Chapter 39: I Am the One Who Reignites the Flame 8000
Within the vast Chronos Mountain Range, a Dragonman might witness countless strange and bizarre magical beasts in a lifetime, and behold numerous magnificent and spectacular landscapes. But for the Dragonmen still alive today, still observing the outer reaches of the mountains, what they were seeing now was perhaps a wonder far surpassing anything they had ever seen in their entire lives.
Dark meteors fell from the sky, his team hasn't even finished writing the war module!"
"There's no time for that. As long as the core rune module remains, the 'Black Mist' can self-learn and evolve. It is our highest civilizational crystallization. Even if it can't defeat the Terminus, it can at least guarantee the safety of one Sanctuary World... Hurry, there's no time left. They're coming!"
The voices gradually weakened until they vanished, but what followed were scenes of Sanctuary World after Sanctuary World being destroyed—calamities brought down great stars, tearing the crust apart; corrosion caused all things to decay; plants turned to ash. Before the indescribable existence known as the Terminus, the nations and cities built by civilizations over centuries were as fragile as castles made of sand. The resistance of the vast Void Fleet was equally powerless, merely buying time for one immigrant ship after another to break away toward the distant void.
Joshua observed these scenes from a detached perspective. He heard many familiar terms from within the dark core—both the Carlis World and the Mycroft World were so familiar—but before he could dwell on what these terms signified, another wave of new information surged forth.
"The plan has failed. Almost all civilizations within the surrounding space-time domain have been destroyed... Although there seem to be a few survivors, even if we defeat the Terminus, there are no worlds suitable for survival..."
"Most of the immigrant ships have been shot down, the world has been severely damaged, and the remaining population can no longer sustain the continuation of existing technology... Although the Black Mist has been released, blocking the Terminus's information sensing, the Alpha Sanctuary is becoming uninhabitable... We are falling into the abyss."
"Arcane power is rapidly decreasing, the descendants have begun to degenerate, and the offspring can no longer maintain pure energy bodies. We may not survive until the next Great Magic Tide... But even if the Alliance is destroyed and the race is on the verge of extinction, we still have one last possibility."
The emotional voice gradually faded, finally falling silent, replaced by a mechanical voice devoid of any emotion, utterly inorganic.
"Detected complete extinction of the creator race."
"Confirmed destruction of the creator civilization."
"Discovered hidden backup plan... Discovered backup information storage center."
The calm, flat voice, like a straight line, echoed amidst countless flickering illusions. Joshua knew this was the voice of the dark mist.
"Initiating World Reconstruction Plan... Clearing chaotic fluctuations... Reorganizing terrain... Repairing natural ecosystem... Restoring the order cycle of Alpha Sanctuary."
"Warning! We cannot create souls! We cannot create souls! We cannot create souls!"
"Unable to reproduce the creator race! Rebirth plan failed!"
"Order cycle interrupted. Executing Plan Beta. Searching for creation force."
In the void, within a broken world wrapped in darkness and falling into the abyss, surging clouds of dark mist suddenly burst forth. They circled the world several times, then broke away from their parent body and flew out beyond the world. They patrolled the multiverse, searching for their target.
Without needing to watch further, Joshua already understood the truth behind all of this... To restore the world's order cycle and recreate the creator race, the Black Mist eventually found the Silver Ancient Dragon. The power representing the very beginning of the world's creation was undoubtedly what they needed. After centuries of entanglement, the Black Mist, lacking a war module and far from being a match for the Ancient Dragon, learned how to fight. It relentlessly pursued the Ancient Dragon, eventually arriving near the Chronos World.
Then came invasion, war, and destruction.
The war between civilizations was this brutal. By using mass points to disrupt the crust's balance, the Black Mist destroyed the Chronos World, severely wounded the Ancient Dragon, and was itself completely annihilated. But as long as a single wisp of Black Mist remained and returned to the parent body, the Black Mist parent body located in the Alpha Sanctuary World could send out new Black Mist again, continuing to track the Ancient Dragon's location.
But for Joshua, many questions remained unanswered: Was this dark mist truly the 'Darkness in the Stars' that the Earth Temple claimed had seduced them? Who exactly was the enemy the mist spoke of? And why did it so recklessly invade other orderly worlds? Had its creators not imposed this restriction on it?
So Joshua continued to watch. The warrior maintained the information exchange with the dark core, waiting for the truth to emerge.
And then, he saw a scene he had long known.
It was the starry sky of the multiverse. Countless worlds shimmered with light, converging into an endless river of light. But within this radiance, hazy darkness surged, eroding the surrounding light, corroding worlds, destroying them, assimilating them into darkness like itself... The brilliance of the Great Magic Tide flared, and this darkness followed the tide, traveling toward distant realms.
That was the trace of the Evil Gods, and also the figure of the so-called 'Terminus.'
Just like the Seven Gods, the Black Mist had long discovered the signs that the Evil Gods would return after a thousand years!
"All for resistance."
"All for assurance."
