Chapter 55: The World's Commission
Beyond heaven and earth, in the endless void, there are stars that cannot be counted by any number.
Each star is a world. Behind that shimmering light, there might be a giant island floating in the sky, a continent surrounded by four seas where the sky is round and the earth is square, or another boundless, vast starry sky where countless planets revolve around burning suns. Under the illumination of the flames, countless races multiply on the earth, developing their own civilizations. When they can break through the barriers of space and enter the void, it means that another civilization has left its cradle, opened its eyes, and gazed upon this multiverse.
At that moment, they will witness the most vast and magnificent scene in the world, and in their shock, they will lament their own insignificance.
And now, the Steel Serpent Carlis presented such a scene to Joshua.
The First Flame burned chaos, its light illuminating the void, causing existence to emerge from non-existence, and destruction to turn into life. Countless trillions of light points, like the purest diamonds, flickered with their brilliant radiance, driven by the Great Magic Tide that swept through the multiverse. This scene was beyond words, leaving even the warrior speechless. But at that moment, abruptly, the endless light began to extinguish.
Like lights being turned off one by one in a city, the countless shimmering world-lights dimmed in succession, as if a child were blowing out candles. They vanished cleanly into the void, ceasing to exist.
The stars lost their light.
If someone could observe the entirety of the multiverse, which is counted in the infinite, they would be shocked to discover that, originating from the ever-fluctuating light of the Great Magic Tide, countless dense black shadows were expanding and spreading along the waves of the magic tide. The worlds near them became dim and lifeless in an instant, returning to silence, like sparks falling into seawater, or a dying campfire covered by snow—utterly soundless.
This was a darkness, like a tide sweeping through the myriad realms, an unending tide of finality emerging from within. Even the brilliant light produced by the collapse of a world could not illuminate it.
And the life that dwells within this multiverse, reproducing and thriving, regards the source of this ever-expanding darkness with emotions of awe, fear, and disgust, calling them the 'Great Destroyers.'
Also known, by all those in the know within the Mycroft World, as the Evil Gods.
"They have returned."
Carlis gazed at the massive light screen it had projected. The World Will spoke in a calm tone without a trace of fluctuation: "Thirteen hundred years, they wandered into the depths of the multiverse. And now, the ripples of the Great Magic Tide have sent them back to their original starting point."
"Then, how far are they from us now?" Without any unnecessary words, Joshua, who had already grasped the situation, frowned and asked, "When will the Evil Gods return to this region of space-time?"
"Impossible to calculate. There are too many unpredictable factors in the space-time turbulence." Carlis replied. It manipulated the light screen, causing vast stretches of the starry sky to move rapidly, then focused on the vicinity of the Mycroft-Carlis worlds: "But at the slowest, it will not exceed seventy years, calculated by the alternation of day and night on the Mycroft Continent. At the fastest..."
It paused for a moment, then seemed to chuckle: "The next second. They could appear right before us."
"Is that so..."
Slowly stepping forward, Joshua walked up to the light screen, gazing at this familiar space-time vista. Not long ago, he had seen the actual scene depicted on the screen. At that time, he had just achieved the Legendary realm, and the God of Might, Xing Zheng, had revealed a path to him in the void—a long, radiant road leading to the other side of the multiverse. Countless worlds surrounded this path, providing their own light for it. It was a pure and magnificent radiance, completely opposite to the dark shadows brought by the Evil Gods.
Over a thousand years ago, an old man from the Mycroft Continent had walked that path. What was his purpose in taking that action? A being who had surpassed the gods left his homeland, leaving behind only four relics containing his legacy? Joshua had previously been unable to guess even a fraction of the Sage's thoughts, but now, he understood a little.
"Exactly the same..."
Reaching out, he touched the endless stars on the light screen. The warrior's expression grew increasingly serious. His finger traced a path—a path leading to the deepest part of the multiverse, the very prototype of the Path of Light. It went straight ahead, and then, precisely collided with those Destroyers returning from the void: "It's the same path."
"What lies at the end of this path, that could make both the Sage and the Evil Gods set off without hesitation?"
No one could answer this doubt, not even the World Will, the Steel Serpent Carlis. After a long silence, Joshua lowered his finger from the light screen, took a deep breath, and then exhaled. After calming himself down properly, he turned to look at Carlis and said calmly, "Thank you for telling me this information... but to be honest, it's not very useful."
"I have only just entered the Legendary realm."
The warrior evaluated himself objectively: "I can't even cleanly eliminate a single Demon Lord. If an Abyss Lord makes a move, I would be utterly powerless to resist, let alone the Evil Gods above them. Carlis, back then, even you, with the full power of the entire Carlis civilization, couldn't resist the minions of the [Famine] Evil God. It's the same for the Mycroft World now. We might be able to resist the invasion of multiple Abysses, but a direct confrontation with an Evil God is still far beyond our capabilities."
"I am not the Sage." Joshua stated.
"I know." The Steel Serpent replied.
