Soul of Searing Steel

Panda Novel

Does life exist for happiness or for purpose?

***

The Galaxy of Bloodbath, the Multiverse.

Inside a private Void settlement within the borders of the Amos Court, former Mycroftian captain Creed considered that question as he stood before a massive petri dish.

It was a question often pondered, but only by intelligent individuals who were idling after enjoying too much of life and had seemingly entered a sagely state.

And in front him was a twitching bundle of flesh.

The petri dish itself was a huge container created from translucent biocrystals, filled with a scarlet liquid solution flickering in fluorescent light. And floating within the scarlet fluid was chunks of distorted, bloated flesh filled with unusual flashing runes.

One could see arteries extending away like tree roots from the flesh that exuded a faint glimmer of golden radiance, with each of the arteries also being surrounded by many silver eyeballs. Each of those eyeballs were beautiful and sacred as if they were the most magnificent and flawless of precious stones, and even after having them embedded upon the innards and body which only ever appeared in nightmares, it appeared both bewitching and graceful.

Suddenly, the flesh began to spasm just as the volumes of bubbles plopped within the scarlet fluid. The unusual runes that had been covering the flesh could be seen to be spreading, reaching deep into the flesh itself.

Creed, however, looked on as it unfolded with a gentle gaze. He pushed a few buttons on a machine by a corner, seemingly adding something to the solution before turning back to the container, asking, “How is it, Elma? Does that feel a little better?”

“I have already calibrated the concentration of the Extraordinary barring solution up to 80%. Do you still need more?”

“…Very good, but no thanks.”

After a moment, the unusual runes on the flesh began to fade as a tired voice spoke to Creed through a spiritual connection. “Sorry for the trouble, Creed. You’ve done well in learning how to operate the lab in a brief few days…you’re really talented!”

It appeared that the bizarre compound of flesh inside the crystal container was Elma—or a core part of the Amos, who spoke with an awed voice. “You have to know that it would actually take professional Amoses at least one or two weeks to get a handle of things. For you to have learnt every procedure in a matter of days, it seems that having you inherit my legacy would not be too hard.”

“…Perhaps.” Creed did not deny the fact. He could not at once put to words how much he wanted to be a help to Elma and how diligent he had been as he did all he could in learning. Rubbing his tired eyes, he quietly said, “Just hold on a little longer, Elma. Just a little longer, and maybe the medicine to get rid of the Ultimate Virus would be created…don’t think about legacies or whatnot things that has to do with dying.”

“Alright. I will be waiting.”

The clearly mutating flesh spoke in a rational feminine voice, responding quickly although it did not at all give Creed the sense that it was rooted in reality.

Then, the entire lab room fell silent as the pair did not utter a word for the moment, with only the plopping sounds in the petri dish audible.

“…Was it worth it?”

“Such sacrifice of Self, becoming a monster and perhaps even dying…was it worth it?”

In the silence, Creed had wanted to speak out a few times as he gazed at the mutating flesh within the container, to ask Elma what she thought—he wanted to know whether the lady she knew actually knew what she was doing, and whether she knew the purpose in doing it, and whether it was an equivalent exchange for giving up on live.

But he could not say it.

Because even Creed himself knew that the Elma’s actions in stopping the Ultimate Virus from spreading again had saved at least billions of Amoses.

***

After receiving the barring potion developed by the Nature Magister, Elma had used her own bloodline to test it as soon as she could, blending and creating a tailored version of the barring potion that would fit the Amos race. Then, without slowing down at all, she took advantage of her own recent audience with Imperator Amos to hint that her actions were at the behest of the Imperator’s own will, while using the personal connection to an entire society of Thought Individuals after having saved them when she slayed an Ultimate Entity, reaching out to authorities of relevant industries to commence rapid mass production of the barring potion.

Everything had been done so swiftly that it could not have gone quicker—as a portal network was opened, batches after batches of barring potion were delivered to all corners within the Court, allowing most of the Amoses to stop, or at least know about the invading epidemic, in turn allowing them better treatment and quarantine. To say that Elma’s actions had saved over dozens of billions of other Amoses would not be an exaggeration.

In fact, she could well had saved an entire generation of the Amos.

