Chapter 8: Preparations to Save the World
The size of the demiplane within the space-time distortion point—the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground—exceeded the imagination of all the Legendary experts who had entered.
"This place... is at least as large as the Northern Province."
Flying high in the sky, Nostradamus gazed toward the limits of his vision. He looked at the center of the demiplane, where the gray sun hung directly above an unknown region shrouded in layers of silver mist. His expression was grim: "Just this desert alone is nearly a hundred thousand square kilometers, and there are at least six or more outer regions of equal size, with many unknown areas further inside... Could the civilizations of the Era of Radiance really have created such a massive demiplane?"
"..."
"Joshua?"
"...I'm listening."
Still in midair, Joshua, who had only responded after being called by the old mage, wore a very unpleasant expression. The feeling of being summoned was growing stronger and stronger.
If before it had been a vague sensation, now it was like a knife pressed against a warrior's forehead—a feeling that someone was about to attack him, making his body instinctively want to counterattack. Joshua had to suppress this urge, forcing himself to stay calm and communicate with the others.
"You're distracted." Nostradamus turned his head in confusion and said bluntly, "What's wrong? Is the Abyssal aura here making you uncomfortable?" Saying this, the old mage shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. As far as he knew, the man in front of him had nearly slain an Abyss Lord in the Abyss half a year ago—it was impossible to imagine such a person being bothered by Abyssal aura.
"It's nothing. Probably... it really is the environment."
Joshua took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impulse within him. He also looked toward the distant horizon, the gray sunlight of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground's central sun reflecting in his pupils. He replied calmly, "If we're just talking about the civilizations of the Era of Radiance, they did have the power to create such a large demiplane. But it would have cost them a tremendous price, and the loss of matter from the Mycroft Continent would certainly have enraged the Earth Mother Goddess. In reality, the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground was constructed by the gods of all races working together over a hundred years, pulling fragments of worlds from the Void. So its size isn't strange. Rather, it's probably shrunk quite a bit during its thousand years of drifting."
—He used a declarative sentence.
After hearing the warrior's answer, Nostradamus nodded thoughtfully. He had, of course, noticed Joshua's strange behavior after entering this demiplane, as well as his reactions while passing through various regions along the way.
Whether crossing the Death Desert or passing through the Silent Hills, Joshua's demeanor was perfectly calm, without the slightest hint of curiosity or surprise. This composure wasn't indifference or deep scheming, but rather a kind of familiarity that bred nonchalance. In other words, Joshua was as familiar with this demiplane—which, by all logic, no one had entered for a thousand years—as if it were his own home.
And then, when answering his question, Joshua had casually stated a great deal of information that could be taken as fact, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
But this was not ordinary, Joshua. You shouldn't know this much.
Nostradamus kept this thought hidden in his heart as he descended back to the ground with the warrior. After several years of acquaintance, the old mage had grown very familiar with Joshua. He could now enter and leave the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia without prior notice—both the guards at the gate and Number 3 would automatically let him pass, and the warrior didn't find it strange. But precisely because they were growing closer, doubts arose in Nostradamus's mind.
He had first noticed this suddenly rising young count because of the Northern Black Tide. Back then, Nostradamus's focus had still been on Brandon. He had sensed Joshua's potential, but only potential. Even in his dreams, the old mage couldn't have imagined that just a few years later, the young man who had just entered Gold-rank and inherited his title would become a Legendary expert like himself—and even advance to Legendary before him!
It was precisely this stark contrast that piqued Nostradamus's curiosity. A mage's curiosity is terrifying; they will analyze every detail of everything, piece by piece, just to get the answer they want. For this reason, Nostradamus had spent several days meditating in his private study, filtering through his mind all the information he knew about Joshua, even his every word and action. And so, he made a startling discovery.
Joshua van Radcliffe. This man could predict the future.
Actually, the term "predict the future" was somewhat inaccurate, because some things he knew couldn't possibly be known even through prophecy. But aside from that, there was no better way to describe it.
Whether it was the Black Tide, the Mad Dragon Plague, the cultists, the Great Plague, or a series of major events concerning the Mycroft Continent, Joshua always seemed to know in advance and prepare accordingly. During the Black Tide, he had immediately broken through the beast horde on his side and then sent troops to save the Lord of Moldova, Countess Verdani, who should have died without a doubt. During the Mad Dragon Plague, he had killed all the White Dragons in his territory half a year early and developed a vaccine for the disease—Nostradamus thought that his lack of suspicion at the time was probably because he was too tired and had damaged his brain. He should have noticed this long ago.
