Soul of Searing Steel

Panda Novel

In the Void, the Nature’s Magister was conversing softly with her friend, the Legendary beast temporarily named ‘Shaggy’.

Shaggy was a lifeform possessing a collective consciousness which originated from a certain unique world, and one of the Legendary creatures that had arrived at Mycroft when the local Legends were sealing the World Will. But unlike the others holding sinister intent, enmity and attempted to claim the Steel Python’s position, Shaggy had merely come out of sheer curiosity.

Born as one, one in all. The collective lifeform that in itself symbolized a combination of a world’s entire ecosystem had lived in self-entertainment over a million years and never once took a step out of its own world. However, Mycroft the Steel Python’s call unexpectedly drew the Behemoth’s curiosity, which is why it split a spawn away, travelling through the coldness of the Void to search for the place where the voice originated and its purpose.

Incidentally, it encountered the Nature’s Magister.

There was no battle or clash. Since the Nature’s Magister treaded upon the path of ecosphere incarnate as well, the two similar lifeforms quickly came to a mutual understanding. Following a secretive dialogue, the collective being divided part of its child form to follow the Nature’s Magister, aiding her in researching, cultivation and battle—in return, she would have to instruct it in wisdom and knowledge.

It was the most perfect of win-win situations. Galanoud thus no longer had to feel troubled that here Legendary abilities could only be realized in Mycroft itself since she was essentially in her own world as long as ‘Shaggy’ was beside her. For its part, Shaggy had shrugged off its primitive ignorance through contact with Mycroft’s advanced culture and technology, displaying the stalwart abilities of innate Legends.

There were those who suspected if instructing it had the concealed dangers of rearing a tiger, but the Nature’s Magister never once cared about all that.

“…And?”

Should they be culling every foreign Legendary being they encounter?

The champions of Mycroft did not have that much free time.

Furthermore, Shaggy was no entity like Evil Gods which sole purpose was sheer destruction, nor was it an Abyssal demon which would plunder and invade anything they encounter, nor was it born nemesis of Mycroft civilization.

For a Legend with kind intentions, they should extend diplomacy where possible, or in the prevent hostility should diplomacy failed. If the day ever came that the Legendary behemoth intended an ambush, it would only be Galanoud’s own blunder alone—what right do others have to get a say?

After the Nature’s Magister was finished, the gigantic spherical behemoth that appeared to be a pile of countless roots, canes, branches and leaves on a single glance began to change its form amidst the Void. Through Galanoud’s aid, it extended six ironwood constructs similar to winged feathers, with rows of emerald razor leaves spread upon it. In the very next moment, the tips of the leaves brimmed with vague Nature Power radiance that shot as if the exhaust port of a rocket, emanating bright jet flames of energy.

The behemoth thus accelerated exponentially at once, cutting through the borders of thousands of worlds as it pierced dimensional turbulence and starlight as if a green meteor—all of which was an effort just to keep up with that Silver Planet that quietly broke through the thick darkness and tore apart the mist of dimensions.

“That fellow Joshua. Leaving aside the fact that he ran off so quickly and left me behind, he actually never said a thing since a while ago, and nor did he plan with me about the fight to come—is that being cooperative?! Surely that’s not how you should act even if you would soon fight an Evil God!”

“Why so serious? It’s not a fight for life and death. We still have backup!”

Zooming along the trail of the Silver Planet, Galanoud was immeasurably troubled—it was the first time he fought alongside Joshua, and while she was quite expectant at first, she never imagined that Count Radcliffe had such terrible habits in combat and did not possess a single consciousness of working together. After sensing the Evil God and the presence of unusual worlds, he had darted away at full speed, leaving her, an ally, behind.

If not for her own considerable top speed, she could well have been abandoned entirely… there was little wonder why when she talked to Nostradamus, the mage would keep shaking his head or even sigh, studying herself with a complicated expression.

The two Legends were extremely fast after they charged away, and had arrived upon the dimensional region where the Evil God’s presence had been in moments.

