Chapter 57: Seizing Fate by the Throat
Deep within the volcano.
Black and red volcanic tuff supported the entire underground cavern. Scattered fire-element crystals condensed in the crevices of the rock, while churning golden magma rose and fell with the volcano's breath, trembling in constant motion.
In this harsh environment, filled with toxic air and temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees, three elderly elves guarded the humanoid form of Nature's Force as they walked toward the chaotic space-time passage that a warrior had carved out in the center of the cavern.
Solidified volcanic rock bore their steady footsteps, and thus the Nature Mentor stepped step by step beneath the azure light gate.
Within the gate, chaotic blue light churned like tangled threads. Countless strands of space-time had been stirred by a terrifying force, making it impossible to discern any information from the other end.
The Calamity Evil God's strike had completely shattered the space-time passage. For it to recover naturally would take hundreds of years. Until then, most people would be helpless and could only wait.
But just because most people couldn't do it didn't mean no one could.
At least the Nature Mentor could.
Aydril Galannod, holding an ancient wooden box, arrived at the base of the space-time gate. She looked up at the azure light. The will of a Legendary expert stirred, and in an instant, the restless lava cavern fell silent. The Great Aias Volcano, which had been extremely active, occasionally spewing plumes of smoke, immediately stabilized and grew much calmer.
Channeling the power of nature, the earth, and even the depths of the crust that had stirred the volcano's unrest, the Nature Mentor slowly rose until she was level with the space-time gate. She extended her finger, and countless golden-red light points, representing the power of lava and volcano, gathered at her fingertip. Then they transformed into a beam of light, pouring into the azure gate.
The two colors merged, becoming a faint violet. The Nature Mentor manipulated her power, trying as hard as she could to pierce through the endless chaotic space-time currents and find the other world at the other end of space-time.
But the results were not satisfactory.
Joshua stood to the side, watching this Archdruid mobilize the power of the entire volcano for her own use, attempting to grasp the edge of the Ilgena World. But this behavior was like fishing for a needle in the ocean, searching for a grain of sand in the vast desert—utterly meaningless. The warrior could even see a trace of anxiety flash across the Nature Mentor's face—the unease of sensing the Father of Nature's presence but being unable to pinpoint its exact location.
"I've found it... Father God is indeed here!"
The Nature Mentor steadied her mind and continued searching through the chaotic space-time threads. At this moment, any suspicion she had harbored toward Joshua and Eagle had completely vanished. They had not lied. The world where the Father of Nature resided was indeed on the other side of this space-time gate.
But she could not get there.
Not only could she not get there, she couldn't do anything at all. She could only futilely scoop up handfuls of seawater, handfuls of sand, and try to find the most insignificant trace of information within them.
Searching across worlds was indeed extremely difficult. Joshua watched this scene, confirming this fact. He patted the head of the silver-haired girl beside him, feeling quite emotional.
The Church of the Seven Gods had been searching for the Fourth Sage's inheritance for many years, and it must have been just as difficult as this—no, it must have been even more difficult. At least the Nature Mentor had a ready-made chaotic space-time gate, while the Church had to open one themselves, then sense and resonate with one world after another. If the Sage's relic hadn't transmitted its own coordinates, this kind of exploration would have taken at least a decade to determine. By then, everything would have been too late.
However, just as the warrior was pondering this, the ancient wooden box in the Nature Mentor's arms suddenly trembled on its own.
Then, it burst into brilliant light.
Verdant natural force overflowed from the cracks in the box, emitting a pure green radiance. A withered wooden ball, the size of a human head, leaped out of the box on its own and hovered before the space-time gate.
This wooden ball was shriveled and sunken, covered in withered patterns, with many broken cracks spreading across its surface. But this ancient wooden ball, which looked as if it would turn to dust at any moment, could actually emit natural force that shocked even the three Ultimate-rank elves below.
Its appearance startled even the Nature Mentor. The World Seed had shown no signs of the divine for the past thousand years. Instead, it had gradually withered and shrunk over time, becoming the shriveled thing it was now. If not for the careful care of the Elf Clan, it might have naturally crumbled to pieces long ago.
But now, this seed displayed power that no one had anticipated.
It absorbed the energy that the Nature Mentor had gathered from the entire volcano, rapidly repairing itself. The cracks closed, the depressions swelled, and it gradually grew larger. Soon, the wooden ball returned to its original form—a half-person-sized, jade-white, perfect tree seed.