On the other hand, the Imperator had not mentioned a single word about anything. He neither admitted nor denied the fact that Elma had pulled rank using his own name, nor did he obstruct or help Elma as she implemented countermeasures against the Ultimate Virus against his own will.

He quite simply watched with interest as the ants in his palm struggled however they could, struggling through personal sacrifice and putting life on the line to fulfill the purpose of Self, and then nodded thoughtfully.

And it was exactly because Creed was aware of that he wanted to ask: was that worth it?

Even if those words were not uttered, through the spiritual link the pair were connected to, to think it was the same as voicing it.

And Creed’s thoughts were flowing openly without holding back to Elma, who also seemed to have something to say.

“I know that to you, Elma, there is nothing more worthwhile than save billions or even trillions or Amoses, especially at the cost of infecting yourself with the Ultimate Virus. It is a noble and respectable sacrifice—countless Amoses would spread your name and be blessed by you, staying alive because of the future you have granted them…it is a spirit that is very much destined to be sung as legendary epic until the next age.”

“That being said, I am a cold-hearted, callous fellow who does not think highly of alien races. I am a bad person who is both vulgar and selfish, because I am fine even if a stranger dies in front of me, happily having a meal later regardless of how terrible that death had been, while I feel as if I am about to die just because someone I know has been hurt.”

“To me, the billions of zealous, xenophobic Amos are but dust compared to you. You are a sun, and therefore I really could not accept having you willingly go out over dust—although I understand too that it is not a matter of worthwhileness to you…because you can do that. You, who were willing to rebel against the Imperator of the Amos, as such would naturally sacrifice your own life for the Amoses. It is perhaps your purpose, and I can actually feel your happiness over it.”

In itself, happiness was a twofold satisfaction in the aspects of the physical and the spiritual.

In itself, purpose was the process in which the will of the Self was being ‘accomplished’ and ‘obeyed’.

And at this very moment, even if Elma had been twisted into some flesh monster as she resisted the corruption of the Ultimate Virus, no one could ever claim that she was not happy now, nor that her life was without purpose.

It was because she had gained a twofold satisfaction in the aspects of the physical and the spiritual, and the will of her self had been accomplished, realizing her ultimate ambition.

Even so, the flesh within the petri dish twitched slightly as if shaking her head.

“Creed, you shouldn’t say that.”

A mild spiritual presence exuded, as if wanting to straighten him out. “Let’s use an analogy: a group of people were travelling through a jungle when they were suddenly ambushed by a beast. Everyone fled in panic, but with their speed, it was basically impossible for anyone to escape.”

“And yet, it was in that moment that one of them suddenly chose to stand and fight. Her heart perhaps did not have notions about how she was sacrificing herself for the Amoses, but she was instead simply acting rashly out of the injustice of the guardian of the group not doing anything, and not resigning herself to the dissatisfaction that such was her fate.”

“That is why if he does not take action, I would—that person had fought and temporarily repelled the beast, allowing most to escape even though it placed that person on the brink of death…the others who escaped with their lives, or those who watched as the scene unfolded, would believe that it was a noble self-sacrifice, when it was in fact not.”

A golden tentacle reached out from the flesh, as if wanting to touched Creed’s now-tearful face from within the crystal walls of the petri dish. “Sacrifice is nothing so cheap,” Elma said calmly, “but it could well be cheap since we are all selfish beings. As long as it is for the will of Self, the purpose of Self, even sacrifice is a difficult burden taken voluntarily.”

***

Elma herself was one of the top academics in the field of Extraordinary biology. Through backward induction of a soul’s adaptability, she had been able to create an artificial body fitted for a soul as an alien species without any data on humans.

After all, Creed did not have any sort of physical genome when he was still inside the Soul Sphere. All that was available was his soul, but through simple data, Elma created a body that was mostly identical to his original one simply based on Creed’s own soul attributes.

Therefore, after she had obtained the information (not so much information but a step-by-step walkthrough of how to create the barring potion) from the Nature Magister, it was not too difficult for her to swiftly tailor the potion so that it was useful for the Amoses by using her own body. Even the most specialized professionals would not have made progress faster than herself, and if she was not a heroine who had slain an Ultimate Entity and in turn gained an audience with the Imperator, her ensuing series of decrees under the falsified intentions of the Imperator would not have taken effect.