Nevertheless, that was when the Nature’s Magister noticed that the Silver Planet up front had stopped and ceased advancing. That pause was so abrupt, and yet the Silver Planet that embodied such great mass could instantly turn motionless from such rapid momentum as if having gotten used to it.

“What is it?”

Galanoud hurriedly got the Behemoth to slow down, but unlike Joshua, the Nature’s Magister could not swiftly stop herself at full speed. When Shaggy finally paused, she had moved past the Silver Planet.

That was also precisely why Galanoud understood why Joshua suddenly stopped advancing.

***

It was the world before them.

Their location at the edge of the galaxy was where the stars dimmed, at the edge of a spiral arm and the furthest place from the center of the spiraling galaxy. However, if a single dimensional region at the heart of the galaxy hosted perhaps hundreds of worlds, there was only a dozen here within the same distance, perhaps even less.

“By the spirit of all that lives…”

And now, Galanoud could not help gasping in awe at those dozen worlds that floated in the Void. In truth, with her ability, she could have long since turned herself into ‘all that lives’ and become their spirit, and if she be willing, a new deity of Nature. Even so, with her many years of experience, she could not help gasping in wonder here.

Before her were a dozen utterly dark worlds with no radiance.

There were massive mists of matter fragments wafting amidst the darkness of the Void, just as there were halos resembling orbital rings composed entirely out of such fragments around those darkened worlds. A tinge of fluctuation was also distinct over them, while sparks of energy danced within, drawing fluctuating radiance.

One of the worlds, which appeared have been too severely devastated that the gap upon its Barrier had not been restored, was spilling substantial crushed matter from that dark gap, just like a river of substances which streamed along the Void.

Galanoud slowly returned beside the Silver Planet, watching at the utterly devastated and deathly worlds before turning her head. “Found anything?”

“It’s Void Behemoths.”

The dark-haired figure who stood upon the Silver Planet did not open his mouth, but a greater and more stirring voice echoed from around the star itself. It was the voice of Joshua’s true form, with veins of Steel Strength sweeping across the surrounding Void as if radar that determines the condition of every world.

Nonetheless, it was precisely why Joshua’s voice became more oppressive and deeper. “Many Void Behemoths came here as a group, and these worlds are what remains after their feeding… Damn it, I actually never sensed that these ones aren’t normal!”

Leaving aside the Multiverse, Joshua was confident that none in the galaxy where Mycroft was could clearly different between worlds and Void Behemoths. Be that as it may, it was the Nature’s Magister who reacted quicker than him this time, which made the warrior’s heart sank and himself more alert about the origins of those unusual Void Behemoths.

The Silver Planet moved forward slowly, approaching the worlds around it. In terms of sizes, even the smallest world was much larger than the Silver Planet. On the other hand, when it came to mass, the smaller worlds were now beginning to waft towards Joshua.

Still, Joshua paid such things no heed. He was now using his full power to observe the Void with Steel Strength vision as well as the inside of worlds. Soon, he withdrew his gaze, and though his expression improved, it remained cold and dark.

“There’s no longer life in those worlds.”

The Nature’s Magister said quietly as she finished her own observation as well. “Three were living worlds but with no intelligent civilization, although there were primitive insects and plants… and now completely ruined.”

While worlds would recover and realms consumed by Void Behemoths would not utterly crumble, and in dozen thousands of years be restored into an ordinary world, those perished lives and the primitive ecosystem remained destroyed, and would not be the same even when reborn. The Nature’s Magister certainly found it regretful, and became vigilant about those Void Behemoths of unfathomable number.

“The edge of the galaxy never had many living worlds in the first place, and no developmental value even if they exited.”

Joshua’s voice was cold and quiet. “These Void Behemoths suddenly appeared and kept advancing toward the Evil God’s location, which presents a huge problem. Furthermore, although these devastated worlds are not of much value, what if they went further into the galaxy and arrived nearby Mycroft?”

The warrior turned to the world right beside him. There were complex crack patterns on its darkened World Barrier that was without light, and the center of the cracks was a gaping, shattered cavity. It would be incomparably fragile even if it should be restored, with veins of energy sparks swirling around the cavity and emanating the presence of destruction.

