Chapter 50: Its Name is Courage and Sacrifice
In the distant reaches of time and space, within the dark vacuum of the universe, countless warships of various designs were moving among the star rivers.
One could see, within that sky-covering torrent of steel, multicolored flames jetting forth, propelling them forward. Thousands upon thousands of fleets from different affiliations converged into one, like a moving nebula.
And ahead of these physical warships, there were countless transcendent entities condensed from the power of emotion. Under the control of their masters, they shimmered with radiance, silently racing between the stars.
Millions upon millions, billions upon billions of soldiers advanced. Civilizations and races from every corner of the star river, every world, could be seen here. They stared ahead, flames burning in their eyes, but all remained silent, not uttering a single word.
And at the top of this fleet, at the forefront of the emotional fleet, on the bridge of a massive, crimson-red emotional warship, an elderly Zanya, ancient as a cicada, gazed calmly at the vacuum ahead.
The hum caused by transcendent power vibrating the atmosphere was the only sound audible at that moment.
—Silently, the wheel of emotion turned—
Breaking this silence was the roar of the warship's engines operating.
—At the distant end of time and space, the Starry World, the second spiral arm of the Dark Galaxy, the vanguard of the foremost advance force.
"What exactly is that light?"
The leader of the 'Great Counteroffensive Campaign,' the Supreme Marshal of the 'Blazing Courage Heavenly Fleet,' the Zanya Immortal Commander Kedal, stared grimly at the report in his hands and muttered to himself: "The data from the psionic energy detector is complete nonsense—a super-gravity anomaly source detected ahead... Don't joke around. According to this data, the entire galaxy would fall apart!"
Although he scolded verbally, the Commander somewhat irritably smoothed the record flat on the console. He unconsciously rotated his compound eyes, seemingly deep in thought.
What an inconceivable power... But rather than saying this was a false record caused by mechanical malfunction that accidentally added seven or eight extra zeros, it was better to admit that what it said was the truth.
"Moreover, with the precognitive ability granted by my power as an Immortal... I can be completely certain that this is indeed true."
Closing the eyelids over his compound eyes, Kedal fell silent. He had just used his own power to attempt to sense the origin of that strange light at the center of the distant Dark Galaxy, but in just an instant, the power he invested was annihilated—so fast that he couldn't even be affected or injured by the backlash.
All of this was real—the entire Dark Galaxy was disintegrating due to the battle of powerful beings.
At the place where the light blazed, an inconceivable might, unimaginable even for the power of an Immortal, was overflowing and scattering. Like the epicenter of an earthquake triggering a tsunami, it continuously pushed the stars of the entire galaxy outward, causing them to completely collapse. Even the mere aftershocks made the largest interstellar fleet coalition in the history of the Starry World tremble and hesitate.
"Should we still advance?"
"To be honest, we can't even find the enemy anymore."
Kedal could hear the confused voices of the coalition soldiers behind him. Their instincts were fearful, urging them to stay away from danger, away from this galaxy that had turned into a battlefield.
"The Evil God's minions suddenly dissipated for the most part, and most of the void beasts born from the plague have been killed by us... Is there still a need to advance?"
"Our mission should be complete!"
Kedal silently listened to the soldiers' murmurs. What they said was correct—ever since their esteemed iron-skinned leader and the Flame Prison God of the Midgardians went to the core of the Dark Galaxy, a large number of the Evil God's minions dissipated like smoke, and the speed of the plague's spread had greatly decreased. Now, the only mission for the entire Great Counteroffensive Fleet was to build stellar bases at the light-sword nodes of the occupied river systems.
But faced with the entire galaxy on the verge of collapse, whether to continue building stellar bases was certainly a matter for further discussion.
"I think we should be able to retreat now, Commander."
Kedal heard a familiar voice using psionic communication to contact him. It was his former subordinate from the Blazing Fire Fleet, now his adjutant, the Midgardian Faya. He said somewhat uneasily: "Since the enemy has been eliminated, there's no point in us staying any longer."
"Fall back to the 'landing point' and await further orders—the Life Preservation Program hasn't transmitted any instructions for a while, and everyone is a bit panicked."
"Is that so."
Standing at the front of his warship, the cicada-like Fleet Commander gazed ahead at the dark starry sky and the endless stars. He replied calmly: "Indeed, our mission is complete. We have annihilated more Evil God's minions than we might have in the past few decades, reclaimed many lost territories, and greatly vented the anger of years of invasion."
