Chapter 35: Peace Walker (Part 2)
After the Paladin Loranda disappeared within the teleportation light array, Pope Israel stood alone in the void.
"Banner..."
He raised his hand, looking at the lines on his palm, murmuring to himself. Then Israel clenched his fist, lifted his head to gaze at the purified world, and slowly smiled: "Indeed it is."
"He has raised it, and this is his rightful identity."
In the old Pope's eyes, there was a hint of relief: "At the very least, the future he has chosen is an even better future than the one I could foresee."
One day later.
The mobilization order targeting Ultimate-rank and Gold-rank experts quickly spread throughout the entire Mycroft World.
Even though the World Star River was much dimmer compared to its normal state due to the destruction caused by the Evil God invasion during the final battle of the previous era and the sealing of the Genesis Maelstrom, there were still many unknown corners and hidden temporal bubbles containing worlds that nurtured life and even civilizations.
The number of experts in the Mycroft World was considerable, with over a dozen Legendary-rank experts alone. Each Legendary expert could separate a portion of their power to autonomously carry out tasks, allowing them to suppress hundreds of weaker worlds one by one. But even so, a dozen Legendaries could at most suppress a thousand worlds in a short time—a drop in the bucket compared to the number of life-bearing worlds in an entire World Star River.
Thus, the mobilization order for Transcendent experts, named "Peace Walker," descended upon the Mycroft World.
Unlike previous national policies, guild orders, or organizational missions, this mobilization order was endorsed by all major powers across the world, jointly supported by all Legendary experts and national leaders. As compensation, the sealed imperial treasury and temple vaults were fully opened, and the External Exploration Department's point exchange system was revealed to the entire world for the first time.
Backed by such force and generous rewards, even the most reclusive hermits had no choice but to emerge from the mountains and forests. Ultimate-rank experts could normally dismiss kings and burn royal decrees as trash, but this time they had no choice. No matter how stubborn, when faced with the signatures of a lineup of Legendary experts, their knees would involuntarily weaken—especially since the mission came with safety guarantees and rich rewards, not a death sentence.
The number of Ultimate-rank and Gold-rank experts worldwide had increased significantly after the Great Magic Tide. Where a country might once have had fewer than five Ultimate-rank experts, that number had now surged to over twenty. As for Gold-rank experts, even slightly above-average graduates from Winterfell Academy reached Gold-rank. The top-tier students—such as the First Squad, the Elite Squad, and the Dragon Girl Lisa's group—were practically guaranteed to reach Gold Peak, with a bit more effort enabling them to advance to Ultimate-rank.
On the very first day of the mobilization order, over eighty Ultimate-rank experts responded, most of them newly promoted. They were guided by preset teleportation coordinates at the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, arriving via teleportation arrays to await mission assignments. Thousands of Gold-rank experts followed in sequence, eager to explore the long-rumored foreign worlds and witness new realms firsthand.
As for combat.
For these Transcendent experts living in the Mycroft World... Transcendent power was born for battle. They might be surprised by the generous rewards, but never by the fact that their mission involved fighting.
In the face of a calamity threatening the entire Star River civilization, internal conflicts within the world were temporarily suppressed. If anyone insisted on creating internal strife, the Legendary experts, who had already made their decision, would ensure that those troublemakers were eliminated.
The world had changed.
In the Northern Lands, within the Scarlant Family territory, a small city along the upper reaches of the Magellan Non-Freezing River, a seemingly ordinary mana-powered carriage traveled along a riverside path. Though called a carriage, it had no horses—it was driven by a mana crystal engine, powerful enough to fly if needed.
A spacious white stone road wound through riverside groves and grasslands, curving toward the distant main city. The carriage window was open, revealing two figures inside—one large, one small, one male, one female.
"Brandon... are you really going to respond to this 'Peace Walker' mobilization?"
Inside the carriage, a slender woman with violet hair asked somewhat gloomily. She wore numerous sparkling gemstone ornaments, but compared to their beautiful appearance, the immense mana fluctuations they contained spoke more of their value. Without a doubt, she was a fully armed Gold Peak mage—the mana in her jewelry alone could destroy an entire street.
"Of course, Dani. This is a major event concerning the entire Mycroft World. As an Ultimate-rank expert, I can't possibly refuse."
On the other side, a tall, golden-haired man smiled warmly: "Besides, after so long in seclusion and a journey through the Abyss, I'm curious to see just how far my power has reached."
As he spoke, he instinctively touched his waist, but Brandon wasn't carrying the Order Twin Blades at the moment.
"This time, there's a severe shortage of manpower. Ultimate-rank experts might be assigned to deal with an entire native world alone... If it's a weaker one, fine, but if it's stronger, even you might find yourself in a tough battle. As for us Gold-ranks, we're usually deployed in squads for suppression missions, targeting weaker worlds—shouldn't be too big a problem."
Saying this, Verdani sighed softly: "But then again, after such a long peace, war or disaster is bound to come... If it didn't, I'd almost feel like something was missing."
