Chapter 36: The Final Chapter of Love and Hope

Chapter 36: The Final Chapter of Love and Hope

Time passed second by second, the future repeated hundreds and thousands of times, possibility and reality trembled between two forces capable of distorting all things, and even the inner side of the world could not bear it.
Causality was reversed, the past faded, and amidst the endless illusions, reality became hazy, history developed errors, and everything was submerged in the surging river of existence.
—And so, Fatlervi saw this illusion.

It was a scene of a man and a woman, both adults, hurriedly driving a carriage out of the city with a boy and a girl, two children.
The man was broad and steady, constantly comforting his somewhat flustered wife, while the two children were well-behaved and did not cry. The older boy even imitated his father, reaching out to pat his sister's head and softly comforting her, who was a bit unhappy because her birthday party had been interrupted.
Because it was night, there were no other vehicles on the streets. They drove quickly, leaving the city in just over ten minutes. But during the drive, the anxious and uneasy woman whispered, "Is it really that serious?"
"A warning from a Transcendent friend... I didn't believe it at first, but thinking it over, with such a big matter, it wouldn't hurt to believe."
The man gripped the steering wheel tightly, his fingers turning white. He shrugged, pretending not to care, and said, "At worst, we can just treat it as a day trip out of town."
But soon, a blazing firelight ignited behind them, accompanied by continuous explosions and roars. The originally peaceful and serene city burned fiercely.
Houses collapsed, streets shattered, and a shockwave powerful enough to violently shake the entire car struck from behind, causing the previously quiet girl to burst into tears. The boy hurriedly tried to comfort her. At this moment, the man and woman also panicked. They looked through the rearview mirror at the city falling into chaos behind them, their eyes filled with fear and relief.

This was the prelude to the First Transcendent World War.

Having lost their home, the family drifted from city to city. Fortunately, the World Government still existed. The father, a well-known technical expert in his field, and the mother, a fairly famous writer, quickly found new jobs and settled in a new city. The boy and girl also started school again.
The boy was a good person. Though he didn't talk much, he was sincere with others and quickly made new friends at school. But the world was still at war. From time to time, several students were absent from school, and even the teachers grew fewer. Two years later, the school officially closed, and the city was about to be abandoned. Under the guidance of the World Government, the family prepared to move to one of the most fortified fortress cities.
On the road, the parents looked weary. High-intensity work, a tense environment, and the increasingly turbid and strange air made them, now in their forties, feel overwhelmed and inadequate. But the boy and girl were healthy, which gave them peace of mind.
"We don't matter. The children need a future." This was what they said to each other in private.

Life in the fortress city was even harder. Due to resource shortages, everyone's food and water were rationed. The boy and girl, now teenagers, were at an age where they needed to grow. Their parents worked hard to get more rations, even skimping on their own portions to give a little more to the children. Several times, the children refused, but their parents scolded, "Don't talk back." "Just eat when we tell you to."
This poverty ended on the day the teenage boy was hospitalized due to long-term malnutrition. He awakened his superpower, and a powerful wave of energy spread throughout the entire city.
Experts from all fields gathered to test the abilities of this powerful natural Awakener. They determined that his ability was the extremely rare 'Teleportation' or 'Super-Speed Movement,' which was very necessary for the current World Government. In response, the government provided a large amount of rations to recruit the boy into the 'Hunter' special operations unit. His parents wanted to refuse, and his sister looked worried, but he gently yet firmly shook his head, comforting his family.
"Now, it's time for me to contribute to this family."

War was brutal, but it wasn't difficult for the boy. With his ability, whose true nature was 'Stopping All Things,' he always enabled his team to successfully complete a series of missions. Gradually, he became the core of the team, his position rising higher and higher, eventually becoming the pillar of the family. His parents, whose health had stopped deteriorating, were now resting at home, while his sister skipped grades and entered university. The now-adult man supported all of this. Though hard, he found it sweet.

Time flew, and the war was nearing its end. Under the full-scale counterattack of the World Government, the radical Transcendents were ultimately like water without a source, unable to sustain their fight. Clearly, peace was coming. However, just a week before the final decisive battle, the end came for both parents one after another.
"Child, don't be sad. Mom's body was never good. After so many years of running around, it's just too tiring."
Lying in bed, breathing with the help of a respirator, the woman looked lovingly at her grown-up, crying children and her husband. She said softly, "You are my hope... Don't cry anymore, my hopes. Take a look at the peaceful world for me."
The mother passed away. The next day, the father also fell ill. According to the doctor's diagnosis, it was stomach cancer, likely caused by too much social drinking in his early years and a lack of maintenance over the years. It was already terminal, and combined with multiple concurrent inflammations, there was basically no hope of recovery.
"He had been holding on, probably not wanting to cause you trouble." The doctor held the pathology report and said cautiously to the man, "It was relatively stable before, but the shock of your mother's death was probably too great."
The man was now one of the three top leaders of the Hunters, a high-ranking official of the World Government. He looked at his father's medical records and was silent for a long time.
He and his sister came to the ward. The father was too weak to say much more. The aging man looked at his son and daughter with satisfaction, and then, as if content, the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.
"No!"
The man roared and activated his ability, stopping the entire city, trying to hold onto his father's last moments. He touched his father's face, wanting to use his power to freeze the old man's dying body. But in the end, the ability would end. The old man still died, in the comfort of hope.
After the ability ended, the man disappeared. His sister searched everywhere but couldn't find him... At this time, the man was wandering through various cities. He walked aimlessly through every corner of the fortress, watching everyone's lives. Because of the war, everyone in this world was exhausted, panicked, worried about whether tomorrow would come, worried about whether the future held hope. The man walked through every hidden room, every place he had never been to in ordinary times. He found many things, saw many events. Those secrets might be able to guard against a Teleporter, but they could not guard against someone who could stop time.
So the man discovered the World Government's plan for all Transcendents. In his confusion, he laughed out loud in the stopped world, unsure whether it was relief or sorrow.