That was also leaving aside the swift activation of the potion production line that saved so many Amoses.

In that respect, Elma knew that only she could accomplish all of that.

Only she, and no other one else—that was the only thing she could do.

“…Ah. Sorry, Creed…I lied.”

After the long silence, the flesh inside the scarlet solution fluid was distorting as broiling heat wafted away from within. The unusual runes were spreading once again, but this time Elma’s voice was no longer so leisurely.

“I underestimated the Ultimate Virus…” She laughed as she held back the pain. “I had thought that I am still able to repress it for some time with my ability, but it appears far more powerful than I have imagined…”

As Creed looked on in shock, the mutated flesh was growing in the petri dish, with endless warped faces appeared upon the golden meat—those were all Elma’s faces that resembled human, Amos, and many other unknown creatures.

Those faces were not actually horrifying and even considered beautiful. However, they were screaming or fusing as soon as they appeared, and soon enough all them pieced together into a new, sublime face that humans would think of as elegant, even if it clearly was not human. After that, cocoon threads appeared, enfolding the mutated flesh which was slowly being molded to show distinct, perfect curves.

“I’m dying.”

The voice spoke, calm until the very end, and actually showed a hint of ease and release. “Wasn’t this phase called something like the ‘Death of the New’? The present me shall perish, and from me, an Ultimate Creature of absolute selfishness shall be born… Ah, it won’t do as I’ve imagined. I simply cannot live with that single aspect of selfishness—why couldn’t its core thoughts be tuned to becoming powerful for love, for beauty, and for peace?”

“No, just hold on a little longer!”

As things had transpired to what they were now, Creed no longer had thoughts to be spared, to be shocked, or to be sad. He simply gritted his death and sped to the control panel of the petri dish, forcefully keying in the control codes to increase the dosage of barring potion. “There is definitely still hope…just wait a little longer!”

“Kill me. The passcode is -0302.0101.1001.0304.0502.0105.0501.0902.0501.0301.0102-.”

Elma’s tone was calm, as if already expecting that it was what she would do when she died. “It’s the secret keycode that I’ve set in place to immediately destroy every piece of myself when something unexpected happens. It could put me to death even if I had become an Ultimate Entity, since I did request a General-class to augment the destroyal spell.”

“Creed, it would activate by itself even if you don’t key it in. However, I do wish to die by your hands—please fulfill my wish when I am still an Amos.”

“No!”

Hammering the control panel in rage, Creed’s eyes bulged with bloody capillaries apparent even in the night. He turned, and yelled at Elma, “Ask for a favor from the Commander, pray to the name—Joshua van Radcliffe!”

“There would certainly be a miracle if you asked for it from the Commander! I don’t get it, why won’t you do it?!”

“No way.”

It was only in that refusal that Elma’s voice turned cold, but the hidden embarrassment behind it was still audible. “Absolutely not. The Amoses are an enemy of Mycroft. Many of your people had died in that war, just as many of our own had perished. Even your body was destroyed in that battle.”

“To the people of Mycroft—to you, the death of an Amos is a good thing. Just as you had put it, you only care for me but not the Amoses…moreover, I am the one with so many enemies of Mycroft…that Commander—that Count of yours—may be fine with it with his breadth of mind and might even agree to your beseeching, but I was the one to betray our agreement, a lowlife using Mycroftian technology to save the people of Amos…”

“I had been blessed by his grace to live in the battle against the Ultimate Entity, thereby triumphing and securing glory, earning the chance to save many Amoses but without any form of repayment. Worse still, I did something that left Mycroft at a disadvantage, and could not live with my own selfishness. As such, I would rather die than to live with the shame.”

Then, watching as Creed who could not say anything but thump at the crystal petri dish, Elma’s voice became soft once more. “More than that, don’t decide on your own that my death is a tragedy.”

“I am already very happy that the purpose of my life could be fulfilled. It is my truest wish, my most genuine yearning. The purpose of which Elma was born has been found and accomplished—after having forged a future for my own race so that they could journey further, I have no regrets should I die now.”