"It's just that the kids will complain again—'School's finally on break, why aren't Mom and Dad home?'"
Hearing this, Brandon couldn't help but laugh. He shrugged: "They've grown up. Their classmates at Winterfell Academy will keep them company. Besides, don't you think they actually prefer a free, unsupervised vacation now? We're just extra... Ouch!"
Brandon winced, rubbing the outside of his thigh, where Verdani had just zapped him with a lightning spell. But a lightning bolt strong enough to kill an ox instantly was merely a flirtatious trick for this Transcendent couple, so Brandon instead pulled Verdani into his arms and kissed her.
After some indescribable intimacy, Verdani broke free from Brandon's embrace, her expression dimming again. She sighed: "...Brandon, I feel a bit panicked. That Radcliffe family's foreign world exploration plan is already mature, and this mobilization order is essentially a large-scale pioneering experiment. I have a feeling that, no matter the outcome, the little happiness we have now will completely disappear."
"Conquering foreign worlds, expanding territory, fighting external enemies, resisting Chaos... Yes, these are all good things. But then, will we still be able to leisurely drive our carriage through riverside groves like this? Will we still be able to play Fae Cards with the kids and nag them to do homework?"
Brandon didn't speak. He simply held his sorrowful mage wife's hand. The swordsman knew his wife wasn't afraid of battle, death, or the great Chaos enemy. What saddened her was being unable to stay by their daughters' side.
But the answer wouldn't change... Could they maintain this little happiness in the future?
Of course not.
For the next decade or more, the entire world wouldn't have such leisurely lives. Perhaps ordinary people—those without Transcendent power, mere mortals—could enjoy their leisure time after work. But beyond that, all Transcendents must fulfill their responsibilities to civilization and the world.
The greater the power, the greater the responsibility. Sometimes, it wasn't a matter of "wanting to be responsible," but that power itself represented rights and obligations within the group, leaving no room for refusal.
Unless one chose to be a lone beast, completely ignoring civilization, wandering through the void... But what happiness was there in that?
Brandon understood his wife's sorrow. Their daughters were in their prime years, the golden period for strength growth. Soon, they would become independent, start families, and no longer live together. As parents, who wouldn't want to spend more time with their children during this last precious period of closeness?
"Verdani, look—we're about to enter the main city."
The golden-haired swordsman gestured for his melancholic wife to look ahead. He nodded slightly: "The Boris family—your former gardener's family—lives there, on that bustling street by the city gate, right?"
"...Yes."
Distracted from the topic, Verdani perked up and said with some nostalgia: "Old Boris used to be my captain of the guard. He died in the magic tide invasion seventeen years ago. Little Boris, lacking battle qi talent, became my gardener... Now, Little Boris's son works for me. He should be running a flower shop now."
Though phrased as a question, her tone was declarative. Verdani was, after all, a competent lord, well aware of where her former subordinates had ended up.
Brandon nodded slightly, looking at the approaching main city, and said quietly: "I remember it clearly too. Back when I was courting you, Old Boris, on the old lord's orders, kicked me out of the castle. I couldn't fight back, so I had to slink away, jumping from a second-floor window and smashing the street's stone pavement headfirst."
"The Boris family has lived on that street for generations. They were originally city guards. There's a small fountain nearby, where at least five or six generations of children from the surrounding streets grew up playing."
Verdani turned to Brandon with some confusion, and the golden-haired swordsman smiled, continuing softly: "At the end of the street is a general store, over three hundred and fifty years old. You once told me it was the oldest store in the main city. A few days ago, when I went shopping with Fran, I saw they'd installed a magic automatic vending machine for cashless transactions. But even so, that shopkeeper, at least seventy years old, still likes sitting at the counter, chatting with customers."
"Brandon?" Verdani was puzzled. She couldn't figure out why her husband knew her city so well—maybe that wasn't strange, but why bring it up now? She was about to interrupt, but Brandon raised a finger to her lips: "That street holds three hundred and fifty years of memories for hundreds of families. In truth, every city, every street, every household is like that. Such streets carry countless people's memories—the crystallization of their lives and happiness."
"But Verdani, with our power, even a serious breath or a single thought could easily turn this homeland, bearing so many people's longing, into barren land."
Brandon sighed: "We are the strong, Verdani. Our home and happiness aren't confined to a single street. Our homeland isn't a street in the Northern Lands, a city, or a territory—our homeland is the entire Mycroft World. Our happiness rests on the stability of the entire civilization."
"Without great peace and stability, there's no happiness for you and me. You could say that with our strength, we could build a haven in chaos, but a haven can never compare to true, tranquil life, can it? Besides, can this peaceful but somewhat boring life truly be interesting, happy, and endless for an Ultimate-rank swordsman like me or a Gold Peak war mage like you?"
Verdani wasn't foolish. She understood Brandon's meaning. She didn't argue, instead nodding slightly.
It was true... If she had no aspirations, why would the former violet-haired mage have chosen the path of "War Mage"—an advancement with few uses beyond combat? It was just that their daughters had anchored this great archmage's once-free heart, making her reluctant to leave.