"But does it really have meaning?!"
The sudden angry shout instantly silenced the previously noisy communication channel behind him. Kedal did not turn around. He said in a deep voice: "Our esteemed leader, and the god of you Midgardians, are they not fighting ahead—at that place where the light blazes?!"
"We soldiers have endured countless hardships, broken through so many Chaos minions, and come here—is it just to complete a 'mission,' and not to reclaim our tomorrow that was stolen by the Evil Gods?!"
Taking a deep breath, Kedal suppressed the sudden surge of anger within him. Having walked far on the path of emotional power, he could already feel the side effects of the Ring of Courage beginning to manifest on him—and the most obvious among them was this sudden flare of rage.
"...I know very well. And you know very well too."
A suppressed but calm tone spread through the now-silent psionic communication channel. Kedal gazed into the distance alone, whispering softly: "The battle ahead is probably no longer something that those below the level of 'Immortal' or even 'Infinite Light' can participate in. The existence fighting our iron-skinned leader and the Midgardian god is unimaginably powerful, and their fierce battle can even shake the foundations of the galaxy."
—But that is precisely the moment to charge, isn't it?
"Leave."
His heart and mouth spoke different words. The calm old Commander suddenly issued a clear retreat order: "Indeed, there is no point in you staying here. Leave quickly. Although, according to the speed of light, the shockwave from afar will take thousands of years to reach here, if there is a faster-than-light jump attack, then the moment we saw that abnormal radiance, we were already in danger."
"...No, Commander, do you think we are afraid of death?"
A long silence in the communication channel was broken by an angry retort: "We are only afraid of dying without value. Since you say so, even if what lies ahead is a purgatory, I will lead my team to charge forward!"
"Me too!"
"Who among those who dared to join the Great Counteroffensive Campaign and fight in the vanguard would be afraid of death?!"
"I never planned to go back alive, Commander. Don't insult our courage!"
In an instant, the communication channel became millions of times noisier than before. Countless languages, countless different voices and frequencies, even countless calls and roars sounded within it—but as the holder of the channel's highest authority, the Zanya Commander Kedal, activated the global mute, the entire channel immediately fell into absolute silence.
"If life is a stake in fate, then there is no equality in this world."
The old man's faint voice sounded with the cold tone of a translator: "You are right. There is no point in you staying. After all, you are too weak... No, we are too weak. Even seeing the aftershocks from thousands or tens of thousands of light-years away makes us tremble with fear."
"As stakes, our lives are utterly insignificant... But no matter how big or small the stakes are, the one thing they all share is their holder's control over their own stakes—that is, the determination called death and sacrifice."
"But is it necessary?"
At this point, Kedal paused, as if leaving time for others to think. After a moment, he continued slowly: "For us, what is worth dying for, worth sacrificing for, is not 'eliminating the enemy,' but protecting our families, protecting our race, protecting what is most important to us. For this purpose, decisively choosing to 'retreat' and avoiding meaningless death caused by momentary anger—this is true courage!"
These words were indeed very reasonable. The vast majority of the counteroffensive fleet soldiers who had been muted were convinced, especially since they had originally planned to temporarily retreat and see how things went... Only the Midgardian, his former adjutant Faya, who knew Kedal best, sensed something wrong from this tone.
—'Choosing to retreat to protect what is important is true courage'—these words are indeed correct... But! Commander Kedal, does he really still have anyone important?!
As expected, just as Faya was worrying, one could see the massive, crimson-red star-destroying warship at the very front of the emotional fleet suddenly break formation. Its engines ran at full power, using maximum energy and the fastest speed to race forward, charging ahead without looking back.
"Commander!"
Instinctively starting his own warship, Faya wanted to chase after his old leader, and many others subconsciously did the same—but, for some reason, an inexplicable force interfered with their control over emotional power, preventing them from starting their warships for a time. They could only watch helplessly as the massive star-destroying warship disappeared within a jump halo.
It was only then that the Midgardian, angrily manipulating his warship and punching the console, heard the old man's final message.
"I have nothing left, Faya."
"So, even if it's out of pity or sympathy, let this lonely old man, with the courage of sacrifice, fight to the very end. And you young people, who still have a future..."
"Commander!!" Hearing this, Faya gritted his teeth. He suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction where the old man had disappeared. He could hear Kedal's almost fading psionic message lingering in his ears.
"Take my place, and witness with your own eyes, the radiance of tomorrow."
