# Chapter 70: The Expectations of the Forerunner
"You cannot fight every battle on behalf of others."
A familiar yet gentle voice came from the depths of the profound void, reaching directly into Joshua's mind. He smiled softly, somewhat helplessly offering his advice: "Everyone has their own trials, and this one belongs to Brandon. Joshua, you must trust in the strength and conviction of your comrades. He can resolve this trouble."
"...The Sage?"
If he hadn't recognized the owner of this voice, Joshua would never have stopped his charge. But since he already knew the other's identity, continuing to intervene would be somewhat redundant. Standing in mid-air, Joshua looked down at the earth. On the pale snowfield, the pitch-black, filthy domain of resentment was expanding rapidly, now having become a vast quagmire covering several kilometers in every direction. Countless hideous and terrifying giant beasts and monsters struggled within it, venting their evil and filthy resentment and rage, twisting everything around them.
If not for the Sage's advice, Joshua would never have allowed such an unstable factor to run rampant in his territory. Moreover, if no one stopped the spread of this domain, given the speed of this resentment quagmire, it would take no more than ten-odd minutes to reach the densely populated areas around the main city, engulfing and polluting most of the satellite city's building complex, causing a catastrophe with casualties of at least a hundred thousand. A portion of the resentment that the Sage had once carried possessed such terrifying power.
But that voice was right. He truly could not fight every battle for everyone. Each person had responsibilities they must bear themselves. Since this was the trial belonging to the holder of the Order Twin Blades, the warrior would not interfere, but instead wait for his friend to return victorious.
"However, if the safety of the common people is threatened, I will still act."
Speaking softly in his mind, Joshua replied to the Sage's voice: "If this filthy domain spreads to the vicinity of the main city, I will completely annihilate it. At the current rate, that's about ten minutes or so. This can also be considered a test for Brandon."
"You won't have the chance to act."
That gentle voice did not offer much explanation. He seemed to firmly believe in the blonde swordsman: "Watch, Joshua."
And as the words of this being, suspected to be the Sage, slowly fell, the dark, deep quagmire suddenly churned with a chaotic surge. Countless monsters within this filthy domain roared in unison, emitting silent howls. Amidst these increasingly restless creatures that seemed about to come alive, Brandon's figure appeared as if completely swallowed by darkness, showing no reaction. Joshua flew along with the advancing tide, coldly watching as the horde rapidly expanded the boundaries of the filthy domain. Time passed minute by minute. He kept his promise, showing no intention of lending a hand, until nearly ten minutes had passed and the domain's boundary was about to reach the villages around Moldavia's main city. Only then did he clench his fists, preparing to gather power and intervene.
But just then, the dark domain suddenly halted its expansion. The black resentment tide at the edge was about to crash down upon a snow-covered forest, but froze in place as if time had stopped. Then, at the very center of the domain, two bright and pure sword lights blazed forth from the deepest darkness, tearing through the gloomy black mist of resentment, revealing a weary figure before the warrior's eyes.
"Thank you, Joshua!"
Having exhausted every effort in the spiritual space and finally broken free from the resentment curses of countless monstrous beasts, Brandon was wrapped in nearly endless, wailing soul fragments. He swung his twin swords with all his might, shattering and annihilating these resentments one by one. After finishing, the swordsman looked up at Joshua high in the sky, revealing a tired yet pure smile: "Leave the rest to me!"
At this moment, Brandon's eyes flickered with a deep blue light—a talent born from his childhood spent in the company of death and resentment. These were eyes that could directly gaze upon destruction and nothingness. Using this power, the blonde swordsman swept his gaze over the countless resentment monsters before him. These seemingly powerful beings were covered in cracks and black spots representing 'death' and 'annihilation.' Without a doubt, if these monsters were all real bodies, Brandon could never defeat them no matter how hard he tried. But now, everything within the dark domain was merely illusory soul fragments. Thus, eliminating them was not difficult for the swordsman.
Taking a moment to catch his breath and recover some strength, Brandon gripped the hilts of his twin swords tightly, then stamped his foot and stepped forward, transforming into a cyan-grey light that raced toward the endless monsters churning in the quagmire. Around this light, silver and white sword lights interwove like leaping arcs of radiance. Wherever these light arcs passed, whether raging sea-born giant beasts or bizarre multi-legged monsters, all were cleanly cut down and annihilated, leaving not a single fragment behind.
