Chapter 52: I Heard Your Call
If the massive chaotic aggregate, originally surrounding the Sage's Seal and regarded as the embryo of the Death Evil God, possessed power exceeding that of most evil gods—an index of over one million—before its awakening, then now, with the core Sage's Seal shattered and most of its power transformed into a chaotic tsunami, mixed with other unawakened chaos from the Extreme Dark Abyss surging toward the World Star River, the chaotic power condensed in the depths of the Extreme Dark Abyss is likely only around one hundred thousand.
And this power, with an index of one hundred thousand, is now fragmented and scattered throughout every corner of the Nirvana Land. To re-aggregate and be 'reborn,' the power of this Death Evil God intends to use Joshua's body as its core for a new awakening.
The massive chaotic concretion transforms into a torrent. These chaotic clots, even when dispersed, possess power equal to or far exceeding that of the Decay Evil God. They spread sounds of despair as they go, then, like a meteor striking the earth, they assault the silver World Giant.
These incoming chaotic entities, even the weakest among them, are aggregates of the resentment of dozens of worlds. Although far inferior to true evil gods in intensity and combat technique, in terms of pure magnitude, there is likely no existence in this World Star River that can compare to them.
Their goal is also simple: to assimilate Joshua's self-will, crush the warrior's resistance, and completely transform him into a 'Death Remnant' like themselves.
But Joshua is not a corpse.
A living warrior will never let his enemy have their way!
Facing the countless rapidly approaching chaotic concretions, Joshua neither dodges nor has any room to dodge, because from left to right, from top to bottom, all directions—the entire field of vision, the entire starry sky, all the darkness—are his enemies!
Boom!
With a surging eruption of Steel Force around his body, releasing leap-light like electronic trajectories that blast away all approaching dark chaos, Joshua's silver body begins to glow red. He grips tightly the two light-spears drawn from the bipolar ends of the 'Ultra-High Mass Body,' holding these electromagnetic wave weapons, entirely composed of gamma-ray bursts, as if they were solid objects!
It can be seen that within the inherently colorless gamma-ray streams, silver veins and red radiance abruptly appear. Countless runes, using electromagnetic waves as their medium, are inscribed within the light streams. They intermingle, separate, refract, and finally coalesce into one!
Hum!
The next instant, like a supernova tearing through the night, a blazing divine light flashes with a low hum, transforming into a dazzling flying star that plunges into the foremost chaotic aggregate!
At that very moment, the most ferociously charging chaotic aggregate, which seemed about to devour the world, suddenly halts. Its shell and body appear unharmed—the spear entirely condensed from gamma-ray streams, even when thrown by Joshua, could not possibly harm this aggregate whose mass exceeds that of several worlds combined—yet it stops in place, as if dead.
But this is merely the foremost one. Behind this chaotic concretion lie countless, or rather, an infinite number of dark surges.
And Joshua silently charges head-on. The black mass body behind the Steel Giant rotates, its bright accretion disk like the scale of a clock, or like a rotating gear, bringing with it a twisted gravitational corridor that makes space wail. The warrior wields his light-spears and iron fists, carving streaks of light through the dark abyss. Countless smaller chaotic concretions that approach his side are crushed by the Giant's iron fists, while larger ones that attack are met by the mysterious light-spears. Bright flying stars flash, and one by one, the chaotic concretions fall into silence.
Drawing light-spears again from the bipolar ends of the mass body, Joshua silently advances at high speed. He traces a winding path through the dark abyss that completely ignores inertia, like finding the only correct path in a complex maze. The warrior dodges at least ten giant chaotic aggregates, each at least ten times the power of the Decay Evil God. Then, before these aggregates can change direction and pursue, he suddenly accelerates in an instant. With a flash and explosion, the Giant body-slams into the embrace of a giant chaotic aggregate, and the intangible, massless electromagnetic spear instantly pierces its shell, plunging deep within!
A clear humming sound, like the clashing of metal, can be heard. The spear, inherently colorless but turned silver and red by the warrior, suddenly dims. Countless rune lights flicker within the surging electromagnetic waves, transporting vast amounts of Steel Force, looking like a waterfall of data transmitting something.
"Ugh!!"
Though the one attacked is the chaotic aggregate, Joshua lets out his first suppressed cry of pain. The Steel Giant's shell briefly turns red, quickly cooling down, but that red was like blood, startling and terrifying!
