Chapter 37: The Path to Triumph
The Steel Serpent Star bid farewell to Joshua. Until the very end, the World Will could not refute the warrior's argument—after all, who could know the future? The divine was by no means the only path to power. It itself was actually the best example: not a deity, yet far more powerful than any god.
"Your friend, that powerful psionicist named Nostradamus—in your world, he is called a spellcaster, correct?"
At the moment of farewell, the Star handed two treasures wrapped in energy bubbles to Joshua: "He is not like you. He cannot see me, nor can he communicate with me. But he did indeed help my people, slaying the Void Mother Beast alongside you… This is his reward. I hope you can deliver it for me."
"Of course. I imagine he'll be quite surprised."
Joshua casually accepted the two energy bubbles, wrapping them in Steel Force and securing them at his side. He nodded to the Star and smiled: "Then, until next time."
"Heh… Until next time."
With a low chuckle, as the starry dome faded, Milharbus knelt on one knee and presented the crystal cylinder before Joshua. Frowning, Joshua glanced at the cylinder and then said with some surprise: "Isn't this… your sacred relic, the 'Water Droplet'?"
"Indeed it is."
Beside him, Taquin also knelt once more. The old man explained: "A thousand years ago, the Void Sage descended, saving us from ignorance and brutal civil war, elevating us among the stars. Before departing, he established the altar and sacred relic atop the Holy Mountain, and vaguely prophesied that he or his followers would one day return."
"We believed that the 'Void Portal' ritual was the method to summon the Sage or his followers. But now it seems… it was entirely the opposite." As Milharbus spoke, he looked at the snow on the ground, a complex expression on his face. "But this time, guided by the sacred relic, you and your comrades descended here. The Sage's prophecy has been fulfilled. Therefore, the sacred relic 'Water Droplet' shall return to its rightful owner."
"You should have said so sooner."
Hearing this, Joshua nodded and took the amber pillar, along with the Water Droplet within it, from Milharbus's hands. He had been somewhat puzzled before—were the Midgardians too open-minded? To completely trust whispers heard from the void, doing whatever the Evil God's minions said? How could they be so easily deceived? Now it seemed the Sage's vague words from back then were to blame. The Sage had likely thought that the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground would be completed soon, and with the Water Droplet as a beacon, the people of Mycroft Continent would one day arrive in the Starry World. So he had given the Midgardians a precautionary warning. But even he could not have foreseen that after the Sacrificial Ground was finished, the Era of Radiance would be ended by the Abyss and Evil Gods. The Midgardians, waiting bitterly for over a thousand years, did not meet their former savior but instead encountered the Evil God's minions wandering the void.
An unfortunate coincidence. Making this judgment in his mind, Joshua also secured the Water Droplet with Steel Force at his side, letting it accompany the two energy bubbles. Though he was curious about what the Water Droplet truly was, such matters could wait until they returned to Mycroft Continent.
"You truly must leave?" Watching Joshua's expression, Milharbus asked cautiously. The warrior quickly gave him a clear answer: "Soon—no, we leave now."
Joshua changed his words because, accompanied by a faint spatial-temporal fluctuation, Nostradamus had emerged from a spacetime gate with Ying and Lin. The old mage nodded to the two Midgardian leaders and said amiably: "Ahem, though it is somewhat abrupt, it is indeed so… For our world, our departure is an unforeseen event. The longer we delay, the more complicated the situation becomes."
"Regrettably, we must leave now."
Joshua took over the conversation. He nodded and smiled at Milharbus and Taquin, who seemed unable to accept such rapid progress: "Don't worry. If you ever again encounter an evil from beyond the void that you cannot overcome, then call upon me."
"Stand upon the altar and call my name."
By now, the figures of the warrior and his companions were beginning to blur—the Dominant Will of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground was performing a multi-quadrant teleport outside the world—but his voice remained clear: "Then I shall surely answer you and descend once more."
The next second, before the two could utter any farewells, Joshua and his party vanished from the Starry World, leaving the bewildered pair staring at each other, then letting out bitter laughs.
—Several months later, the Starry World.
