Chapter 12: Beholding the Sages

Chapter 12: Beholding the Sages

"Joshua, what is it that you truly desire? Is it battle? Is it hope? Or is it because you pity this multiverse..."
As the infinite existence raced toward the end of origin, countless prayers and thoughts arose toward Him.

"Joshua, is infinity your goal? Is eternity your purpose? If not, then why were you born into this world?"

The vast majority of prayers and thoughts were meaningless noise. Rather than begging for salvation, it would be better to set out now. The endless evil gods were tools for the Future Sage to collect all 'memories' of this multiverse, and also part of His own body. When all sages journeyed to the origin of the multiverse, everyone had to rely on themselves to resist the instinct of this 'partial body of the Sage'.

This was the advantage the Future Sage gained by occupying the beginning, and also the trial that all beings of the multiverse, including all later sages, had to face. No one could be spared, no one could avoid it.

But in that endless torrent of information, the question from his close friend Carlis could not be avoided.

The reincarnation of the Steel Serpent was gazing at the 'Path of Light' imprinted in the void of the multiverse as the radiance departed. She was the great contributor who awakened Joshua, the door that witnessed Joshua's initial awakening, and the key that unlocked the final conclusion. The Carlis World was where Joshua first realized the 'contradiction between order and chaos', and the first world he tried his utmost to save. And now, at the very end, she wanted to know the true thoughts of the now fully awakened 'Joshua'.

And the answer was exactly the same as what the man who ignited a flame in the center of a barren, dead world one hundred and twenty thousand years ago had in mind.

—Love?
—Hope?
—Infinity, possibility, eternity?

My close friend, just as you regard 'battle' as a 'means' to pursue 'love' and 'hope', 'infinity' and 'eternity', what I do is merely use 'infinity' and 'eternity', 'hope' and 'courage' as weapons to 'fight'.

[I am the boundary between yin and yang, the dividing point between light and darkness.]
[I am the opposition of good and evil, the conflict of life and death.]
[I am the miracle that opposes the 'future that dominates fate', I am the destruction that opposes 'existence controlled by others'.]
[What I want is to fight against everything ordinary and extraordinary—what I want is to fight against the unpredictable future and destined fate. Therefore, I need infinity and eternity, courage and hope, and... my 'path'.]
[I am Joshua van Radcliffe. All beings, if you cannot escape the eternal contradiction, then I am all conflict.]

The infinite flame raced along the light of the magic tide toward the end of origin. He crossed distances that all near-saints could not traverse even in 'infinite' time. The warrior passed through the surging tide of endless energy, extending his power into the range truly covered by the light of the First Flame, into the final battlefield.

He arrived at the periphery of the First Flame, which was moving away from the beings of the multiverse.

And at the very first moment, Joshua discovered.

At the edge of the battlefield, there were three infinitely bright, infinitely shining, infinitely overflowing 'stars'.

But they had all been extinguished, never to return.

[Beholding Magic]

He could see the fallen remains.

It was a rainbow-colored light cluster that shimmered with all colors, more complex than the most intricate rainbow. But at the center of this cluster was pure blazing white—it was the most powerful 'jet source' in this multiverse. The incredibly intricate and dazzling rainbow halo was its event horizon, but all matter could only leave from it, never enter.

It only gave, never took. It only bestowed, never accepted returns. It unreservedly, selflessly granted 'infinite magic power' to the entire multiverse.

It was the corpse of the Magic Sage, and also one of the sources of infinity, the origin of the 'Magic Tide'. A true, 'big-banging' infinite singularity.

Its power pierced through endless worlds. All heavens and stars received its grace. Its power broke through the vast distance between the First Flame and the many multiversal star rivers, linking the two ends that were about to separate, becoming the initial path and beacon for all later comers.

The infinite flame passed over it. The warrior felt reverence.

[Beholding Life]

He could see the fallen remains.

It was a spiral galaxy like a world star river, like a multiversal star river, composed of countless worlds that were self-creating and self-destroying. The infinite worlds within this galaxy repeated destruction and rebirth, cycling endlessly, without beginning or end—yet an immensely vast wave spread from within it, sweeping across the entire multiverse. All remaining free matter in the multiverse was invisibly influenced by this wave, gradually resonating into its form.

It influenced all worlds, maintaining the cycle. It caused the many star rivers that should have long been annihilated to gain new life time and again. Its power was the source of the form and nearly eternal self-cycle of the many multiversal star rivers and world star rivers in the existing multiverse.

It was the corpse of the Life Sage, and also one of the sources of infinity, the origin of the 'existing order of all worlds'. A 'first-type perpetual motion machine' capable of infinite cycles, infinite rebirth, and infinite continuation.

Its power created endless worlds. All heavens and realms were made through it. Its power reversed entropy increase, causing destruction to be reborn. Infinite negative entropy filled the void. Without chaos, this power would have been enough to gradually reshape the entire damaged multiverse. But even if it did not succeed, it was still the creator of all existing life.

The infinite flame passed over it. The warrior felt admiration.

[Beholding Soul]

He could see the fallen remains.

It was a huge carcass of a segmented worm made of spiritual substance. It seemed dead, but its 'spiritual' brain was still functioning. Silver-blue light shimmered within its infinitely complex thinking structure, resonating with all 'souls' in the multiverse, reflecting each other—it seemed to do nothing, leave nothing behind, but that was the most important thing.

It influenced the multiverse, interfering with the spread and coverage of chaos. It made it difficult for individuals of all civilizations, after generating souls and giving birth to Steel Serpents, to be eroded and 'recorded' by chaos, thus giving birth to 'dead eternity'.

It was the corpse of the Psionic Sage, and also one of the sources of infinity, a materialized 'resistance algorithm against chaos'. It defined what order, soul, and wisdom were. It created souls but severed the connection with its own creations, granting all true spirits 'indestructibility' and 'independence'.

It neutralized chaos's memory ability, creating the first firewall for all beings of all worlds. Even if a civilization was destroyed, as long as the evil gods incarnated from chaos were not nearby, it would be too late for them to record and transform. This reduced the source of evil gods in the multiverse by nearly one hundred percent, sealing the Future Sage's most adept method and creating the initial opportunity for all later comers.

The infinite flame passed over it. The warrior felt gratitude.

By now, Joshua understood very clearly.

[The passing of all sages was their own choice.]

Even the Future Sage, who was born first, held the advantage of time, knew the methods and means of later sages' advancement, and occupied all first-mover advantages, could never quickly defeat or completely eliminate another sage before its recording progress reached one hundred percent, making it a true [Pan-Multiverse Mayfly].

It could only force another sage to admit their own failure—and once the sage themselves admitted failure, even in infinite parallel universes, there would be no possibility to start over... And perhaps to leave hope for later comers to win, to leave the foundation for reshaping the multiverse, and to set an eternal beacon for all beings, the three sages chose to admit their own failure.

And then, just like that, they transformed into three 'stars' floating around the First Flame, infinitely brilliant and infinitely overflowing, three infinite entities that even the Future Sage could not destroy.

They were indeed defeated—the three initial sages admitted they could not overcome the 'future', so they chose to use everything they had to nurture new later comers, using 'future' to counter 'future'.

And the 'Future Sage' was also willing to do so—rather than endlessly fighting forever, with both sides never able to achieve their goals and interfering with its progress in recording all multiverse information, it was better to give both sides 'possibility'.

And its chance of success far exceeded the combined efforts of all others—in other words, wanting to defeat it in this multiverse where it already held absolute advantage was simply impossible.

[Therefore, a miracle is needed.]

—Is a miracle a 'possibility' without reason, defying logic, and completely irrational?

No, that is not called a miracle. Rather, if such a thing could happen, it would represent 'complete domination'. If it were not possible to completely dominate the entire multiverse, such a thing could never occur.

Perhaps a miracle does have the implication of 'countless variables superimposed, creating an impossible possibility', but where do those infinite variables come from?

Is their very birth also a miracle?

No... of course not. It is countless 'preparations', countless 'sacrifices', and countless 'inheritances' gathered together that can give birth to such a thing!

Just like the three sages who passed away. For ordinary life to resist the power of the Future Sage was an 'impossible thing'. But the successive sacrifices, dedications, and inheritances of the three sages gave the beings of this multiverse the most basic resistance to chaos, the most basic foundation—the 'impossible' was thus reversed, and a glimmer of life appeared.

And Joshua incarnated as this.

[A miracle is an unusual thing, an extraordinary thing, a very difficult thing to achieve, something beyond everyone's expectations.]
[Just like, in a world without transcendence, transcendence appears.]
[Just like, a will from a world without transcendence, thirsting for battle, descends into a world full of transcendence and countless battles.]

