Soul of Searing Steel

When Joshua van Radcliffe had stepped out from a long stillness so that his very own power would once again appear to the Multiverse, all the worlds within the Multiverse quaked in his wake.

It began in the Vortex of Creation itself and then emanated through the Abysses as the titanic ripple that had not actually affected the movement of worlds swept through the vastness of dimensions, conducting directly into the normal galactic realms.

In the world of Kronos, the Ancient Dragon of Thunder felt a sudden moment of blankness. It had heard the desolating call from a horn that resounded from the distance, which somehow seemed to thunder right beside its ears. It thus flapped its wings instinctively and took off to the horizon, with the Ancient Dragon itself feeling a throbbing sensation extending from the Steel Strength in his body, responding towards the call which had reached out to it from a faraway place.

“That is the…”

The Sleeping Dragon Abyss—a realm hidden amidst the Abysses and the place where the Pentashade Dragon God and the Pentashade dragons dwelled in silence. Ever since it had appeared to the warrior and lent him his power before the battle against the Evil God of Death, the Pentashade Dragon God had never since appeared in the normal galaxy. In the same fashion, the people of Mycroft did not look for it either, and both sides simply acted as if the other was invisible.

However, this was not the moment to play pretend. The Pentashade Dragon God hence lifted all five of its heads, its ten draconic eyes reflecting in a glimmer of astonishment. It could hear the call from that horn, even hearing a lot more from the sound because it was a god—it was a roar that was concealed beneath the profoundly resounding call, reaching away from the Vortex of Creation as a terribly repressed wrath streaked towards its direction in the company of a surge that swept through ten thousand worlds, and actually leaving the deity with difficulty breathing.

“He has become even stronger…but why? Why is he so angry?”

There was none who knew the answer to that question, not even his various acquaintances from the world of Mycroft, with Nostradamus hurriedly fumbling for the encrypted communicator connected directly to the bottom of the Abyss, while Barnil shrunk his head, glancing around him in panic and uncertainly—all of them had felt that rage, a might that appeared to be solid even when sensed from across distant reaches. It was the omen of a certain person stepping out, that Joshua had left the seal he had put in place himself, proving that the warrior had found the answer he wanted, the truth behind Chaos itself.

And that was apparently the reason for his rage.

Be that as it may, Joshua was not in contact with any other person or speaking to any of his acquaintances at the moment. His profound and cold will transcended all dimensions, stirring the Vortex and leaving everything connected to it trembling and faltering, while in the center of the Lost Galaxy where the old Void Vortex had been, the Steel Python of the world of Simboa promptly coiled itself, able to perceive that the projection of some great being was arriving upon its world, its sheer power simply unstoppable.

Meanwhile, in the heart of Simboa itself—the center of world of superpowers which was now rapidly developing, a small grave stood beneath the ruins of a skyscraper. It was the tombstone of Fattrovi, which was embedded with a shining spirit crystal, as if there was a consciousness sweeping through it.

“As I’ve thought…Fattrovi, I never imagined that your twisted path could strike true and discover such a similar path.”

The consciousness was murmuring. “King of the shell of a universe, ruler of fate who controls time and future, a god who toys with possibilities—you, who have inspired me about Peaceful Paradise, is truly a genius of unfathomable depth. It truly is a pity that you had not been given a complete education in the field of Extraordinary power, only ever learning by your own accord…and yet already reaching such a level.’

“If you could have reached a different, correct path, perhaps…”

As if having ascertained something, the might which left Simboa’s Steel Python with difficulty breathing left, while Joshua’s true form in the Vortex of Creation opened both his eyes.

The Giant God lifted his hands, and staring at the ashes of the Evil God in it.

To ordinary people who were unable to discern the entire spectrum of light, electromagnetic waves invisible to the naked eye, or even directly percept Extraordinary power, they required many tools, countless experiments, and had to fumble for the right way in the dark if they ever had to prove anything—but for champions, it was all as simple and clear-cut as picking up a rock from the ground and placing it on a table.

Moreover, when it came to Joshua, who was a champion amongst champions, many things actually appeared as clear as placing their fundamental truth right before his eyes. Even so, a long period and countless verifications were actually needed for him to uncover the essence of Evil Gods, even taking a little bit of luck for him to succeed.