...

The illusion ended.
Because Fatlervi closed his eyes.
He was unwilling to watch on, couldn't bear to watch on, didn't want to watch on... He stopped observing that possible timeline.
Yes, he knew that although this future still held sorrow, it might be the path leading to the future and hope: his sister was still alive, his comrades were still alive, and there was no irreconcilable hatred between Transcendents and ordinary people. When the high-ranking Hunters took power, the World Government would gradually transform into a government of a Transcendent civilization—though the road ahead was rough and destined to be fraught with misfortune, at least the 'future' held this 'possibility.'
But Fatlervi resolutely closed his eyes, even as a great turmoil surged within his heart.
Because it was enough.
The Time Pusher had never sought a perfect and flawless happy life. He only wanted to hear his parents' voices once more, to see his sister grow up with his own eyes, to let his comrades who had fought half their lives have a good ending... He just wanted to see a 'possible hope.'
Moreover, now was not the time to dwell on the past. He knew he still had very important things to do. He felt he had forgotten many things, forgotten something very important. Fatlervi painfully turned his thoughts, trying to recall all that he had forgotten.
Where... am I?
What... am I doing?
Right... I am fighting!

At this moment, recalling all this, Fatlervi opened his eyes—truly opened his eyes, awakening from the chaotic dream!
And what appeared before him was a shattered, yet immensely powerful, space-shattering steel giant fist!

The giant fist rapidly retreated—or rather, was withdrawn—and Fatlervi felt as if half of his head had been smashed. His entire Star River Giant body flew backward. His thoughts had been a blur before, because the direct hit from that giant fist had caused his mind to stop for a long time, plunging him into a chaotic dream. But now, the galaxy within the Star River Giant rotated, gradually restoring his clarity.
On the other side, the owner of the steel giant fist did not pursue, because the Giant God was also covered in shattered wounds. After throwing that punch, he too fell, lying on the ground—at this moment, the four-armed giant had not a single intact spot on his body: traces of stellar flames, degenerate matter self-detonation, psychic space distortion, mass field decomposition... all kinds of injuries that defied description covered him, the scars left by millions of authorities acting simultaneously.

Both sides had beaten each other into a daze. Time had been reversed many times. The earth had been overturned and reborn. They could no longer distinguish the present from the future, fighting purely on instinct.
At this moment, this place was no longer the inner side of the world, but the center of the real world of Siberia. In the sky, the soul stars were dim and lifeless, with only a few still shining. Fatlervi had reversed time dozens or even hundreds of times to engage in one fierce battle after another with his powerful enemy. But now, it seemed that fate and the future had been overcome, because the four-armed steel Giant God, after a brief rest, stood up again and walked towards the Star River Giant lying in the center of the Siberia continent.

Boom, boom, boom. Every step the steel giant took was like a mountain striking the earth. This was even the result of him deliberately restraining himself; otherwise, the entire continental crust would collapse. The air was filled with the ionized, metallic smell, like the scent of blood spreading.
As the giant walked, he gradually shrank. At the same time, the vast Star River Giant's body also dissipated with the wind. The dark, unknown matter self-disintegrated, turning into pure soul energy, and the galaxy within his body also transformed into a true nebula, drifting towards the high heavens.

By the time Joshua arrived in front of Fatlervi, both had returned to normal human size. Fatlervi's severely wounded body lay on the ground. The crown on his head was dim and nearly gone. Behind him was the spiral giant tower that had not yet collapsed due to the reversal of time. The Time Pusher looked at the starry sky illuminated by the Void Great Maelstrom, muttering to himself.
"I see. I lost."
At this moment, Fatlervi had finally pieced together his shattered memories. He muttered to himself, then said indifferently, "Oh well. This is also a possibility."
In the sky, the light of the divine stars was dim and lifeless. The Observer System was exhausted. The Time Pusher was powerless to observe the future again—all the illusions of possibility had dissipated. He was even unable to dodge the attack of the otherworldly invader. So he simply waited, awaiting the final blow.

But the footsteps stopped.
Joshua did not continue forward.
Puzzled, Fatlervi opened his eyes and looked ahead.
It was a small figure. A tiny, girl-like Soul Puppet figure, standing in front of Joshua, blocking his advance.
"You want to protect him?"
The warrior's low voice came, his reminder kind: "You have self-awareness. I won't strike at you casually. But if you insist on blocking me, I will crush you along with him."
But the psychic puppet's calm, flat voice sounded: "Yes, I want to protect the Dominator."
"He only used your faith as a primer to guide soul energy. Otherwise, he couldn't have controlled the divine stars and created the Observer System."
Fatlervi listened to his enemy's voice, so different from how he spoke to him. This invader calmly told the little Soul Puppet the truth: "You are just tools he made, a toy for revenge and reshaping the world, useful and loyal."
Ridiculous, he thought. Soul Puppets have no such thing as emotions. Protecting him was probably just some low-level program he had set casually long ago... That puppet was specifically designed by him to assist in timeline observation. What's the use of reasoning with these things? This invader is really stubborn in pointless places, whether it's insisting on opposing him or protecting those soul livestock.
"But if his purpose in creating us was for me to provide faith, to be used by him."
The little puppet, however, answered seriously: "Then I willingly believe in the Dominator, willingly be used by him."
"Because he is our creator, our Dominator."