The statue at the foot of the Holy Mountain had already been completed. But now, workers and artisans were still laboring diligently, carving enormous walls. They crafted exquisite murals and totems, sculpted complex reliefs and patterns. Many ascetics and priests stood behind them, watching the completed and unfinished murals.
What those murals and reliefs depicted were not magnificent or spectacular things, nor legendary tales worth grand narration. Instead, they showed the ordinary lives of Midgardians in different eras.
The daily life of farming, herding, and hunting during the ancient tribal period. Scenes of exploration, migration, and city-building during the primitive city-state era. Silhouettes of war, slave trading, and mutual slaughter during the feudal kingdom era. Images of building psionic engines, large-scale environmental destruction, and ultimately another global war during the industrial enlightenment era.
Four walls, twelve murals, countless stories contained within. Now, a fifth wall had been erected. The first mural and relief had been completed—depicting a Sage emerging from a rift tearing through the world, leading all Midgardians toward the stars.
The second mural was being painted. It showed a terrifying crystalline insect stepping out from a Void Portal, destroying a beautiful planet. Countless warships exploded in space, crashing toward other planets or drifting into the vast cosmic void with their remaining momentum.
The third mural had not yet begun, but its outlines had been sketched. Vaguely, one could discern a four-armed giant standing before a massive planet, coldly watching the entire world and the enormous Mother of Monsters being ignited by flames.
"…This scene seems a bit off."
But someone raised a question: "This is the scene of the Giant God killing the Void Mother Beast, but your sketch makes it look like the Giant God destroyed a planet! It will cause misunderstandings for the children who visit in the future."
The artisans looked at the critic—indeed, it was so—and smilingly made corrections, making the Giant God's expression less intimidating and enlarging the Mother Beast's part a bit. Only then did the critic nod in satisfaction and step back.
The appearance of the new god had spread throughout the entire Midgardian civilization. New doctrines and hymns to the deity had appeared in all basic textbooks. This god, promoted by the Midgardian government as the god of "Punishment," "Salvation," and "War," had unexpectedly gained many followers among the younger generation. His divine name, derived from the Flame Maelstrom and the Mother Beast's remains in the Sea God Star, was set as "Inferno."
The revered name of the Inferno God was spreading through Midgardian civilization.
—Several months earlier, outside the Starry World.
Unaware of what would happen months later, Joshua, with Ying, Lin, and the Light Orb, stood in the void alongside Nostradamus, gazing at the entire multiverse.
The light of the Great Magic Tide spread across all realms, visible even here. Energy mist, permeating all worlds and causing countless realms to emit bright light, surged like a tidal wave through all visible void. Hazy starlight stirred this mist, creating billions upon billions of complex spatial-temporal ripples.
The cross-multiverse teleportation was about to begin. The Dominant Will rapidly calculated the spacetime path. Nostradamus had received his reward and was now smilingly examining his surprise. The Divine Mechanism siblings were playfully arguing over who should hold Xiao Guang now.
Beside them, Joshua was listening.
He closed his eyes, tilting his ear to hear the sounds of the Starry World. Within the world membrane, the Steel Serpent Star spread its will across countless star rivers. The clarion call of war had sounded; the roar of factory engines and warship thrusters echoed among the stars. But beneath these grand tones of the World Will, there were many small, easily overlooked sounds and whispers.
There was the lament of a civilization whose homeworld had been destroyed by monsters, its people fleeing in migration fleets, a dirge of civilization.
There was the war song of a civilization whose entire planet had entered wartime, with countless shipyards, colonies, and space fortresses operating at full capacity, billions dedicating everything to fight against the monsters.
And besides these, there were many other sounds—a fallen empire reawakening, sweeping across the star river, eradicating all darkness. Its vast fleet even prepared to expedition to other galaxies, helping all intelligent life fight the void. This was the most triumphant song of victory. A weak civilization, even giving its all, could not shake off the pursuing void monsters. The explosion of its last warship turned into radio waves, transmitting through the cold, silent universe. This was the most somber song of destruction.
The sounds of the entire Starry World were like a grand, complex symphony to the extreme. Just by listening, one seemed to witness the rise and fall of countless civilizations, the opening and closing of countless legends.
—Was this the sound that the Sage of old had heard?