Not to mention dealing with the cultists and the plague afterward. Count Radcliffe was always one step ahead, handling everything perfectly. This perfection even extended to the other world, where he accomplished a feat that thousands of inheritors of the Sage's relics had failed to achieve in a millennium—recovering the Fourth Relic and rekindling the Flame! This couldn't be dismissed as an excuse of inheriting the Sage's legacy! Many things clearly proved that Joshua could know things he shouldn't, and the most frightening thing was that he never hid this.
Just like just now, when he casually said the name of this demiplane, 'Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground.'
Nostradamus could swear that in his decades of studying ancient civilizations, no book from the Era of Radiance had ever mentioned this name. It was as if this demiplane itself didn't exist. But Joshua was incredibly familiar with it, even knowing its name... This strong sense of dissonance gave the old mage a stomachache.
—Was he revealing this information so carelessly to test me?
Despite the stomachache, Nostradamus initially suspected Joshua might be doing it on purpose. But after thinking rationally for a moment, he cast the suspicion aside—if this man were capable of scheming, he wouldn't be Joshua. He probably just said whatever came to mind, not caring at all whether he exposed anything.
"Yes, you really have a clear conscience."
Nostradamus suddenly muttered this to himself. Joshua turned his head in slight confusion and glanced at the old mage, but due to the intense sensation, he didn't dwell on it. Noticing the warrior's reaction, Nostradamus let out a deep sigh.
Oh well. Even if Joshua could predict the future, so what? Everything he had done was to help more people escape suffering, to give this dying world a chance at life. Nostradamus himself didn't really care whether Joshua was a reincarnated ancient deity or a gifted prophet. The old mage was simply curious and hoped that one day the warrior would tell him the truth.
At this moment, however, Joshua didn't notice the tangled thoughts of the Legendary mage beside him. Instead, he raised a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. In truth, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared, and might even have bluntly told the other that he was actually a transmigrator—just as Nostradamus said, he had a clear conscience, and no one would offend a powerful Legendary over such a trivial, unprovable matter. Even the Seven Gods didn't care.
But now was not the time for such talk. At this moment, the warrior didn't even notice that Ying and Lin had walked up to him with worried expressions and supported his back, nor did he notice the old mage and the light orb turning toward him in surprise. Ever since Joshua had spoken those words about the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, he had felt a violent dizziness assaulting his mind. If before he couldn't pinpoint where the anomaly came from, now he knew—it was coming from the sun hanging high in the demiplane's sky, flickering with a dim gray light!
For thousands of years, this gray sun had remained dim, as if about to go out, never showing any sign of rekindling even in his previous life. But now, it seemed to be activated by something, slowly beginning to emit a strong silver-white light. Neither Nostradamus nor the other Legendary experts exploring the plane noticed, because to them, unfamiliar with the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, this was just a normal day-night cycle. They even thought that when the gray sun's light had been dim earlier, it was the artificial demiplane's set nighttime.
...
[I can hear the lamentations among the stars. Cynthia, Morningstar, my disciple, can you hear them too? They are weeping, because worlds, civilizations, all living beings, order—everything—is being destroyed under the invasion of Chaos... I can no longer bear it.]
[Then, Teacher, what should we do? The multiverse is too vast. Even you cannot save everything.]
[At least, I will help those I can hear... I already have a plan.]
...
Accompanied by a violent dizziness, Joshua felt a hazy stream of words flash through his mind. He could vaguely see a beautiful elven woman with a sorrowful face kneeling respectfully on one knee before a white figure. She looked up mournfully, her features overlapping with the Stellar Saint of the Grandia World.
"This is... the Stellar Saint, Cynthia Morningstar? That person... is the Sage?"
Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse, Joshua could clearly identify the owners of these words. But he didn't understand why this was happening. As the gray sun in the distant sky grew brighter, the dizziness intensified, leaving less and less room for the warrior to think. Joshua also realized the purpose of this force invading his spirit—it simply wanted to pull his consciousness into its own spiritual world, just like when the Azure Orb had drawn the warrior's will into the Sage's memory fragments.
But now, Joshua was a completely different person from before, and the owner of this unknown will was also vastly different from the Sage. Moreover, Joshua could sense that the other's soul was severely wounded and not yet fully healed. So, the two wills engaged in an extremely intense tug-of-war, with some information even being exchanged amid the fierce conflict, like the memories of the Sage he had just seen.
"Don't think you can drag me over there!"
Having sensed the other's intention, how could Joshua let it take the lead? The Sage was one thing—a being who could roam the multiverse and slay multiple Evil Gods. Joshua was willing to admit that he was far inferior to that now. But even so, he believed that one day he would surpass the Sage, let alone anyone else.
This inexplicable thing, which had never appeared in his previous life, wanted to casually pull his will away? Ridiculous!
