# Chapter 40: The One Who Saves the World 8000
The darkness dissipated.
Before the burning flame-light, the dark mist and its core vanished like morning fog before the great wind of the God's Desert. The foundation of its material existence was completely destroyed by Joshua—all nanoscale runic constructs were reduced to basic particles by the blazing, burning flames, returning to the heavens and earth.
The Chronos World, the world returned to clarity. As this portion of the black mist was completely eliminated, the originally eroded land and the continuously falling black rain both disappeared. Although the black mist matrix on the other side of the multiverse still existed, this patch of black mist had dissipated. The only traces proving its existence remained were the hundreds-of-meters-deep pit on the ground. Clearly, if not for the legendary experts swiftly joining forces to deal with it, the black mist would likely have directly infiltrated the underground, then gradually eroded this world bit by bit.
High above, Baniel and William both raised their eyebrows, gasped softly, and drew in a breath. This was their first time seeing Joshua display the power of the Soulflame King, and from this posture, they felt an immense threat—merely gazing at that figure, they felt as if their entire bodies were seen through, penetrated. A power capable of analyzing the most fundamental structure of the world was burning fiercely, releasing existential radiance.
The Ancient Dragon also gazed at this figure. Contrary to the two legendary mages, it felt an incomparable affinity toward the power of flame... The Firstborn of Steel was the first life at the dawn of creation, directly born from the approach of Steel. Feeling affinity toward the flame that gave birth to Steel was only natural. Both vigilance toward Joshua personally and affinity toward the power of flame coexisted within the Ancient Dragon's heart, making it feel extremely conflicted.
In the center of the Chronos Mountains, deep underground within the ancient ruins, Lisa, who had been staring blankly at this scene, suddenly noticed that the steel chains originally coiled around her body had snapped. Those strange chains, silver and seemingly composed of runic streams, had gathered upon her through the ritual's power, and now dissipated as the ritual's power vanished. She saw the chains collapse, turning into countless specks of light, disappearing into the underground chamber. On the crystal wall, the Ancient Dragon slowly descended to the ground, and a silver chain reappeared on its body, connecting it once more to this world.
The battle was over—although the Ancient Dragon did not know it, for Joshua and the others, this was indeed the case.
Hovering above the pit left after the black mist dissipated, the warrior was finally satisfied. To be honest, he had originally come to make up for his mistake of awakening the Ancient Dragon, and this task had been perfectly completed. The Black and White Dragon King, the Void Behemoth, the Golden Fleet, and one more... yes, the shapeshifting Demon Lord. He had fought with numerous enemies and made them abandon their thoughts of contending for the Ancient Dragon's power. No matter how one thought about it, this should somewhat compensate for part of his fault. He had even briefly sparred with the Ancient Dragon, experiencing the formidable power of this so-called primordial life.
Indeed, not bad—and this was with it unable to exert its full strength. If this Ancient Dragon could fully unleash its power in its complete state, it might become another unreasonable existence like the old Pope.
And then, there was the black mist.
This was a gain beyond Joshua's predictions. He had never imagined that searching for the Ancient Dragon would be connected to the "Darkness Among the Stars." The information obtained from the dark core further deepened his understanding of the Era of Radiance. Clearly, back then, the Mycroft World was not the only civilization in its vicinity. That Sanctuary Civilization, capable of spanning twelve worlds, was undoubtedly an immensely powerful existence... Additionally, some thoughts regarding the Evil Gods strengthened Joshua's convictions.
Yes, this multiverse was dark and shrouded in mist. Whether Evil Gods or other orders, they were indeed enemies worthy of extreme vigilance... But should this multiverse truly be regarded as a dark forest, where all lurk in the shadows spying on each other, with none daring to raise a torch and walk among them?
If that were truly the case, there would be no civilization in this world. The entire multiverse would become a dark hunting ground, ultimately devoured entirely by Evil Gods and Chaos.
Dispelling the Soulflame King state, Joshua looked up at the Ancient Dragon, which was bound by chains and gradually descending to the ground. The two legendary mages descended simultaneously, maintaining an extremely subtle distance. Joshua thought the Ancient Dragon might feel that these two were on guard against it, ready to prevent it from attacking him at any moment... But in reality, the warrior clearly understood that Baniel and William simply wanted to get closer to the Ancient Dragon. One could tell from their eyes—these two were filled with intoxication and delight.