Joshua silently listened to a world. He opened his eyes, gazing at the void, his gaze seeming to pierce through countless starlights to see the millions of worlds beyond. Behind those lights, perhaps darkness was also breeding, and countless similar sounds and songs existed.
"No wonder the Sage had such resolve, wanting to use the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground to help these endless worlds."
Muttering to himself, Joshua paid no attention to Nostradamus's questioning look. His expression was calm as an ancient well.
The Sage, once so lofty that even looking up could not see his back—his thoughts, Joshua could now understand somewhat. Standing at that height, overlooking the multiverse, one would occasionally harbor some arrogant desire to help and save all worlds.
The Sage had led Mycroft World to glory, lifted the ancient Midgardian civilization from ignorance. He had perhaps helped and saved countless worlds. He had even nearly accomplished something that could change the multiverse.
But he was not the Sage.
The Dominant Will's countdown began. The spatial-temporal passage crossing the multiverse had opened. Silver, pure light formed a warm, luminous door. Joshua did not respond to Nostradamus's questions at his side but lifted his foot and stepped into the spacetime door.
No one is another person, just as no grain of sand is the same as another. He was not the Sage, so he could not walk the Sage's path. But so what? There was no need for sameness. Evil Gods had countless ways to destroy worlds, so there should be countless ways to save them. Evil Gods had countless ways to be born, so there should be countless ways to destroy them.
Truth is singular, but the methods to find truth are not. Therefore—
The path to triumph will never be just one.
—Volume 10, Starlight of the Starry World · End
EX Chapter: Return
"If I could, I would personally punch those two who don't know the gravity of the situation."
In the Northern Empire, at the Imperial Capital's Three Mountains Holy City, within the Royal Garden at the center of Morlai Palace, Second Prince Di Mo Er stood like a stone pillar at the garden's edge, listening to his father's complaint, laced with anger and worry: "What the hell are they doing?!"
Over the past week or two, Di Mo Er had heard his father, the Imperial Emperor, Yi Si Lei Er·Dai Er Meng De, complain like this more than once. In fact, just today alone, he had heard at least three similar complaints—which was extraordinary. Previously, even when dealing with the cautious probing of the old nobles on the eastern border, Yi Si Lei Er had never been this irritable.
But the Second Prince also understood that it was all understandable. The reason Yi Si Lei Er, in his bad mood, was forcing himself to water flowers in the garden to suppress his anger was due to many factors. For instance, the restless movements of a duke in the east, the sudden outbreak of war among the duchies in the Western Mountain region, and most importantly, the accident that occurred in the Fairyland.
The most crucial was the last one—the accident in the Fairyland.
Di Mo Er, who had recently been constantly by Yi Si Lei Er's side handling state affairs, recalled the cautious and helpless words in those reports and memorials: According to the reports of accompanying personnel, when Count Radcliffe and Nostradamus were exploring the core area of the dimensional distortion point—now confirmed as an ancient artificial demiplane—they both vanished in a sudden burst of silver light. If Archmage Ba Ba Luo Sa, the chief legendary mage of the Sky-Piercing White Tower, was correct in his speculation, both had triggered an ancient teleportation array and were sent to the far reaches of the multiverse, unknown even to the Seven Gods.
They had even left the observation range of the Observatory, crossing the distance of thousands of worlds. How they managed it, heaven knows.
Di Mo Er could at least confirm that the Seven Gods truly did not know. Because right after that burst of silver light erupted, at least three deities had hurriedly descended from Boundless Heaven on the spot, completely abandoning their usual aloof demeanor. Though they quickly left and returned to their thrones in Boundless Heaven, the priests and church personnel present received a divine decree: Seal this demiplane and, as much as possible, do not damage its ruins. Especially the silver sun at the center—it was the beacon guiding the two legends back.
That was what was said. But in reality, even if someone insane wanted to destroy the ruins and prevent the two legendary experts of the Northern Empire from returning, it would be impossible. Because as the silver light illuminated the entire demiplane, hundreds of ancient guardian puppets buried in various parts of the demiplane—huge, sturdy, mountain-like war machines named "Giant Divine Soldiers"—had reactivated and were now patrolling the entire ruins, sweeping away all intruders.
These crude-looking constructs, like two-legged, though they could destroy one Giant Divine Soldier, they would have to exhaust all their trump cards to barely win. Only a madman would do that—using all his assets to annihilate an ancient puppet.
