Chapter 1041 - All the Lives Which I Tenderly Love (1/2)

The pillar of blaze which stood profoundly upon the Void was burning fiercely. Even Demi Saint Evil Gods were bound within, unable to escape for some time even as they struggled.

Against the exceedingly bright light, most of the people in the cosmos could only stay still in shock since it was an inferno with brightness that enfolded ten thousand worlds. With it being alight in front of them, not even the overflowing dissatisfaction and accusation against Joshua could be put to words.

Still, even as the distant fire burned, an urgent voice rang within the still silence.

”Ding-ring—ding-ring-ring—ding-ring-ding-ring-ring-ding!”

Light's voice was echoing over the network connecting the various shelters. Because it was acting under such haste in the Bloodmoon Shelter, it had forgotten to use language understandable for humans, but Zero Three's expression changed at once. She had been managing the core of the Mycroft civilization shelter, and she now looked upon the Void where the burning star was shooting away out of the Multiverse. ”Wait, no—Joshua's power is not enough!”

”He cannot unite the entire cosmos and the power from millions of Steel Pythons. He is about to be consumed instead!”

”What is that bastard trying to do?”

Every human and deity who had been attacked by Joshua in the trail of flame were now left befuddled and frustrated, but all of them were still doing all they could to return—what Light had observed was clear as day for the champions who were Ultimate Legends after all. They could imagine that Joshua himself knew that he could lose control and had as such pushed them away so they would not be hurt…be that as it may, they would still return to his side and try to keep him safe.

That being said, trying to reach Joshua while moving against the flow of his power was very much like trying to climb a waterfall: they simply could not withstand the power of a champion which surpassed Demi Saints to reach Joshua. After all, how would they fare when his power could maim even Demi Saint Evil Gods with only a single blow? Even if adjusted to be weaker to avoid hurting them, that power is not something anyone below Demi Saint could withstand.

”No, I can't get there!” Zerming was yelling.

Being one of the Seven Gods, the God of Wisdom and Choice had also been pushing his limits, almost approaching divine death, but even that moved him no further. Hence, he could only grit his teeth and roar at Joshua on the other side of the Void, ”Joshua, no matter what you are about to do, the most important thing is to stay alive!”

”You are the only hope of our cosmos! Even if all of us should die and vanish, you must live! Just think about it—if you die now without becoming a Wise One, when would the next Wise One appear upon the Multiverse?! Would it be the next era or would there be no other? How long would the Sage and the Wise One of Shadow wait for reinforcements then, and wouldn't the plans of the Mastermind soon come to be?!”

”Joshua! If you die, how many dark epochs would the Multiverse have to weather in future before a new hope would come? Hurry back—you should stabilize your power, and we can still fight!”

The voice of the divine being permeated the Void. It could be heard so clearly even at the end of the trail of flame, where the Giant God was alight.

But the man was not stirred at all.

”Stabilize? No, there won't be enough time.”

Joshua's expression remained an eternally unchanging reef even as he listened to the earnest advice and beseeching of the deity. He quietly raised his hand to see the fire burning in his hand, which was consuming his very own essence, charring chunks of armor composed from Steel Pythons and peeling it away. Still, Joshua remained unmoved.

”Moreover, all of you are wrong about something from start to finish—and that is, I've known since the very beginning that I simply have no way to control this power…or I should say that mere Steel Strength would never allow the endless power of Steel Pythons to be fully unleashed.”

***

Steel Pythons were children of Flame and Steel, worlds incarnate and Soul Cycles given form. They are one of the primeval deities, World Gods which were born with the rise of living cycles.

Therefore, there was still one final step.

”I'm very grateful that all of you have made the sacrifice for me, for this cosmos and the entire Multiverse…”

Hence, Joshua looked up while muttering to himself—in the anguish of self-immolation, the man who had always been alone and the arrogant warrior who had always been fighting for all living beings was feeling the great torment of the sacrifice by others. The warrior had opened his senses to feel the shockwaves of divine power left by the parting of other gods, feeling the final ripples left by the God of Love and Death in his own body along with the overflowing power which the God of Conservation and Reformation left in the Void. More than that, he could perceive the courage and determination of the innumerable divine beings from other civilizations to protect all life under their watch.

Therefore, in the light where countless divine beings had perished, he took a deep breath.

”I have already driven my own power to the possible limits, but even that has not allowed me to reach the threshold of the Wise Ones…what is needed to close the gap between Demi Saint and Wise One is not an acc.u.mulation of power, because the power of a Wise One would never be controlled perfectly even when the power of an entire cosmos is gained. It is like a cosmic class Stele Python—barely controlling it would only lead to self-ruin.”

Clenching his weapons and fists, the warrior could see that the Demi Saint Evil Gods around him had all leapt out from that exceedingly exuberant flame. All of them appeared one after another and surrounded him, glaring like a tiger would at prey, their leering actually almost expectant.

”I am at the edge of losing control and destruction…I simply have no way to become stronger as a 'lifeform'.”