Lying on the ground, Fatlervi, who had been dismissive, was suddenly stunned.
He struggled to sit up. His body was so broken that even raising a hand caused energy to leak out, forming blue energy liquid like blood. But even so, Fatlervi wanted to sit up. He struggled to stand, and shouted in a deep voice, "Are you a defective product too?"
"According to the program I set for you, you should have surrendered immediately! I don't need your protection!"
After speaking, the Time Pusher, who couldn't stand up, turned his head to look at Joshua—this was the first time he saw the warrior's human face, but Fatlervi didn't care about that. He said in a low voice, "Why are you wasting words with a puppet? Give me the final blow!"
"Do you dare to burn this world, but lack the courage to kill me by going through a Soul Puppet?"

But Joshua did not answer him. The warrior looked around the world, and Fatlervi subconsciously followed his gaze, looking around the Siberia world.
But what he saw was not a world eroded and burned by the Steel Force into a mess. On the contrary, Fatlervi saw a continent vastly different from before.
In the sky, dust settled, forming new soil that piled up on the desertified land. On the ground, plants sprouted. Cold river water flowed down from the high mountains, running through the long-dry riverbeds across the continent.
In the sea, turbid pollution was being purified bit by bit. Mutated creatures swam confusedly in the unprecedentedly clear ocean, not knowing why the once dangerous yet familiar environment had become like this. And beside the original oases, the Siberia resistance fighters watched in shock as the green spread like it was alive—seedlings appeared on the riverbanks and mudflats, trees grew in the desert. Under the influence of a mysterious force born from burning soul stars, the entire dormant Siberia world began to rapidly regain its vitality, faster than anyone could imagine.
"...You didn't burn this world..."

At this point, how could Fatlervi not understand the truth of the matter? Joshua hadn't destroyed the world to absorb energy for himself at all. He had only used the illusion of burning the world to increase the consumption of his soul stars a thousandfold, exhausting all his reserves—this invader had even used the burning of his soul to reignite the flames of the entire world, allowing it to be reborn!
But precisely because of this, an indescribable emotion made him grit his teeth. For a long time, even in the face of death, the indifferent Fatlervi roared: "I don't need you to repair my world!"
Supported by this anger, Fatlervi, whose body was nearly completely destroyed, stood up again. A steady stream of pale blue liquid energy flowed from his body surface. Struggling, he pulled the girl Soul Puppet behind him and walked towards Joshua.
"This is the judgment they deserve! They destroyed their own world, and they should suffer in such a world! You, an outsider, what right do you have to bear their sins! What right do you have to clean up the mess for these damned people!"

Joshua stared at this angry Fatlervi, the real Fatlervi. Now, he had finally cast aside the mask of the Fate Dominator and Future God, revealing his true thoughts and nature.
Yes, the Transcendent war of the Siberia people had destroyed their own world, their own civilization and order. As the strongest Transcendent, Fatlervi had ended all chaos. He had suppressed all dissent, established an 'order' centered on Soul Puppets, preset the development of future civilization, anchored the coordinates of the Siberia world, and saved this world.
He was a savior, but in the final analysis, he was still a vengeful avenger who had slaughtered tens or even hundreds of billions of innocent people.
"You're wrong. This isn't cleaning up a mess."
Facing Fatlervi, who had stood up again and seemed to want to continue fighting, Joshua clenched his right fist and then struck it fiercely against the other's left cheek. The immense force shattered his shell, sending blue energy debris and streams flying everywhere. Fatlervi fell to the ground again. This time, he couldn't get up.
After throwing this punch, Joshua, who was almost as weak as his opponent, took a breath. Then, standing before him, he said in a deep voice: "This is the oath I made when I achieved Legendary."
The warrior looked around the entire Siberia world and said in a calm tone: "I bear everything, save everything, punish everything. I am not repairing this world for the Siberia people, but for all future life that has been born, is about to be born, and has yet to be born, from now on. I fought you not just because you killed hundreds of billions of people, but because you strangled the future of this world, turning order and civilization into your own personal game."
"This is just my duty. I only do what I should do, but you have lost yourself."
Joshua said to this unprecedented great enemy with unprecedented seriousness: "You think you control fate, but you are merely a prisoner of fate."
"When you bow your head, looking back at the past and unable to extricate yourself, you can no longer truly look up at the stars and grasp the future."

Fatlervi said nothing.
But the illusory crown on his head finally shattered at this moment.
A mysterious force swept across the entire world. At this moment, the world barrier that had isolated the inside and outside of the Siberia world, cutting it off from the Void Great Maelstrom and even the entire Multiverse, began to rapidly dissipate.

Outside the world, the spirits of the Steel Serpent Siberia and the Steel Serpent Carlis were together. Through the cracks torn in the world's surface during the battle between Joshua and Fatlervi, the two great wills observed the entire process. They watched as time was reversed inside the world, the future and the past fluctuating endlessly. They watched as the world's history and possibilities intertwined, the steel flames dancing with the radiance of time.
They saw the history of civilization, the self-destruction of the Siberia people, and the birth of the Soul Puppets.
"It is my fault."
Suddenly, the Steel Serpent Siberia said this. The world will, now only a soul, looked despondent. The Steel Serpent, which had never cared about anything, hung its head. Something gathered in its crimson eyes and fell.
"It is my fault."
It said again, its voice low. Siberia coiled into a ball, as if speaking to Carlis, or perhaps to itself: "I never cared about this world. I watched the cycles and never did anything."
"I know. The Siberia people suffered greatly in the early days of their civilization. For this reason, they formed an unusually strict order civilization... They did not allow any individual to escape the control of the collective. They did not allow any deviation in the planned development. They were suspicious and malicious towards everything, because without this, they could not survive in the cruel world... It is all my fault."
"I never loved them, never gave them help... They couldn't feel love, so everyone saw others as hell."

