Soul of Searing Steel

Chapter 872: The Resolve to Leave

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

It was precisely because the Lost Galaxy had left the Initial Flame like the other galaxies left behind, no longer orbiting the center of the Multiverse that it slowed.

That was also why the Starherders could enter the Lost Galaxy which should have been isolated, and why the homeworld of the Astral Dragons that could not be found would suddenly appear.

Indeed, everything had ended up this way because the world of Mycroft presently was no longer separate from other galaxies. They had slowed down as well, and existed on the same timeframe!

“Moreover, the Sage was said to be heading to the center of the Multiverse... A long road that transcends half the Multiverse.”

Joshua was muttering quietly and grimly to himself in spirit space as he watched the crude Multiverse model. “I was thinking at the time, won’t the center Multiverse be obvious and distinct? With his ability, the Sage shouldn’t have to make that path of light with such great fanfare—but now, it appears that the orbiting of endless worlds and endless galaxies at different speeds and timeframe was, at its essence, a ‘great time trap’ on a Multiverse scale!

One would never reach the center if they could not completely set oneself on a timeframe independent of the Multiverse, for the path to the center was filled with warped time swirls—one would drop inside due to a single careless moment, and it would be probably dozen thousands years later when they come out.

“For us, it was just twelve hundred years after the Final Battle when we still orbited the Initial Flame. To those worlds that had stopped entirely, that seemingly ordinary and not too long moment—such as to the homeworld of the Astral Dragons, it was probably millions of years, even a longer time.”

The galaxy cluster where the Starherders probably did not stop entirely, and instead moved with its remaining whirling momentum for some time, which was why it only had a time difference of dozens thousand years. On the other hand, the homeworld of the Astral Dragons had met the unexpected while the humans were still in a savage era. If their galaxy had paused utterly then... then, with the temporal difference between both worlds, ten thousand years for Mycroft was probably over a billion years or more for that galaxy.

“A frozen galaxy... this information is truly like cold winter cutting into the bone.”

Joshua breathed out. He could sense that processing power from the main Mana Net Server was slowly decreasing—it appears that even with the power that Zero Three had evolved and the divine legacies could no longer keep up with such a level of data exchange, and so he knew that his time for calculating was about to end.

It was then that the warrior could not help remember the final memories of the Evil God of Fertility back in the depths of the central Dark Forest.

Or to be precise, it was the single, final moment of the civilization from which the Evil God of Fertility grew.

The Initial Flame, immeasurably vast, emanating boundless light.

And the fact that it was ‘shrinking’.

Now...

Spirit space shattered.

Joshua ceased his calculation, the crude model of the Multiverse hence collapsing as the warrior’s mind returned to reality.

In the Void, Zero Three was palpating heavily, her connection with the main Mana Net server about to break—that brief moment of calculation had almost crashed the Artificial Intelligence, with the main Mana Net Server almost burnt.

However, everything was necessary for Joshua. Servers could be rebuilt after it burnt up, spirit deviation rate could be healed if it was aggravated—the truth was right there, and the warrior would learn it as soon as he could.

Joshua looked up at the Metal Dragon God who was about to speed. He knew that he no longer had any reason to stop it from searching for its home—for a galaxy that had fallen over billions of years, even its Steel Particles could have become utterly dormant. There was nothing in those worlds, not even danger.

It was just that the excessively long parting would leave sadness.

“I have understood many things, including why your home galaxy was destroyed. That is why I would not stop you from searching for it.”

Joshua thus said, his gaze leveled at the Million Steel Dragon’s gentle draconic pupils. “But there is something I do not understand. Do galaxies have lifespan as well, Dragon God?”

“Ah. That is only natural.”

In response, the Metal Dragon God which had thought that Joshua would still stop itself relaxed considerably. It then thought about the warrior’s question before answering, “Yes. Galaxies have lifespan, and in fact, according to the ancient legacies of us Astral Dragons, every galaxy including Mycroft’s revolves in an unending cycle that gradually moves towards hot, chaotic silence, therein utterly collapsing.”

“Each galaxy may appear to the mundane to be infinite, but they do have a fated lifespan.”

The Metal Dragon God appeared very emotional as it spoke those words, the deity that inherited almost all ancient legacies of the Astral Dragons spoke with what was almost a sigh. “The Sage’s Project Rebirth is to break that fate that necessitates a path towards Chaos. He would have all Chaos gathered into one form and attempt to form eternal Order—I myself only became aware of his greater purpose after the fact, hence comprehending the Dragon God legacy which had once been cryptic to me.”

At those words, the Million Steel Dragon lowered her gaze to Joshua, and serenely said, “Count Radcliffe. You’ve actually noticed it too, don’t you? Our Multiverse is truly extraordinary.”

Joshua nodded. “Yes,” he replied, “I had just studied data from the Unified Archives, along with the Multiverse observation data from the Sacrificial Grounds, Unified Archives, Starfall Era and the Astral Dragons’ star maps, thus finally making a conclusion.”

