Soul of Searing Steel

Having done thinking about civilization’s progress, Joshua began to consider the issue regarding his ability.

In truth, his battle against the main body of the Black Fog how powerful he was.

Indeed, not weak—powerful.

***

While Joshua was not a significant threat to the Black Fog due to the factor of energy stores and substance reserves, those were simple issues that depended on whether Joshua ‘thought about it’.

If he would unsympathetically find a few worlds and plant substantial Restoration Beams within to boundlessly devour substance for conversion into energy, with the way he consumed even the smallest of particles, the main body of the Black Fog might not best him in a few decades. With the same energy level and the advantage of Joshua and the world inside his body being able to communicate beyond light speed, he could fully integrate all of his power—unlike the Black Fog that had been unable to recall all its spawn in the sudden skirmish, which delayed even its energy calibration.

Although communications beyond lightspeed sounded simple and was seemingly achieved by quantum entanglement, that particular phenomena could not accomplish that. It would not even transmit information since it was an encryption method instead of communication.

When placed on two edges of the universe, the link between two quanta could basically ignore distance. Still, that aspect would not acquire information since you could not tell if quantum movement was natural or by observation from the other end. One must be aware of the method in which the other edge observes, and only then could the corresponding quantum be studied. Such information transmitting held absolute secrecy, but the information itself—or how the observation method was learned—would never surpass lightspeed.

But Joshua was different. His body’s communication that surpassed lightspeed relied upon the aspect that he was the world. Even if his clone was to be found on the other side of the Multiverse, the world inside his body remained connected, keeping them unusually close despite the extreme distance, thereby leaving all gap negligible. It was an unusual dimensional warp effect, the outcome of which was caused by a ‘special substance inside the world within his body’ that was a medium that supersedes lightspeed.

Therefore, Joshua could find a dozen other lifeless worlds where he would imbue his Restoration Beams, and then fully entering a devouring state that converted energy and mass that would be relayed back to his body—if he would abandon his will, he would strengthen exponentially.

Naturally, he would not do that for the moment. He very much intended to maintain his self-awareness, instead of dying as one gluttonous abomination that only knows to devour.

“There are aberrations in this world that was born from extreme evolving, just like the Evil God of Pestilence. If I lost control, it would not be unusual that I became another aberration of extreme devouring and conversion.”

Joshua sighed softly at the very thought. “What a long road and a tremendous responsibility it is to cull the Chaos and Evil Gods.”

In fact, after determining that he could turn the entire world into a game, a ‘Peaceful Paradise’, Joshua had wondered if his transcending to the world of Mycroft was another game, played by a certain higher dimension being.

And that the so-called war between Evil Gods and civilizations were mere tools of entertainment.

He denied that thought after brief consideration.

Like the concepts of time, space, causality, dimensions are nothing else than mere tools that lay within human grasp. Higher dimension beings simply did not exist.

How was that so?

As a point in case, light is light, and microscopic particles are microscopic particles. The wave-particle duality theory existed simply because no one could observe their true forms, which was why it could only be studied on the two angles of wave particles.

Wave and particles were both attributes and symbols humans enforced upon light.

It was the same for time and space as well. Humans designed ‘space’ with the purpose of describing virtual coordinates, just as ‘time’ was a scale used for describing the change and movement of objects. Both are manmade symbols and a method which humans employed to describe the universe—in other words, they were tools human created in pursuit of the truth, not truth itself.

And while so-called dimensions, which originated from the Sting Theory, were too complex to describe, it was fundamentally the same thing: a tool created by humans to observe the real universe.

In pursuit of universal truth, humans categorized, concluded and even hypothesized endless theories and patterns such as electromagnetism formula, relatively, quantum and theory. Nevertheless, it was ever obvious that such theories were not truths because they contradict each other, something which was impossible for truths. Only the ‘Grand Unified Theory’ which complies all theories barely passes as a truth, an ultimate formula.

Meanwhile, how would electromagnetism and gravity would be integrated, and how the contradiction between relativity and quantum theory would be explained so that the Grand Unified Theory would be accomplished? String theory could hence act as a tool: by adding one spatial dimension, electromagnetism and gravity would hence coexist. Humans even discovered in delight that when more numbers of dimensions were added, more theories can be unified—that was why the String Theory’s independent dimension would increase incessantly and appeared to have no inclination of stopping.

But where were those dimensions? At present, all physical phenomenon was explainable by length, width, breath, and time. Apart from being applied to the Grand Unified Theory, other dimensions were not useful. They were simply tools made by humans to explain truths they did not understand, a linear scale and a numeric instrument where various formula and theory existed, which was why the theory simply compressed everything and avoid having eye-sores.

—Therefore.

Could life be born from a set of formulas? Could imagined theories birth civilizations?

Of course it can!

Humans, were, all existing beings were an atomic force wrought from a single punch, their forms maintained by electromagnetism, their mass drawing gravity, with twenty-six dimensions permeated even with a single exhale.

In short, high-dimension beings did not exist.

What was more, time and space, causality concepts were all artificial cognition apparatus.

If it must be said, then all life were beings of higher dimensions. Every individual had terrible power such as punches that drove electromagnetism, stomps that carried gravity, bodies of varying atomic bonds—does it not sound cool? Moreover, as theories increased, the dimensions of a single breath increased as well. Everyone would pierce several dimensions by the lift of a finger, even crushing the Grand Theory.

Or simply milled to a pulp.