—Carlis, I do not need the meaning of battle, nor do I need to become some 'War', 'Battle', or 'Conflict' Sage.
—Only those who yearn for something will want something, will create something. Similarly, only those who have not yet become 'something', who still lack something, will want to become 'something'.
—I do not need to yearn for the power of resistance.

[Because, I, am battle.]
[And now, I choose...]
[To become a miracle.]

—I, who came from another multiverse or an unknown world, arrived in this world full of battle—if this cannot be called a miracle, then what can?

The infinite flame continued to race forward. The warrior, like thunder, stirred up violent waves in the shimmering light of the First Flame.

—All things progress through struggle, strive forward through competition. I am the incarnation of this spirit, this instinct. At the same time, I am also a miracle that surpasses myself. I am the only and irreproducible possibility that transcends this multiverse!

[Beholding Shadow]

He could see the churning shadow.

In the light of the origin, shadows lurked and fluctuated. Light from infinite parallel worlds pierced through it, but was also eroded by it. The huge silhouette demon noticed the racing flame and laughed heartily.

[You have finally arrived, my later comer, my friend. You are very late, but you have surpassed yourself, surpassed battle. This truly...]
[Is like a 'miracle'.]

The shadow connecting infinity seemed to be resisting something. At the origin point of the current multiverse, infinite existences were resisting each other. Their war spanned infinite domains, fighting from every angle of time and space, canceling and erasing each other.

The burning flame passed over it, revealing a smile.

[Beholding Element]

He could see the condensed crystal.

In the light of the origin, a huge crystal formed by the condensation of countless elements floated in the dark mist. It seemed to be dragged into the worst possibility among infinite parallel worlds, but it took root in endless parallel worlds, piercing through all connections. The crystalline life noticed the racing flame and sighed with emotion.

[Truly remarkable. To attain sagehood twice, both times so naturally. Seeing you, I feel that these countless years of resistance were not meaningless.]
[Hurry on. We have joined forces to hold back the future, but we are still slightly inferior. We must not let it succeed!]

In the distance, around the First Flame, large patches of shadow could be vaguely seen. The infinitely vast, infinitely expanding source of light, the foundation of the multiverse's birth, seemed to be wrapped by an immensely huge mist cluster. The 'Infinite Ring' plan that the original civilizations had failed to achieve seemed on the verge of success now, and far more successful than they could have imagined!

The burning flame passed over it, proving its will.

[Beholding Aether]

He could see the invisible vortex.

In the light of the origin, a 'field life' composed of countless invisible force fields was being blown by a wind sweeping across infinite parallel worlds. It seemed to want to blow apart the structure of this field life, crush it, shatter it, and scatter it across the most desolate and hopeless scorched earth of all parallel worlds. But it followed this wind piercing infinite time and space, passing through billions upon billions of worlds without changing a single bit. The field life noticed the racing flame and felt gratified.

[Although I do not quite understand the meaning of battle, and even fail to grasp why this multiverse has become such a terrible state, I do know that fighting and defeating the future is the only way to restore everything to peace.]
[Do not worry about us. Since we have persisted for countless years, we can naturally continue to resist it for countless more—miracle of eternal battle, let us join forces to end this sorrowful ring that runs through everything!]

That immensely huge mist cluster was countless mayflies. They surrounded the First Flame, recording all information and possibilities emanating from it. They spread chaos, infecting all created things with their existence. They constructed eternal death for eternal remembrance, using infinite power to dominate the infinite future.

The burning flame passed over it, showing its resolve.

—Then, the final, final.

The flame arrived at the place closest to the First Flame, where it was directly entangled with the endless mayfly swarm, with 'It', with the 'future'.

[Finally... Beholding, Holy Light.]

He could see a cluster of light, warm and soft like the First Flame, as if nurturing everything and embracing everything.

This light-formed figure was riddled with holes, seemingly wounded time and again, but it never retreated half a step. Instead, it repeatedly repelled the attempts of the infinite mayfly swarm to completely envelop the First Flame. At the same time, this light was also advancing as much as possible, seemingly wanting to break through layers of blockade and countless obstacles, then completely merge itself into the 'First Flame'. And at this moment, the holy radiant figure noticed the racing flame. It gazed at the warrior, then revealed a smile.

[Hurry... my fellow seeker, my inheritor, finally one who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me, Joshua van Radcliffe, Sage of Miracles... Lend me your strength, join me in piercing through the future's blockade, and send me into the First Flame!]
[Take me as a sacrifice, a sage most similar to the First Flame as a sacrifice, and we can slightly alter the nature of the First Flame, reshape the foundation of the multiverse, rendering all of 'future's' actions futile and all its plans void!]
[This way, it will also make the 'future' realize that mere 'memory' is utterly meaningless. Only 'recollection' and 'love' are the true essence of existence!]

The will of the radiant figure was filled with great enlightenment, great determination. No life had ever loved all beings of the multiverse so sincerely, wanted to help all things of the multiverse so much—and even for the 'Future Sage', who wanted to remember and dominate all things of the multiverse, it still held hope.

The flame burned, silent. Facing the Holy Sage he had always pursued, that pure white figure etched into the hearts of all humans, the warrior wanted to say many things, to declare many things.

But in the end, facing the Holy Sage's request, the burning flame flickered, as if shaking its head.

—He still said that answer he had always liked and most often used.

"No."

Joshua slowly revealed a smile. The warrior's face was extremely resolute.

"I refuse."

Final Chapter: With the Fire in the Heart, Burn Through All Realms—This Is—

[You refuse?]

Hearing this, the Holy Sage was first stunned, then smiled with relief.

[Ah. That's right. You are 'miracle and battle'. Whenever there is a choice involving sacrifice, you will inevitably refuse.]

A miracle is like that.

Just like when a place suffers a great disaster, with torrential rain, earth-splitting, and mountain-collapsing, but when it ends, not a single person is found dead—that is a miracle.

Just like when a country is invaded, and the army and people all fight fearlessly, day and night, but not a single person dies, and the enemy is defeated—that is a miracle.

—If the multiverse faced an unprecedented crisis, and countless people sacrificed themselves, countless people gave their all, countless people paid the price, using all their 'today' to exchange for a sliver of hope for 'tomorrow', and only then barely ended the crisis.

—Can this be called a miracle?

No! This is not a miracle!

"Holy Sage, I am a stronger expert than you."

From within the infinitely burning flame, a hand extended. This huge arm pressed down on the shoulder of the 'Holy Light', gently pushing aside the dazzling light figure.

And stepping forward, taking its place, facing the impact of countless mayflies, the warrior's steady voice resounded through all heavens and all worlds.

"I have already surpassed you—so I am the one who can make the choice."

"And I will choose an 'absolute victory' where not a single person is hurt, not a single person dies, all regrets can be redeemed, and the 'future' has no shadow or sorrow!"

—One-life clear in the game!
—Strong enemy defeated in one go!

An absolutely perfect ending! A final chapter without regrets!

And the best future!

He cultivated the path of transcendence, slew endless chaos and countless evil gods. He fought and burned in despair, fighting alone in the First Flame for one hundred and twenty thousand years—if 'sacrifice' could 'save', if 'sacrifice' could 'win', then what was the use of 'warriors' and 'battle'?!

He, Joshua, had fought until now, not to let the people and things he cared about and loved 'sacrifice' themselves!

And the pushed-aside Holy Sage showed a momentary expression of shock. Not only that, 'Shadow', 'Element', 'Aether', and even the 'Future Sage' that enveloped the First Flame, seemingly about to completely wrap it, all cast shocked glances. Countless thoughts cycled under the illumination of the First Flame.

But there was no communication.

The contradiction between the two sides needed no communication at all. The conflict of paths, the battle of correctness, this eternal 'opposition', even without a word, was a fight to the death.

And at this moment, having already replaced the Holy Sage, wedged into the last tiny gap of the 'Multiverse Mayfly Dyson Sphere' that was about to envelop the infinite First Flame, Joshua stretched out his four heaven-and-earth-creating arms, firmly propping open the fissure.

And his will, even without words, resounded in the hearts of all sages present, and even all life in the multiverse!

—Sacrifice is a shortcut!—

By having someone give up something, pay a price, to resist something, it's like a child throwing a tantrum to an adult... Victory obtained through sacrifice is simply taking a shortcut, cheating!

True victory... truly complete victory, does not require anyone to sacrifice, anyone to pay a price. It is 'step by step, walking steadily with the help of all predecessors', and then 'punch by punch, knocking down the powerful enemy fair and square'—that's it! Through the strongest power, the best talent, the hardest effort, and the best luck and opportunity! From the absolute dark abyss, forge a radiant path to the heavens!