And over the dozen years past, by relying upon the unique attributes of the Vortex of Creation and hence materializing billions of worlds to dissect billions of Evil Gods, Joshua had at long last been able to catch a flaw in Eternity.

***

At a single thought, the ashes of the Evil God in the Giant God’s hand began to disperse like sand wafting away from a palm. But even after the ashes were gone, a single object remained at the center of the plam.

It was a rune—unusual and mysterious, appearing to be complex like no other and yet also ever so simple, just like a black hole formed from accumulation of information. And around the bizarre rune, which was also imbued with all the information of a single civilization though bizzare, a physical world was blurring, with everything known being twisted, just like the Chaos and corruption that Evil Gods themselves wrought, distorting the essence of all things.

And now, endless information was being relayed.

“I see. Why psionic energy would obstruct the birth of most Evil Gods, and why the births of Evil Gods necessitate the demise of an entire civilization but the deaths of the greatest of champions do not…I now understand that.”

Joshua had already been curious since a long time ago.

Why would the Evil Gods only be born after a civilization had fallen?

Truth be told, civilizations were not actually a rarity, nor did they come with sacred radiant halo. It was simply an ecosphere where intelligent beings existed, a collective where many minds lived alongside one another. Though those intelligent beings would often attach substantial meaning and purpose to it, such things would ever apply to themselves. To the Multiverse of darkness and the Mastermind, the ecospheres where civilizations or beasts resided was no different.

Furthermore, there were even champions of Imperator Amos’ own class who saw civilizations as nothing but toys at the tip of their fingers, existing as a concept far transcending civilization themselves, an individual existence which was complete in itself. So, why would beings of such level not become an Evil God? Whether it was the Unified Archives of Mycroft, the mysterious core of the Knowers, or even the knowledge of the Triple Curtain, and the Ultimate Sublimator Collective, there was no evidence of such a trend.

In truth, the reason for that was very plain.

“For the Mastermind and the calculation process of the Malevolent Chaos, the probabilities revolving around a single individual would never outnumber the probabilities that an entire civilization would hold…no matter how powerful the individual may be.”

In turn, the Steel Pythons, which were the collective consciousness of intelligent beings, would be exempted from the calculation process to a certain extent, holding civilization as a single form so that every probability would either exist or die as one.

Meanwhile, just as Joshua’s emotions stirred, a voice reached him—it was Nostradamus, who was using an encrypted communications spell which the warrior himself had left in the world of Mycroft so he could be reached in times of great emergency. Still, it appeared that Joshua himself had to step out even before things deteriorated to dire straits.

“Joshua…are, are you done?”

“Yeah, I’m done.”

Not even Joshua could hold back a smile at the sound of the familiar voice. He could not help wanting to tell the mage about all of his discoveries at once, but held back even as he was about to speak, keeping quiet because there were still many things that he had to verify later.

“Hold on for a moment, Master Nostradamus. There are still a few points that I have to enact and confirm.”

“It does not matter, Joshua. Everyone will be waiting for you.”

The brief contact was over, and the warrior extended his hand silently, making a fist with the palm with which he had been carrying the unusual Evil God rune, before spreading it again—the rune was gone, while a complete and beautiful continental realm now appeared in his palm just like magic.

But soon, the world which appeared to be very normal began to present a state of being consumed by an Evil God, even without the presence of any Evil Gods at all!

The winds and the sand whistled while plants withered. Elements were receding, fading along with magic and lifeforce. Both ether and the Holy Light had diminished at the same time, and the once flourishing continental realm overflowing with life had actually been consumed within a brief few minutes by Famine, reduced to a plain, barren world like no other.

But through it all, there had been no presence of any Evil God or Chaos, and everything had unfolded as if it was only natural…as if there had been an invisible hand, guiding everything towards a similar future.

Meanwhile, Joshua watched the world in his hand with a solemn expression before letting go, hovering the world right in front of himself to allow for better observation.

“The essence of Evil God corruption is actually the ‘backflow of probability’.”

“The endless parallel dimensions, along with the probabilities from endless futures are reversed to its present, which is why it could cause symptoms similar to corruption and brainwashing—the infected individuals have fallen into madness precisely because they had directly witnessed the erratic future and probabilities!”

“That is what the so-called Perished Eternity refers to!”

