Soul of Searing Steel

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Starherder (Formal Name: Abnormal Fungal Composite)

A nomadic lifeform discovered in the edge of the local galaxy on the 3rd of May Starfall Year 539. The species live in symbiosis with crab-form Void Behemoths but are unable to adapt to dry, low-mana environments. Their social bodies are centralized, with most Starherders serving twenty-seven ‘Kings of Akasha’ which controls the Behemoths.

Each King of Akasha rules over every Starherder residing on a single Void Behemoth. However, just as every Starherder serves the Kings, each Kings serves the greatest champion of their race: the being known as ‘The Great Khan’.

The species’ social development and technological advancement are very advanced, possessing language, text, culture, and tradition along with superpower legacies of comprehensive Soul Mastery. However, the Starherders radically advocate the spirit and tends to neglect physical strength, which is why they do not possess legacies of Strength Mastery.

The Great Khan, their most powerful individual commands Legendary advanced ability. It could control all twenty-seven Legendary-tier Void Behemoths, but beyond that, the King of Akasha’s power levels are merely either Soul Mastery-advanced or pinnacle. Apart from the Great Khan, they had yet to obtain a path to truly break through to Legend as a pure body of soul.

Note:

In terms of Extraordinary power alone, the Starherders’ progress is far behind ours (Mycroft), but their scale far surpasses our perception. Any single Akasha (The realm over the backs of the Void Behemoths) holds a Starherder population comparable to a large kingdom, and approximation holds their total population at an astonishing five hundred and seventy million, a population comparable to Mycroft’s total population.

On the other hand, we hold overwhelming advantage in terms of advanced fighting force, with the prerequisites being repelling the Great Khan’s assault and having three to five Legends stopping the Void Behemoth swarm from charging. These modified Void Behemoths possess shells stronger than their own kind and considerable mobility, but also lost various offensive moves in the process, posing no threat to certain Legendary champions.

***

“Looks like things are worse than we imagined.”

The blazing sun hung over the sky.

At the throne standing inside the core hub of the massive surveillance system which in turn floated ten thousand meters above the East Barnett Highlands, Emperor Israel was staring at the screen that his spiritual terminal had displayed. “Without advanced firepower,” he mumbled quietly, “The numbers and combat style of the Starherders alone could crush us like a cookie.”

As he spoke, he lowered the rather optimistic report in his hand and muttered to himself for a while. “Master, do you think these Starherders are telling the truth?”

“We could only believe.”

Nostradamus stepped out from the left of the throne, staring at the flowing clouds that kept shifting shapes beneath the throne in the clouds as well as the excessively blinding sunlight. “Even if they are exaggerating or deliberately withholding information, we have to believe those oversized mushrooms before we really head for the new world they mentioned.”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes at his own mentor. Opening the screen of the Spiritual Terminal once again, he shook his head.

“But if those oversized mushrooms are being truthful, their ability is insignificant.”

***

It was presently the 23rd of March, Starfall Year 840, more than two weeks after Joshua’s dialogue with the Great Khan.

Joshua certainly relayed all information from the dialogue to the other Legends, and the Starherders were quickly guided to a Dark Domain that was ‘passable’ for them, a settlement granted and monitored by Mycroft’s champions.

In truth, it would not be difficult for Joshua and the other Legends’ ability to directly slay the Great Khan, the twenty-seven Void Behemoths and wipe out the Starherders entire five hundred and seventy million population. Their power could even kill stars, and it was just a considerably larger number in the eyes of those profound beings—it was no greater hassle than killing five hundred if they really made a move.

But in the end, after a long negotiation and consideration over the future, everyone decided to spare the Starherders. It was definitely no benevolence, but because their technology, knowledge, and power were still useful to Mycroft.

Very useful, at that.

Others notwithstanding, the information provided by the Starherders about the galaxies beyond is already considerable.

“Hundreds of Void civilization, each of which holds populations of billions, with ten billion not in the few either.”

Israel rubbed his right temple in distress. “The crew of their fleet might not even be less than our entire empire,” he said quietly, “and their firepower could destroy the surface of our world in its entirely. Isn’t that the case for the Starherders? Dragged into the war between an advanced civilization and Evil Gods, their entire civilization hence destroyed from stray missiles.”