Baniel was even using his prosthetic eye—the runic core he had previously used to compete with the black mist core for control of the black mist—to take pictures. The Ancient Dragon might not have noticed this subtle energy fluctuation, but Joshua saw it clearly!
A wish had been fulfilled.
Joshua couldn't help but reveal a slight smile. Seeing the genuine joy of the two legendary mages, he also felt in good spirits. Turning his head, Joshua again looked at the Ancient Dragon, still gazing at him from afar. He directly used mental communication to address it: "I apologize for awakening you last time... I came this time not to fight, but to help you."
When language was blocked, mental communication was the most effective means of exchange. Faced with Joshua's abruptly transmitted mental fluctuations, the silver Ancient Dragon hesitated for a moment before cautiously accepting this information. Sensing Joshua's sincerity, the Ancient Dragon slightly shook its head, as if finding it amusing.
Back then, when you punched me, that wasn't what you said!
But even so, this Ancient Dragon slightly relaxed its vigilance. Mental fluctuations were difficult to fake. Moreover, these three powerful beings indeed seemed never to have truly coveted its power from beginning to end... They might have been observing other things, but they indeed bore no great malice.
"Roooooar..."
Bound by the world's steel chains, unable to leave the ground too far, the Ancient Dragon, now coiled like a dragon in its nest in the center of the God's Desert, raised its head and let out a low roar. Simultaneously, a wave of immensely powerful mental fluctuations surged toward Joshua and the others, transforming in their minds into a neutral, gentle voice, neither male nor female.
"Though I still do not know your intentions, since you bear no malice, I will not initiate an attack... Rest a while, then leave this world."
Compared to the Ancient Dragon's massive and majestic body, like a perfect killing machine, its mental fluctuations were unexpectedly gentle. After a moment of surprise, Joshua and the others quickly accepted this setting. This was not strange. Ancient Dragons were the mothers of all living beings, the root of life's birth. In other worlds, they took forms such as giant trees supporting heaven and earth, or giant turtles carrying worlds on their backs. None of these were terrifying, trembling existences. They merely roamed the realms, scattering seeds of life. They would even fight other powerful beings in the multiverse for the continued existence of life in a particular world.
Facing the Ancient Dragon's order to leave, Joshua understood perfectly. He naturally knew how terrifying a legendary expert could be to this broken world, which had just endured considerable devastation. Every move they made could pose a great threat to this world. So the warrior did not think the Ancient Dragon's approach was wrong.
Anyway, he had originally planned to leave after the fight... Speaking of which, this time was truly satisfying. Joshua felt he was already quite content. However, before actually leaving, he still intended to help the Ancient Dragon with one thing, believing it would definitely dispel all its doubts and vigilance.
Not to mention the two legendary mages, who had also begun communicating with the Ancient Dragon through mental fluctuations, Joshua, after a brief rest, started observing this world.
"What exactly is this world guarded by the Ancient Dragon like?"
He murmured to himself, his pupils turning silver. Joshua scanned heaven and earth, his gaze penetrating rock and sand, piercing through the entire desert and mountains. A few seconds later, he couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
"Strange... the World Will of this world... has completely dissipated?!"
Saying this, Joshua felt extreme incredulity. The World Will was like the great soul of the Steel Serpent, existing since the dawn of creation. At first, they were ignorant and unaware, but once intelligent life was born, they too would gain wisdom. A world on the verge of extinction did not necessarily mean the World Will was extinct. Even a world like Carlis, on the brink of destruction, still had its World Consciousness alive and well. The Abyss also contained World Wills with clear thoughts, known as Abyss Wills, the greatest support behind every Abyss Lord.
But the Chronos World was different. Joshua had learned the world's name from some information transmitted by the Ancient Dragon. In his brief scan just now, he was astonished to discover that this world was deathly silent, with no trace of a World Will! Others might not notice, but as a Soulflame who could directly communicate with World Wills, Joshua could confirm that the Chronos World's World Will had completely perished, dissipating entirely several hundred years ago. Only a trace of unerasable anger and hatred remained.