No matter how it was observed, the world suspended in front of Joshua was already dead. Every iota of energy had diminished, every physical matter was crumbling—if he did not deliberately keep it together, it would have broken down into ashes in the very next second. However, even if that world was most certainly dead, it was only destroyed in this particular Multiverse.

At the command of the Giant God’s thought, the silhouette of countless other worlds appeared, as if enfolding it within the innumerable layers of a kaleidoscope.

It was similar to his battle against Fattrovi all those years ago, with the silhouette of all those probabilities appearing beside both of them.

There were both the good and the bad shown in those silhouettes: some showed that the world was not destroyed by Famine and survived, while others showed it attacked by different Evil Gods, meeting its end at the hands of others such Calamity, Pestilence, and Disparity…the unending ranks of silhouettes vanished and appeared, revolving around the world which had long since died and left only a husk of it, even as a Tree of Probability composed of silhouettes grew without limit.

Every probability existed; every future was present.

Sighing, Joshua reached out with two hands and put them together, destroying the world. However, when he parted his hands, what appeared was not a world but a dark cluster of starry clouds, an Evil God—from the first glance, it would appear that a nebula was gaining form as a shape similar to the crystal insects of the Evil God of Famine, but it turned into a mosaic in the next instant, and again into a shroud…it did not stop transforming as the many silhouettes split apart, assuming the forms of the many Evil Gods which Joshua himself had killed.

But even after it had turned into an Evil God, the many silhouettes appearing around it still had the appearance of worlds—civilizations were still continuously developing in those worlds as well, even advancing so powerfully that the silhouettes stayed unaffected despite being destroyed by whatever Evil Gods, or if the worlds were becoming whatever Evil Gods.

Just like Eternity.

Having confirmed the fact, the Giant God was silent for a moment.

In that single instant, he was finally 100% certain of his theory.

“The so-called Evil Gods, and their essence that is the Perished Eternity, is actually the center point of a civilization’s end.”

“If a civilization would fall and die to it, would another probability have opened the door to a different result? By projecting and imagining from that single center point, infinite possibilities would hence come to be.”

‘Gently’ holding the Evil God which was transforming endlessly, Joshua lowered his head and focused his eyes on the remains of that world and civilization—he was holding the center point called the Perished Eternity, his gaze piecing through the information that could reduce countless mortals to insanity, corrupting and turning them into lunatics and zealots of the Chaos to see the ‘futures’ where the innumerable worlds were actually still existent, civilization still surviving, and all life was stilling living in bliss.

“Ha, ha.”

Laughing coldly, Joshua gently shook his head and closed his eyes, with the other three hands of the Giant God clenching into fists. He quietly muttered, “Even if the world and the civilization would die and become a corpse of such grotesque chaotic appearance here, it still exists eternally in the unlimited parallel worlds, in the dimensions where infinity is derived from. It is ever existent, embodying happiness, contentment, a probability that is no different from a dream.”

“The Wise One of Arcane was really not wrong at all: It really is Eternity—the Perished Eternity is splitting apart, whereas the Genuine Infinity is being born…”

And that was what the essence of Evil Gods were, ever so clear that it could not be clearer. It is a center point of death, created as Malevolent Chaos distorted the cornerstones of civilization. Through that point, the eternal possibilities would be born amongst the infinite parallel worlds.

Things were even simpler when it came to the Eternal Wonders: those were the center points produced from a civilization out of things without form.

Generally speaking, Eternal Wonders refers to a particular class of things created by civilization, standing at the level of a complete Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds, a supermassive singular realm, a complete Black Fog, or a complete Infinity Dynamo of Divine Energy. As an object, the possibilities that they held were simply so exceedingly profound…how should one describe it? For the civilizations which had given form to them, their purpose was almost the same as what fire was to primates.

For humans, every civilization of the present had originated from a dark and obscure place, one where the usage of tools and flame had illuminated the path forward to wisdom—the Eternal Wonders were similar or even transcendent beyond that, with the change it had brought to a civilization able to bring about a ‘warping’, explosive level of development. That was why Eternal Wonders were a center point where the unending possibilities would converge, cutting apart the past and future, because if they truly were truly completed, no person—or anything else, for that matter—would be able to avoid it when they attempt to extend the probabilities revolving their inventors.

It had pierced the ancient eras and extended to the present, individually anchoring a center point. From then onwards, the civilization that possessed it would no longer have a probability which does not involve creating the Eternal Wonder.