“They’ve developed for dozens of thousands of years, while we only twelve hundred… It’s the gap between us that’s abnormal.”

Although Nostradamus appeared to not agree much with Israel complaints, he responded from a different angle. “Though the scale of civilizations galaxies beyond are ten, hundreds or a perhaps a thousand times greater than ours, their high-end martial force is not beyond our imagination, perhaps even a little lacking when compared to ours. Israel, it may be laughable but I still have to say it—don’t be spooked by word of mouth.”

“Joshua had categorized the Mycroft civilization as a ‘Superpower civilization’. Even if normal humans are the basis of civilization, they would not affect high-end combat ability.”

Both Nostradamus and Israel had already heard about Joshua’s ‘Time Dilation’. Later, the difference in the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds and Hub Accrafa’s recorded time proved that theory, which was why they now knew that Mycroft and otherworld civilizations differ by thousands, or perhaps dozen thousands of years.

And Nostradamus was not wrong.

The fundamental legacies from the Glorious Era had kept Starfall’s greater champions from falling behind, even allowing them to keep developing without stopping. Even if normal beings were likely to live in medieval conditions, any single Gold-tier mage could use long-distance point teleportation spells that most Void civilizations could not create.

The gap of individual ability was so far apart that the combat ability between the two forces simply could not be compared in numbers.

If a Legendary champion is not threatened or disturbed by others of his class, it was a mere matter of them for them eradicate all life upon a single planet. The slower ones amongst them, such as La Motte the Sword Saint who would need a dozen years as he massacred populations with swings of his sword, indiscriminate Legendary destroyers such as Joshua, Igor and Vahina would not need one day to shatter the world. That was especially the case for Joshua and Vahina—the former could consume a small world easily as if it was a cookie, while Vahina’s past battle against an Ether Dragon in the Seventh Abyss left warmth in that Frozen Realm even now, with magma flowing everywhere.

Their level equates themselves to an entire Void civilization’s fleet, which is why Nostradamus believed that there was nothing to fear even if another civilization outsized them.

“Dear mentor of mine. I fear not otherworld civilizations—I fear not the Evil Gods’ invasion in the future, much less a race of another world?”

Israel sighed at Nostradamus’s confident reply, only to smile again. His Imperial Majesty appeared to be emotional as he looked up at the empty skies and said quietly, “I’m just in awe that Mycroft’s population several hundred million population which boast less than ten percent of Extraordinary individuals could actually nurture so many Legendary champions. What if we were a few billion, or a dozen billion? What if we could propagate knowledge and civilization, popularizing supernatural power training like other civilizations?”

“Wouldn’t we have hundreds of Legends like the Glorious Era, dozens of real gods, incalculable Golden champions along with a civilian population that was Silver or above? When that time comes, dispatching a local garrison could easily subjugate a race like the Starherders.”

At those words, Israel pinched the Information Terminal in his hand. “It’s a pity that we only have a few decades,” he said pensively, “Nothing could be easier than to reclaim the splendor of the Glorious Era if Mycroft’s civilization had five hundred years.”

“Five hundred years? You’re really being optimistic,” Nostradamus could not help but laugh, shaking his head. “Don’t be too greedy—a hundred and fifty years is already fine.”

“Even that is just as greedy.” The Emperor laughed too, and a pleasant atmosphere promptly filled the throne in the sky.

When the laughter ended, Israel’s expression was solemn once more. He closed his eyes and continued to delve within the information from the Skynet System that monitors his entire nation.

“There’s basically no crime inside the Empire. All madmen and lunatics who dared to take the risk are either dead or locked up—there’s peace upon the land.”

He then paused for a moment before saying, “The academies for adepts have been established and slowly going on to the right track, just as infrastructure development had never stagnated. Now, the Empire is in unprecedented stability and prosperity… it’s hard to imagine that I’ve been thinking about how I should die with dignity just a few years ago.”

“Master Nostradamus. Did you ever feel that I have reached the limits of my life?”

In response, Nostradamus turned. The elderly mage’s expression was solemn.

“What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”