"Come over here!"
Gritting his teeth and roaring, Joshua spat out these words between clenched teeth, under the concerned gazes of the Divine Mechanism siblings, the light orb, and the old mage. The moment his spirit condensed with extreme focus, following that faint track to forcibly pull the will that was engaged in a long-distance soul tug-of-war over to his side, the gray sun in the sky, which had been gradually brightening, immediately lost its luster and returned to its previous dim state. At the same time, a vast, severely wounded will was confusedly dragged into Joshua's spiritual space.
And Joshua himself was completely plunged into the massive torrent of information brought by that will.
...
[My power comes from the gift of the Myriad Realms' Will. Now is the time for me to repay the Myriad Realms. Don't try to dissuade me. This is my future path.]
[No, Teacher, Christina and I are not trying to stop you. We simply believe that this great goal doesn't need you to bear it alone... We are willing to walk with you, along with the gods!]
...
Before a temple burning with holy flames, a slightly weary but robust man and a mysterious woman with black hair and white skin, her face veiled, bowed respectfully at the temple's entrance. Holy light rippled around their bodies, seemingly materialized. They spoke with a majestic voice emanating from within the temple, trying to persuade the revered being inside.
Joshua, still not fully recovered, looked at this scene with slight confusion. He knew he had won the spiritual battle, but clearly, it wasn't a complete victory—this scattered torrent of information was proof. Watching these fleeting fragments, the warrior suddenly understood something.
"These are..."
A moment of dizziness.
...
[Let us cheer for the light of wisdom of all races and gods! This great creation deserves our eternal praise! Teacher, look! From now on, the stars are in our hands!]
[Very good... Hells, you are indeed the disciple who understands me best. But tell me, besides helping, do you also intend to use it to subdue other worlds?]
[...Naturally, Teacher. I dare not deceive you. But if we do not defend with might, how can we drive away Chaos? How can truth and justice descend?]
...
Beneath the radiance of the silver-white sun, a tall, gray-haired man excitedly introduced to his teacher the crystallization of wisdom created by uniting all races and gods—the supreme creation of Mycroft Civilization. His teacher seemed somewhat surprised but saw through his disciple's true thoughts at a glance. In response, the tall, robust man, whose body seemed carved from the most perfect marble, openly stated his desires without concealment.
Joshua silently watched these scenes. By now, he had recovered from the dizziness and was consciously gathering the overflowing information. But the more he watched, the more certain he became of his guess.
"Still missing a bit."
His spirit sank into the torrent of information, and dizziness struck again. But this time, what appeared were vast, chaotic fragments with no logic whatsoever. All the memories were utterly disordered, as if shattered by some immense force. The owner of the memories couldn't repair them and had simply left them in this state.
After a long while, a brief next scene appeared.
...
[You want to merge my daughter with that filthy, chaotic existence? I will never allow it! Never agree!]
[This is the only way to save you and your daughter. I'm sorry, but I have no choice.]
[AAAAAAHHHH! I curse you! Curse you all! Humans, Elves, Dwarves, all... who dwell... I curse...]
...
Beneath the dome of the starry sea, the sound of grinding metal turned into a rumbling roar. Joshua couldn't see any clear image, but he could hear a tired, helpless voice and a furious, low voice in conversation. Clearly, the two sides failed to reach an agreement. Under a wave of power so vast and mighty that it still felt immense even after a thousand years, the furious voice suddenly became low and weak, until it finally faded away.
"Not enough. Next."
The warrior's voice rang out. Light and shadow intertwined.
...
[Teacher, will the Mycroft World be destroyed?]
[If you mean the complete erasure of its existence, then of course not. But if you mean the continuation of the world itself, then it depends on the struggles of future generations. That is a distant future that has nothing to do with you or me.]
[Can't... can't you stay, Teacher?]
[This accident has made me aware of many truths I never noticed before... Things that staying in Mycroft for ten thousand years couldn't solve. So, I leave the future world to you.]
...
"This is... the conversation between the Sage and his disciple. It's also the memory of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. The origin and end of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground."
The last scene faded from before his eyes. In his own spiritual world, Joshua let out a deep sigh. He turned his head and looked toward the darkness on one side: "Right?"
"Correct. Inheritor. What you said is the truth."
In the dark spiritual space, a point of silver light suddenly appeared. The next moment, the silver light swelled, illuminating the entire darkness. A massive silver-gray light orb appeared beside Joshua. It spoke in a mechanical, rigid tone: "Existence information confirmed. Inheritance Number Three, 'Azure Radiance' holder. Please proceed to the Central Sacrificial Ground. Multiquadrant teleportation is ready."
"Please prepare to save the world."