Above The Sky

Chapter 2194: Final Chapter: Above the Sky, The Road Straight Toward the Beyond (3)

And at the center of the universe, at the center of the Ring, where all Cradles twist into a singularity hollow, lies the passage to every parallel space-time.

Thus Ian can so easily, so simply wield his Immortality to seek out other parallel space-times and cast forth his own existence.

A silver-cyan star, like a straight ray of light, left the Terra Cradle and sped toward the center of the universe.

And a mass of pitch-black shadow, writhing and roiling, The End, trailed close behind, devouring all light, rushing toward that star.

No.

Not even just that.

As the vast Aether spread, transcending space-time, in many space-times, countless ’The End’ frozen in place—The End that did not belong to the Terra Cradle—also perceived Ian’s radiance, and so turned about, heading in Ian’s direction!

In the vacuum, countless jet-black branches spread outward.

Front and back, left and right, above and below, The End surged from every direction, as if some nameless Behemoth clenched its fist to pinch out and smother the light.

But it can never seize, can never bind all light.

The source of the universe, the Star God.

The End of the universe, The End.

The two that should never meet, by the Aether that transcends space-time, stepped outside the Ring, giving rise to endless strife.

The End is fated to pursue Aether, to pursue the Star Gods.

This is the true purpose of the Star Gods.

They preserved all civilizations within Cradles, ensured that every Cradle had a Perpetual Motion Machine or a Star God as its guardian, then withdrew all Aether from the universe.

Immediately after, through the cosmic hollow constructed from the Infinite Loop of Cradles, they left the Aether Universe as one, heading for the Void beyond the universe.

In this way, the Star Gods, whose reality surpasses even that of the universe itself, could lure away the vast majority of the most dangerous The End, and, after departing, carry The End with them to fight beyond the universe.

And thus leave behind a quiet universe.

Of course, using the Infinite Cradle Loop to open a cosmic hollow and travel to the Void would also cause information from other universes to surge in.

The original Ian is that information, a true spirit that arrived here through accident and miracle.

A miracle, and yet not a miracle.

All causes and effects are bound by necessity, yet in this very moment, what Ian is doing... is a miracle!

Very soon, Ian too entered the Tachyonic Universe of infinite speed. He continued toward the center of the universe, while The End, unreasonable and relentless, kept pace.

Only, where is the center of the universe?

It is a nonexistent concept. The universe is Infinite; the universe has no center. Even if it did, it would be an utterly unreachable destination, for like the edge of the universe, it would require "an Infinite time to arrive."

Unless one knows the "destination."

As long as the destination is known, it can be skipped.

With the most essential power within the Aether... the power Ian named the Farthest Path, he can skip all process!

If it were an ordinary Star God, perhaps it would take a long, long time to observe the cosmic center through the Aether, and then set out—but Ian is different.

The first Ian originally came from this cosmic hollow; he came from the Cosmic Central Hollow itself. His origin, the source of his traversal, the origin of the story, is there!

So the "destination" is already known.

Even if he does not agree with, even if he does not acknowledge this line of thought, the newborn Star God still wields that power—for he is to stand upon the shoulders of Giants, walk to farther horizons, and then resolve all the problems this logic brings.

Light flared. In that instant, the Farthest Path was triggered.

What kind of feeling is that?

In that instant, Ian transcended space-time and arrived at the center of the universe.

In that instant, he saw the hollow, and the scene beyond the hollow.

Its name is...

——The Frozen Void——

It is like solidified amber, like an ocean of ice, a Crystal-frozen Void.

In the stagnating Nihility, countless dim Crystals slump and mesh together. In a silence darker than darkness itself, a profound, colossal presence is congealed in stillness.

That is universes. One after another completely different universes, each born upon different foundations.

Ian gazed upon that darkness, in silence he gazed upon that darkness which is blacker than cosmic vacuum, blacker than The End itself.

This Void is so deathly still and indifferent, so desolate and silent... it has not the slightest future; it is but a lifeless ruin.