That's it. Only a victory obtained like this is the hardest, most painful, most glorious, and most praiseworthy victory!

Yes, this is very difficult, too difficult. Rather, how could anyone possibly achieve this?! It is completely unreasonable, almost impossible to succeed!

But if one doesn't do it just because it's 'too difficult', then what is the use of fighting? What is the use of striving? What is the use of opportunity and struggle?

Break the sharp edge at its keenest, save the tide at its most perilous!

All people, all life, are all warriors, heroes of themselves! All beings, all worlds, are born to resist and fight against this multiverse where everything is 'too difficult'!

"And I am the incarnation of all this!"

Joshua's will shook the flame, causing sparks around the First Flame to waver—in this instant, the event light cone that 'bound' the Shadow Sage was shattered, the bad possibility that 'held back' the Element Sage was expelled, and the wind of destruction that 'forced' the Aether Sage ceased.

And now, the warrior replaced the Holy Light, blocking the direct impact of the 'Future Sage'!

[You are absolutely right. Sacrifice is indeed a shortcut.]

The pushed-aside Holy Light, having experienced Joshua's power, began to repair itself. It gazed at the warrior's back, then smiled with relief and asked.

[But making a choice means bearing the possibility of failure.]
[Joshua, if this 'miracle' challenge is destined for our failure—if the future of the multiverse no longer holds any independent intelligent life, nor any resistance. If the multiverse exists, but there is no mind to perceive it, and no mind can understand our past resistance and struggle... If we are like a fleeting dream, forgotten upon waking, like a book that is closed and never opened again.]
[If we exist, but are meaningless, like information transmitted among endless mayflies.]

He asked calmly.

[If so, will you still persist? This meaningless resistance and battle.]

"Victory and meaning?"

The response was merely a sneer.

"I just want to fight—victory, result, hope, courage—what does that have to do with me? Even if I am destined to fail, destined to be forgotten, even if my life is utterly meaningless."

"At this moment, I still fight. Even if it is against the future, against eternity, against all things that are 'too difficult', and even against the conclusion of this multiverse—"

Joshua, without hesitation, passed the position where the Holy Sage had been. He shattered this layer of future mayfly obstruction and headed deeper into the First Flame. His final will was transmitted at this moment.

"It is the same!"

[—You are truly a fool.]

The 'Shadow', having broken free from the 'Infinite Event Light Cone' and beginning to move toward where Joshua was going, let out a mocking laugh.

[—Just like us.]

The 'Element', having escaped the 'Worst Possible World' and beginning to move toward where Joshua was going, let out a self-deprecating remark.

[—Repeating meaningless things countless times, yet expecting different results.]

The 'Aether', having freed itself from the 'Wind of Annihilating Existence' and beginning to move toward where Joshua was going, laughed heartily.

[Isn't this our own portrayal?]

[This is...]
[This is the will of a miracle?]

The Holy Sage's gentle self-talk echoed beside the remaining flame. It began to move toward where Joshua was going. Along the way, the blazing flame's light was even more dazzling than the First Flame.

[But to win, sacrifice is necessary. This multiverse has always been like this, and now is no exception.]

It caught up with Joshua, who was continuously advancing, penetrating deeper into the mayfly swarm, approaching the First Flame.

[Facing the future's absolute advantage, even with you added, we can at most maintain a stalemate—if the evil gods outside destroy the entire multiverse, then even we will inevitably be defeated. To ensure victory, sacrifice is necessary.]

"Just because it has always been like this, does that make it right?!"

Such stubborn responses, such firm refusals. Joshua's body rose with infinite radiance, power sufficient to dominate all possibilities and all laws spreading, sweeping away the surrounding mayflies—but the mayflies were also endless. They surged from the direction of the First Flame, carrying power enough to sweep through infinite worlds, trying to suppress all the sages following.

The warrior now felt the pressure the Holy Light had faced before—the infinite surging 'memories', the infinite pressing 'power', the infinite flooding 'information' and 'will'.

[I will create infinite parallel worlds, infinite future possibilities, and then, on top of infinity, surpass infinity, from a corner of the multiverse to a larger stage!]
[I admit, I have the possibility of failure, but that is the price paid for final victory, a small sacrifice.]

In this area closest to the First Flame, the deepest and most solid will of the Future Sage was concentrated. It was wrapping and covering the First Flame, swallowing the source of the multiverse into its belly—and when it succeeded, the 'Infinite Future Dominator' and 'Pan-Multiverse Mayfly' would be born!

—The swarm of infinite evil gods and the mayflies continuously spreading from the First Flame were actually two sides of the same coin of the 'Future Sage' in this multiverse.

If other sages spent time exterminating the evil gods in the multiverse, the mayflies could take the opportunity to expand their advantage, wrapping more or even all of the First Flame, achieving their goal—in that case, the existence of evil gods would no longer be necessary.

But similarly, if the sages went to the origin of the First Flame to fight against the 'Future Sage', they would inevitably be firmly held back by another 'infinite' existence, forced to sit by and watch the chaotic evil gods, which had an infinitely greater advantage relative to order, gradually erode the eras and worlds of order.

By the time all of the multiverse was eroded, the First Flame would be wrapped by the Future Sage from an even larger perspective—the outcome would still be the same.

And when the First Flame was blocked by the combined power of the sages, unable to leak out, and continuously moving away from the many multiversal star rivers, no longer giving birth to more multiversal star rivers, it meant that the 'Chaotic Evil God' side held the 'future', while the 'Order' side was destined to be destroyed by the other in the 'dead end'.

Holding the two advantages of 'ancientness' and 'future', the 'Future Sage' was, from this perspective, truly invincible.

This multiple-choice question had no option for both. A and B, one had to be chosen, and only one could be chosen.

And no matter which was chosen, it represented failure.

[Do you understand now? You are destined to fail.]

Even though it could not materialize the worst future or the most terrifying attack from infinite parallel worlds, and could only fight Joshua with its own 'mayfly' body, the Future Sage's will seemed to mock.

[All your efforts are meaningless.]

"But that does not mean we should give up."

"The meaning of my existence, the meaning of life's existence, and even the meaning of 'future', 'you and yours', is to shatter all impossibilities."

Joshua punched out, penetrating deeper into the First Flame—if this punch were thrown in the outside multiversal star river, the negative entropy it carried would be enough to overflow into thousands upon thousands of worlds, blast out the prototype of a Genesis Maelstrom, form a 'basic infinite cycle', and create a world star river. But here, it only shattered some insignificant mayflies, destroyed an infinitesimal fraction of the Future Sage's body, and was even less than the number it created anew.

But at this moment, the Holy Sage, Shadow, Element, and Aether also joined in. With five sages joining hands, resisting the pressure of the 'Future Sage' was naturally no longer difficult. But even so, they could not achieve results.

It could be felt that the Future Sage at this moment was also going all out. The power that had previously been more than enough to resist four sages was now fully used to fight against Joshua, the newly born sage.

—The battle between infinite existences transcends time, space, matter, and energy.

Their existence and will could pierce through all worlds and even every corner of the multiverse. They could fight and counterattack in every corner of infinite space simultaneously.

If no one interfered, they could create time machines with multiple singularities, complete movement ignoring distance—whether information, logic, fate, destiny, causality, or all existing things, for them, could be created and infinitely used as tools.

Therefore, the war between infinities could at most be a stalemate. The Future Sage's particularity lay in its two-sidedness with the evil god swarm. The purpose of the sages was not merely to stalemate, but to prevent the future from completing its plan.

And the Future Sage's plan was only a tiny bit away from completion. The gap between the two sides in this regard required the sages to pay a far greater price than the 'future' to reverse this almost completed, about-to-be-determined 'established fact'.

This was also why, even with new sages being born one after another, they could only fall into a stalemate with the future, leaving the outside multiverse and civilizations to be washed by evil gods time and again, causing eras to be ended.

The stalemate of all sages was equivalent to waiting for the future to arrive. For the 'future', this advantage was simply too powerful.

So, at this moment, how would Joshua reverse it?

This was the question all sages were pondering.

And the answer was also very simple.

Naturally, a miracle.

—Not one person alone, but a miracle nurtured by all existences!

"I declare!"

Having penetrated deep into the swarm of infinite mayflies wrapping the First Flame, Joshua finally felt the substantial radiance of the First Flame. And finally, at this very moment, in the instant when the Future Sage was engaged in battle with five sages simultaneously and had no spare power to think, the warrior issued a declaration, emitting a 'change' powerful enough to distort the multiverse!