"I never had such a trial back then."
Watching Brandon engage in fierce combat with the numerous resentment monsters within the dark domain, Joshua couldn't help but frown, complaining somewhat discontentedly: "Playing favorites isn't a good thing."
"Ordinary people wouldn't actively seek out such difficult trials. Besides, you are already a Legendary now. No matter how difficult the task, it means nothing to you."
That gentle voice chuckled, then patiently explained: "The Order Twin Blades are the only weapons among the relics left by the Sage. They are power used to kill and suppress evil beings, with no other elements. Therefore, their holder must undergo more trials than others."
"The one who holds the Order Twin Blades must never be obstructed or disturbed by even this slight resentment. Even if they cannot command it, they must suppress it. If Brandon cannot accomplish this, the Twin Blades will seal themselves, waiting for the next qualified inheritor."
"What harsh requirements."
Though he said this, Joshua didn't find it unreasonable at all. He even nodded, looking as if it were only natural. But then, the warrior noticed something amiss: "Wait... you're not the Sage?"
From the other's words just now, he could naturally detect that slight grammatical difference.
"Of course I'm not." Pausing for a moment, that gentle voice replied somewhat puzzled yet calmly: "I am a legacy spirit condensed from a portion of the Sage's memories. That's all. How could I possibly be the great Sage... You are the inheritor of the Azure Orb. You should have come into contact with my kind before. Why do you still have such doubts?"
No.
By now, Joshua had lost all interest in observing Brandon's struggle on the ground. He frowned, looking at his own palm. In the center of his palm, where a faint layer of silver light flowed, there was a small crown mark—the power left behind by the Azure Orb.
This is completely different!
Recalling the scene from back then, when he first encountered the Sage's illusion within the Azure Orb, Joshua's heart still trembled slightly. What he had seen then was definitely not some legacy spirit like now, but a genuine 'form of the Sage's childhood'! Whether in posture, speech, bearing, or power, the illusion in the Azure Orb was infinitely stronger than this gentle voice now. This was undoubtedly the difference between the genuine article and a legacy spirit. But why?
Why had what he encountered back then been a real part of the Sage, while what was in the Order Twin Blades was merely a manufactured legacy spirit?
Memories flashed rapidly. Joshua recalled from the very beginning, when he first met the Sage at the Ural Fortress, all the way to his return from the Grandia World. Joshua was absolutely certain that what he had encountered was indeed the true memories of the Sage from the past, even a part of him, not a shadow he had created. When transporting the survivors of the Grandia World into the Carlis World, the Sage's power within the four inheritance items had even helped him fulfill his wish.
"Wait, it seems it was around that time!" Sensing something amiss, Joshua traced back to that moment in his mind: When he brought the spark of the Grandia World back to the Mycroft Continent, the residual power of the Sage within the four inheritance items helped him relocate the survivors into the Carlis World. After that, those four powers disappeared without a trace—Joshua had originally thought they had been too depleted and had returned to the inheritance items to recuperate. But now it seemed that the Sage's true power had likely left completely, replaced by these semblances of legacy spirits.
Having sensed that his homeland had regained its flame, and confirmed that his inheritor now possessed enough strength to protect himself and could leave the cradle to live independently, he had withdrawn his power.
Slightly understanding the Sage's thoughts, Joshua remained silent. For some reason, he felt a bit disappointed. The warrior had once thought that one day he might be able to consult with the Sage's former illusions within the other inheritance items. Now it seemed that would not be possible. Even if the legacy spirits possessed power, they could never match the true power of the Sage.
It seemed there was no way to truly meet the Sage, this legendary figure, even once.
Because of this unexpected discovery, Joshua could only watch somewhat dejectedly as Brandon fought with the numerous resentment monsters on the ground. On the earth below, the swordsman's skill had reached the pinnacle. Even when facing several powerful ancient evil beings whose strength was not inferior to his own, he could maintain a stalemate. Coupled with his demonic eyes that could directly gaze upon death, as long as he found an opening, no matter how powerful the monster's remnant soul, it would instantly shatter and dissipate into nothingness. But now Brandon was nearly exhausted. Even with his Ultimate-rank warrior's stamina, he could only pant heavily, his breathing rhythm disrupted.
—If nothing unexpected happened, Brandon probably couldn't kill all the resentment monsters by himself.