But astonishingly, the light-spear, purely composed of light and electromagnetic waves, carries no shockwave and has no mass itself. Yet, just after Joshua's cry of pain, the chaotic aggregate, whose pure power was equivalent to three Decay Evil Gods, suddenly dissipates into nothingness.
"I'm not resigned... I'm not resigned that our civilization couldn't even cross this sky!"
It can be seen: within a narrow continental world, a pilot driving an aircraft roars in anger. But no matter how hard they try, they can never cross the boundary of the world barrier to reach the seemingly vast sky. In this narrow world without an atmosphere, free flight was never possible.
"When nature is pushed too far, this is probably the result. We are unwilling, but we walked to our own doom..."
It can be seen: a cave-dwelling race living in a high-gravity underground world meets its end due to overdevelopment. The highly populated underground city, with its fragile geological structure, collapses under the planet's own gravity. Toxic outside air floods every tunnel, killing everyone. The cave-dwellers, with no other choice, never knew their extinction was an absolute inevitability.
A torrent of countless pieces of information erupts the moment the giant chaotic aggregate dissipates. These chaotic forces, originally condensed from the memories of countless dead worlds, harbor the most intense and sorrowful memories. In that instant, the information of twelve extinct civilizations bursts forth, releasing a small halo in the dark abyss.
Joshua exhales. He silently gazes at these memories. Light-spears appear in his hands again, and he turns to face the infinite dark chaos once more.
Meanwhile, it can be seen that within the warrior's inner world, the crystalline obelisks condensed from countless souls are emitting silver and red light.
In the world within the Giant's body, billions of souls are lurking and gestating. They come from the former civilization of the Decay Evil God, from civilizations destroyed by the Decay Evil God, from the Mycroft Continent of the Era of Radiance, and from the countless beings that multiplied over millennia in the sealed world.
These souls draw on Joshua's power. They are part of the natural cycle of the world. Perhaps in a few years, decades, or centuries, these souls will naturally gestate and be reborn under the influence of the Steel Force within Joshua's body, becoming existences similar to Silver Fairies, his vassals. They will become his power, his most unbreakable support.
But now, it can be seen that twelve crystal obelisks rise with a roar, emitting silver light. Twelve soul light-points shine at their base. And at this moment, twelve red light pillars, carrying silver light-points, shoot out from the world's center and fall upon these obelisks!
Instantly, infinite information floods in. Endless memories and history are inscribed: warriors yearning to surpass the sky, leaders wanting to build greater civilizations, survivors of a dying age unwilling to perish, researchers who failed despite all efforts... One vivid image after another, one sorrowful cry after another—all of it is carved like chisel marks, becoming inscriptions on the Steel Force.
I know.
In the dark abyss drifting with tears of pain, seeking a beautiful landscape called hope is indeed asking for trouble.
Joshua roars and smashes the darkness before him. He thrusts the spears condensed from pure light and electromagnetic waves into one large chaotic aggregate after another. At first, each thrust feels like he himself has been struck, eliciting deliberately suppressed but still painful cries. But later, after hundreds and thousands of thrusts and strikes, he at most lets out a muffled grunt.
It sounds too arrogant. I don't understand everything about you, don't understand your past. How could I possibly comprehend your pain?
Waves rise again in the dark abyssal sea. The chaotic aggregates besieging Joshua grow denser. All the chaos that did not leave with the chaotic tsunami has now fully gathered. Like a relentless hail of rain, they transform into a cold chaotic torrent charging at the warrior. Under the endless dark embrace, the light emitted by the silver Giant is like the sun obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a dim shadow.
I cannot give you a future or happiness, because I myself don't know where the future lies, or what happiness is.
And at the very center of the chaotic darkness, a pure red firelight blazes in the eyes of the Steel Giant. It is the color of divinity, the color of battle, destruction, and annihilation. The warrior, intoxicated by this, never knew and never cared where the future leads, nor in which direction happiness lies. He simply charges forward, overcoming everything that blocks his path.
That is why everything converges in his palm.
Joshua opens his hand. Two light-spears float up from nothing, then condense together into a single pale silver greatsword. He grips the hilt with both hands, his hands brushing past both edges of the blade. This weapon, entirely condensed from pure light and gravitational streams, is so illusory, yet the silver Steel Force light-points and red runes flickering within it are so real. It is like a blazing Saint Elmo's fire, lighting up the sky and sea.