***

When it came to devouring worlds, Joshua himself had no right to accuse the Void Behemoths. Since the warrior and the many Legendary champions of Mycroft had discussed the issue of ‘fight or flight’, he resolved to improve as fast as he could.

In return, Joshua freed himself from his own restraint partially, and began to search and devour planetary cores of dead worlds that had lost virtually all energy and lingered two hundred degrees beneath.

It was nothing as glorious as extracting skies and land or gathering air and dirt. What he did was precisely devouring heaven and earth at its clearest definition—Joshua had torn apart continents, emptied lithospheres and drew out world cores from planets, and took possession of their mass as if having a cake. That was how he improved so unbelievably quickly.

There was a divide between Legends, predetermined when each champion selected their path of improvement.

In terms of the intricacy of runes and crafting spells, a hundred Joshuas would never compare to one Barnil. He would even require a handicap of the mage using a single hand from looking to wretched.

In terms of spiritual cultivation and profound study into the mind, William the Wandering Poet who usually appeared with scholarly frailness could be a mentor for every person living on Mycroft in that discipline.

The Nature’s Magister herself could alter and create life as she wished. If she would learn to say something like ‘Let there be light’, she could simply become a god in an inferior civilization.

Although Israel had not displayed his full power since becoming power and due to severe wounds, his ability could allegedly alter reality.

The Sacred Swordsman, Murloc High Priest, elderly pontiff, divine dwarven craftsman… Every Legend had extraordinary ability that crushed all things, even dimensional worlds. They could become many things, and nothing escapes them… but they all shared the same weakness.

They had been excessively narrow in vision.

Due to the dimensional turbulences wrought by dimensional anomalies, the world of Mycroft remained an independent frame of reference before Starfall Year 831. Other worlds could hardly enter it, just as they themselves could hardly leave. They only had contact with several nearer realms and Abysses, a narrowness of sight that inevitably affect the vision of most Legends. Therefore, when they selected their respective paths, they would unwittingly hold themselves within the boundary of ‘one world’ and ‘human perception’.

The Sacred Swordsman’s two-dimensional Holy Blade could seal even World Will, but how long did his blade extended? Would it cover an entire continent? Although even gods would have to fear the pontiff’s lightspeed domain, how far could it reach? Could it enshroud a world?

Vahina the Eastern Sea Sage could transition between soul, substance and energy, wielding an endless source of energy. But how long would it take for her power to destroy a world?

Joshua, however, was different.

The warrior inhaled once in the Void.

A massive vortex appeared at once with the Silver Planet at its center. The matter fragments that had been floating around the dead worlds thus began to move towards him as if leaves in an oceanic swirl, while the colossal orbital rings began to crumbled into streams of accretion disk that encircled the Silver Planet.

Meanwhile, the worlds which cavities had yet to close itself ejected substantial streams of matter. As the gaps thus swiftly recombined, it lost much substance again, all of which became Joshua’s food, Steel Strength shroud that floated around the Silver Planet.

Unlike Legendary champions such as them, Joshua just had to breathe in order to destroy life upon a world and its surface.

Such was the ‘devastation’ he gained by abandoning all that was subtle.

“Go, Galanoud. Compared to Evil Gods, Void Behemoth are mere Natural calamity.”

Consuming every fragment of matter scattered around him, Joshua looked up at the other side of the Void. “We should differentiate between apocalypse and calamity—we’re almost there.”

His devouring of matter, even worlds was far more ridiculous than Void Behemoths, which was why the warrior had no right to criticize them. Even so, it did not mean that they were encouraged to destroy three living worlds, for each case was distinct and must be judged separately.

“…very well.”

Astonished by the terrible ability Joshua displayed, the Nature’s Magister pursed her lips as if thinking, but soon abruptly turned, her expression solemn.

“Joshua, the Chaotic presence of the Evil God is getting stronger!”

***

“Great Khan, the World Eater’s presence is getting stronger!”

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