Joshua estimated somewhat regretfully, then shook his head: "He expended too much power in the illusion at the beginning. As a result, he lacks the stamina to completely destroy the enemies in the real world. It seems this trial might end in failure."
The legacy spirit did not reply. Joshua didn't mind. Although he was willing to help his friends, this was an exception. Perhaps Brandon truly lacked the accumulation of time from his previous life and was not yet qualified to become the true inheritor of the Order Twin Blades. So what if he had to wait a few more years? Although the Order Twin Blades would seal themselves and choose the next inheritor, who said Brandon couldn't continue to be that next one?
Failure wasn't a big deal. It might even be a catalyst for growth.
For some reason, in Joshua's vision, Brandon, who was struggling fiercely with the numerous monster remnant souls within the dark domain, gradually overlapped with a white Flame Demon fighting wits with countless demons in the Abyss. Joshua initially thought it was an illusion, but then he realized that this was the Steel Force resonating with Syndica again. At this moment, the Flame Demon was already able to escape nimbly under the pursuit of many demons, even killing one or two leading powerful demons along the way to supplement its power. It was constantly thanking the 'Dreadful Great Demon' in its heart for the knowledge and power bestowed upon it.
Somewhat amused, Joshua closed this information transmission and continued to watch Brandon's battle with the remnant souls below. But after a few seconds, he suddenly looked up at the sky, his eyes shining with a light called surprise.
"That's right! The resonance of the Steel Force!"
He first murmured softly to himself, then laughed excitedly. The warrior raised his right hand, clenching his fist. In his palm, the authority of the Soulflame King, representing the Sage's inheritance, was rapidly flashing with light, even causing faint flame-like cracks resembling ceramic fractures to appear on Joshua's right hand. Joshua paid no attention to this. He continued to look at the sky, the light in his crimson eyes seeming capable of piercing through the barriers of worlds, directly gazing upon the Multiverse.
The Soulflame King was the power to burn flames and reshape the order of the world. It originated from the First Flame, yet also had a close relationship with the Steel Force. This inheritance power, directly derived from the Sage, was now rooted in Joshua's body, sharing its fortunes. Through this, the warrior gained a flash of inspiration. Without hesitation, he mobilized most of the Steel Force within his body, resonating with the source of the Soulflame King—the power of the Sage.
Powerful energy was released wantonly from Joshua's body, even slowly melting the snow within dozens of kilometers. The entire Moldavia Territory warmed as a result, as if it had moved from deep winter to spring. The warrior's spirit, in a surge similar to cross-realm communication with Syndica but thousands of millions of times more difficult, broke through a layer of pure white light, reaching the other end of the Multiverse.
He saw a figure composed of the purest light.
This figure stood in the dark void, moving against the surging tide of magic light toward the other side of the Multiverse. Countless dark evil beings, terrifying disasters that existed only in the depths of the void, brushed past it but could not harm it in the slightest. Beside this figure, the distances of hundreds and thousands of worlds were crossed in an instant. Some worlds were destroyed, others reborn, but none of these could make it stop and pause to watch.
But now, as if sensing something, this humanoid form slowly halted its steps that not even the birth and death of worlds could stop. Not for any other reason, but because it felt a gaze from its homeland—a gaze it had been waiting for for a thousand years, yet which had never appeared.
Turning around, it smiled as it looked into the void. At the other end of the Multiverse, Joshua also calmly gazed into the void. The two looked at each other for a moment.
A moment. Only a moment.
In that moment, Joshua could see that in the direction this light humanoid was advancing, there was the brightest place in the Multiverse. The light of existence caressed all realms. That was the source of the First Flame. But within this light of origin, there were patches like sunspots hidden away. The Great Magic Tide sweeping through all realms was erupting precisely because of this, as if to drive away the darkness obscuring the light.
A moment later, the fragile connection broke. Joshua, who had used all his power to maintain it for only an instant, slowly stepped back, nearly failing to maintain his flight in the air. But even though he was exhausted to this extent, there was no trace of pain on his face. Instead, he wore an expression of delight.
"I saw 'Him'."
Joshua murmured to himself: "He is still walking on that 'path.' He hasn't stopped."
Although he knew nothing else, although there had been no communication between them, for some reason, Joshua suddenly felt filled with motivation—a power he had not felt since he rekindled the flame of the Mycroft World.