The carriage drew closer to the main city, and to the teleportation array leading to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground. Brandon lowered his brows, his gaze calm, and said flatly: "I've been immersed in happiness for too long... Our daughters are grown, independent, and mature. Haha, ten years have passed, and Joshua van Radcliffe has become one of the world's most powerful Legendaries. He's saving the world, fighting for our civilization."
Saying this, Brandon raised his head, his gaze sharpening: "You often say he's gradually losing his humanity... You think the real him is the one who would get angry, grit his teeth, and charge through hordes of magical beasts, carving a bloody path."
"But Joshua hasn't changed."
"He still gets angry, clenches his fists, and beats those he wants to beat—just like now, he'll carve a bloody path through despair and darkness."
Brandon raised his hand, caressing Verdani's face, and smiled confidently: "I haven't changed either. A man's desire to grow stronger, to protect those he loves, doesn't fade with age or a stable life. Watching Radcliffe fight alone? I can't do that."
"My dream is to use my sword to bring happiness to you, our daughters, and everyone I love. But now, it's being challenged. Chaos is encroaching on the Star River. I can't ignore it."
With that, as the carriage entered the main city and the teleportation network range of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, Brandon stepped out of the carriage, saying lightly: "Dear, I'll go ahead. I'm off."
As he spoke, with the teleportation light array prepared by the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, the Ultimate-rank swordsman Brandon Kaos vanished from the street.
Inside the carriage, Verdani, whose teleportation priority was lower than Ultimate-rank and thus had to wait a few more minutes to reach the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth: "What nonsense... As if I'm not going!"
"I won't let you leave me behind!"
And so, the two bid each other farewell with laughter.
Meanwhile, in another world, the swordsman who had once been lonely but was now happy had finally set foot on the journey toward greater strength.
A little earlier, in the void near the Sixth Abyss.
"Demon King Goliath, don't seal off your world. Come out and see me."
A vast wave of information stirred the temporal turbulence. Endless silver light radiated, like a star shining at the center of the void.
The silver God of Steel stood upon a dead world. His immensely powerful energy disturbance caused the surrounding temporal turbulence to nearly boil. Small worlds orbited around him, driven by surging energy currents, while a massive Φ-shaped light ring rotated behind him.
"Originally, the Legendary experts of our Mycroft World planned to join forces to eradicate your Sixth Abyss. But now, an unnamed Evil God is disturbing the Star River, seeking to destroy all orderly worlds—including the chaotic Abyss."
Facing the giant god was a world shrouded in darkness, called the Sixth Abyss. In ancient times, it was the homeland of the six-legged insectoids. It had long since died, but maintained a last vestige of life through demonic plunder. Until a few hundred years ago, the strongest Demon King, the Gluttony Demon Goliath, rose from within it, extending the Sixth Abyss's claws toward other worlds, even Mycroft.
But now, no energy fluctuations or information came from the black world. If not for the absence of Chaos aura, Joshua might have thought the Abyss Demons had been wiped out by the unnamed Evil God's disturbance.
"But now, we've changed our minds. Demons are also a combat force. As long as you're willing to resist Chaos and stop the self-destruction of other demons in the Abyss, we can give you a chance at redemption."
Joshua's words were clear, and the information conveyed by the Steel Force was equally unambiguous.
Indeed, Abyss Demons were great enemies, but before the unnamed Evil God, they were nothing. After all, in this world, the Abyss Demons had at most established a few demon cults without launching a full-scale invasion of the Mycroft World. In fact, Joshua himself had visited the Sixth Abyss several times, burning and looting, turning several Demon Lord territories into barren land.
If the demons of the Sixth Abyss had any brains, they should voluntarily suppress demons from other Abysses. After all, even the Unified Grand Database and the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground lacked maps of the Abyss—it changed too quickly. Only demons, who could move through the River Styx, had the clearest information. Ironically, only demons could "save" demons in the Abyss, preventing them from self-destructing and becoming nourishment for the unnamed Evil God.
But that was only if the demons of the Sixth Abyss were willing to cooperate.
"Goliath, come out. I know you can hear me. I come with goodwill and sincerity, for peace... The fact that I haven't attacked yet is proof."
"Tch. Looks like you don't listen to reason."
Joshua's tone grew impatient. He raised his voice, clenching his four fists. Light points lit up on his chest and shoulders, and endless energy particles were stripped from the surrounding temporal turbulence and worlds, filling the seemingly bottomless furnace core. In the giant god's eyes, brilliant silver light grew brighter, piercing even through the dark temporal turbulence.
Massive energy lightning flashed within the silver nebula. World-destroying energy gathered on the warrior's four fists. The Peace Walker, bearing goodwill, Joshua van Radcliffe, clenched his fists and announced in a deep voice: "If you don't reply, I'll attack until you speak."
"Three."
Just as the warrior began his goodwill countdown...
The black mist covering the entire Sixth Abyss dissipated like an illusion.