"According to calculations, you cannot defeat the Terminus. The final line of defense has been established. Please hand over all energy, all matter to us. For the final victory, make your contribution."
"The selfish will face destruction. Unite all possible strength. We will resist the Terminus. Please hand over all resources to us."
The cold, inorganic voice sounded again. This was not a memory from the dark core, but a voice occurring in reality. Listening to the words spoken by the dark core, Joshua couldn't help but clench his fists.
—Everything made sense now.
Everything could be explained.
Emotionless, amoral, bound by no constraints—this ultimate weapon created by intelligence, the 'Black Mist,' faithfully executed all of its creator's plans: gather all resources, resist the Evil Gods, attempt to recreate their race, let their civilization be reborn... To achieve this goal, the Black Mist would not hesitate to hunt down the Ancient Dragon, destroy other civilizations, and treat world after world and race after race as resources to be harvested... It was the darkness walking among the stars, spreading fear and despair step by step.
It destroyed the Sillaiye World, creating the Bloodmoon Abyss. It destroyed the Chronos World, and if not for the Ancient Dragon's existence, it would have been another abyss. It traded with the Abyss, using those profitless demons to invade other worlds for it, and finally harvested them itself... These were merely known events. In the depths of the unknown multiverse, just how many worlds and civilizations this wandering Black Mist had destroyed was a completely unknown number.
Through the vast backup database of the creator civilization, the Black Mist could employ almost any scheme to achieve its goals. This cold, ruthless will, willing to pay any price to revive its creator race and resist the Evil Gods, would recklessly invade other orderly worlds, using various methods to plunder energy and resources.
It was not an Evil God, yet it surpassed one. It was order, yet it was the enemy of other orders. Its goals were all bright and just, things it could openly declare to other civilizations. But the means it employed were filled with malice and plunder, with not a trace of civilization's shadow.
It killed for rebirth, destroyed for order. If the Evil Gods were the embodiment of chaos, the wreckage of dead worlds, then this contradictory entity was the other side of order, the embodiment of darkness—Joshua understood that such an existence wandering the multiverse caused even greater harm than the Evil Gods!
But in the final analysis, the origin of this darkness was still the Evil Gods...
If not for the invasion of the Evil Gods, none of this would have happened.
Breaking the information exchange, Joshua withdrew his right hand from contact with the dark core. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. On the warrior's body surface, cracks like those on ceramic were gradually spreading. Scattered sparks began to dance around him, shimmering like embers.
After learning the whole truth, even he was bewildered for a brief moment. Joshua didn't know if the dark mist had used the right attitude toward other civilizations, if it had communicated with the Ancient Dragon, whether there would have been a better outcome. Whether the Sanctuary civilization that had once interacted with the Mycroft World could have been reborn. But reality was already like this. This dark mist was a cancer in the multiverse, and he could not tolerate such an existence continuing to exist.
But the more he thought, the more powerless he felt. Because even the Evil Gods were born from destroyed worlds.
Even if the Evil Gods were truly eradicated, what use would it be? They were originally born from the despair and wailing of a world. Just as where there is light, there is shadow, where there are orderly civilizations, there are chaotic Evil Gods. Kill one, and another will always appear... A cycle, repeating endlessly, with no end.
This darkness pervading the multiverse, shrouding the stars and worlds, was not some Black Mist or Evil God. It was the reason for the Evil Gods' birth, the shadow cast by the First Flame after it burned.
—Perhaps that was why the Sage had departed.
Thinking this, Joshua felt he vaguely understood why the Sage had left the Mycroft World after the final battle. He must have already realized that to completely break the source of this sorrowful cycle, one had to know why the birth of Evil Gods followed the destruction of a world. If this reason was not sought, all battles would be in vain.
"Every life must make a contribution..."
The dark core continued to speak strange words, but the warrior no longer listened. Because he already knew what his goal truly was.
Outside the Black Mist, only a few short minutes had passed. Just as the Ancient Dragon was waiting for the dark core's next move, preparing to use its strongest attack to completely destroy it, it suddenly felt a presence that was incredibly familiar and warm (qinqie). Barnier and William also widened their eyes, turning back to look at the dark core that had been frozen in place. Because on the surface of that pitch-black, smooth core, red traces like magma had suddenly appeared.
That was the mark of fire, the proof of order. The power of the Soulflame King surged, breaking through the dark core.
In the darkness, Joshua took a deep breath. He raised his head, staring at the mist still spinning and approaching him. He spread his arms as if to embrace it. At the same time, burning flames spread, turning all the surrounding black particles and mist into nothingness.
The warrior's gaze returned to firmness.
The dark cycle? The darkness among the stars? The sorrowful ring that could not be broken?
None of these were reasons to stop in place, nor excuses to stand by and watch the darkness spread. Since the multiverse was dark, then light it up with fire. The ancient ancestors used torches to illuminate the lightless night, so he would use the fire of order to illuminate this chaotic universe.
I am the one who reignites the flame. I am Joshua van Radcliffe.
I will sweep away all darkness and chaos, until the end of my life.