To see meant to be able to pursue. To pursue meant that one day, he could catch up. And the Sage must be the same. This being who had joined forces with the gods to save the entire world from destruction and left behind numerous inheritance items must surely be looking forward to later generations following in his footsteps, to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
Lowering his head, Joshua looked at the dark domain where Brandon was fighting. But to his surprise, the blonde swordsman, who had only been barely holding his own, had somehow gained a surge of power from somewhere. He was now suppressing the remaining resentment evil beings like a killing machine. If nothing unexpected happened, this trial, which had seemed destined for failure, could be completely concluded within a few minutes.
Scanning the surroundings, the warrior nodded. He found the answer: At the edge of the dark domain not far away, the purple-haired Countess had brought her two daughters to the battlefield. The warrior could faintly hear childish, passionate voices shouting, 'Daddy, go!' The sudden surge of power within Brandon's body immediately had a reasonable source.
"Somewhat cliché." The legacy spirit's voice appeared again. He sounded quite pleased: "Isn't it?"
"A little."
Indeed. Whether it was fighting against evil gods, saving the world, sacrificing oneself, sealing a land full of malice toward life, or leaving behind inheritance so that the faith of all beings could be passed down like a torch, endlessly—these were all clichés to the extreme, orthodox developments that couldn't be more orthodox.
Joshua watched this scene—the blonde swordsman, driven by the power of familial love, erupting with strength far beyond his usual level. He was silent for a moment, then smiled and said softly: "But I like it."
That was enough.
—Volume Nine, Legacy of the Gods·End
## EX Chapter: The Sunday Joshua Wasn't There
More than a month had passed since that sudden incident. Even now, the Scarlet Family and the Kaos Family still sent letters of thanks, and Joshua's relationship with Brandon and his wife had become much closer.
After initially passing the inheritance trial of the Order Twin Blades, Brandon had obtained many memories from the Era of Radiance period, as well as some inheritance related to the Sage. This included the secret words Joshua had told him years ago about how to release the true name of the Order Twin Blades. But aside from that, there was no more information. After several inquiries, the warrior confirmed that the blonde swordsman had indeed not fallen into the same vivid illusion as he had, nor had he personally met a part of the Sage's soul.
This was admittedly a pity, because it meant Joshua had completely lost the possibility of meeting the Sage again. There were still many problems and doubts on the Mycroft Continent waiting to be resolved. Without the Sage as the simplest and most direct source of answers, everything could only be slowly investigated on his own. But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, with most problems nearly resolved, the next major event wouldn't come until the Abyss invasion nearly twenty years later. If there was nothing to do in the meantime, Joshua would find it boring.
Now, it was the 15th of January, Year 836 of the Falling Stars Era. One morning, Joshua 'as usual' disappeared on some small matter. Ying, who had always attended him, showed no surprise—her master basically disappeared suddenly every few days like this. She had grown somewhat accustomed to it. Moreover, from this carefree and unrestrained master, the Divine Mechanism girl had learned quite a bit of news. For instance, not long from now, he and other Legendary experts would have a large-scale joint operation in the void.
"Master is not here."
In Joshua's empty, undecorated room, Ying, who had originally been wearing a gentle smile, suddenly became cold and profound. She placed the prepared hot tea on a nearby cabinet and chuckled coldly: "It's time."
Not long after, Hei, who had just woken up groggily from sleep, felt that her posture was very uncomfortable and wanted to turn over and change direction. But just as she was about to do so, the black dragon girl was shocked to discover that she had been tied to a chair in a sitting position!
Abruptly opening her eyes, a somewhat bewildered Hei had no idea what was happening. Wasn't she in the Lord's Manor? The safest place in Moldavia's main city, by her master's side! In fact, besides her master, who else could tie her up!
When she opened her eyes and looked around, she found herself in a mysterious room. This room was a regular square space with no doors on any of its six sides. Each wall was inscribed with extremely complex and mysterious rune arrays using Mithril and Amethyst. Rows of rune arrays flashed with profound light arcs at each other, forming part of a multidimensional magic circle. In the center of this room, a large rune amethyst sparkled with brilliant light. She herself was tied beneath this crystal. Around her, a cold-faced Ying, a weary-looking Lin, and an equally cold No. 3 were watching her with peculiar expressions.
"Dingling... so scary..."
A gentle, trembling voice came from above Hei's head. It was Xiao Guang, who had also been tied to the amethyst. The light ball's voice carried a hint of tears: "What are you going to do to us..."
"Don't be afraid, I'm not going to do anything to you."