[Miracle!]
[I, Joshua van Radcliffe, grant it to all beings of the multiverse—]
[As long as there is persistent effort and indelible determination; as long as the path is walked to the end and the highest peak is reached; as long as it is so, then no matter who, whether high-level intelligent life, ordinary jellyfish or fish, whether righteous or evil, warlike or peaceful, living or non-living, order or chaos, or all existence and chaos!]
[I will grant all existences, 'miracle'!]

This declaration, affecting the multiverse, also gave the Future Sage an opportunity to think. Sensing the power Joshua was releasing at this moment, it did not mock, but calmly replied.

[Releasing power now is too late. While you can maximize your 'change' by releasing power at this moment, it also gives me the opportunity to use your power to resonate with the First Flame and achieve my goal faster.]

It could almost be seen that the 'Dominate Future' progress, which had already reached '99.8%', advanced to '99.9%' at this moment! Even with one more sage, the future's progress was still increasing unstoppably!

"Is that so?"

But Joshua laughed fearlessly: "Let's see who is giving whom the opportunity!"

"Let me show you how bitter the fruit will be from those 'possibilities of victory' you sacrificed!"

Then, the warrior continued to declare!

[Let the dead be resurrected, let regretted things be redone, let those who absolutely cannot touch transcendence also touch transcendence!]

At this moment, the outside multiverse, all life fighting against chaos, the alliance of orderly life fighting against evil gods, were astonished to discover that a 'resurrection spell', as simple and easy to understand as the 'Restorative Pillar' of old, had appeared!

Similarly, a divine artifact, the 'Mirror of Truth', capable of resetting all of a person's power and state and exchanging it equivalently with another transcendent power, also appeared at the center of a certain multiversal star river!

[Let chaos divide into light and darkness, let the world no longer be monotonous and ordinary—light shall be born from the dark abyss, day and night shall appear!]

Infinite power was correcting this multiverse based on the foundation of all predecessors, all sages!

And from then on, even in the most remote corners of the multiverse, the most silent worlds, the void places that even the Great Magic Tide could not reach, the power called 'miracle' would descend, reviving all flames, bathing in the light of 'transcendence'!

And after this, even in worlds not soaked by the Great Magic Tide, the power called miracle would descend, reviving all transcendence, bathing under the light!

Even!

The void, where nothing exists, nothing is, was also changed because of this!

On this eternal nothingness, eternal silence, the 'ocean' that bears all heavens and realms, the tide began to surge! From then on, even the void, due to the random surges of endless temporal storms, could, without needing the First Flame, 'create something from nothing', giving birth to brand new worlds!

That was a world that did not need the First Flame, completely opened up by another infinite power called 'miracle', a brand new base point of the multiverse!

The multiverse, which had been silent for a long time, had long since stopped expanding and growing, was finally ignited with a trace of 'flame' again!

[Meaningless! The more you declare, the more you change, the easier it is for me to resonate with the First Flame and complete my plan... Look! My plan has been achieved, I have memorized all information!]

The 'Future Sage' naturally dismissed this with disdain. It did not care about anything Joshua did. As long as it could achieve its goal, everything in the multiverse would be under its control—then, whether to erase Joshua's influence or absorb other sages into itself, all could be decided at will.

['Dominate Future Progress, 100%!']

It could be seen that at this moment, the Future Sage's domination plan had completely succeeded—it had fully memorized and inscribed everything of the existing First Flame, and was about to... sublimate?

[No... Why hasn't it succeeded?!]

An incredulous will came. It pondered in shock but got no answer. It materialized its plan progress again, and it was indeed '100%'!

No, that's not right, not just '100%'... Just now, it saw that its plan progress had actually become '%'?!

And at this moment, Joshua ended his 'change' to the multiverse. He laughed heartily, the most carefree, the most heroic laugh, smashing all the Future Sage's remaining room for thought with his power!

In the multiverse, the battle of all six sages instantly became white-hot. No one could think, could do anything other than 'resist each other'!

But many things were about to happen, or had already happened!

—Even if the First Flame was completely obscured, and the Future Sage's plan reached 100%, then, after it, create a brand new %!

No matter how the progress bar fluctuated, there would always be more, longer distances waiting! Even if all existing information and principles were memorized, there would still be farther and more unknown things waiting to be explored!

—Even if there was no road ahead, causing all beings to stagnate here, unable to advance, then open up a new road, leading all things forward again!

"This multiverse is not something that can be described by your self-satisfied 'future' with a mere '100%'!"

"Today is stronger than yesterday, tomorrow is farther than today. Each time is more mature than the last, each moment is more perfect than the previous!"

"The future of the multiverse, the possibilities of all beings, how can they be described with such an arrogant '100%'!"

Surpass 100%, surpass the impossible! Surpass all stubbornness, all things that people do not believe in, think impossible!

—And this, is a miracle!

[Today, I will perform a miracle, turning this dark ring shrouding over the multiverse, this sorrowful cycle, into a bright day, a hopeful tomorrow!]
[I am the representative of all things fighting for the future, the King of Miracles, the Lord of Hosts, the 'Ruler in the Air'! I do not need to choose A or B, I do not need to choose both, because I will create C, create D, create Alpha and Omega, create infinite miracles!]

Facing the Future Sage, which was panicked, retreating, and did not know where its progress would go, the warrior's will, with an intensity as if to burn itself out, roared: "This is the battle between man and fate, this is the battle between man and the future! The light released by this burning heart is my soul!"

—With the fire in the heart, burn through all realms! With this, declare to the multiverse!

[No inevitability! No eternity! No infinity! I negate the absolute with the absolute! I will grant all things the possibility to reverse all things!]
[From now on, in this multiverse, there is nothing that cannot be done. Everything has a glimmer of life, a thread of opportunity. Even evil, even chaos, even the 'Future Sage' itself, has the chance to reverse all this!]

All beings, mortals, experts, deities fighting against evil gods, all felt it—a feeling of shackles being broken, a feeling of being liberated from some constraint... It was as if something that was 'absolutely impossible' had suddenly appeared with a 'tiny, insignificant turning point'!

Of course, the possibility of grasping this turning point was close to 'impossible'.

But between impossible and possible, the most important sliver of a gap had been opened by someone!

[This is the worst, most disorderly world! Everything will be forgotten, nothing can be remembered—]

The Future Sage was still roaring. Its power at this moment was still enough to suppress the sages, to stalemate with Joshua, the Holy Sage, Shadow, Aether, and Element, five sages.

[You, who claim to be 'order', want a 'future' like this, even more 'chaotic' than 'chaos'?!]

"That is just your order, your chaos!"

The warrior, also roaring, pushed his power forward without hesitation: "I just let everyone become the protagonist of their own story! As long as they can remember everything about themselves and open up their own future, that is enough!"

"No more dominated fate, no more destined plot, no more books that are forgotten after being opened, closed after being recorded!"

[This infinite persistence, how can you reverse it?!]

With such a roar, the future now fell silent. It was silent, then used all its power to try to surpass the realm above '100%'! It was the first sage, the strongest sage. Even now, it held 'absolute advantage'! Surpassing 100% was something it could definitely do!

"Of course! Because it's not just us—there are more 'futures', 'us'!"

And Joshua paid no attention, continuing to resist the Future Sage together with the sages.

—Don't you understand yet? Life does not need you to remember on its behalf. We thank you for never forgetting, but that does not mean we cannot choose to pass away silently, choose to be forgotten by all, choose the right to eternal freedom that belongs to ourselves.

—Don't you understand yet? This life of mine, this hurried and brief fluctuation, this flame that burns wantonly for a mere few decades, even spanning a scale of one hundred and twenty thousand years, is still so small and insignificant for the entire multiverse—no matter any life, any civilization, for the entire multiverse, it is the same. Whether it is a civilization or individual that lasts for thousands or tens of thousands of years, or even longer, how brief and small it is compared to the eternal void that cannot be recorded.

Compared to the infinity called 'future', all this is like a fleeting brilliant firework, like sparks scattered in the air.

But, even so.

A flash of flame can also illuminate all things in an instant, illuminate this dark multiverse!

—The Psionic Sage sealed the possibility of the 'future' continuing to manufacture evil gods on a large scale through civilization destruction, breaking the balance of remaining order. This is the initial light!

—The Magic Sage gave the foundation of 'all things have the possibility of transcendence' and the 'infinite Great Magic Tide'. This is the day that descends upon the multiverse!

—The Life Sage placed the foundation of 'eternal cycle of worlds' and 'creation from nothing' at the origin. This is the endless world born from the void!