Carlis was also silent, watching all of this. It recalled the already fallen civilization of the Carlis people, recalled the Winged Human warriors who fought to the last against the Evil God. It was relieved that its children had not destroyed themselves, but also saddened that they had departed before it.
But just as Joshua said—it should look to the future.
Those remnants of the Grandia world were its new children. It could not ignore them. It should inspire them to rebuild a new civilization and order.

And inside the Siberia world.
The light of soul and time filled the entire starry sky and continent.
Fate and the future flickered and dissipated in the silent world.
The endless battle between the warrior and the Dominator finally reached its end at this moment.
Joshua raised the greatsword condensed in his hand towards Fatlervi.
The greatsword fell.
All sorrow, despair, love, and hope were declared at an end.

Chapter 37: A Kind of Power 10000

The greatsword in Joshua's hand dissipated, and with it, Fatlervi's body. He looked up at the highest crack in the world, the space-time fault leading to the inner side of the world. His decisive battle with the Time Dominator had shattered this barrier, connecting the Starry Hall with the real world.
At this moment, the sky was filled with pale blue soul energy, falling like snowflakes, dissolving. All beings watched the starlight fall, and time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Fatlervi was dead. His life was ended, but before that, his soul had been nearly burned away by himself. Now, the will of this Time Pusher scattered into pure spiritual fragments. But Joshua did not destroy these spiritual fragments as he had with the Demon Lord Haier Mu. Instead, he turned his head to look at the spatial crack on the other side, slightly raising his voice: "Come back, Steel Serpent. The usurper is dead. Return to your world."
The warrior's voice was not loud, but it clearly carried into the void. Hearing his voice, a silver phantom descended into the Siberia world. As soon as it arrived in this world full of spatial cracks, all things seemed to gain a backbone and began to operate—the shattered outer space layers closed up layer by layer, the open gaps gradually merged, and the Starry Hall connected to reality slowly descended, finally sinking deep into the earth, once again isolated from the world.
At the same time, the spirit of the Steel Serpent Carlis once again connected with Joshua.
"This mission was too dangerous... I never imagined that a commission from a small world could involve a powerhouse capable of usurping the world's authority."
It said, its tone filled with guilt and emotion: "It was my fault for not investigating properly. Please forgive my carelessness."
"There's nothing wrong or right about it. I also lost my vigilance."
Joshua communicated calmly with it in the spiritual world: "Fatlervi's existence is an exception among exceptions. If not for the extremely special circumstances of the Void Great Maelstrom, a figure like him could never have appeared in the Siberia world."
After speaking, he looked down at the spiritual fragments before him. Over a thousand years ago, in the center of this world, in a small country under the World Government, Fatlervi had spent his childhood here. He had awakened his superpower here. At that time, he had not yet witnessed his sister's death or his parents' passing. For the last time, he stood on the land of his homeland with hope in his heart, looking forward to the future, thinking about the life ahead of him. The next time he stood here again, the Siberia people had already destroyed themselves, and he had become the silent Time Pusher, judging the sins of his own people. Fatlervi no longer looked forward to the future; instead, he ran with all his might towards the past.
What crime did Fatlervi commit? He had ample reason to take revenge on the World Government, on this world. This was an internal conflict among the Siberia people, not a matter of right or wrong. He had stopped the Transcendent war that could have destroyed the world, anchored the world's coordinates. From this perspective, he had even saved the world and was a true savior.
But he was still wrong, because he extended his hatred into the infinite future. He turned countless innocent Siberia people into livestock, herding and harvesting their souls. He killed tens or hundreds of billions of people, created the soul stars, and turned civilization and order into his own personal toy. Although there is a logic that the strong have the right to dominate everything of the weak, and the Siberia people were inferior in skill, deserving to be enslaved and herded along with their descendants, then when this strong person encounters an even stronger force, he naturally cannot avoid being obliterated.
This is also not a matter of right or wrong—the evil-doer is punished, the strong is defeated by the stronger. Everything should be like this.
"Orders are not naturally friendly with each other. Just as the faithful hate the faithless and heretics the most, what order hates most is not chaos, but other orders as heresies."
Joshua, covered in wounds that had not yet healed, muttered to himself. He reached out, picked up the largest piece from Fatlervi's dissipating spiritual fragments, and carefully observed the light within it. Strangely, when Joshua picked up the spiritual fragment, all the fragments stopped dissipating.
The warrior held the crystal-clear, pure, gem-like fragment before his eyes and shook his head slightly.
Joshua stood before the spiral high tower with the Steel Serpent Carlis. He tossed the spiritual fragment in his hand to the girl Soul Puppet, who had been standing silently by the side, causing her to let out a startled cry. He crossed his arms, and his body naturally and slowly rose into the air. He ascended to an altitude of over twenty thousand meters, overlooking the entire Siberia world.
"What are you going to do next?"
The Steel Serpent Carlis said, "You used the soul energy collected by that usurper to reignite the flames of this world and create an orderly cycle. Even if left alone, those people and the self-aware Soul Puppets will naturally reproduce and thrive. Siberia will take care of them."
"First, anchor the world's coordinates and return the Siberia world to its original position, moving with the Void Great Maelstrom."
Joshua looked down from the high altitude at this small continent. On it, countless wars and slaughters had occurred, and countless joys and sorrows had been experienced. It had given birth to a god, but that god had rejected that power. Fatlervi did not become a god. He used the Observer System to enslave the power of divinity, creating a miracle capable of distorting the past and reversing time.
Joshua's tone was calm: "Siberia has been away from this world for too long. Coupled with Fatlervi's thousand years of transformation, it can't get the hang of it so quickly. But this matter is relatively simple for me. I had already determined the various parameters of this world before entering the Siberia world. Plus, after experiencing hundreds of battles in the inner side of the world, I have figured out the internal structure of this world. This task is not difficult for me."
After speaking, a crack leading to the inner side of the world opened before him, and he naturally stepped into it.