Ying's tone was calm, but her eyes were burning with a strange light: "I just want to ask you to help me with a small experiment."
...
A few hours later, when Joshua returned to the Lord's Manor, he saw a strange scene.
In the living room of the Lord's Manor, Ying and Lin were sitting on the sofa, their expressions somewhat dazed. Hei was lying on the floor, her entire body twitching as if she had suffered some great shock. Xiao Guang was floating in the corner, trembling, as if it had been frightened by something. Only No. 3 was still standing there, her expression cold as she watched Ying and the others, as if waiting for them to recover.
"What happened?"
Joshua asked somewhat puzzledly. He had just gone to the Imperial Capital to meet with Nostradamus and discuss some matters. He had only been gone for a few hours. What had happened in the Lord's Manor in the meantime?
"Master!"
Seeing Joshua return, Ying immediately stood up. Her expression was a bit complicated, but she quickly regained her usual gentle smile: "Welcome back."
"Welcome back, Master."
Lin also stood up. Although her expression was somewhat dazed, she still greeted Joshua obediently. Only Hei, lying on the floor, twitched a few more times before weakly raising her head, looking at Joshua with a gaze full of grievance: "Master... Ying, she's a bad person..."
"What did you do?"
Joshua looked at Ying somewhat strangely. Although he knew that Ying had always been somewhat obsessed with researching Divine Mechanisms and magic circles, she had never done anything to the people around her. What had happened today?
"It's nothing, just a small experiment."
Ying's expression was calm, but Joshua could see a hint of guilt in her eyes. She coughed lightly and said: "I just wanted to test a new magic circle array, so I asked Hei and Xiao Guang to help me. But the result was a bit unexpected..."
"Test?"
Joshua looked at Hei, who was still twitching on the floor, and Xiao Guang, who was trembling in the corner. He couldn't help but shake his head: "Don't go too far."
"I know."
Ying nodded, but the light in her eyes didn't diminish. She seemed to have gained some new inspiration from this experiment. Joshua sighed, not bothering to pursue the matter further. He turned and walked toward his study.
But just then, Ying suddenly called out to him: "Master!"
"Hmm?"
Joshua turned around, looking at Ying somewhat puzzledly. Ying hesitated for a moment, then said: "Master, I want to become stronger."
"Oh?"
Joshua was slightly surprised. He looked at Ying, seeing the determination in her eyes. He smiled and said: "That's a good thing. But why the sudden thought?"
"Because..."
Ying lowered her head, her voice somewhat low: "I don't want to always be protected by Master. I also want to be able to help Master."
Joshua was silent for a moment, then walked over and patted Ying's shoulder: "You're already helping me a lot."
"But that's not enough."
Ying looked up, her eyes firm: "I want to become stronger, strong enough to stand by Master's side and fight together."
Joshua looked at Ying, feeling somewhat moved. He didn't speak, but walked forward and patted the silver-haired girl's shoulder who was at the front: Having the whole family waiting for him when he returned from a trip—this kind of treatment had been absent for a very long time.
At this moment, Ying hesitated for a moment in her heart, but she immediately cast aside that meaningless thing and said loudly: "Master! I want to become stronger!" Beside her, No. 3 didn't speak either, but her eyes were undoubtedly saying the same thing.
"Ah? It's good that you have this intention, but..."
Although he felt a bit bewildered, Joshua was moved by the girls' desire to become stronger. He laughed and changed his words: "Don't worry. In a few days, I'll go to the Eastern Plains to meet with Barbarossa and the others. He is the leader of this generation of the Sky-Piercing White Tower. With the technical reserves of the Eastern Plains, making you stronger on your existing foundation won't be a problem!"
"Also, Ying and Lin, I have a long journey in a month. Be prepared."
After saying this, Joshua casually pointed at Hei, who was trembling on the side, and Xiao Guang, the light ball: "Xiao Guang, come along too. This operation will probably need it."
Without paying attention to Ying's clenched-fist expression of excitement, Lin's bewildered expression of not knowing what she had done, and No. 3's shocked expression of feeling betrayed, Joshua's thoughts turned to the big news Nostradamus had told him not long ago.
"The people of the Earth Temple plan to reconcile with me soon."
As he pondered the meaning of these words, the warrior couldn't help but recall again the girl in the Bloodmoon Abyss whom he had killed for betrayal. He shrugged.
Hopefully, they have enough sincerity.