The three sages who admitted their own failure are the nurturers of this 'reversal'! The loving mother of all success! Their passing was for the better victory of later comers!

And the other sages.

—The Shadow Sage brought the channel to rapidly gather all elements of victory in a short time, not to be dragged down by the great enemy 'time'! It is the path to victory!

—The Element Sage made beings flourish, the foundation of the current multiverse's life gestation! It divided all things, marked the order brought by classification, allowing the thinking logic of order to penetrate all beings! It is the outline of success!

—The Aether Sage gently supported everything, 'amplifying' the foundation of possibility for all this 'life' gestation, all insignificant, tiny lights, without limit, and then spreading them! It is the foundation of achievement!

"Finally, the Holy Light, the Holy Sage, the one I have pursued all along—He raised the banner and beacon, guiding my arrival! He is the leader of reversal!"

"And I will bring back all sacrifices, all regrets, a complete, real victory!"

"Not seeking eternity, not seeking to be remembered. What I want is for all beings to achieve themselves, for all things to have possibility in the 'present', a 'miracle'!"

"This is my path, my demand. I will command this multiverse—Reversal, begin!"

With the warrior's declaration, at the eternal, endless far end of the multiverse, at the location of all orderly multiversal star rivers, the final Armageddon began. The trumpet of the holy war of heaven was sounded. The 'Army of Order', radiating flame and light, capable of resurrection, becoming stronger through battle, increasing its possibilities by exterminating chaos, began to march toward the infinite darkness!

The endless swarm of evil gods, before this army that was small but could 'infinitely become stronger', began to retreat bit by bit, then collapse and suffer great defeat! And if evil gods were exterminated, with other sages interfering with the Future Sage, it was equivalent to the Future Sage itself being weakened!

Even if an era of holy war, that nearly eternal war, could only reclaim one percent, or even less than one percent of the future—but since there was one percent, it meant there would be two percent, three percent in the future! And the subsequent infinite!

With the birth of evil gods suppressed by the Psionic Sage! With worlds endlessly spurred by the Life Sage and Joshua! With transcendent power, under the combined efforts of all sages except the future, continuously spreading and popularizing! The dawn of victory had arrived!

Just like with the Future Sage, a progress bar representing 'hope' began to appear. Before it, the power that had hazily shrouded over all beings, the chaos that brought despair, was shattered. Replacing it was a real, true 'hope and future'!

—If the future is dragged down by infinite memory, it will stagnate in place.
—And if infinity just stagnates in place, it is nothing but a symbol.

"Break the sharp edge at its keenest, save the tide at its most perilous."

Joshua van Radcliffe's voice resounded through the multiverse. His will, his conviction, and even his soul began to burn fiercely!

—All things will no longer be destined to be remembered.
—All things will finally wrest back the right to open up 'future' and 'memory' from the hands of the 'future'.
—Ah, this multiverse of loss and forgetting, sorrow and hope!
—Finally, it can step forward again!

"With the fire in my heart, burn through all realms—"

Facing the continuously expanding, continuously growing First Flame, and the relatively continuously shrinking, continuously retreating Future Sage—and the extending, increasingly shining true future—the warrior stepped forward, laughing, and threw the final punch at the dark, endless mayflies!

"This is the Soul of Burning Steel!"

—Volume 20 · Soul of Burning Steel · End!
—Part 3 · Soul of Burning Steel · Conclusion!
—"Soul of Burning Steel" · The Whole Book, Complete!

EX: Eternal Battle

[This is a new era that is still not 'bright'.]

After the battle of sages around the First Flame, the haze shrouding over all things began to dissipate. The silent multiverse began to revive. And the future finally returned to the hands of all beings.

Perhaps in a thousand or ten thousand years, the endless worlds that had been extinguished would once again fill the void, making the multiverse shine with light again. But now, everything was just beginning. Night had not yet fallen, dawn had not yet arrived, and day had not yet come—but everyone knew they would eventually arrive.

[This is a multiverse that can hardly be called 'perfect'.]

In a great wave sweeping across the multiverse, infinite worlds were reborn from the empty void. Countless races revived from silent darkness. They opened their eyes again from nearly eternal slumber, gazing at the distant stars.

An absolutely perfect 'ending' had indeed been forcibly punched out by a certain sage using physical means. But the subsequent processing was still headache-inducing—especially since these races and civilizations were revived just before their extinction. How to prevent these dead, who were destroyed by the Future Sage's plan, from dying again? How to deal with these suddenly appearing neighbors and predecessors? This was a collective problem for the many civilizations of the entire multiverse.

[Of course, this is also a story that is getting better and better, more and more perfect, and continuously moving 'forward'.]

No more evil gods that destroy all civilization life. No more sages that intend to dominate the future of all things. From then on, all beings have their own paths, their own choices. The souls of all things will judge all things themselves, deciding whether they will self-destruct or continue to endure.

Even if new sorrow and despair occur, it is only their own choice—and beings are no longer like before, where after something happens, there is no chance to reverse these sad things.

[In the distant beyond, there is a 'Wish Machine' that can rewrite everything.]

Legend has it that around the First Flame, at the origin of all things, besides the three 'Stars of Origin' that created the current multiverse, there is also a star named 'Reversal'. It hides beneath the radiance of the flame. To reach it, one must undergo endless trials, countless dangers.

But even so, countless experts from countless civilizations set out on their own journeys toward that star—because it is said that as long as one reaches the vicinity of that bright star, floating like a mayfly beside the multiverse, one can forcibly distort the multiverse and create the 'future' one desires.

Of course, this distortion would certainly not be without limits. But if one only wants to reverse sorrow, redeem regrets, or fulfill some wishes that are not too outrageous, it is absolutely enough. In the name of miracle and future, this star named 'Reversal' is the 'spoils of war' for the beings of the multiverse to overcome darkness.

—In short, everything has passed.

The era of suffering and despair has ended. The era of light and hope has begun.

But this does not mean the end.

Because the 'future' is uncertain, because 'hope' is difficult.

'Future' represents not just simple 'happiness', but must be mixed with uncertain suffering and unwilling pain. And 'hope' is by no means as bright and radiant, as perfect as beings imagine. It is like a calculating and picky princess. If various complex conditions are not met, its true face can never be seen.

Whether future or hope, they are parts that life must experience. Therefore, they are inevitably full of challenges, obstacles, and all kinds of troubles and enemies.

These beautiful words are by no means as romantic as most people imagine. Future and hope certainly mean beauty, but they require struggle. And struggle is a troublesome thing. So those who have romantic fantasies about them, thinking that 'victory' means they can casually 'enjoy', will feel more and more disappointed the more they advance, as if everything is the same as before, with no change.

But for the leader of conflict, the creator of miracles, whether joy or pain, challenge or enemy, is what 'he' desires.

Because what remains unchanged is 'battle'.

The era of hope has just begun. Countless possibilities wait behind the curtain.

In the era when all radiance is reborn, at the moment when faith and determination have not yet dissipated, the flame ignited by life's struggle will illuminate this multiverse.

This is what Joshua van Radcliffe considers, 'the best hope and future'.

"——Hey, where has Teacher run off to again?!"

In the world center of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens, the Supreme Heaven · Divine Domain Moldavia, the low complaint of the 'Ancient Dragon Empress' Lisa, gritting her teeth, could pierce through time and space, causing the 'Indestructible Shield' Priest, who was receiving the communication, to frown and subconsciously move the terminal slightly away from his ear.

"Teacher clearly promised that he would definitely take me and Syndicate to see the First Flame recently! I also want to pay homage to the remains of the three great sages! How many years has this been delayed? Teacher promised well at the banquet, but he has postponed it time and again!"

"Shh, you silly girl, keep your voice down! This is the center of the Three Realms and Nine Heavens—it would be bad if others heard!"

Sighing long, setting up who knows how many multiple ether isolation arrays, Priest communicated through the psychic terminal, saying helplessly: "Last time at the 'Sage's Banquet', didn't he say with great interest that once he had time, he would take me and Ivan and the others to see the 'outside'? But look, not to mention the time spent exploring the newborn multiverse, I've been living in the Divine Domain for the last twenty years, almost being fed into a pig by Sur and Blanny, and still haven't moved!"

"I'm just complaining... Teacher hasn't guided us much lately either. The AI in the Great Arena hasn't been updated for decades." Lisa's rather depressed voice came, seeming to be worrying about something: "Me, Syndicate, and Chu Hao are all worried, will Teacher..."

