-chasers had been born. Countless heroes and races had sung tragic songs there, giving everything to fight against chaos and the harsh environment.
And now, the world that carried all their memories had awakened. Their creator and heavenly father had returned to this multiverse. So everything that had passed, even the ashes that had long since become historical nothingness, was forcibly pulled back and recreated in this world! It could be seen that at the end of the former Age of Gods, those deities who had inexplicably fallen and disappeared were now all returning. And all the myriad beings and countless races who had died and sacrificed because of this were all instantly resurrected, as if they had never died.
It could be seen that when all races were moved out of the giant god's inner world, silver light points danced within its body. They were the only ones left behind, or rather, the race that should have been there. They were laughing, praising the master who had never forgotten them, and whom they had never forgotten.
There was no time to sigh, no time to think. Even the Near-Saints could not figure out what was happening at that moment. And just then, a long, desolate horn sound rang out from nowhere, resounding throughout the entire multiverse.
It was the horn of charge, the horn of battle, the horn that meant never looking back, destined to press forward, the horn that meant never retreating, bound to be unstoppable!
This sound echoed throughout the multiverse, and from then on, battle itself had meaning. Whether the battle was started for any reason, whether it achieved its goal, whether the victor plundered the power of the vanquished after the battle ended—as long as there was a battle and a result, the combatant could gain power from the surrounding world!
—Just as with enough imagination and faith, one could awaken Psionic Energy; with enough perception and wisdom, one could draw upon Arcane Power; with enough affinity for all things, one could summon Elemental Force; with a sufficiently firm and pure heart, one could drive Aether.
—Just as with enough intense desire in the heart, Life Energy would respond from the depths of life; with a willingness to dedicate and help, Holy Light would descend from the boundless void; with a desire to break free from all shackles and imprisonment, Shadow could overflow from the most hidden places.
Just like that, as long as one wanted to fight and went to fight, one could gain power, obtain "experience," and then "level up"!
An incredible force surged, baptizing all beings of the myriad worlds. In an instant, countless life races were changed, gaining talents, increasing their power, or obtaining completely different "future possibilities"! Regardless of whether the being who gained this power would become a "Demon King" who killed everything mercilessly for power or a "Warrior" who fought for all beings, at least this was a brand new possibility. It was a power that was absolutely fair yet absolutely unfair, regardless of good and evil, regardless of race!
And the true enemy of this power was "Chaos" itself. Killing chaos brought more experience and advancement options than killing any orderly existence. Its creator loathed all "unchanging eternity" and all "stagnant futures." Whether it was a stagnant void race or an ancient civilization trapped in an endless cycle, as long as one fought against these sorrowful things and defeated them, the combatant could gain the power to restart these stagnant beings, bringing infinite possibilities!
This "change" echoing through the multiverse was gradually transforming all things. But this act, which had shocked everyone, was not all. It could be seen that behind the reawakened giant god, a massive steel wheel emerged from the void behind it. The silver Steel Force and the red divine flame were divided into two opposing realms by the colossal divine body. And each time it turned, it seemed to contain the possibility of the birth and death of myriad worlds.
Even more terrifying than the return of the gods were the distortions of time and space and the void phenomena, making all beings watching this scene tremble!
It could be seen that around the giant god, a river of cessation formed from the light of countless stars appeared. It was born from light, spiraling in the void. This river surrounded the giant god, shimmering with brilliant light, and at its end was a dark, hazy, infinite void. Many powerful beings from various worlds, all Steel Serpents, were extremely familiar with this, because this stagnant river of cessation and the endless void were exactly the scene at the core of all worlds, the dwelling place of the Steel Serpent, the "Inner Side of the World"!
The stagnant river of starlight (the past) and the infinite trajectory of nothingness (the future)... This scene, which should only appear on the Inner Side of the World, was now beginning to appear in the void of the multiverse with the will of the giant god. Not only that, above the giant god's head, countless brilliant stars, echoing the light points of the gods, also began to appear one by one, shining with endless radiance.