Outside the world, at the center of the Void Great Maelstrom.
This was a calm, vast, and utterly still dead space-time domain. It was like the eye of a typhoon, the only truly safe place in the entire great maelstrom. Within this eye, a celestial body emitting a strange radiance hung in the center, spinning quietly and peacefully.
It was the Siberia world, the only world in the entire Void Great Maelstrom region.
But now, this world was slowly moving. It was shifting towards the eyewall, as if attracted by the immense power of the great maelstrom. In just a few more hours, this world would inevitably fall into the energy pull range of the great maelstrom, eventually sinking into it and being completely torn apart.
From a macroscopic perspective of the Multiverse, the Void Great Maelstrom is mobile. The Great Magic Tide surging from the center of the Multiverse pushes the Void Great Maelstrom towards the boundaries of the Multiverse. Eventually, this surging energy aggregate will slowly stop somewhere in the Multiverse, forming large clusters of steel nebulae. Naturally, the center of the vortex also moves. The Siberia world should have been swallowed by the moving maelstrom a thousand years ago, but Fatlervi calculated the vortex's trajectory and did his best to keep the Siberia world always in the safe center.
However, it could now be seen that, accompanied by a faint flash of light, the Siberia world slowly stopped its movement towards the eyewall, like a starry giant ship dropping anchor. It remained in place, as if the one controlling this giant ship was calculating the coordinates of the world itself and the entire Void Great Maelstrom. Soon, the ship began to move again—in the opposite direction.
Just like the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the sun and moon, everything happened as it should. The Siberia world returned to its safe position and continued moving along its original trajectory.

Inside the world, in the Starry Hall.
"Fatlervi didn't destroy the original trajectory data. Saved some time."
Temporarily taking Siberia's place, sitting on the World Authority Throne, Joshua, with its assistance, controlled the world's slow displacement. The large amount of reference materials left by Fatlervi undoubtedly saved over two hours of high-intensity calculation time that had been estimated, making the originally tight work much more manageable. After doing this, Joshua left the throne and turned to the Steel Serpent Siberia, who had not spoken a word until now, and asked, "Next, how do you plan to treat it and them?"
'It' naturally referred to the Siberia world, and 'them' referred to the beings living in this world, the main groups being the Siberia people and the Soul Puppets.
"I will guide them to rebuild their civilization."
Having gained a physical form and returned to being a true Steel Serpent, Siberia nodded heavily at Joshua. It looked with a complex gaze at the edge of the inner side of the world, where the originally chaotic space-time barrier had become transparent, allowing a view of the entire Siberia continent: "All of this is my responsibility... If, when the Void Great Maelstrom first formed and caused the superpower proliferation among the Siberia people, I had awakened and descended to guide them, none of these conflicts would have occurred."
"...It's good that you have this intention."
Joshua nodded slightly. The battle with Fatlervi had left him mentally and physically exhausted. Although he wasn't very optimistic about this confused world will, since it had shown a clear change and become much more proactive, he didn't want to dampen its enthusiasm. But suddenly, Joshua seemed to remember something. He frowned and asked, "Speaking of this, Siberia, did you really not witness the formation of the Void Great Maelstrom?"
"I do not know."
The Steel Serpent shook its head: "I fell asleep over several thousand years ago and only awakened when I was driven out."
"I see."
Hearing Siberia's answer, Joshua couldn't help but feel disappointed. This Steel Serpent had been too lethargic before, not caring about anything. Even though it involved the destruction of at least a thousand worlds, it was completely unaware and had no clues.
"However." Suddenly, the Steel Serpent spoke. Its huge serpent head looked up at the starry sky dome. It seemed to have thought of something and said hesitantly: "Although I didn't see the formation of the Void Great Maelstrom, I did see the 'end' of the previous era."
"The end of the previous era?"
"Yes." The Steel Serpent's tone became serious: "The end of the previous era was the 'Great Collapse' of the Siberia world. At that time, the entire world was filled with the energy of the great maelstrom. The superpower proliferation was so severe that even the world's surface was covered with a layer of energy. I was awakened by the pain, but by then, the Siberia people had already fallen into a mad war. I tried to stop them, but my power was too weak to interfere with the real world. I could only watch helplessly as they destroyed themselves."
"After the war, the world was in ruins. The remaining Siberia people were scattered, and the world's surface was covered with energy storms. I thought the world was finished, but then, a young man appeared."
Siberia's tone became very strange: "He was a very special being. He could manipulate time and space, and he could even see the future. He gathered the remaining Siberia people and led them to rebuild their civilization. He was the one who created the Soul Puppets and established the Observer System. He was the one who anchored the world's coordinates and kept the world from being destroyed by the great maelstrom."
"His name was Fatlervi."
Joshua was silent. He had already guessed this. Fatlervi was a genius, a true genius. He had single-handedly saved the world and created a new order. But in the end, he had also been consumed by his own hatred and despair.
"But I don't understand." Siberia's tone was filled with confusion: "He clearly saved the world. Why did he do those things later? Why did he turn the Siberia people into livestock? Why did he kill so many people?"
"Because he couldn't let go of the past."
Joshua said calmly: "He saved the world, but he couldn't save his family. He couldn't save his sister. He couldn't save the people he loved. So he hated this world. He hated the Siberia people who had destroyed everything. He wanted to punish them, to make them suffer."
"But in the end, he only punished himself."
Joshua looked at the dissipating spiritual fragments. He could feel the pain and despair within them. Fatlervi had been a good person, but the world had broken him. He had become a monster, a monster that only knew how to destroy.
"But it's over now."
Joshua said softly: "He is dead. The past is over. Now, we must look to the future."