There was only one choice left.

Bathing in the light of the flame as if the Silver Giant God was covering himself with a sheet of golden-red cape over his armor, Joshua lifted his gaze to watch the empty Silent Void of the Multiverse and smiled serenely. ”Ying, Ling…it appears that I can no longer continue upon the path I desire.”

Two different voices echoed from the depths of Joshua's spirit.

”Whatever path it would be, I would always be beside you, Master.”

”Whatever choice it would be, I would always support your ideas, Master.”

”Is that so…”

Even as he spoke, Joshua's voice was becoming quieter until it was finally inaudible. With dozens of Demi Saint Evil Gods and counting approaching, Joshua brandished his silver great sword—the blade thus emitted flames mixed with silver radiance to repel all of them by force, even critically injuring one of them and driving it into the pillar of flame, unable to restore itself and perishing immediately. Still, after that full-power strike, the warrior lowered his head and closed his eyes, before muttering to himself with the same faint voice, ”Well, let's do that.”

—Ooom.

Hence, the single brightest silver star, which had been standing in the center of unending flames as well as an encirclement of Demi Saint Evil Gods, dimmed abruptly.

The silver radiance receded.

The fiery patterns diminished.

Every Demi Saint Evil God prepared to launch forward in attack had likewise suddenly stopped entirely, puzzled but also very agitated—the brightest and most magnificent Eternity which eclipsed even the entire cosmos had, in a split second, completely vanished from their sight.

Even if the conspicuous body of the Giant God was still so vividly clenching his weapons and right in front of them, it was as if they could not see him, with all of them uncomfortably shuffling and nudging each other.

[—!!!]

[…!!!!]

With a silent but Chaotic scream of rage, endless information began to spread over every direction. The Demi Saint Evil Gods which had lost their target were no different from children who had lost their favorite toy or a beast that had lost its prey—all of them began to wildly release their power everywhere, simply not concerned about the other Demi Saint Evil Gods beside themselves. They were so mad they did not even retaliate when attacked, and simply stirred the Void, venting at the nothingness in a craze.

If the profound shockwaves of Chaos had appeared upon a normal cosmos, every world would have been instantly shaken and scattered, just as it would not be impossible for it to be completely wiped out. After all, it was the full power blow from dozens of Demi Saint Evil Gods—not even Joshua would be able to withstand it at his peak, and must be evaded or weakened through various techniques or moves.

But now, the four-armed Giant God seemed to have lost its divine form, and simply hovered over the torrents of Chaos.

The surface of his body had almost darkened entirely, and there was essentially no silver radiance apart from the core in his chest. At the moment, he was akin to rusting steel, his entire body completely soaked within the darkness and falling apart, bit by bit.

Although the Giant God form could still withstand the Demi Saint Evil God attacks despite having no control, it was still very dangerous—while it would have been alright with one, even the Giant God would be harmed considerably if struck by four to five Evil Gods at once.

And more importantly, if the structure of the world inside the Giant God's body was fully destroyed, it would also mean that the entire form would crumble.

Still, there remained some darkened crimson divine patterns on the body of the Giant God, slowly spreading even as he was sinking into the gloom.

And at that very moment, a single blink of radiance leapt out from the core of the Giant God's chest.

It was Saint Igor, a good friend of Joshua's and the former Pope of the Seven Gods Church.

Having turned into light and hidden himself in Joshua's own radiance, the elderly former pontiff was therefore not pushed away from trail of flame like the champions of other civilizations. However, his expression was still at once troubled as he studied the giant god's face, whose eyes were tightly shut and without emotion, even immeasurably composed.

He sighed.

”My friend.”

Watching Joshua, who had now become completely still with no one able to tell what he was doing or thinking, Igor reached out to touch the Steel Python Armor, which had darkened just like Joshua's own body. ”Even if I simply do not know what choice it was that you have made or what plan you have devised,” he murmured emotionally, ”even if I do not know if I should trust or support you…”

”You are still my friend, and the same Joshua van Radcliffe who has saved the world countless times.”

”And that is why, just as you would believe that your choice is the right one, I too would believe that your choice is right.”

With a deep but infinitely determined voice, Igor swore his oath. Countless myriad-colored bubbles of light hence appeared himself, mutually fusing or expanding and shrinking as the endless mysterious Holy Light charged. ”This is the final spurt, and I shall accompany you to the end.”

”Allow me to keep you safe one last time.”

As he spoke, a warm and bright white Holy Light shone within the golden-red fiery radiance. It was ever so abrupt yet harmonious, and it was in that sacred l.u.s.ter that Igor's form dissolved, as natural as water pouring into water and light melting into light.

Soon, a domain filled with light had entered Joshua's body, forming an invisible but sturdy barrier that enfolded the outer reaches of the world inside Joshua's body. It repelled the torrents of Chaos like a filtering net, blocking and deflecting any potentially lethal threat for the warrior's genuine body.