Everyone could easily warp their own causality, change their fate—the only thing they had to do was get up from bed every morning in time.

Joshua thought about mana, the six elements, ether, lifeforce, Nature Power, psionic energy, Holy Light and the Shadow Realm that recently surfaced. He could not help but laugh, since if those unusual supernatural powers were combined to explain, the dimensions would surpass hundred, or thousand of Extraordinary powers he was not aware about was taken into account.

And in this world, there are still beings such as the Sage who added to universal constants—who knows what the Multiverse would become in a few tens of thousands of years.

“Still, it’s exactly because generations of saints who founded new sources of supernatural that the Multiverse becomes more exciting.”

Joshua rose, prepared to tidy up the Fourth Practical Lab and put away the base human samples and Void flesh aberrations so that the other researchers would not be scared off their wits. If he was being frank, would he not be aware of why they were so frightened? Joshua had simply wanted them to not bother his experiments, hence leaving them be and kept himself from offering any explanation.

“Shame. That newly discovered Shadow Realm—whether it’s a natural phenomenon brought about by the Great Mana Tide or a Multiverse shift caused by a being of the Sage’s class, it’s a huge issue.”

Moving every object into the world inside his body, Joshua thought in boredom while arranging his laboratory notes. “New magic and Aura would be made, Natural Power would certainly be imbued with Shadow attribute, while psionic powers would introduce Shadow concepts as well.”

“Any supernatural power would be no exception. Such a movement is essentially having a bull charging into a tidily arranged room—the owner would get a bull, but there’s no telling how much it would take to rearrange it.”

The warrior had a profound sense of such things. If he were to act like a cowardly rat and sealed all of Mycroft and lived in the undisturbed Peaceful Paradise, that change would create a loophole in his flawless seal, spilling information to the outside and inviting the assault of the Evil Gods. His control over the world would be greatly foiled as well, since those who had mastered Shadow abilities could slip into the Shadow realm and not be shrouded by his Steel Strength.

Unless Joshua himself completely mastered Shadow and spread his influence into the Shadow Realm, he would be unable to maintain his rule over Peaceful Paradise. All order would disintegrate rapidly, and reestablish.

At the very thought, Joshua’s hand over a Steel Strength seal suddenly clenched, and one of the Void flesh aberrations leaped out—but before the yellow rat aberration could unleash ten million volts, it shrunk itself and froze in the warrior’s palm after having sensed a terrible presence, not daring to even make a sound.

Meanwhile, Joshua did not conjure another new seal to hold the creature. Standing where he was, he leveled a distant gaze at the model of the galaxy wafting over the slab.

“If there’s one, or many beings bent on utterly controlling the Multiverse and make it their game, their one-man paradise…”

“If there is such an existence…”

Then there was no question that the sources of supernatural forces that appeared again and again: the six elements, ether, psionic energy, Holy Light and the latest addition, Shadow… all of which would undoubtedly have left their schemes in pieces.

How much they would hate the progress of civilization.

How much would he be disgusted by the near endless but ever uncooperative champions.

That was why they would destroy, destroy any civilization which seedling had barely sprouted. They have to do that, for even if a single civilization basically could not nurture a being as powerful as they were, when millions of civilizations orbited within countless galaxies, the endless chances would stack and there would be one day where such a being would be nurtured.

With an endless stream of mad bulls charging into a tidy house, leaving everything in a mess again and again.

Was that how Evil Gods came to be?

Was that how there is an endless cycle between Chaos and Order, a ring of anguish without a conclusion?

Joshua stroke the head of the yellow rat and sealed it again into a silver carapace. The warrior then continued arranging the Practical Lab, sorting various dangerous or mysterious creations and arranging them.

It was senseless to think too much. Knowing the truth would not change anything, and it was moreover just an inference—just like how all present-day human theories were mere guesses of universal truths.

In addition, even if he was unaware of that proposed fact—even if Joshua knew nothing, he knew that there would be a day where he would walk in the same direction as the Sage, but not the same path.

Why?

Because he was a warrior who yearned for battle, expected unknown, powerful enemies, which was why he was fearless.

Because he was an adventurer.

That was why he would never stay where he was forever.

He would see the sights behind the mountains, to view the continents beyond the seas and learn about the dazzle on the other side of the starry ocean. He would seek interesting but formidable foes, and enjoy the meaning of battle.

‘Right, that’s it.

‘That’s life.’

Having finished tidying up the Fourth Practical Lab and left the underground cavity composedly amidst the researchers’ nervous yet relieved expressions, Joshua arrived at the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds. He looked up, leveling his gaze at the silver radiance in the skies.

In other words, the Commanding Will of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds.

“…What is it, Radcliffe?”

The Commanding Will that watches all asked in curiosity. “Energy reserves at 99.82%, you may teleport at any moment.”

“It’s nothing.” Joshua smiled and added, “It’s just that I feel like I see that path when I see you.”

Then, he lowered his head, and quietly broke through the barrier of the plane.

The dimensional turbulences were erratic and raucous. When the many civilizations and champions saw the Void for the first time, they would feel as if they had seen hell.

—But even if it was hell.

Even if it was a path akin to hell.

Even if they were aware that the path before him would have dangers a billion times the scale of hell with no hope of return.

Joshua strolled through the Void toward the world of Mycroft, his expression calm, even showing the hint of a smile.

—Even so.

Generations after generations of braves stones boldly trod that path of no return.