Except for legendary experts, no one was a match for these hundreds of Giant Divine Soldiers. But why would a legendary expert hinder Joshua and Nostradamus's return? Mundane forces might engage in pointless disputes over interests, but at their level, worldly matters held no meaning. These experts cared about the future a hundred or a thousand years from now, about a world's development and balance. Facing unknown threats from the multiverse and the known gaze from the Abyss, in this chaotic era where the Great Magic Tide swept across the multiverse, they only hoped for more legendary experts. Only then could they confront the great enemies gathering in the shadows.
Even if they belonged to different factions and camps, they were at least born in the same world. These experts had that awareness.
Even if a few individuals did not share this view, they would not risk the same disappearance to explore the core area of the demiplane. Though Joshua and Nostradamus were both newly promoted legends, no one thought they were easy to deal with. One was a spatial-temporal master who had been famous for decades but had not actively advanced, the other a monstrous being who broke through to legend before thirty. How could something that made these two disappear be easily resolved? Moreover, the ruins themselves were not to be trifled with. Setting aside those jaw-breakingly hard Giant Divine Soldiers, the silver sun was rapidly accumulating energy that shocked even the gods. Acting rashly would be suicide; even a legend would not benefit.
Spatial-temporal Distortion Point - Ancient Artificial Demiplane - Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground—through excavated obelisks, the Mycroft World exploration team had learned the name of this demiplane. Without a doubt, it was an extraordinary relic of the Era of Radiance. Compared to it, all other ruins and city sites from the previous era on the continent were like grains of sand, insignificant. This immediately attracted the attention of experts across the world. Now, not only were the major powers of the Northern Empire and the Eastern Plains jointly exploring, but even the Church of the Seven Gods, which was rebuilding the Far South, and a psionic royal family from the Western Mountain region with a thousand-year history had sent envoys to observe. The Fairyland was now filled with representatives from all major forces.
"How could they cause such a mess?"
Hearing Yi Si Lei Er complain again, Di Mo Er kept his eyes on his nose and nose on his heart, offering no suggestions. But even so, the Second Prince could tell that, worn down by time, his father's anger had mostly dissipated, leaving only deep fatigue. Di Mo Er even heard Yi Si Lei Er smack his lips in a very un-emperor-like manner and mutter meaningfully: "Damn it, how many times has this been that he acted without reporting? How did Teacher Nostradamus not stop him, and even join in the nonsense?"
He? Count Radcliffe? Hearing this, Di Mo Er couldn't help but shake his head, thinking his father was overthinking—stop Joshua? Don't joke. He even suspected that Master Nostradamus had tried to stop Joshua and was dragged along instead. This guess was far more reasonable than the old mage and the warrior causing trouble together.
"Father, do you think we should send another team to check the situation?"
When Yi Si Lei Er had completely calmed down and was now looking at the sky, lost in thought, Di Mo Er spoke up, offering his suggestion. He said calmly: "Since the life crystal Master Nostradamus left in the secret chamber has never dimmed, it proves that he and Count Radcliffe are not in serious danger. They might even return at any moment, just as the Seven Gods' divine decree said."
This was indeed a prudent suggestion. After all, the Fairyland was now filled with envoys from all major forces, and even several legendary experts had not left, waiting for further developments. Though the Northern Empire had lost two legendary experts, it needed to show initiative now more than ever. The only troublesome part was choosing the team leader, but Di Mo Er planned to recommend himself and personally go to that demiplane to see the situation.
After all, since returning to the Imperial Capital from the military, he had not encountered such an exciting event in a long time. Di Mo Er was practically itching to go.
However, the Second Prince's otherwise flawless plan was directly vetoed by his father.
"No."
Yi Si Lei Er's gaze was like an arrow, piercing the sky, staring at the void beyond. He narrowed his eyes, a faint light flickering in his pupils. This legendary expert seemed to see something, and then suddenly laughed: "You stay in the Imperial Capital and handle those state affairs for me."
"I will personally lead the team to bring Teacher and that reckless brat back."
And at that moment, in the sky above.
A silver star streaked across the blue firmament, returning from the endless void beyond.