One could see the body of the Giant God hovering in the torrents of Chaos, his body slowly eaten away by the Demi Saint Evil Gods' blind and random attacks. However, because of that single faint layer of light, Joshua's core world was still safe and immeasurably so—far more secure than what he had predicted.

Unknown to all—not even Joshua himself—another friend had burnt himself entirely and disappeared into the silence.

***

The torrents of Chaos churned.

Meanwhile, at the tip of the pillar of raging flames in the Void, everything was still remaining silent.

”No…it can't be?”

”Joshua…has fallen?”

”It is for real; his presence can no longer be felt…”

In the long silence, despair was creeping out little by little. Every champion across the cosmos and every being in the shelters could not believe it at all—even if they could not see what was unfolding over on the other side, there was no question that Joshua's light and presence, which had been as powerful as the afternoon sun, was all but gone now.

”Not yet.”

It was only Zero Three who was still completely convinced of that. She could feel the link exuding from a very concealed spot, along with power which was so serene it almost had no presence at all.

”He definitely isn't dead!” the artificial intelligence declared with absolute certainty.

Still, some had faith while others were doubtful, just as there were those who saw it as a lifesaving straw…but whatever the case may be or however the others would put it, it was precisely because Joshua's presence had disappeared that every single individual in the Multiverse had focused their attention upon the person called 'Joshua'.

It was as if an insignificant spark had ignited some profound tide.

Thus, as everyone thought about Joshua and paid attention to the intelligent mind from a particular sector of the Void, all of them heard the sound of a heart beating—a slow, deep, but very distinct sound of pulsation.

In the distance, the dark swarms were rippling as tremendously as an entire ocean, with the aimless Evil Gods darting away at random. Unable to find their next target for the moment, they were unsure if they should continue on towards the already darkened cosmos, or move away towards the direction of another bright cosmos.

Be that as it may, as the bleak call of a horn echoed and a rousing sacred hymn resounded throughout the stars, two crimson blinks of radiance shone in the depths of darkness.

In the utter Chaos where the silhouettes or shadows of his form could not actually be seen, four colossal and powerful arms that seemed capable of lifting an entire galaxy reached out. Still, the most distinct part was the eyes: scarlet divine light, bright and bloody, was shining, as dazzling and eye-catching as the sun.

Starting from those two radiant blinks, profound mysterious veins of patterns began to extend. All of them were gone in a flash like streaking belts of light that instantly spread throughout the body of the four-armed Giant God, outlining his entire form. However, it was clear that the body of the Giant God was not complete—the shockwaves of Chaos had maimed him, with chunks of his body missing.

But now, as the scarlet divine patterns spread, all those wounds healed, all gaping holes filled with no flaws left.

What is going on? Why am I not injured?

The first thought that came to the mind of the revived Giant God was a puzzled question aimed at himself—although he had been very confident that the defense around his core world was capable of holding up against the attacks from Demi Saint Evil Gods until he was finally prepared, he should have still been hurt considerably, since it was still an encirclement of Demi Saint Evil Gods. Even if they had lost the target that was his Eternity, the shockwaves from their attack should have blown away most of his body. That being said, having his body remained unhurt would making his next moves much more convenient, saving considerable time.

But soon, he saw that gentle light which was still enfolding around his core world.

”Ah…”

The Giant God was taken aback for a moment.

”Ah—Aaaaaargh!!!”

A scream of anguish that was identical as the one he breathed previously echoed once again.

This time, it was not pain due to his body being hurt or that he had given up on something important to him, but the sacrifice of another for him—it was a torment that was unacceptable for an arrogant champion, and would cut into the marrow no matter how many times he would suffer it, a scar that reached deep into the soul.

Hence, along with that resounding roar, unbelievable profound divine power began to spread rapidly!

***

At that very moment, scarlet divine light had directly swept away every blind attack unleashed by the nearby Demi Saint Evil Gods like mist blown away by a typhoon. The sheer monumental force was simply unreasonable, and beneath the might of that terrible light, the Demi Saint Evil Gods were actually grouping together by instincts like ants assembled into cl.u.s.ters to fight a fire—or else, with their individual power alone, a mere brush of that radiance would have left them grievously wounded instantly!

Divine power!

Regardless of whatever being it may be, every individual would become stronger when they ascend as a deity thanks to the depth of their own divinity. As long as the conditions were met, even mortals could become a god that controlled the fate of a world after their ascension.

Even so, the stronger a being was, the more reluctant they would be to ascend as a deity. That was because they would already have had the authority to govern a world, and becoming a god would do nothing more than increase their own power while also being constrained—with that being the case, from the perspective of Self, it was an extreme low in terms of cost effectiveness, with becoming a god simply unnecessary.

But it was not to say that champions who chose to become gods would not get stronger.

It was the complete opposite.

Embodying countless expectations, with himself holding infinitely firm belief and the power he commanded even immeasurably profound—the champion who held the capacity for divinity limits far beyond deities ascended from mortals.

Just like this particular case at hand.