"Teacher really doesn't have time—he has to fine-tune the multiverse structure, reshape countless ruins in the silent void. When he rarely comes back, he has to accompany Lady No. 3 to optimize the core structure of the 'Multiverse Magic Net', chat with the gods. Even if he has occasional free time, various old friends come to visit and hold banquets. Last time, he chatted with Lord Nostradamus and the Seven Gods for a long time... Our matters aren't important, so let's wait. Besides, aren't you already a near-saint? You can trace back the path of origin and go see the First Flame yourself."

"I want to too."

The near-saint's rather disheartened and helpless voice came from the psychic terminal: "But after Teacher advanced last time... to be honest, I don't know how he managed it. Anyway, he and the other sages joined forces to seal off the void around the First Flame, saying they wanted to modify the 'First Flame' into something called the 'Infinite Omnipotent Engine' or something."

"According to Teacher, this is a huge change surpassing era shifts. But what specific change, I probably haven't noticed because my strength is too low. But the First Flame is getting harder and harder to approach—the impact of the Magic Tide is becoming more and more surging. Unless one is at the sage level or the peak of near-saint, it's probably impossible to get close... I even suspect that the Magic Sage is about to resurrect. Otherwise, there's no reason for this Great Magic Tide to last so long..."

That's hard to say... Priest thought to himself. He didn't know if Lisa and Syndicate, who were wandering at the end of the multiverse, had heard about this—that is, some time ago, the Triple Veil of the Starry World seemed to have detected an abnormal fluctuation of psionic little bugs—the passing of a sage was certainly irreversible, but the so-called multiverse truths and iron laws were like jelly in front of his teacher. He could swallow them in one gulp and probably still find them tasteless.

Priest was about to share his guess with Lisa, but just as he was about to speak, he heard a male voice full of distress from the psychic terminal.

"Honey, stop chatting. Come help me take a look. How should I make the exploration part of the 'Continent of Strife · World in a Shell' expansion pack both educational and fun, so that even children can easily understand? Chu Hao said He has no parenting experience and can't give advice."

"Not that, dear. Let's not talk about why you went to ask the intelligent machine collective Chu Hao for advice first. Isn't the 'World in a Shell' expansion pack rated 25+, strictly prohibited for minors? Are you planning to use this for educational fun? Educate others and our children?!"

"Sorry, the idiot at home is having problems again... I'll go check on the situation." Priest heard Lisa's voice fading away. Finally, he could faintly hear a rebuke: "Are you crazy?! Teacher entrusted this part of the story to you because he trusts you. Never mind the other storylines, how could you feminize Fatlervi?!"

"Chu Hao, you too. Soul puppets are not your kind. Don't whitewash them so much... Wahhh, I'm so angry! Both of you, kneel down!"

"I heard it's quite popular recently... People in peacetime like to do this..."

"Zzzzzz, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..." (So it's not? I thought I finally met an intelligent machine kindred...)

"As part of history, set an example and respect history!"

The haze of the past has dissipated. Peace and entertainment have become the mainstream of this world.

The alteration and entertainment of past history might be normal for those born in the era of light. They have not experienced the pain and darkness of that era, so they always think of everything too easily and joyfully... But even if such actions are wrong, seeing that the residents of the new era multiverse can live so stress-free, so easily, just as they imagined in their best dreams, the pioneers who fought for it back then would probably just rebuke angrily a few times, then sigh with a light laugh.

Of course, at the very least, basic respect must be maintained—dramatization is not distortion, adaptation is not fabrication.

"Teacher is really gone."

After hanging up the communication with the Empress, who was busy educating her family members, Priest contacted several acquaintances and friends, such as the old teammates in the squad who were probably still online raiding the 'Extreme Dark Abyss', the members of the First Squad who were touring the multiverse hosting food competitions, and a certain captain and his Amos warship wife who had received Teacher's commission and were now responsible for educating the common sense of many fairies like 'Weapon Fairies', 'Warship Fairies', 'Fortress Fairies', and 'Planet Fairies'—but the answers were unanimously the same.

Teacher had really disappeared.

With Priest's current strength, he naturally wouldn't worry about such things. To be honest, as the disciple whose thinking logic was closest to the warrior's, he had long guessed something similar... There was indeed no existence in this multiverse that could make Teacher feel excited anymore. After all, even among sages, there were strong and weak. Having seized most of the Future Sage's power, Teacher had probably long since reached an unimaginable step after all this time.

"Could it be..."

This was not strange.

Long ago, at the 'Sage's Banquet', when summoning all the powerful beings in the multiverse that were worth mentioning, Teacher said that he might not have originally been from this multiverse. His ability to descend into this multiverse was entirely due to pure 'miracle'. In fact, because of Teacher's existence, the phenomenon of 'transmigration' in the entire multiverse had greatly increased. It had even become a kind of initial channel for 'non-void-level civilizations' to contact other world civilizations, greatly enriching the diversity of the multiverse's civilizations.

Now, he had completed all his contracts in this multiverse, fulfilled all his promises in this multiverse.

He had slain all evil gods, extinguished all chaos.

The warrior who made a pact with steel and fire had burned away all darkness and evil. Like a torch, he reversed despair and brought light to this multiverse.

All chains of causality had been shattered. All heavy responsibilities had fallen away. At this moment, the warrior was unprecedentedly free.

"Could Teacher really..."

And just as Priest was frowning and lost in thought, outside the multiverse axis world 'Three Realms and Nine Heavens · Infinite Universe', at the 'New Carlis World'.

"My Joshua, my rekindler of flame..."

The elegant silver-haired lady, the will of Carlis, groaned weakly into the communication array: "You completely lost information for three hours. Little No. 3 has already started scanning many multiversal star rivers through the magic net... If you hadn't taken Ying and Lin, oh right, and Hei, she would probably be even angrier."

"No, that's not right. It's precisely because you took them and didn't take her that she's very angry! I say, you bastard, are you going to leave without saying goodbye?!"

This words, filled with complaint, tension, and inquiry, were transmitted to the other side where the signal seemed not very good. And on the other side, a man's puzzled voice sounded: "What are you talking about, Carlis? I just went out for a walk. What leaving or not leaving? I'm not a homebody. I need to go out for a walk sometimes, right?"

"I'll be home in a while—tell No. 3 to prepare for me. When I get back, I'll accompany her to the Genesis Maelstrom to see the worlds... Uh, next time I'll take you out for a walk too. It might be a bit dangerous."

"Is this a dangerous thing?" Carlis sighed. The originally elegant Steel Serpent lady rubbed her hair: "Your traces and causality can't be found in this entire multiverse, and you tell me this is just going out for a walk?"

"The entire multiverse is my home. What's so strange about going out for a walk from home... Alright, I won't walk for too long. I might be back a bit late this year. Don't wait for me."

A matter-of-fact tone came from the other end of the communication: "Don't all of you have PTSD all day, thinking that I'll sneak away if I disappear for a moment—listen up, I'm not staying in this multiverse for any responsibility, contract, or for you."

"I'm staying because I want to stay!"

—This was a choice completely unrelated to any causality, any pity, any responsibility or faith. Just like a miracle needs no reason.

After all, does a person need to explain to others why they consider a place their home? He would like to see who dares to question him. When it comes to reasoning, in this multiverse, a certain warrior had never been afraid of anyone.

"...You're starting to measure time in years now..."

For a moment, not knowing how to refute, Carlis had no strength to ask further. She was silent for a while, then smiled and shook her head.

"Really... a worrying guy."

Yes, he was always like this, always.

—He always liked to do earth-shattering things.
—And these things would change the world.
—Then, what would happen?
—That is the story after.

"Come back early."

"No problem. The target I chose this time is quite interesting. I'll probably be able to continue modifying the 'Omnipotent Engine' when I get back."

The communication ended.

Outside the multiverse.

Clutching two weapons, a man with a black dragon lying on his shoulder looked up and gazed into the distance.

He could see, outside the 'Pan-Infinite Multiverse Derivative Axis', in the super-time-space that was absolutely void for ordinary multiverse life, countless lights flickered.

Among them, there was a 'World Tree' with roots spreading across multiverses, controlling infinite possibilities, dominating everything, and its faint mirror image in another 'twin multiverse', an 'Abyss Tree' that took the abyss as its branches and leaves, piercing through infinite worlds.

There was the 'Horizon Lord', omniscient and omnipotent, knowing everything, shaping one story after another that He loved in the cycle of beings, and the 'Fatalism Dominator', using fate as a tool to control all things in the multiverse.