Siberia was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Yes. We must look to the future."
It looked at the Siberia world, which was slowly recovering. The green was spreading, the rivers were flowing, and the sky was clearing. Life was returning to this world.
"Thank you, Joshua."
Siberia said sincerely: "Thank you for saving this world."
"I didn't do it for you."
Joshua shook his head: "I did it for myself. I did it because it was the right thing to do."
He turned and walked towards the exit of the Starry Hall.
"I'm leaving now. Take care of this world."
"Wait."
Siberia called out to him. Joshua stopped and turned around.
"Can I give you something?"
Siberia asked hesitantly: "As a token of my gratitude."
Joshua looked at it for a moment, then nodded: "Alright."
Siberia closed its eyes. A faint light appeared on its body, and then, a small, crystal-clear fragment flew out from its body and floated in front of Joshua.
"This is a fragment of my Steel Force."
Siberia said: "It contains a part of my power. It might be useful to you."
Joshua looked at the fragment. He could feel the pure Steel Force within it. It was a very precious gift.
"Thank you."
Joshua took the fragment and put it away. Then, he turned and left the Starry Hall.

Outside the world, Joshua stood in the void. He looked at the Siberia world, which was slowly moving back to its original position. He felt a sense of relief. This mission was finally over.
But he also knew that this was just the beginning. There were still many mysteries in this Multiverse. There were still many dangers. He needed to become stronger. He needed to protect the world he loved.
"Let's go back, Carlis."
Joshua said to the Steel Serpent beside him.
"Yes."
Carlis replied. It also looked at the Siberia world, a trace of emotion in its eyes. It had witnessed the rise and fall of a civilization, and it had witnessed the birth of a new hope.
"Joshua."
Carlis suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"I want to thank you too."
Carlis said sincerely: "Thank you for giving me hope. Thank you for showing me that even in the darkest times, there is still light."
Joshua was silent for a moment, then said: "You're welcome."
He turned and flew towards the direction of the Mycroft world. Carlis followed him.

The two figures quickly disappeared into the vast void.

...

The Void Great Maelstrom was still churning. But at its center, a new world was being born. The Siberia world was slowly recovering. Life was returning. Hope was rekindled.
This was the end of one story, and the beginning of another.

