Chapter 1006 The Beast And I (2/2)
”It is an honor, to hold such an ancient world now in my palm alone.”
Despite Ying's worried cautioning, Roland smiled and made a hand gesture indicating that everything was under control. He then clapped the divine armament siblings on their shoulders, and showed them to the portal. ”Go, don't worry too much. Both Master Nostradamus and Brandon are patrolling outside the world, and will come to my aid, should I be threatened.”
Dismissing the pair's worries, he sent them off to the Bloodmoon Abyss shelter. As the authority, Roland's face was solemn as he disconnected the link between the shelter realm and the world of Mycroft.
Then, he took to the air, flying through the thick clouds to look out into the distance, and down at the empty world of Mycroft which had no life left at all…but only remains of many beasts.
”The Ultimate Plague… never thought that something so unexpected like this would appear before the Evil Gods' invasion.”
He said quietly and gravely, ”There is little wonder why the Seven Gods would always keep telling us: that as compared to Chaos, the greatest enemy we should be most cautious of are other kinds of Order.”
That was because Chaos was like a natural disaster: an earthquake, a typhoon, or indeed a sigh after the world had fallen. Though the sheer carnage they wrought would kill billions upon billions, if one was ready early on, fight-or-flight would not lead to complete decimation.
On the other hand, a hostile Order would be different. While human civilizations would never fall to something less than a super earthquake that caused the planet itself to crumble, the civil strife of humans—be it supreme tiers of arcane battle, fights between Legendary champions, or indeed their throwing nuclear weapons at each other, all of those would lead to irreversible ruin.
Time passed. Then, Roland, who had been staring at his own homeland, suddenly realized that an 'elf' had discreetly teleported magically to the ground below him, and then began to fly, rising little by little to arrive before him.
”Ultimate Entity Neuper, the first case of Ultimate Growth amongst Mycroft's own.”
The Legendary Holy Knight grasped the Adamantite war hammer hanging by his hip, even as grey Holy Light cascaded over his body. ”So, has the prodigal son returned to make amends and come to die? No, I don't think the thoughts of Ultimate Entities are actually that simple.”
In return, the elf, whose features were stunningly elegant after it had been refined to the boundary of what was possible, laughed softly before looking down at Moldavia towards the spot where the portal to the Bloodmoon Abyss shelter had been.
”I sense the presence of my father and mother.”
It said softly, ”Hand them over, for they are deserving as perfect lifeforms—and my other kin as well. I know that they live here, so give them up.”
”Your father and mother?”
Roland responded to the Entity's words with a bemused expression. He studied it, pondering what it was actually referring to with 'kinship' before simply giving up. Thus, the Holy Knight who had been raised by the Pope, narrowed his eyes as the Holy Light from his body burned even more stronger.
”Such touching kinship,” he said calmly, ”I do feel envious, but you simply do not possess such a thing. Monster, Neuper is dead.”
”While you should face judgement.”
In return, the Ultimate Elf assumed a perfect combat stance.
A split second later, profound light exuded from the skies high above Moldavia, as bolts of Holy Light stretched on across the clouds while a torrential downpour descended.
***
Meanwhile, beneath the central square at the heart of the town center that was washed over by cold rain water, a silver-hued Restoration Beam began to shine, though there was no one around.
It was neither metallic nor light. Circuits were appearing in the inside of the Beam, with a Φ symbol illuminating.
It was shining.
***
In the previous location where the Seven Gods had worked, the hidden ringworld, the Φ symbol shone in the titanic construction facilities used to form the planetary body, stirring dazzling ripples.
It was shining.
***
Inside the Infinite Horizon where the Unified Archives was placed, the Simboan named Lothram, who was once the Unnamed Technician, was working overnight with a dozen mages who had extensively studied the soul aspect. They were combining multiple worlds as well as data regarding soul research in other galaxies, and attempting to create prevention against spiritual corruption from a soul persepective—in other words, creating a vaccine against the erosion of the Ultimate Virus.
As if sensing something, Lothram looked up towards a silver beam where everyone was drawing test data from. He had himself once been resurrected from it, gaining the body that he was using at present thanks to it.
And that pillar of light was shining.
