Chapter 31: Battle Within the World 5300
Time reversal is perhaps something that most intelligent lifeforms in the multiverse have fantasized about. Whether it's anyone, more or less, they have thought about going back to the past to change something, to reclaim some tragedy, to make their lives free of regret and perfectly complete.
But time cannot be reversed. At least within the scope of the known multiverse, it cannot flow backward.
The past is already past and cannot be reclaimed... However, just as time does not truly exist, but both Fatlervi and Joshua can use the Steel Authority and Absolute Zero to create effects similar to time stop, there might indeed be some method to indirectly achieve something as inconceivable as 'time reversal.'
The massive steel puppet slowly descended from the sky, its hand gripping a silver steel greatsword. Fatlervi once again stood atop the spiral tower—this was a feasible countermeasure.
He had indeed noticed that Fatlervi possessed considerable divinity and would reverse time before the soul puppets were completely annihilated. Logically, the warrior should now begin targeting those soul puppets with self-awareness that worshipped Fatlervi, killing them as quickly as possible to cut off the source of faith for his formidable enemy.
But Joshua would not do that. He would not strike at the weak. If he did so, how would he be any different from Fatlervi?
Furthermore, as someone who had communicated with gods several times, Joshua naturally knew that faith was not necessary for a true god. It was merely a stabilizer for maintaining divine stability, not a necessity. And it seemed that even if all the soul puppets died, it wouldn't matter—it would only force Fatlervi to reverse time.
Neither made a move, silently confronting each other. By now, the scenery of the sky had changed dramatically... Because Fatlervi had repeatedly summoned the sun and mobilized the power of the soul stars, a certain force hidden within the stellar network had been activated. The mist and dust that filled the high heavens began to settle, the hazy night sky grew clear, and a brilliant white star river appeared in the sky—it was the reflection of the Void Great Maelstrom outside the world, the true appearance of the multiverse's starry sky.
At this moment, the sky seemed to become transparent. Except for the ground beneath Joshua's feet, the void could be seen directly in all directions, as if the entire Siberia Continent was floating in the multiverse. The galaxy rotated, making it clear that they were at the center of the Great Maelstrom.
After a long silence, Fatlervi spoke again.
"Descender, why did you come to this world to hinder me?"
Beneath the galaxy, atop the spiral tower, he said, "You should not be here."
The boundless giant raised its colossal hand, capable of grasping stars, and pressed it down toward Joshua, who stood motionless, seemingly stunned into inaction. The hand descended like a mountain collapsing, covering the entire dome of the starry sky. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to consist only of that ever-growing black palm. The wind pressure raged, blowing everything away.
But at this moment, Joshua was laughing.
The steel puppet had no expression. It had no breath, no vocal organs, no changeable expressions—only speakers and observation devices. Yet even the soul puppets could feel that Joshua was laughing, because intense soul fluctuations were spreading in all directions.
"I was afraid you wouldn't go all out."
Laughing heartily as he watched the palm fall like the Five Finger Mountain, the warrior said, "Within the world—how familiar."
What a perfect place for a decisive battle!
Boom—with a violent roar, a massive rift tore open behind Joshua. From within the rift came scorching heat and blazing light. This fiery flame seemed capable of burning souls, igniting passion from the depths of all things. It dyed the world within, which was filled with pale blue soul-light, red. Then, a hand forged from steel—thick, solid, intricate, and indestructible—emerged from the other side of the rift and forcefully clashed with the starry giant's black palm.
Thunderous explosions rang out. Immediately, one could see a blazing steel hand reaching through the rift, gripping the starry giant's palm. Before the other could react, the steel hand, with enough force to overturn the earth's crust, yanked it violently toward the outside of the world!
Bang—boom—!!
Instantly, the colossal starry giant was pulled half-kneeling by this immense force. Only then did Fatlervi react, beginning to exert his own strength to resist. The galaxy within the starry giant began to spin violently and glow. He too struggled with all his might, trying to pull the steel giant from the other side of the rift into his own domain—but neither would yield to the other's will. Thus, the two colossal beings engaged in a fierce tug-of-war across the rift in the world!
"How could you find the world within so quickly?!"
Fatlervi was utterly baffled. He had long known that Joshua's true body would soon breach the world barrier and descend into the Siberia World in person, but he had not yet found the source of the warrior's power from his puppet avatar. That was why he planned to fully unfold the world within, capture and decipher the avatar, and thereby gain the upper hand in the final battle—but what he could not predict was that Joshua's true body could find the world within, which should have been unknown to anyone, even faster than breaching the world barrier!
To this, Joshua said nothing... As a rekindler of the flame, he had communicated with several world consciousnesses and had entered the world within no fewer than ten times. Steel Serpent Carlis often conversed with him there. This so-called secret domain was no secret to him at all. Finding and entering this place was something he had long since mastered!
Boom! Another thunderous crash. The starry giant had originally held a slight advantage, having pulled the steel giant's right arm completely from outside the world into his domain, even able to see the giant god's shoulder. But what he didn't expect was that the giant god's second right arm once again tore through space, firmly gripping the starry giant's elbow. Joshua yanked hard, and the starry giant fell to both knees, as if about to be pulled entirely out of the world!
Outside the world, in the void, the four-armed giant god once again burst into flames. Boundless high temperatures mixed with Steel Force spread, even eroding small holes into the world barrier. He laughed as he pulled on the enemy's arm, trying to drag him out of his lair.
Yes—why should he, in a world governed by a world will, on the enemy's home turf, rack his brains to deal with his repeated time reversals?!
He would drag him into the void, pull him out to fight!