"What I demand is the impossible 'change'!"
The giant god's voice echoed through the void. It could be seen that the stagnant river, filled with countless memories and information from countless worlds, the river that had become destined and should not be changed, representing the past, suddenly began to surge violently. Just as before, when the endless divine power radiance returned from the Great Source to the multiverse, this "stagnant river," which had long been determined and thus stopped, was revived for a brief moment!
And because of the revival of the stagnant river, at its end, in that infinite void, a point of incredible light began to appear. This light was faint at first but instantly burst forth, infinitely brilliant. It began to explode, to spread, to generate countless tributaries and countless forks within that endless nothingness. Its birth nurtured infinite possibilities, infinite "uncertainty"!
"What I demand is that which cannot be 'determined'!"
In all the Inner Sides of the World, in all existing Inner Sides of the World, at the end of the stagnant river, in the "nothingness" shrouded by darkness, light began to gradually shine. The same light, echoing the changes produced beside the giant god at the other end of the multiverse, flowed and shimmered, illuminating all possible futures.
[In this multiverse, where all things are connected to the 'First Flame,' since the past has happened, it absolutely cannot be changed. Any being that attempts to defy time must face the bombardment from the 'Great Source of the Multiverse' itself—at least, in this multiverse, this is the truth.]
[Therefore, the 'past' cannot be changed. What has happened cannot be redone. Even resurrection after death is merely a manifestation of a powerful being's might, the gentle side of transcendent power. It does not erase the fact that they 'died once'... But unlike the 'past,' the 'future' should be infinite.]
[The 'future' should be an endless branching, an infinite number of paths, an uncountable number of tributaries, an unimaginable number of possibilities—the end of the stagnant river, which truly represents everything that has happened, should be an infinitely vast possibility. How could it have created such a dark nothingness?]
The answer was simple.
—Because, in this multiverse, the first, the original 'Sage.'
—Because, in this multiverse, the 'Sage' who represents the 'future.'
He had stopped moving forward.
He no longer continued to step forward, nor even looked into the distance. The 'Future Sage' looked back, turning His head toward the initial light called 'the Past and Origin.'
[He is Alpha, He is Omega]
[He is the Beginning, and also symbolizes the End]
[He intends to recreate all things, to bring all things under His control]
[Giving all things His 'future'—that is His purpose]
But now, because the 'dead' had been 'resurrected,' because all the gods who had left this multiverse due to 'Divine Annihilation' in the past, all the gods who should have been isolated in the First Flame, having no further connection to the multiverse and unable to influence anything, equivalent to 'extinction,' had all been revived by the [Only God], everything had changed.
Infinite tributaries, carrying infinite possibilities, along countless forks, forcibly broke through the 'dark nothingness.' It could be seen that ahead of the stagnant river, there were seven exceptionally bright, blazing lights. However, the first three light points were no longer brilliant, as if they had been eroded by darkness, their cores annihilated.
And the vast, surging light current raised by Joshua passed them without pause. He rushed past the initial Psionic Energy, passed the succeeding Arcane Power, and sped by the spreading Life Energy. He continued to advance, heading toward his own 'Eternal Node.'
And midway, a force rose from the void, attempting to intercept this flame. From the initial nothingness, darkness overflowed, obscuring the initial radiance. And in the distant future, chaos devoured all possibilities, surging upstream.
The 'Sage who opened the future,' who occupied the beginning, and the 'Master of Infinite Futures,' who represented the end, this power spreading from both ends was leaping. He struck from afar, seemingly trying to block this light. But His interception did not succeed.
Because a giant sword descended, severing the 'past,' and a great axe swung, cutting off the 'future.' They pierced through ancient and modern times, cutting off the other end, making the 'present' temporarily independent, unaffected by anything except 'everything in the present.' But likewise, the wielder of the sword and axe also severed their connection to their 'Eternal Node.'