What kind of attack could destroy even a World Will?!
Furthermore, the warrior also saw the steel chains binding the Ancient Dragon... Those chains connected the Ancient Dragon to this dead world. For every portion of power the Ancient Dragon healed, it could revive a thread of life in the world. Perhaps after several thousand years, this world could recover its original state, and the World Will could be reborn. But now, the Ancient Dragon had taken on the task of the World Will.
That was not a binding or restraint, but the closest connection and honor. The Ancient Dragon was connected to this world, becoming part of it, and thus could not leave this world.
But earlier, why could it leave the void and strike at the darkness?
For Joshua, this question was easily answered. His gaze followed the steel chains, penetrating the ground, gradually extending into the distance... He saw the Chronos Mountains, saw the corpses of demons and wyverns covering the ground within the mountains. He saw the abandoned aircraft of the Golden Fleet. He also saw thousands upon thousands of corpses of dragonmen and monsters. Abandoned villages were burning. The remains of monsters had begun to rot. In every corner of the mountains, remnants of wooden and stone houses were scattered everywhere.
The primitive civilization of the dragonmen had been nearly destroyed. If there were survivors, they would have to start over to develop back to this point.
Joshua couldn't help but fall silent. This was the normal state of weak civilizations caught in the crossfire of powerful beings' wars. This time, to avoid destroying this small order cycle, the many legendary experts had chosen not to fight within the world's interior. But even so, extreme weather changes, frequently alternating energy tides, and the destruction caused by their subordinate forces had inflicted great damage on this primitive civilization.
His gaze continued to spread. Joshua looked toward the center of the mountains. Upon reaching there, the warrior let out a light sigh: "So many people still remain. That's good."
The center of the mountains, the site of the former Iron Mountain City. Although the demons and wyverns had finally found this place, the war of the legendary experts in the sky had also reached a conclusion by then. The black mist's power was completely suppressed, and the demons and wyverns had lost their support. They were ultimately defeated by the dragonmen, who had no way out. Now, the city was filled with wounded and exhausted dragonmen. They were treating the wounded, counting the dead, and preparing for the next battle. But they did not know that the battle was already over.
"Now, let's go meet the people of this world."
Joshua said to the two legendary mages, then directly descended toward the Iron Mountain City. Baniel and William exchanged glances, shrugged, and followed. The Ancient Dragon hesitated for a moment, then also descended, landing on a mountain peak not far from the city, quietly watching the three legendary beings enter the city.
The dragonmen of the Iron Mountain City were still in a state of tension. They had seen the battle in the sky, seen the black mist dissipate, and seen the legendary beings descend. But they did not know whether these beings were enemies or allies. However, when they saw the three legendary beings land at the city gate, they still mustered their courage and sent representatives to meet them.
The representative was a young dragonman girl. She was not tall, with silver scales and a pair of hard horns. She held a simple stone spear, her body covered in wounds, but her eyes were firm. She walked before Joshua and the others, then bowed deeply.
"Honored powerful beings, I am Lisa, the acting chief of the Iron Mountain City. May I ask your purpose in coming here?"
Joshua looked at this young dragonman girl, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. He could sense that this girl's body contained a special power—a power similar to the "Current Drive" he had created. But this power was very weak, barely at the Black Iron rank. However, what surprised him was not this power, but the girl's courage. Facing three legendary beings, she could still speak calmly. This was no small feat.
"We come in peace," Joshua said, his tone gentle. "We have dealt with the black mist and the demons. The battle is over. We merely wish to understand the situation of this world."
Hearing this, Lisa's eyes widened. She looked at Joshua in disbelief, then at the sky where the black mist had dissipated, and finally at the distant Ancient Dragon. Tears suddenly streamed down her face.
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
She knelt down, her voice choked with sobs. Behind her, the other dragonmen also knelt, their eyes filled with gratitude and reverence.
Joshua was silent for a moment, then reached out and helped Lisa up. "No need to thank us. We were merely making up for our mistakes."
He paused, then continued: "But I am curious. How did you obtain this power of 'Current Drive'?"
Lisa was startled, then replied: "It was given by a Flame Demon. Before he died, he passed this power to me, saying it was a power created by a great being, a power that could save this world."