EX: The End of Childhood 4700

Just like people, civilizations grow from infancy, gradually mature, and eventually become complete entities.
This topic has been discussed by many researchers on the Mycroft Continent. They eagerly classified the stages of civilization and defined the current Mycroft Continent civilization as a 'childhood civilization.'
In the eyes of these scholars, before any individual within the Mycroft civilization could leave the mother world through personal strength or technology, it was merely an embryo. A civilization that had never been to the void, never seen the Multiverse, could hardly be considered born. They were like young dragons in their eggs, full of potential, but who knew if they could grow up and enter the real world stage?
Fortunately, the Mycroft civilization had early on had powerful individuals who relied on personal strength to break through the void and witness the grandeur of the real world. It was precisely because of this that the four major human settlement areas could coexist peacefully for hundreds of years, rather than triggering resource wars among themselves. They knew that beyond the sky, in the void, there were infinite worlds and unlimited resources waiting for them to explore and develop.
The Mycroft civilization had entered its childhood early on, but it had never grown up. However, this was also the norm for Transcendent civilizations, where individual strength far exceeded technological strength. Their upper echelons had this vision, but they couldn't lead the civilization forward.
How could such a Transcendent civilization mature early and escape its long childhood?
Various major forces had actually made efforts. Nostradamus and Israel's universal education was one, the proliferation of academies in the Eastern Plains in recent years was another, the great development and popularization of mana technology was also one, and even the Church of the Seven Gods had made significant contributions to the popularization of Transcendent power. Many ordinary people from poor families with no resources relied on the Church's education and training to climb the social ladder.
These were all methods, but they seemed insufficient. The Mycroft civilization had numerous Legendary experts and gods, and its absolute combat power even surpassed the mature civilizations imagined by some researchers. But its foundation was weak, and its people were vulnerable. If an Evil God invaded, and the many experts couldn't intercept it outside the void, then even just the invasion of its minions would cause heavy casualties in some underdeveloped areas of the Mycroft world.
How could a civilization mature, how could its childhood end?
Joshua flew through the void. The Steel Serpent Carlis softly narrated its experiences in the Void Great Maelstrom, about the birth of the initial world. But the warrior was focused on his own thoughts.
Neither the Steel Serpent Carlis, nor the Steel Serpent Siberia, nor even Fatlervi, whom he had killed, knew that after experiencing everything in the Siberia world, what Joshua was thinking about was not the hardship of the battle or the joy of victory. He wasn't even thinking about the benefits he had gained from the star-forming movement in the great maelstrom... What the warrior was thinking about at this moment was the future of civilization.
The Great Magic Tide swept across all realms, an energy tsunami that scoured the Multiverse. It carried with it an endless stream of Steel Force particles. Although the Siberia world was the most extreme case, everything it had experienced would one day appear in other worlds. The Mycroft world was already showing signs, and no one could guarantee what would happen next.
So, was the awakening of authorities caused by the proliferation of Steel Force a natural opportunity for intelligent civilizations to quickly escape their 'infancy,' or was it a 'limiter' for screening the great civilization circle?
Was it a natural phenomenon that popularized Transcendent power, or a selection device that caused unqualified civilizations to self-destruct and allowed civilizations that adapted to the new environment to evolve?
Perhaps yes, perhaps no, perhaps both.
Some civilizations rejoiced, some lamented. Some would perish, some would transcend. The Multiverse was vast and boundless, and no one knew where the future would lead.
But Joshua was optimistic about this.
Just like people, civilizations can learn, change, and gradually grow. The self-destruction of the Siberia world was only because Transcendent power was popularized too quickly from zero. The mentality of the civilization and its individuals hadn't caught up. The world and the race hadn't made the corresponding preparations before encountering such a great change... This was more like deterioration than growth, like people who develop psychological illnesses due to excessive stimulation.
This was not the norm. Whether it was a Transcendent civilization like the Mycroft world or a technological civilization like Earth, if they had adequate preparations at the right time to welcome the superpower awakening of Siberia, the civilization might not collapse. It would only undergo a drastic change and then experience a leap in growth.
This growth would manifest simultaneously in the body, spirit, and social form. But regardless, it would cause a drastic change in social structure. This change was like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, a cicada shedding its shell. As long as they could overcome this step, the civilization would completely shed its infant form and become a mature entity. When the quality of all individuals in the civilization greatly improved, and everyone possessed Transcendent power, the entire civilization would quickly gain the power to colonize other worlds and begin to step into the Multiverse.
This was, in Joshua's vision, the true meaning behind the Great Magic Tide that swept across the Multiverse.
The 'end of childhood' for countless civilizations.

"Joshua, what are you thinking about?"
The voice of the Steel Serpent Carlis appeared in the warrior's spiritual space. It asked with some confusion: "What's wrong with you? You seem to be in a daze. Are you still recalling the composition of the initial nebula?"
"No... I was just thinking about why the Multiverse has the Great Magic Tide."
Joshua came back to his senses slightly and calmly answered the Steel Serpent's question. He said softly: "Is it a natural phenomenon, or is it man-made? Countless civilizations will benefit from the Great Magic Tide, but many will also collapse due to premature growth... Also, why do the Evil Gods travel through all realms along with the tide? Do they have a purpose, or is it just instinct?"

After hearing Joshua's questions, Carlis immediately fell silent. It couldn't answer any of the warrior's doubts, and it didn't even understand some of the questions.
The Great Magic Tide, wasn't it just an energy tide? Like the tides in the oceans of a world. What was so strange about that?
But Carlis had never considered that the tides in a world's oceans were caused by the energy influence or mass attraction of the sun and moon. But what sun and moon existed in the Multiverse? And what being's movement could trigger such a massive tide?
It didn't know, and Joshua didn't know either.
But at this moment, now, the warrior finally truly understood the feelings of the Sage.
"Yes. If I continue like this, remaining ignorant, then nothing will change."
He didn't know why the Abyss appeared, how the Evil Gods were born, the reason for the Great Magic Tide, or the secrets of the center of the Multiverse. As long as he couldn't uncover the relationship between the Evil Gods and the destruction of worlds, couldn't understand the sorrowful cycle of order and chaos, then the tragedies of Carlis and Ilgena would continue to be staged, and the sacrifice of Grandia would not be an isolated case. As long as he didn't understand the nature and cause of the Great Magic Tide, countless former Siberia worlds would appear everywhere in the Multiverse.
The First Flame shone across all realms. It was so bright that no one could look directly at it. In that brightest center, all secrets were hidden by the light. Perhaps this was why the Sage wanted to go there, to uncover the truth of everything.
Without uncovering these truths, no matter how many races he saved or how many civilizations he helped, it would be meaningless. They would one day be destroyed in the cycle of order and chaos, annihilated in the void of the Multiverse... In fact, the Mycroft civilization had already died once. The Era of Radiance had fallen, and the newly born Era of Falling Stars had just grown up when it once again encountered the arrival of the Great Magic Tide.
"But precisely because of this, we must move forward."
Joshua said to the bewildered Carlis in a rather relaxed tone.
In the early days of civilization, ancestors used slash-and-burn methods to let civilization grow from a sprout. The countless killings and chaotic wars that followed eventually unified the social system. Every civilization, from its birth to the present, had encountered countless accidents and disasters, had crossed countless difficulties and challenges. They were all genuine miracles, the crystallization of the efforts of countless people.
Now, what they needed to deal with was just another somewhat tricky challenge.