The seed swayed slightly in midair, brimming with the vitality of life. It seemed to be resonating with something. And in the next instant, within the violet space-time gate, the chaotic patterns were forcibly smoothed out. A vast, boundless, overwhelming force, as if the entire world itself had manifested, brutally broke through the chaotic boundaries of space-time and descended into the underground lava cavern.
As the Nature Mentor and the other elves, filled with joy and shock, bowed in reverence, a voice, ancient yet gentle, vibrated through the air.
"My child, no need to bow... I am an unworthy deity, unable to accept your reverence with peace of mind."
The Father of Nature's voice carried immense exhaustion. It had taken considerable effort to awaken from its slumber. But now, it spoke to the four elves present in a serene tone: "To see you thriving safely in our homeland and willing to meet me again is my greatest joy. But do not come. Do not come under any circumstances."
As it said this, the ancient voice seemed to sense the distant south, where countless elves lived peaceful lives. Its tone carried a grave warning: "The Ilgena World has been exposed to the sight of the Evil Gods. They may launch a second invasion at any moment. This place is extremely dangerous. Never approach."
"So, never reveal the location of our homeland." The ancient voice gradually became ethereal and faint, as if about to disappear completely. The chaotic threads within the space-time gate also began to reappear: "My power is limited. I cannot say much. But I can still grant you..."
The voice grew weaker and weaker, but those present could still hear the final words.
"...a final blessing."
WOOOOOOM—!
In stark contrast to the voice, a terrifying power, so immense that even Joshua instinctively assumed a defensive posture, once again broke through the space-time gate and poured entirely into the tree seed.
It was a divine power of nature that astonished even the Nature Mentor. First, it transformed into a towering, majestic giant tree that seemed to support the heavens and the earth. Then it shattered, scattering into countless star-like points. Finally, it was all absorbed and devoured by the tree seed, which was like a black hole. After absorbing this divine power of nature, the smooth surface of the seed began to manifest patterns like ripples and ravines. These patterns naturally connected with the power of heaven and earth, rapidly cooling the entire lava cavern. The magma solidified, the light dissipated, and finally, it became a dark underground cave.
In the darkness, there were only two sources of light—one was the slowly dissipating space-time passage, which was completely disappearing, and the other was the World Seed, which had absorbed the divine power and all the energy of an entire lava lake.
Beneath the light of the seed, the Nature Mentor, who looked almost like an ordinary person, reached out somewhat dazedly and held the seed in her arms. She stroked the complex and orderly natural runes on its surface, momentarily at a loss for words.
The Father of Nature had resolutely severed the connection between the two worlds, ensuring that the Ilgena World and the Mycroft World would no longer be linked. The elves had indeed seen their Father God once more, but they had also lost Him forever.
His final blessing was this intact World Seed. The runes that appeared on its surface were the most complete inheritance of the natural lineage. And a divine tree seed containing the divine power of nature would bring countless benefits to the Elf Clan.
"...Sigh."
Letting out a long sigh, the Nature Mentor closed her eyes. Her body could no longer shed tears, but anyone could hear the complex emotions in that sigh.
"Let's go back."
She spoke softly, her tone unclear whether it was disappointment or the relief of a wish fulfilled. "Everything is over."
"Yes."
The other three elven elders trembled, snapping out of their trance from the previous scene, and responded in unison, their voices low.
And so, they all left the volcanic cavern.
As for the leader, Joshua, just as he was about to completely leave the cavern, he turned back and took a deep look at the spot where the space-time gate had dissipated.
"Evil God invasion..." He savored those words.
That was the past that the Carlis World had experienced.
It was the present that the Ilgena World had to guard against.
And it was the future that the Mycroft World would have to face.
In the 834th year of the Falling Stars Era, the magic tide was approaching. The gods watched over all of this. The demons lurked in the abyss. Evil spirits sailed through the void, awaiting the destruction and corruption of yet another world.
All things wailed, with no day of peace. It was about to arrive.
But the man who regarded fate as nothing turned and left the solidified lava cavern, emerging onto the surface.
The knights watched their lord. The elves awaited the actions of the master of this land.
"Let's set out." The warrior gave the order. Standing atop the black dragon, he gazed into the distant south. This man knew that everything that had come before was merely a skirmish. From now on, the true reshaping of the world would begin.
He was going to seize the throat of the future and change the course of fate.
With the hand that held the sword, and the heart that burned with fire.