The 'Immortal Phoenix', soaring in the non-substantial realm, undying and eternal, the 'Entropy Demon' living in the eternal heat death multiverse, the 'Order Heavenly Gods', collectively ruling infinite worlds with all heavens and all gods as their core, the 'Omega Worm', gnawing on 'the end' and giving birth to 'the beginning'.

Even, there was an entire multiverse itself, like a huge brain, as a unified will of 'World Group Brain', like weaving, weaving countless fates and worlds of 'Multiplane Loom', as an absolute truth, piercing through endless time and space, even plural multiverses of 'Balance Scale', and a 'Cyclic Time Furnace' where time reversed, the entire multiverse was born from destruction, returned to the original point, and repeated this cycle time and again.

These incredibly powerful existences, surpassing infinity, transcending multiverses, or even being the sublimation of the multiverse itself, their bodies, all appeared in his eyes.

And in other normal multiverses, the vast majority had not yet produced a supreme dominator. Naturally, some had sages, and they were openly and secretly fighting within their multiverses.

"If the Future Sage had succeeded, then our multiverse might have become part of the 'Pan-Multiverse Mayfly', becoming one of them."

Joshua muttered to himself, but was met with a complaint from his own weapon.

"Not that, Master. Do you think there's any difference between you and the Future Sage? Look, they're all staring at you!"

"I'm staring at them too. What's the big deal? Don't be too nervous, Ying. I've long said that outside the multiverse is also very exciting."

"This excitement is a bit too much, Master. Look at Hei, he's trembling." Lin's faint voice sounded, but was quickly refuted by Hei: "Nonsense, I'm trembling with excitement!"

"I didn't say it was fear."

"..."

For the verbal sparring between his weapons and mount, Joshua never really cared. He smiled, then sensed that those other incredibly powerful existences had strands of will that transcended time and space, probing toward him.

[King of Miracles] [Lord of Hosts]... Just as Joshua could instantly understand their titles, they also instantly understood everything that Joshua represented.

"I really should thank the Future Sage... Otherwise, I'm afraid the many sages wouldn't be united like this. The best way to unify a large collective is indeed to have an enemy."

Although he seemed to be pondering something, in reality, Joshua was thinking of nothing.

Because at this moment, he saw, in the distant 'Pan-Infinite Multiverse Derivative Axis' beyond, something like 'cyan cloud light' flickering.

It was a patch of cyan clouds, spreading infinity. An expanding multiverse was emerging within its body—clearly a 'stranger', but it brought him an unexpectedly 'familiar' feeling.

"This guy... looks a bit familiar."

'Transcender' and 'Cyan Cloud'? These names are somewhat interesting.

—The story is not over.
—The road is still long.
—The meaning of birth, the meaning of death; the meaning of transcendence, the meaning of battle; the meaning of home, the meaning of return; the meaning of time, the meaning of reunion—
In this infinite, super-unity, reaching the level of true omniscience and omnipotence is still a long way off.

But so what? The scenery along the way, the battles in between, are the most interesting and most important 'meaning of existence' and 'meaning of happiness'.

The battle has ended. A new battle may begin again.

Squinting his eyes, revealing a smile, the warrior swung his weapon, showing a friendly smile to these 'Transcendents' and 'Infinities'.

"It wouldn't be bad to have a fight."

Full EX — End.

Afterword: Final Thoughts

Three years of persistence, the weight of 4.6 million words, finally come to an end here.

"Soul of Burning Steel" has finally come to a stable conclusion. Three years, no waves, no signs of being banned. The only chapter that was blocked was my leave note complaining about feeling a bit unwell (I don't know why either). It seems my choice of a no-female-lead fictional world, pure warrior, correct worldview, no political elements was correct (not really).

The story of "Soul of Burning Steel" is too heavy. To be honest, you might not believe it, but I am essentially not such a heavy person. It must be that my last book flopped so badly that I was instinctively a bit disheartened at the time, and then instinctively wrote to cheer myself up. By the end of the book, I was completely cheered up.

The ending is indeed rushed, I admit.

Of course, it's not that I didn't want to write, but my 'qi' was gone.

In the scheduled outline, all the sages, from the Psionic Sage to the Holy Sage, all the sages' memories, Joshua would enter—that is, the chapter 'Beholding the Sages' could be split into seven major chapters. He would witness with his own eyes how the three departed sages were defeated by the future, and how the current four sages were trapped, unable to interfere with the future.

And in the end, Joshua would shatter the shackles binding these sages one by one. Amid the urgings of other sages, 'Don't worry about us, go stop the future first', under the pressure of the Future Sage's constantly rising progress bar, he would rescue everyone, and in a final battle, obtain the key to the ultimate reversal and victory.

I have confidence that I can write it well. I can definitely write it well—there's no need to doubt that.

But I think it would be too drawn out, and Joshua is not that kind of person.

One surge of energy, then it declines, then it is exhausted. At the end, I had accumulated a qi from the entire book, which was Joshua's divine form. The second qi was Joshua's resurrection. The third, the last, was shouting 'Soul of Burning Steel' to end.

If I had spent such a long length on 'Beholding the Sages', it would have exhausted my motivation to finally punch out the four words 'Soul of Burning Steel'... (I'm also not sure if it's safe)

Most importantly, I am very satisfied with writing this ending this way.

Really, I feel it was done in one go. When I finished the ending, I wasn't melancholy at all, but instead shouted with pleasure—as for regrets, there are indeed some. My skill is not yet enough to achieve a perfect ending where I am satisfied and all readers are satisfied at the same time—but to be honest, I don't think it's bad either. My original intention was to leave a bit of a lingering feeling. Now it seems I might have left a bit too much.

Anyway, thank you. Really, thank you very much for accompanying me for three years and reading to the end of this story.

My last book, "Eternal Abyss", had an outline and setting similar to "Soul of Burning Steel", since the initial outlines of both books were made at the same time. But at that time, my accumulation and experience were not enough to make it smooth and good-looking. There might have been novelty, but it was definitely not a good book. It was all over the place, the rhythm was drawn out, and the forced hype was a mess.

With this book, "Soul of Burning Steel", I feel I have surpassed myself. I feel that whether it's fighting, characters, plot arrangement, exploration and adventure, or ideological debates, I have comprehensively surpassed my initial self. But I must also admit that in the later stages, the fighting became monotonous, often just a few scattered paragraphs, releasing a brainwave and a harsh word before ending. This is a common problem when martial power skyrockets to the level of galaxies or even single multiverses. Ultimately, I am a mortal. Plus, I really detest some pure verbal mystical fighting, so I simply can't write it well. I can only barely fight myself and write something I find passable.

Moreover, the tone of this book comes from the feeling of 'Dark Souls'... I won't discuss the philosophy of Dark Souls with anyone here. A thousand people have a thousand Hamlets. What I see in Dark Souls is battle, sacrifice, salvation, inheritance, and the flame burning in the 'darkness'.

I wanted to write that feeling—and it is heavy. It looks cool when designing, but when you actually write it, you can understand that these problems have a great impact on a book. Even many interesting plot developments must be suppressed because they don't fit the tone of the book. And I am someone who likes to have a beginning and an end, to maintain the initial idea of writing from start to finish. Moreover, the heavy style will certainly drive away some readers attracted by the early invincibility. These are all consequences of incomplete thinking.

There are still many problems. I still have too many shortcomings to summarize and solve.

Fortunately, with 4.6 million words, I gave myself and this book what I consider a satisfactory ending. At least I can see my progress. I just hope I can continue to improve with the next book, such as making the supporting characters' roles better, rather than the protagonist being the sun and everyone else just stars.

At least there should be a few planets.

After all, it's a serialization of more than 3 years. There will certainly be inconsistencies in setting details and errors in details. Alas, everything will be based on the later text. There's no way to make a full revision now.

After summarizing, I thank all readers.

Thank you to the friends who think I wrote well. That means I shared my joy and feelings with you.

Thank you to the friends who think I wrote poorly. Your opinions prove another possibility I can try to pursue, allowing me to gradually improve.

Thank you to the friends who don't read my books. Although you can't see this chapter, I know you prove that I still have a long way to go, far from my goal.

Thank you to the friends who read my books and saw this chapter. I love you. Our meeting is like a miracle, needing no reason, and like a miracle, having countless foreshadowing.

Finally, the new book.

The new book's subject matter is relatively complex. It's an urban spiritual revival mixed with superpowers, fantasy, sci-fi, magic, Cthulhu, aliens, and various mythological legends, role-playing game modules, or games you know or don't know. To be honest, looking at the content of this book↑ and the classification of this book↑, you'll know this stuff can't bind me. I can only guarantee that this is indeed a story I find interesting and have prepared for a long time.

I won't write something that doesn't move me.