“And that is why, Mastermind, you would want to destroy even the frames of all Eternal Wonders, and each civilization which has developed exceedingly.”

The voice of the Giant God was echoing in the Vortex of Creation. “They are an obstacle to your control over the Multiverse, stopping you from exacting your rule upon the probabilities in all things.”

It was also quite simple as to why individual champions were unable to be used as a center point—in terms of probability, every individual across an entire civilization held the clear and present chance to become a powerful Extraordinary individual, and the distortion that such a chance would cause was far greater than the chance revolving around a single person.

Unless they would ascend as a Wise One.

***

The probability revolving a Wise One echoed throughout the Multiverse, a profound change that no Eternal Wonder or civilization could compare to!

It was a level that surpassed the Gods, a form of change since the Multiverse was born that upsetted and prompted fear in the Mastermind, the first individual to reach the threshold of the Wise Ones!

“That is actually the essence of Malevolent Chaos—or indeed the infinite possibilities of parallel worlds! That is the truth about you!”

Even if he had clearly unraveled the essence of Perished Eternity, found the origins of Malevolent Chaos, and even learning of the Mastermind’s purpose, Joshua could only clench his fists and laugh bitterly. The Giant God hence looked up at the Void, and the swirling Vortex of Creation.

“How normal it would be for parallel worlds in the Multiverse to create possibilities. How could I even have imagined that the power which the Mastermind and the Malevolent Chaos hold represents the power of the future!”

Who would even have thought of such a thing!?

Chaos Corruption was merely the infinite futures, the overflowing of information from infinite parallel worlds, just as the Chaos mind was nothing other than a disturbance following the corruption by the future possibilities—even so, the bygone and indescribable zealousness of the cultists were now understandable: they had simply been projected into their future selves. After all, would a person who whose boundaries between the present and the future had blurred not be mad?

The Multiverse was still very young, with many things yet to be grown out of it.

If one had to put it to words, the present Multiverse was just like a seed.

And seeds would only ever sprout, growing endless branches and into a great tree reaching for the skies.

The change that the Mastermind had brought about confirmed it: its power had given life to unlimited parallel worlds over the Multiverse, applying its own ‘Infinity’ therein: every Evil God would represent one fallen civilization, and each center point of Eternity would be a platform with which it would grasp infinite futures. However, every Wise One would be a variable that affected the future he ruled.

Joshua looked out over the Vortex of Creation, his gaze seemingly piercing the unending origins of the world and crossing the boundless Silent Void to directly gaze upon the Initial Flame. The warrior kept his gaze fixated on that direction, both eyes burning in raging flames.

In the upstream of everything where the Multiverse was truly born, infinite beings were fighting—they were neither indescribable nor without a name, but every Wise One was really fighting for the future!

“Hahahaha. ‘I am right, and far more right than you are’…why am I suddenly thinking about something I said before?”

For some reason, Joshua had suddenly remembered something he had told his students in the Zeta Ram Installation before. At the time, he embodied no arrogance but was merely stating the truth, even if it was actually arrogance to other civilizations and other individuals.

Eternity, Infinite, and Absolute.

The Evil Gods, the Wise Ones, and the Autonomous Multiverse.

Along with the final objective which transcends those three extremes, Omnipotence and Omniscience.

What did the Mastermind actually wanted to do? Was it not clear by now?

It would seize the moment when the Multiverse is still a seedling to kill every source of probability and assumed control. It would rule the Initial Flame and sow a new Multiverse once again—and this time, it would be a world reborn by its rules, with everything within or even beyond dominated by it.

[It does not matter—It is all the same—Eternity is splitting apart—]

[It does not matter—It is all the same—The genuine Infinity is being born—]

Profound information had been gained from examining the essence of Evil Gods, with those words confirming the essence and truth Evil Gods and the Masterminds.

But it only made the warrior sneer.

“Killing you once, and then claiming that I have granted you eternal and infinite probabilities… even if your existence in this Multiverse is gone, you still live in a parallel world, your civilization prospering and surviving in eternal bliss—isn’t that good?”

[It does not matter—It is all the same]

‘I am right, and far more right than you are.’

Once again, a statement of truth and not of arrogance. Just as Joshua had critiqued the other civilizations before, it was all perhaps the same to the Masterminds, because the arrogance of champions were like precious stones or flowers bearing similar hue, alike and yet different.