The warrior's straightforward attitude did not anger Carlis. It had known from the beginning that against the Great Destroyers, who feed on worlds, a single world or individual was almost powerless. A being like the Sage might not appear once in ten thousand years, even if Mycroft was his former homeland. But the Steel Serpent had intercepted the space-time teleportation to meet Joshua not for this reason; it had another purpose.
"Joshua van Radcliffe, you may not understand your own potential."
Facing the candid Joshua, the massive World Will coiled its body, its countless scales reflecting light to form a silver Milky Way. Carlis explained patiently: "Flamebearers—Soulflame Kings—possess a special authority. They can burn their souls, turning them into distant flames to ignite worlds that have already been destroyed. Just like you did inside me back then, and just like you did not long ago when you sent those remnants to me. You can ignite flames, and you can also bear flames. As an individual life, you can accomplish many things that we World Wills cannot."
"What exactly are you trying to say, Carlis?"
"I need you, Joshua."
The Steel Serpent gazed at the warrior, speaking solemnly: "And so do other worlds. 'We' need you."
"It is difficult for Evil Gods to enter a world directly. Besides needing to meet many conditions, their minions must also occupy most of a world, eroding the vast majority of its territory into their own world before they can descend. Therefore, as long as the civilization within a world is strong enough, no matter how powerful an Evil God is, it cannot directly destroy that world. This is our advantage, and also our disadvantage."
Carlis manipulated the light screen, which flashed through every detail of the Carlis world's invasion by the Wild Gods back then. The Steel Serpent watched these details, its tone heavy: "I knew long ago that the Void Warships of the Winged Humans carried seeds of Chaos. But no life other than those who have come into contact with the 'First Flame' can meet with us. I couldn't warn them either, and could only sit by and watch the minions of Famine kill my children, dragging their corpses out of their homes to devour. Joshua, no matter how powerful a civilization is, it has its weaknesses. If there had been a human like you back then, the Carlis world would never have fallen to such a state."
"You have received the Sage's legacy and are a crowned Soulflame King. You exist in the mortal world, yet you can meet with us. You are the intermediary between the world and its people. Through your hands, countless worlds can purge the seeds of Chaos within them, the source of destruction."
Looking at the serious-faced Joshua, who remained silent for a long time, Carlis said gently: "The Evil Gods will return to this region of space-time within a hundred years. They will destroy every world along their path. And within these worlds, there are more or less seeds of Chaos sown by the Evil Gods long ago. We know of their existence, but we cannot uproot them."
"So you need me?" Joshua suddenly spoke, a hint of ease in his tone. "Is that it? Because only I can meet with you?"
"Yes, that's right." The Steel Serpent nodded. "Your body carries the aura of another world. It must have received your help and granted you its authority and power. And I, along with other worlds that will need your help in the future, will naturally not be stingy."
As it spoke, a silver-white fragment shimmering with starlight appeared before Joshua's chest. The starry radiance pulsed, releasing a power fluctuation that intoxicated the heart. Even Joshua instinctively moved his right hand, wanting to touch the silver-white fragment. But immediately, the warrior frowned.
He remembered the Steel Fragment given to him by the Ilgena world back then, and then thought of Chu Hao. Joshua's expression changed instantly, and he slowly withdrew his hand: "...Forget it."
I don't want to inexplicably create some Number Two, Number Three... wait, that name is already taken.
"You don't need it? This Steel Fragment contains a part of my authority. Holding it, you can command earth and stone, wind and storm, making water and lightning serve you."
Unable to discern Carlis's expression, its voice sounded somewhat strange: "Do you think that I have just awakened and am already very weak, so you are unwilling to accept my power?"
"...Yes."
Joshua's expression remained unchanged. He nodded: "That's exactly what I think."
"Your noble character compels even us to admire you."
With a sigh of praise, Carlis had no choice but to withdraw the Steel Fragment representing the world's authority. It said sincerely: "After I awakened, I deliberately connected with the wills of other worlds. Most worlds in this region of space-time face similar troubles to what I once had. They all greatly need your help and are willing to pay a price."
"Believe me, Joshua, with the help of several worlds, the speed of your strength's progress will surpass your imagination."
The Starry Sky Dome began to tremble slightly. Noticing this, Carlis knew that this conversation was about to end. It lowered its head, looking at Joshua: "Helping these worlds might be somewhat difficult for you, and there will surely be countless hardships and obstacles along the way. But the rewards will definitely not disappoint. Human warrior, are you willing to help us?"
—Perhaps.
At this moment, Joshua was thinking. He recalled the memories of the Sage's youth he had obtained from the Azure Orb long ago, and a guess arose in his heart.
—Perhaps, back then, when the Sage traveled through the myriad realms, it was just like what I am doing now.
Otherwise, there is no explanation for how the Sage, upon his return, possessed the power to enlighten the entire Mycroft World.
And while thinking, a smile simultaneously appeared on the warrior's face. It was an instinctive smile, one that clearly knew the road ahead was difficult but still looked forward to it. Joshua raised his head, meeting the gaze of the Steel Serpent. Their eyes locked, and he said, "Of course."
"Leave it to me."