It is darkness. A pitch-black Cage.

It is the prison of the defeated, the dungeon of the denied, the sediment of burned-out ashes, the Frozen Void.

All things trapped here are but prisoners of fate; a great Seal shrouds all that exists, leaving not a single inch of land that can be called free.

Beyond the Star Prison Tianyu, there is yet a prison for universes, a Seal that imprisons even greater beings.

Precisely because the Void is Frozen, the cosmic hollows are so dark, as if empty of all things.

And yet...

"I see... so this is where the Star Gods intend to lead The End."

The silent young man stared at that darkness, and then he smiled, a smile beyond further lament, beyond further expectation.

"How interesting," he said from the depths of his heart. "It seems that beyond Terra, there are far, far more truths and mysteries waiting for me to explore."

At this moment, countless Ends, different Ends, now all Ends of Ian’s End, likewise transcended space-time and followed closely behind Ian.

But it does not matter.

Because Ian stepped forward once more.

Toward the End of the Aether Universe, toward that passage that broke the universe’s space-time and leads into the Void, the Frozen Void—that darkness deeper than darkness itself... he stepped!

——He steps forth, setting sail toward a journey yet more distant, yet more vast!

The End will surge toward the Aether, and will also bar the Aether’s outflow, so some Star Gods must go to battle, must sacrifice... moreover, when Aether is withdrawn, accidents are inevitable.

The Heavenly Father and the Terra Cradle are such accidents.

The main host of Star Gods has already departed with the true body of The End, but what of those scattered Fragments of Demise born from such accidents?

What of those Cradles like Terra, whose shells are cracked and flawed, where a single misstep might let The End intrude—have the Star Gods considered how to deal with them?

The answer is simple.

It is to believe.

To believe.

[The End is infinite, and so are we, the Star Gods.]

[Even if our destination lies beyond the Frozen Nihility, we believe that countless newborn Star Gods will arise, bearing the endless The End with them, stepping together into the Void beyond the universe!]

——Nihility Expedition · Year 1600——

The first newborn Star God was born.

His name is Ian Silverpeak.

Eternal future, the Guiding Star.

Before him, countless Star Gods were born.

After him, countless Star Gods will yet be born.

Compared to the grand War between Star Gods and The End, the birth of one Star God is but a speck of dust, an event so negligible as to be almost nothing.

Yet he is special.

By his own strength, without the Guidance or care of any Star God, he is the first to step forward one step at a time and ascend to the seat of Star God—the one who "climbed Above the Sky"!

Endless radiance blazes forth. As the light of the Pioneer Space continues to spread across the universe’s space-time, one day, infinite newborn Star Gods will be guided and born by Ian!

Thus, in this very moment.

All the Star Gods, all those who have already sped into the far distance, shuttling through the darkness of the Frozen Void—they each seem to sense something.

They all turn back, and they all wave to the one who comes after.

In the pitch-black Void, lights flare one after another.

Like lanterns, like torches, they kindle one by one, radiance shimmering—light, endless light, a beauty beyond all compare.

Just like...

The stars filling the sky, all a-twinkle.

The Star Sea shimmering on the farther shore.

Thus the child who longed for the stars, the youth who lost his starry sky, the one who at last set forth to the distance and stepped Above the Sky, reached out his hand.

He finally beheld the star-filled heavens; at last he could stretch out his hand and touch the radiance of those stars.

A single tear fell, reflecting the light of ten thousand stars. It was so dazzling that it shone on into Infinity.

Smiling, in tears, Ian picked up the small telescope in his hand—this instrument that cannot possibly see the Frozen Void—his teacher’s eyes, which had turned toward his dream before he himself did.

"Teacher... Teacher. Do you see it?"

"I’ve finally touched it, seen it..."

"Those stars... Above the Sky... my stars."

——Above the Sky · Part III · Star Sea Beyond the Shore · End!

——"Above the Sky" series, First Saga, End!