The new book will probably be released around September 1st, give or take a few days. I've discussed it with my editor. It won't be delayed. This month is not only for watching TI, but also for resting and recharging. Three years of serialization is a bit tiring. I can also read more good books written by others in recent years. And you also know the recent situation... sigh, I won't be the one sticking my neck out.

Anyway, it's probably time to say goodbye for now. Finally, I'll leave you with a passage.

The poet Bei Dao once said.

—At that time, we had dreams, about ideals, about love, about traveling across the world.
—Now we drink late at night, and when our glasses clink, it's the sound of dreams breaking.

But now, I am still young. I haven't reached the age of memories.

My dream has not broken.

I am still writing.

I am Yin Tian Shen Yin. I am writing, and will write a story for you to see.

Let's meet again in the extras and the new book!

[Oh, by the way, I've been lacking books to read lately. I might put out a personal book list later, recommending books (of course, including acquaintances). You can also recommend books for me.]

Incomplete and Not Guaranteeing Anything, Author's Personal Opinion-Based Book List

I declare in advance that the following books are not all of my collection and read books, and the ranking is in no particular order, mainly arranged by my Qidian collection order.

"Lord of the Mysteries"
Wu Qi has always been an author I like very much. The plots of his books are interlocking, with rising and falling, ingenious schemes, shocking reversals, and foreshadowing over a thousand miles, clues hidden in the grass and snakes. And it's obvious that he improves with each book, growing rapidly. He is always someone I learn from (although I can't quite finish "Martial Arts Master"). Anyway, I strongly recommend "Lord of the Mysteries"... Actually, it doesn't need my recommendation. I'm just stating an attitude.

"Tomorrow's Calamity"
Xiong Lang Gou is also an author I've always liked. Although he made a shocking transformation, it's clearly an act of self-transcendence and sublimation (confused). And "Tomorrow's Calamity", whether it's the plot setting, humor, or derivation of the plot, is very worth learning from and can effectively open up brainholes.

"Dawn of the Sword"
Uncle Tong's new book, otherworld farming. If you want me to praise it, I can also follow the process and praise 12345, but I choose to refuse. It's just good. I suggest clicking collection and adding to bookshelf now.

"Qin Li"
A historical novel that ended a few days ago. I've been following it. I really like that the author has always stuck to the theme and didn't choose to become the emperor in the end, replaying a new cycle... I think, at the very least, one should make a choice completely different from the historical era, or at least stick to the 'theme', to have meaning. Really good.

"Han Overthrow"
Although I've been saving it recently, up to the Yellow Turban section, "Han Overthrow" is the one among all novels describing Han history that gives me the most emotion and thought. Although many people say that the historical records at the end of the chapters are the main body, this book is indeed a unique and good book. If the book were not good, the historical records at the end would not be noticed. It is the icing on the cake.

"Summon Nightmare" and "Extreme Demon"
Gun Kai's books are unconstrained (can't guess the outline), colorful (can't guess the setting), but even so, just in terms of fragmented small stories, the sense of expectation, cliffhanger sense, reading experience, and meme-making ability, they are definitely top-tier choices. These two books are recommended together because although they are by the same author, the overall styles are different. They are both very good.

"Small World, Its Joy"
My friend Ting Ri's book. As a spiritual revival novel, this book is very unique. I won't spoil the specifics, but without a doubt, whether it's the plot itself or the dungeon design, it gives a very novel and interesting reading feeling. It's light and not depressing, absolutely not feeding you crap. This overall very light style is something I've always wanted to borrow from. Unfortunately, I can't borrow it. Sigh. Highly recommended.

"I Have a Horror House"
Maybe some people don't know yet, but this book has been released. In recent years, I think it's the best 'thriller novel'. Of course, you can also say it's a stand-in novel. I think this description is not wrong. Whether writing horror or comedy, Air Conditioner Da is definitely top-tier. This seamless style switching is something I've always wanted to try to learn and grasp. Highly recommended.

"Pastoral God"
Zhai Zhu Da's new book. I have to say, in terms of plot rhythm, the protagonist's dungeon exploration, and map opening, if you want to improve, you absolutely need to read this book more. The entire story, without realizing it, becomes more and more vast, more and more rigorous. Not only is there no abrupt feeling, but it also feels very grand... The early concepts, the later Dao, the protagonist's thinking and faith, the spiritual awakening of stepping forward step by step, are all very charming.

"Spiritual Pressure"
The new book by the author of "Forty Thousand Years of Cultivation". Although this author does like to preach big truths, everything is related to the main line and the debate of the book's own intention. It's also spiritual revival, but this book is written very uniquely, down-to-earth, or rather, it really thinks a lot about the possibilities and development of spiritual revival. Although I think some of it is different from my thinking, it's good to learn from others. I think this is indeed a good article worth following.

"Trafford's Buyer Club"
Unit drama narrative, using individual stories to string together, moving, joyful, and thought-provoking. There's nothing to say about this book because many things are understood only after reading. The character description is meticulous, and there are indeed many stories that are deeply remembered. I look forward to this book having a perfect ending, bringing all stories together. That would definitely be a masterpiece.

"Bug House"
Not very popular, a strange urban + a bit of transcendent power genre. Individual small stories, little by little revealing the setting of the entire book. The most peculiar thing is that this book, whether it's character description or plot, is all 'without force', leaving a lot of blank space, a lot of gaps, for people to think and imagine on their own. It's a very relaxed read.

"Monster Chat Group"
This relaxed and interesting chat group mode, the last time I had a similar feeling was with "Cultivation Chat Group" (I really don't think this book needs my recommendation). And the plot control is very comfortable. I feel very relaxed and happy reading it. Highly recommended.

"Pokemon: Dark Bug Master"
To be honest, the problems with this book are too many compared to those written by the great gods above. Even among the many Pokemon fanfictions, it's not among the best. But the ambition reflected behind the entire book, the original main storyline, the step-by-step development of strength, and the somewhat realistic battle description, I think are very unique and worth recommending. People who know me should also know that I've written some Pokemon fanfiction, so when I see a book similar to what I want to write, I can't help but recommend it.

"My Day Has 48 Hours"
To be honest, the pirate dungeon of this book made me give up for a while, but when I picked it up again, I felt I could continue reading. In terms of switching between many worlds, the different themes, and the protagonist's growth and learning, I think it's written quite well and has learning significance... For example, the racing part of the Japan dungeon, I think is very novel and exceeded my expectations.

"Plague Doctor"
Cthulhu-style strange awakening, doctor's perspective. Very novel and good-looking. Since there's not much specific content, it's hard to say much, but it's indeed good-looking and worth a read.

"My Masters Are Many"
High-martial arts wuxia, the protagonist's journey of growth, quick revenge, with chivalrous style. Although sometimes I read halfway and frown, thinking 'Is the protagonist's choice problematic?' But this is my own thought. The protagonist's own logic is coherent. Overall, good-looking.

"Warhammer Throne"
Authentic Old World Warhammer... To be honest, there are very few such straightforward, simple articles that don't open any otherworld cheats to roam and farm in the Warhammer world. I read it all in one go to the latest, and everything feels ok. Worth recommending.

"Mysterious Dao Chapter" and "Struggle for the Dao"
The same author's recently released new book and previously completed old book. Nothing much to say. I feel they also don't need my recommendation. Good rhythm, deep thinking, exquisite settings, ingenious conception, foreshadowing interlocking, thinking layer upon layer deepening. Good-looking.

When I wrote this, there were actually many other books in my book list, but either I was saving them and hadn't read to the latest, so I was embarrassed to comment, or they were very popular, like "Global High Martial Arts" or "Great Doctor Lin Ran". Why would I recommend them? Is there anyone who hasn't read them? Things like that.

And now, I'm going to crazily recommend some seedlings.

"Transmigrated Thirty Years Early"
Otherworld spiritual revival. Since the author is a friend, I know the setting and outline. I feel the development is excellent. A good book highly recommended for collection.

"Malin's Ode"
Also by a friend. The writing is absorbing, the plot control ability is strong. Without a doubt, it's a seed of a good book. Highly recommended for collection and nurturing.

That's roughly it. My most frequently read book list... Actually, there are many more articles, such as "Pillar of Eta", "Super God Mechanic" (do these two really need my recommendation?), "Game: Witcher Hunter", "Dragon City", "Starting from the Nightjar", "Extreme Fist Tyrant", "Ascension Journey", etc. Because they seem to be in a separate collection folder, I didn't see them at first. Now I don't have the energy to write recommendation words. I'll just put the names.

That's roughly it. Next update will be the extras.

Ah, the days of