“Such arrogance, as if made from the same fabric as ourselves.”

And that was when another contact from Mycroft reached him.

“Joshua, are you alright? I can feel the Vortex of Creation shaking—Is something wrong?”

The voice anxiously asking after him was Zero Three’s, not Nostradamus. She also seemed to be biting her lip as she asked hesitantly, “Could you have discovered something bad? It’s alright, you can tell us—there’s no worse news since the legions of Evil Gods are already invading the cosmos.”

“Zero Three…”

In that split second, Joshua had really wanted to reveal every detail he had learned about the Mastermind and the Evil God, but he also seemed to resolve himself in an unfathomably short moment, and instead turned towards the direction of the Initial Flame again. “I did find something,” the warrior said flatly, “part of which I can say and part of which I can’t. Regardless, now is the time to fight.”

“Do you need to rest for a moment?” The rather stunned voice of the Artificial Intelligence girl reached him from the other side of the call. “Are you perhaps not aware of the current situation after a dozen years in seclusion? Joshua, don’t rush yourself. We still have time…”

“Yes, there is still time.”

In that split second, the worlds revolving around the Giant God that were at once hollow and real instantly became solid. A greater Vortex was being born beneath the Vortex of Creation itself, and the Giant God—the being who stood at the heart of the swirl—breathed a sigh, before letting out a sound that resembled both a laugh and a roar. “But I can’t hold back any longer.”

“Oh, Zero Three…neither the future nor the infinite parallel worlds are on our side. We are lonely people fighting alone, and the more we progress, the more we approach defeat. While you are right that we have time, it is the time to fight, and not to rest.”

Joshua’s tone was solemn and impassioned like never before. He spread his four arms and closed his eyes, the silhouette of infinite people appearing before him as the words left by the Wise Ones rang beside his ears.

Creating hope from divine power, the first Wise One allied to intelligent life and founder of soul and the Extraordinary: the Wise One of Psi.

The anonymous explorer, the traveler of the shroud. Guardian of civilization and knowledge, watcher of history and future, leaving legacies while safekeeping civilization and collecting knowledge…in death, the Wise One of Arcane used his Radiance of the Mana Tide to guide all life back to the right track.

Aiding all life, connecting worlds by creating the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds and shining upon the Multiverse like light itself. The Sage, the Wise One of Holy Light, had bathed the Multiverse in splendor to better aid all worlds and civilizations, even the Abysses.

Perpetuating hope and the way ahead, keeping alive the hope that the predecessors had left behind just like the ever-present darkness, the Wise One of Shadows was thus born in the stillness of time immemorial, and then heading off alone towards the Root of the Multiverse.

The hope, clues, and the opportunities which they had left—legacies that had survived over countless generations—must absolutely not be wasted.

If the eyes of worlds and every Wise One are being focused upon myself, waiting for me, then this shall be the very moment that I should go forth!

Joshua slowly opened his eyes, his gaze exuding a calmness like never before. He was immeasurably composed despite his heart brimming with unlimited desire to fight.

Because it was all of it was only natural, the Giant God hence began to stride forward.

Boom!

The Vortex of Creation was quaking. As if a drum was being hammered, the worlds rumbled violently. Hence, the once-immeasurably stable circulation of stars which had been slowly reverting to its right track was distorting, with the very base of an entire galaxy visibly changing its state because of the determined stride of a man.

In front of him, even the tides in which millions of worlds were backing away freely from as if they belonged nowhere, parted like a sea split open to give way.

Then, the Vortex of Creation also briefly paused its rotation, remaining in such serenity akin to an ocean without waves.

“If I do not fight now, then the Chaos would revive our corpses after it has destroyed us. In the end, it would even point to those things and say, ‘look—that is the face of our Eternity’.”

It was anger that came to be because of hope, because of duty, because of the lust for battle, and because an arrogant man had encountered an even more arrogant enemy.

And that was why Joshua van Radcliffe, Demi Saint, would never allow such a future to come to pass.

“Mastermind. Would you say that it is all the same?”

No.

It is absolutely different.

***

On the tenth of June, Starfall year 862. 3 minutes past 11 on Mycroft Standard Time.

The precise center of the Vortex of Creation beneath the Abyss of the Lost Galaxy.

A brilliant silver light hence shone, sweeping across ten thousand worlds.