***
Within the borders of the many civilizations in the Multiverse which had joined Mycroft's Assembly, in nations that had been obtained by or were already governed by Mycroft and were left scratching their heads due to the Ultimate Plague, most of their cities were now abandoned, leaving only metropolises that were strictly monitored to ensure that the epidemic did not infect them as well.
Aliens who were dejected and without spirit in their gazes were queueing, waiting for officials to distribute food. Since the connection between worlds had been severed, most major cities could not produce too much food, forcing the governments to activate the Redemption System whether they liked it or not to avoid famine, using the beams in exchange for resources and substantial food source.
However, it was at that moment that the alien who was conducting exchange suddenly took half a step black as a flash glimmered in his eyes, before looking forward in shock again.
The silver beam was radiating splendor.
***
In the Void beyond, Joshua's clone who had put the large Psybug on his head and appeared thoughtful was shining in light as well.
In the Galaxy of Bloodbath, the thousands of Storm Eyes belonging to the clone of Imperator Amos turned towards Creed and Elma with a dark gaze. He could sense the bursting, mysterious, and familiar presence overflowing from the rare, formidable objects that the pair was wearing, which were now shining brightly.
In Stellaris, within the temple of the Infernal in the Midgardian system, the Midgardians who were meditating and praying were surprised by the sudden radiance. They opened their eyes to find the statue of the Four-armed Giant God moving, with one of his right hands reaching out, its palm spreading and holding up a pillar of light that was shining brightly.
There were many other places as well—those of which were familiar or unfamiliar or Joshua, just as some he had visited personally, and others that he had not.
Everything that existed, from the Dark Galaxy to the Multiverse, the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds to the Amos Court, the world of Mycroft to Stellaris… every place where Joshua had once gone and had left a mark upon were now shining.
Silver radiance was overflowing from every direction. Like a machine turned on and linked to a power source, it triggered and connected.
Thoughts began to gather, sealed modules were powered on and linking between each other, stimulated like the nerve nodes of a creature with intelligence, causing reactions akin to thought.
The profound will begin to connect itself, spreading through thousands of worlds across every mental node in the Multiverse.
There has not been a single person who has previously claimed, or indeed defined, that the silver world must be the true form of a cosmic lifeform.
Just as there was no person who considered which was the true form, or which was the clone...
Or what an 'egoistic' self actually was.
In the Ultimate Space on Stellaris, the silver world restrained by the massive cocoon-shaped alternate space leveled its gaze at the Ultimate Sublimator, which was left astonished by the presence which had suddenly appeared and was elating.
”…I see…”
Then, the egoistic beast—the Demi Saint—seriously studied its foe, the silver world which was shining once again. It was as if it was seeing Joshua for the first time, and saw with clarity the truth of his existence.
”You are like me,” it said as if sighing. ”You are a beast too.”
”It is just that you live amongst civilizations and walk amidst cities, living alongside ants while using their power to strengthen yourself, spreading yourself… a beast that hence achieved its own ends.”
”No, to be precise, you are crazier than I am… the cognition of my main and branching forms are distinct, while you simply don't have any such thing. All of them are you, just as each of them are an incomplete version of you—you are many, but the many aren't you... an abnormal world, an abnormal individual. What kind of a monster are you?”
”Of course I am human.”
The dominating space of the Ultimate Sublimator was beginning to diminish, with the restrained silver world turning the tables and claiming the domain which was rightfully his. Stretching his form and unleashing light once more, it became ever larger and ever imposing, even as Joshua thus said, ”And I am myself.”
The great alternate space hand that reached up to 280 astronomical units hence squirmed. It was being lifted and torn apart as a vigorous and unbelievable might came to it, transcending dimensions as if a sprout nudging away a boulder, raising it bit by bit.
Ice cold silver radiance could be seen unfurling in space, with the Φ mark appearing upon its surface. Now, the Ultimate Space, which had been able to fight both the Steel Python and Joshua at once, was shrinking back every step of the way.
Even so, it firmly maintained its last defensive perimeter: the core of the paradox spiral at the center of the cocoon-shaped space that connected it to the Void beyond, along with the path towards silver core black hole.
”I know well that I am human. What does anything that others would think have to do with me?”
And at this very moment, Joshua's calm voice could be heard.
”The universe must obey my will; its fundamental forces yield to my command.”
”Some mere manmade definition, which should have been described and determined by me.”