It can be seen that countless light streams separate from the rotating accretion disk behind the Giant, converging on this greatsword, making it ever larger.
But since I have come here, I must do something.
O Sorrow and Death!
Standing at the very center of the Extreme Dark Abyss, Joshua's four arms grip this greatsword, so massive it far exceeds himself and even ordinary worlds. It can be seen that dazzling, brilliant light shines on both edges of the blade. The next instant, the warrior swings it, carving a cross in the void from left to right, from top to bottom.
Then, the cross-shaped light stream tears apart the dark clouds, allowing the sun's radiance to reappear in the world.
Countless smaller chaotic aggregates, with indices of single or double digits, are reduced to ashes along the path of the greatsword's swing, transforming into spherical light-points. Even chaotic aggregates with three or even four-digit indices freeze in place, falling into a death-like silence, just like their kin struck by the light-spears at the beginning.
I heard your call.
You are weeping, seeking destruction.
Floating in the center of the cross-shaped light stream, Joshua gasps for a moment, then continues flying at high speed. He uses all his strength, transforming the silver greatsword into one spear after another, thrusting them into all the frozen chaotic aggregates. Red runes flicker like a waterfall, transporting vast amounts of Steel Force carrying information. And within the warrior's inner world, countless millions of light pillars shoot out from the core star, descending upon one crystal obelisk after another.
It can be seen that at the base of the obelisks, the formless souls awaiting rebirth begin to naturally transform. As the inscriptions are carved and information floods in, these souls grow rapidly, gradually shifting into forms resembling those that appeared in the memories.
Like a lifelike sculpture, a living tombstone.
This is all I can give you. The last, and only, comfort... and...
Redemption!
Roaring, he races through the dark void, trailing a long ribbon of explosions behind him. Countless fragile chaotic aggregates turn to ash. By now, the warrior's eyes have turned completely crimson.
Joshua's silver body begins to transform, shifting into a bloody red. The radiance of divinity spreads unceasingly. An excessively extreme conviction, deliberately driven by its owner, becomes a will powerful enough to suppress all despair, all sorrow, all memories of the past.
This is a fundamentally unsolvable problem. For Joshua's power, shattering chaotic aggregates is not difficult. How can a natural phenomenon, driven only by instinct, compare to a Giant that can reshape heaven and earth? But as long as the memories of countless dead worlds within the chaos are not purified, they will be eternal, undying evil gods.
And the fastest, most direct way to purify this despair and sorrow is to use the most extreme will to suppress them all.
Divinity.
Nearly all consciousness consumed by divinity, approaching the state of a deity on the eve of 'Divine Annihilation,' Joshua, though not connected to the Great Source for infinite divine power, has an excessively extreme spiritual force that can already influence reality. It can be seen that even the pure silver Steel Force is tinged with a color like the veins of blood vessels.
But even so, the warrior's mind remains calm. His battle is like art, sweeping through the chaotic clusters with the most fluid and simple movements. The weak are crushed with fists, the strong are pierced with light-spears, the numerous are swept away with the greatsword. Leaping and flashing, the silver-and-red Giant is like a drill, carving a great path of light through the darkness!
The tears of all beings flow, eroding a valley of tears in the vast star river. This valley is the abyss, and the river rushing through it is the mighty River Styx. The endless River Styx converges into a sea called the Genesis Maelstrom.
But even the Genesis Maelstrom, which can rebirth all sorrow, despair, and even death into new 'Hope' and 'Future,' cannot avoid the moment of its dimming. The poison of the Chaos Evil God contaminates the source of this star river. It extinguishes the light, dims the stars, turning the once brilliant Nirvana Land into a starless dark night. Countless desperate world wrecks count the nights without dawn here, gradually forgetting even their own names, weeping in grief.
The Sage wanted to save all this. He loved this star river, even the entire multiverse. He formulated the Rebirth Plan, then left his homeland, seeking the origin of all evil gods and sorrow, hoping to extinguish the darkness sweeping the multiverse at its source.
But the Rebirth Plan failed. The last glimmer of light faded. In this Extreme Dark Abyss, even dreams will cease to exist.
Until now.
A faint, yet unwaveringly steadfast light reappears.