Joshua was slightly stunned, then smiled. He had not expected that the power he had casually created would spread to this world and be passed down by a Flame Demon. This was truly an unexpected fate.
"Tell me," the low-voiced man continued. For some reason, Lisa dared not refuse his opinion, but in truth, she would not refuse either. An absolute sense of safety surged in her heart, as if all the world's disasters would stay far away from her. The girl closed her eyes and began stammeringly recounting her experiences over the past ten-plus days—experiences so wonderful they seemed false.
The disappointment of being unable to awaken. The surprise of meeting the Flame Demon. The joy of being able to awaken. The hardship of diligent training. The happiness of being valued. The excitement of going out to hunt. The achievement of a successful hunt. The shock of suddenly being attacked... All kinds of emotions and experiences were narrated by the girl in the simplest, most plain tone. Then came her father's death, her confusion, the dragonman elder's sacrifice, the Flame Demon's devotion, and her final awakening.
"This is indeed a very sad matter."
Whether Joshua or the Ancient Dragon, whether Baniel or William, all listened seriously to the experiences of this girl, whose power was utterly insignificant. After hearing everything, the warrior nodded and said softly: "Your name is Lisa, correct?"
"Yes... that's right..."
Facing this great one mentioned by the Flame Demon, the creator of Current Drive, Lisa still felt somewhat incredible and unreal. She found it hard to understand how things had become like this. But Joshua did not mind the girl's current confusion and doubt. He reached out and touched the girl's small head. The head with hard horns reminded him of Black, who should be at home now. The warrior chuckled and said: "Lisa, do you know?"
"Although everything has already happened, becoming unchangeable facts, as long as one's strength is sufficient, any sad ending can be twisted into a happy one."
As he spoke, tiny sparks began to ignite all over Joshua's body. Lava-like crack patterns appeared on the warrior's form, also giving his voice a deep, majestic echo.
"Watch, little girl."
Consider this a surprise I give you, just as you gave me one. I will give you and this world a gift, as compensation for disturbing your lives.
The flame-light blazed. Warm light illuminated the Chronos Mountains. Instantly, in every corner of these enormous mountains, countless colorful specks of light began to rise and converge... One after another, lights flew up in the warm flame-light. They were countless souls that had not yet dissipated, now able to move thanks to the flames.
They were also the souls of countless dead dragonmen.
Within these countless specks of light were thousands of shadows. There were mothers holding children. There were demon hunters still fighting. There were ordinary people tremblingly picking up weapons to face an irresistible enemy.
Because of Joshua's power, the Soulflame King's power, countless souls were made to shine. Lisa seemed to see, among the specks of light filling the sky, her father's shadow. The middle-aged dragonman's phantom looked at his daughter's surprised expression and revealed a faint smile. On the other side, the old dragonman elder's phantom surveyed the entire Chronos Mountains. It saw the Ancient Dragon floating in the sky, equally shocked by this scene. Then it devoutly bowed its head, smiled, and offered its final prayer.
"What are you waiting for? Ancient Dragon! Cooperate with me to reignite the flame!"
A low shout immediately awakened the Ancient Dragon, stunned by this scene. Joshua burned the countless chaotic powers obtained from killing void monsters and mother beasts in the Starry World, fully driving the Soulflame King's power. He laughed loudly, spreading his arms wide, letting warm firelight fill the world. One could see rings of order light, like concentric circles, vibrating throughout heaven and earth. This immediately made the Ancient Dragon understand what it should do.
Fire and Steel were precisely the powers that created the world. The Soulflame King held the authority of fire, while the Ancient Dragon was the Firstborn of Steel. The two working together were thousands of times better than going alone.
Joshua's eyes were filled with delight and determination.
Since the World Will had been extinguished, leaving only life in the cycle of order and life, then he, Joshua, would temporarily take over this responsibility and reshape the world.
Yes, he had indeed made a mistake. But fortunately, he was strong enough to bear the responsibility brought by this mistake.
The power of the strong could reverse destruction into rebirth, could reverse tragedy into comedy. The power of the strong could shift the future, could change fate.
Joshua was the strong.
In the center of the world, red flame-light flickered.
This was the light called rebirth.