“By counting from the moment that the Astral Dragons arrived on Mycroft and observed the stars again, there was probably no newborn galaxies over the entire Multiverse.”

At those words, Joshua’s words gained in somberness. “Strictly speaking, from the moment that the Astral Dragons rose and decline in their galaxy until the humans founded the world of Mycroft and advance to the pinnacle, there was no newborn galaxies over the entire observable Multiverse!”

“In the past, Mycroft had been at the center of the galaxy, and there probably no other reason for that other than the fact that our galaxy is the youngest, the very last newborn!”

With that, Joshua laughed self-deprecatingly.

Changing his path of thought to consider from another angle, he quickly surmised much significant information from bits and pieces he once neglected.

Such as the reason Void Behemoths and Ancient Dragons existed.

The Initial Flame still burnt brightly before the collapse of the civilization where the Evil God of Fertility originated. It did not shrink and emanated boundless energy in every single moment, creating infinite worlds... but when that flashback ended, Joshua could see the Initial Flame contracting, and new galaxies were no longer born.

It was only after that when Void Behemoths, Ancient Dragons and Evil Gods are born into the world to roam the Multiverse.

“Setting Evil Gods aside, the Void Behemoths consume worlds, absorbing Steel Strength and world fragments in the Void and recreate the state in which worlds moved, while Ancient Dragon incessantly reignited Flames, creating ecosystems and cultivating new life, worlds, and civilization. From that perspective, it resembled a portion of a circulation that the galaxies of the Multiverse had naturally grown to save itself.”

Joshua quietly mumbled in the Void. “Both Void Behemoths of Ancient Dragons were essentially bodies of Steel, just as the King of Searing Soul likewise possess the power to remold worlds... with souls, Chaos and different Order as fuel, forcing the rebirth of a world—that Authority essentially originates from the shrinking of the Initial Flame, a self-correcting immune system grown by galaxies as they lost eternal lifespans in order to last longer!”

There was little wonder that he found his path so remarkably similar to that of Void Behemoths and Ancient Dragons—there was also little wonder that the Metal Dragon God would inform him, the King of Searing Souls of such details.

For they were essentially one body.

So, has he unwittingly assumed the path of Steel Strength because he embodied the Authority of the King of Searing Soul?

Joshua asked himself, and then somberly shook his head.

No.

It is not because of another’s legacy, or any powerful Authority.

The warrior was very certain that the path he assumed was because he chose it, and it was merely a coincidence that it was a path that could aid many.

But he would never mistake it as himself assuming that path to help others, it is merely that he could lend a hand to them in passing on this path.

“Perhaps I should not have told you all this so prematurely.”

Sensing Joshua’s thoughts and mutterings, the Metal Dragon God who was about to leave shook its head regretfully. “Most of this information are predictions that I and former Dragon Gods had made,” it said quietly, “It had certainly greatly troubled you to enlighten you of it so abruptly. I simply do not know if I would safely return from my homecoming, which is why someone must know and safekeep these ancient knowledge and legacies of Astral Dragons to avoiding losing that precious information. And you are the most suitable gratitude.”

“No, there is no need for guilt.”

In response, Joshua looked up at the chagrined Metal Dragon God and seriously said, “In fact, I have to thank you.”

“Metal Dragon God, I have to think you for giving myself and every being of Mycroft a reason to step out.”

As he spoke, Joshua no longer watched the Million Steel Dragon but looked up instead at the distant, vague and dark Void. “If they had been hesitating before, there is nothing to hesitate about now,” the warrior said softly, “for we must head to other galaxies and leave our homeland.”

Unlike the Astral Dragons who were compelled to flee and would return to their homeworld even at the threat of death, humans would stand upon their own will to leave their homeworld and head out towards the greater worlds and galaxy.

“That is our future!”

Joshua’s words resounded, with surging Steel Strength transmitting a fearsome flow even in the Void. “Against the possibility that all of Multiverse would stop and that the Initial Flame would no longer swirl, we must depart from the Lost Galaxy to take a look beyond.”

“Otherwise, we would be frogs in the well for all eternity, ignorant fools reluctant to comprehend the truth behind all things.”

With those words and ascertaining all information, the warrior firmly turned and stop speaking to the Metal Dragon God, while the divine being stared blankly for an instant before flying towards the edge of the galaxy with the hint of a smile.

One would never see the bright day if they did not step through the darkness of the night, just as they would stay eternally in the filthy bottom of wells if they did not attempt to escape their plight.

“Zero Three.”

In the Void, Joshua rapidly flew towards the teleportation zone that the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds had designated. He must inform everyone about the information and the findings of his analysis, and as he flew, he spoke softly to Zero Three who was on his shoulder, “The reason Evil Gods are born, the cycle of anguish where Order and Chaos swirled... I could feel that I’m approaching the source of everything.”

“...”

Zero Three said nothing in return; the AI simple smiled.

After all, the warrior’s resolve never required acknowledgment.