And at this very moment, racing forward at the fastest speed of his life, many things were running through Kedal's mind.
His beloved, his beloved children, his beloved friends and family, his beloved nation and civilization.
And his beloved world.
"Saying I have nothing left."
The old man drove the entire warship through time and space. He felt an endless power pouring in from afar, burning his life and soul. Sensing this, Kedal smiled, as if in self-mockery, yet also with serenity: "Don't I still have my life?"
[I always strive for a goal.
For myself, for my children, for my civilization and this world.
But is it really necessary? Just purely 'for something,' so I give my life as a stake... When one reason is gone, I find another, as if I'm just looking for an excuse to die.
Clearly, doing my utmost to live, to see the future of tomorrow no matter how desperate, is the greatest courage, isn't it?
But... I know. I know very well that this is true 'courage.'
Yet I still do this.
Not sacrifice, not determination, not for anyone, not because of any love or hate.
I just want to see the light.]
"Indeed."
Jumping coordinates, breaking through time and space, the old man stared at the endless divine light that grew brighter and more distorted, rising from the galactic core. At this moment, on Kedal's limb, the crimson ring lit up with a radiance called 'divine power'—ignoring it as if it were nothing, he smiled and whispered softly to himself.
"Even if it's just a little, just a tiny, insignificant little bit... I also want to, participate in the battle."
Even if it's the most insignificant little bit, I want to witness this light that pierces the darkness between the stars.
—The radiance called courage blazed!—
Its name is Kedal, the Bearer of the Ring of Courage!
At the other end of time and space, where the vortex howled, one of the Four God Rings began to light up, began to resonate. It detected its apostle, an individual capable of bearing this emotion, had been born in the distant beyond. And so, it began to roar, unleashing a furious tide of emotion.
Another stake of causality had fallen.
Hereupon, possibilities began to converge—
The Starry World, the center of the Dark Galaxy, the supermassive black hole at the galactic core, the place where ultimate transcendent powerhouses confronted each other. A silver-blue space was fiercely battling a dark, alien space from the other side of the void.
At this moment, all external destruction had ceased. The three parties in the battle had focused all their energy on each other. Within the three-colored chaotic space that enveloped the supermassive black hole at the galactic core, nothing could be seen, nothing could be perceived. Only an extremely bright light warped time and space, causing everything in the galaxy to disintegrate and shatter.
Devouring each other, seizing from each other, dominating each other—the constants of the universe were tampered with, the speed of light was manipulated. In this battle, the two opposing sides were completely locked in a stalemate, a perfect equilibrium. Neither could overpower the other. The only thing that could decide the outcome was the equally powerful 'will' of both sides, strong enough to endure until the end of the multiverse.
Everything about this battle seemed destined to last forever.
Until a single crimson bright star appeared within this grand battlefield.
It tumbled, like a small sampan in a raging storm, swept up by undulating, distorted space, unable to control itself. But with an eruption of divine power, it finally managed to use 'courage' to control its direction forward. So, in the next instant, it charged without hesitation, plunging into the profound darkness.
Quickly, shorter than an instant, as silently as a drop of water merging into the sea, without even raising a ripple, this crimson bright star was eroded by the dark alien space, turning into nothingness. Even the remaining divine power only blazed for a single moment before being completely swallowed by the darkness.
Only a single, brief moment.
—But a hero! Never cares how long they can shine!
The moment that darkness dissolved that insignificant wisp of emotional divine power, the equilibrium was broken. That 'mere little bit' of difference was enough to cause a chain reaction as cataclysmic as heaven and earth splitting apart!
"Now!"
The silver giant god's phantom could be heard roaring, echoing across the galaxy. In that instant, he sensed a sudden explosive surge of divine power from the Four God Rings within the emotional vortex. Gathering this power, whether it was a 'coincidental accident' or a 'causal necessity,' Joshua unhesitatingly clenched his 'illusory' fist and struck heavily at the beast of self-will!
[Transcend Limit: Self-Destruction Threshold—Overclock 400%]
On the other side, the Steel Serpent Star and the Triple Veil, with an aura of almost burning themselves to ashes, wrapped all their power and charged forward together with the warrior!
And the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate did the same. Silently, it gathered all its remaining power, condensed everything it could control, and made its final eruption, pushing forward.
An instant, like an eternity.
Infinite light ignited everything in the observable universe, returning all to the moment of the Big Bang.