[Ah...]
A long sigh, or perhaps a laugh, came from the infinitely distant other end. This voice was indescribable, incomprehensible. Every detail of the information it contained appeared simultaneously in different regions of the multiverse, in different time systems. Unless one could perceive the entire multiverse at once, one could never understand the full meaning of its message.
[Is it worth it?]
[You returned your 'Only God Divine Power,' revived the gods, and returned the multiverse to the 'Age of Many Gods.' This nullified the results of your endless battles within the Great Source against all gods. As the holder of 'Only God Divine Power,' you originally had the strength and qualification to directly participate in the 'War of the Sages.']
[But you abandoned all of it. You gave up the 'Eternal Node,' your greatest trump card, and countless chances to start over, just to break the shackles I casually set.]
In response to this voice, even Joshua showed a solemn expression. He silently raised his head, gazing into the infinite distance.
[Gods after Divine Annihilation are not truly dead. They simply cannot bear the power of the Great Source and merge into the First Flame. But how great is the binding of the First Flame? They are shrouded by the event horizon of the Great Source, naturally equivalent to non-existence.]
[Only Sage-level power can break free from the event horizon of the Great Source. But even a Sage cannot enter the First Flame, let alone rescue the gods. Otherwise, why would you have planned all this?]
His will also spread throughout the multiverse, responding to that 'voice.' He chuckled lightly, but the 'infinite' power around him was gradually weakening, fading away.
[I spent an incalculable amount of time defeating all the gods within the Great Source, seizing their divine power. I denied the divinity of all gods, negated their authority. I swept through all gods, ascended to the Only One, becoming the sole master, the only deity.]
[At that time, I was divine power, I was 'God.' I was the concrete manifestation of the infinite divine power derived from the First Flame, the Sage of Gods. I was naturally located within the First Flame, so I could naturally break free.]
[Releasing all gods and returning all divine power would indeed cause me to lose the authority of the 'Only God,' splitting the 'Sage of Gods' into myriad gods... I also severed the past and future, abandoned my own 'Eternal Node,' and could no longer be 'destined to become a Sage,' starting over again and again to fight you.]
—But so what?
"Divine power is something I never wanted from the beginning. I simply threw away what I didn't want and then walked my own path again!"
At this moment, the Sage's power waned. All the observing Near-Saints felt the infinite existence fall from the distant other end, returning to this multiverse itself. And his voice no longer echoed throughout the multiverse, but was merely his own muttering.
But before they could understand what this scene meant, before they could be shocked and terrified by it—once again, a new power, an infinite aura, rose anew from the place of decline!
"And for me, 'a hundred million or even infinite chances' are no different from 'one chance.' 'Miracle' and 'victory' only need 'one' time!"
—As for whether it was worth it.
"All salvation, as long as it comes from a sincere wish, is worth it."
"And the battle I want has nothing to do with the cause, nor with the result."
Achieving Sage, falling from Sage, and finally returning to Sage—in a short time, major events that could be remembered by the entire multiverse had happened several times casually. And some dull beings could not even sense this thrilling rise and fall for the entire multiverse.
And at this moment, the returned warrior finally had time to look around himself. He could see his family, his friends, his confidants, his companions—all were here. The connections for which he had fought and sacrificed in the past were all present... No, one was missing.
Laughing heartily, Joshua reached out and pulled the steel star fleet, which had set out one hundred and twenty thousand years ago, traveled too far, and still hadn't arrived, to his side amidst their bewildered gazes. Then, he looked at all his comrades like this, and the fighting spirit within him spread endlessly.
—Those who tried to take them away, who tried to take away the hope of all beings in the multiverse.
—Whoever it was, I would not let them go.
"Rally your spirits!"
Surrounded by everyone, the warrior said to all present. Amidst cheers that could extinguish stars, he loudly declared his proclamation, which he had shouted countless times but had never tired anyone—
"It's time to fight!"