"Carlis, I have decided that after returning this time, I will immediately initiate the 'Myriad Realms Exploration Plan.'"
Joshua muttered to himself. He didn't care if the confused Carlis beside him could understand. But since the void only had the Steel Serpent as a conversation partner, he didn't mind whether it understood or not: "The Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground has been debugged many times. The self-repair of the Dominant Will has reached nearly one hundred percent. As long as we are willing, it can be completely restarted at any time."
"We need to explore other worlds as quickly as possible and obtain resources for the rapid development of civilization. The gentle childhood period that the Multiverse left for civilization has ended. Now, it's time to go all out."
"You want to restart the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground... To be honest, if the world you explore is one without life, that's one thing. But if that world has intelligent life, or even a mature civilization, what then?"
Carlis was slightly stunned, but soon, it understood Joshua's meaning. However, compared to Joshua's firmness, it seemed a bit hesitant: "If things go wrong, it could be a war between two civilizations."
"If we can communicate and coexist peacefully, then peace. If not, and the other side insists on fighting."
Joshua flew through the void. His eyes flashed with countless twinkling worlds. The warrior said calmly: "Then there can only be war."
Communication between civilizations cannot be warm and tender. Perhaps one day, when the Mycroft civilization stands above many others and becomes the strongest, then they will have the capital to sympathize with and pity other civilizations... But before that, everyone else is a competitor, a potential opponent. What awaits them is either submission or death.
After all, under the tide, all civilizations are developing rapidly. A little bit of sympathy might allow a future great enemy to mature.

At this moment, after a long flight, Joshua and Carlis finally returned to the space-time domain where they could sense the fluctuations of the Mycroft world. The sensing field of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground had detected his arrival. Soon, they would be able to return to their respective destinations.
Joshua was about to part ways with the Steel Serpent. Before returning to Mycroft, he wanted to go to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground first to communicate with the Dominant Will. Carlis was also eager to return to its body and guide the remnants of the Grandia world.
But just as Joshua was about to say goodbye, he suddenly sensed a drastic change in the core within his body!

[Steel Force Assimilation Degree: 100%]

The long energy bar that the warrior had designed for himself was finally completely filled, after another hard battle and the energy infusion from the initial nebula of the Void Great Maelstrom!
Even though Joshua himself resisted the infusion of the original Steel Force as much as possible, his body would still involuntarily absorb a portion of the energy. During the long void flight, this energy was finally converted by the warrior's body into his own power... Now, the immense energy from the Void Great Maelstrom was compressed and purified by Joshua's core furnace countless times, refined millions of times, and finally became the purest Steel Force, filling the last bit of deficiency for its master!

Immediately, a very peculiar phenomenon could be seen in the void of the Multiverse. Amidst the chaotic space-time currents, a huge 'depression' began to form. All the energy, radiation, and even the starlight of the worlds around began to pour into this 'depression.' The originally chaotic but flat void became like a funnel, pierced and distorted from the center by some incredibly powerful force.
And at the center of this distorted depression, at the bottom of the funnel, a huge silver cocoon was slowly rotating. Silver mist emanated from its surface, within which flowed terrifying energy lightning.
The surface of this silver cocoon was absolutely smooth, even under the most advanced microscope. It was entirely composed of sheets of electron degenerate matter, arguably the hardest armor in the world.
But now, this originally indestructible matter was gradually collapsing into even harder neutron degenerate matter, because the core at its very center was increasing in mass at an alarming rate, releasing an increasingly terrifying gravitational pull.

The Steel Serpent Carlis circled this silver cocoon in confusion. The terrifying gravity had no effect on the purely spiritual will of the Steel Serpent, but even the world will didn't know what to do.
A few seconds ago, the original body of this cocoon, the powerful warrior, frowned and said, "Not good, the timing is wrong!" Then, without any delay, he transformed into this cocoon in a flash of light, which was now continuously collapsing, releasing a force that distorted the surrounding space-time currents. It could see that the outer layer of the cocoon was flowing with condensed Steel Force, and this Steel Force was still being refined and purified, as if an invisible steel factory was constantly forging it.
"This... what should I do?"
Carlis felt extremely headache at this moment. Of course, it knew that Joshua should be at a critical step in his own transformation. But how could this step happen in the void? It was now just a spiritual phantom. It couldn't help Joshua's cocoon body return to the Mycroft world, nor could it guarantee his safety.
But soon, the Steel Serpent saw a piece of world wreckage debris drifting in the void, a meteorite that cut through the space-time currents and was attracted by the gravitational vortex formed by the cocoon. It collided with the cocoon's surface. In an instant, that indestructible debris meteorite, which hadn't been destroyed even when the world ended, turned into countless silver dust particles and was absorbed by the cocoon.
...Did he really need protection?
Carlis blinked, thinking somewhat doubtfully. But in the end, it sighed and stayed.
This place was very close to the Mycroft world. They should be able to observe the huge space-time anomaly produced here. Soon, the relevant personnel should come to investigate. At that time, it would go and explain.

Thinking this, the Steel Serpent simply stopped in place, waiting for the arrival of the Mycroft observation personnel.
The huge silver cocoon rotated, like a star. Its absolutely smooth surface and absolutely regular spherical shape possessed a kind of absolute 'orderly beauty.' The overflowing steel mist contracted and condensed, changing into different geometric shapes in the distorted space-time currents. Carlis quietly waited beside the cocoon, waiting for the arrival of the relevant Mycroft personnel.
But after a long time, it didn't wait for the professional observation personnel it had imagined.
The void was illuminated by a beam of light. The immense energy pressure was something even the space-time currents couldn't block.
Carlis looked up.
What it saw was a magnificent, mountain-like, holy giant ship.