“In comparison, Self and life are all insignificant. I am willing to give up on willing over the purpose of Self and prove my love for the people of Amos, and because of my embarrassment towards Mycroft and despite your misery over my sacrifice, I would never agree to asking a favor from your Commander.”

“In the end, I am a selfish person, a selfish Amos. My sacrifice is only for the sake of the comfort my own being.”

“Damn it, Elma! Did you think that you are the only selfish one here?!”

Unable to stand it any longer, Creed roared and reached out to press his golden belt.

“You wish to forfeit your own life? I don’t!” he yelled. “Selfish beings should be fighting each other in the first place, and this time, I will claim your life from your own hands!

“Equipping Extraordinary plugin—Phantom Gold!”

[Equipping complete—Are. You. Ready?]

“Wait, Creed, what are you trying to do?!”

Elma’s voice sounded panicked then, having not expected such a move from the human at all. “You…”

Creed, however, did not have the time to listen, merely answering sonorously, “Arming!”

Bolts of lightning flashed within dark shadows before shrinking into a set of dark golden armor that covered Creed’s body.

[Mr. J system—special plugin edition, activated…connecting to Crisis Handling System and modular processing… Extraordinary armor, Phantom Gold Inferno fully energized.]

[Lurking, ambushing, uprooting. I am the fire of the shadows!]

“Spectral Wasteland, activate! Consume the entire petri dish with Black Space!”

When the power had permeated his body, Creed felt that the power of the armor was mysteriously stronger than the last time he had used it, for some reason. Still, it was a good thing, and as such, he did not dwell on it.

“Disengage from any damaging measures. I want all energy flow within to stagnate, and ensure that the vitals of the being inside the Black Space is stable!”

A long time ago, I was a fellow who lived unhappily and in the absence of purpose, one who was better dead than alive.

But since I had met the Commander and became a captain…since I had met you, Elma, I knew that all my life has come to be because of all this.

For my own happiness, for my purpose, I am willing to give everything. Just as you have said, compared to all of this, life itself is simply insignificant frivolities.

[Warning: Target of devouring possesses exceeding power. This action could overburden the individual who has equipped this Crisis Handling System, with death being likely. Would you continue?]

“Yes!”

Creed did not hesitate.

Hence, Shadow space was manipulated, consuming a stunned Elma and her petri dish.

***

Meanwhile, outside the settlement, two profound wills were standing off against each other in the Void.

“Are you trying to stop me from recovering a citizen of Mycroft and his spoil of war?”

The silver-white World Will was akin to the most profoundly cold of steel: sturdy, stubborn, unbreakable, and unshakable. His gaze swept through all of the Void nearby, calming even dimensional storms. “Amos, you may have been able to stop me as I was before, but you cannot as you are now.”

“Stop putting on airs, Joshua. I can tell that your injuries are not exactly mild.”

The spiraling will that resembled a galaxy sneered. “It would be just a little more convincing if you say that ten years later, but you won’t do as you are now.”

“So, your true form is placed in the Abyss and consuming the Vortex of Creation? It certainly is a fine path, and you might completely control the living pulse of an entire galaxy if you succeeded. In terms of individual power, the Takurians certainly would not win against you.”

The silver-white World Will simply ignored the other’s retort. “But I can. At the moment, you are far from succeeding and far from reaching the threshold of Demi Saint…but I have. As such, make way, Amos.”

“She is Amos. She is mine.”

The spiraling galaxy was not conceding, stirring the Void and actually scattering the radiance of the Mana Tide. “Moreover, it is really fascinating to have such a specimen amongst Amos—to think that life actually has a possibility such as the sacrifice of Self, it is simply unbelievable. I cannot give her to you.”

“It probably would be unbelievable if it were mere lifeforms and beasts. But we are different. We are individuals belonging to civilization, and that is why there are always things more important and more noble. It is precisely because life is infinitely precious that the sacrifice would have such purpose.”

The silver-white World Will was gradually showing a sign of eagerness, although he still warned, “Do you want to fight, Amos? Although I really do not want to kill a champion such as you before the horde of Evil Gods arrive.”