Soul of Searing Steel

Before leaving Winter Fort Academy, Joshua had visited Ying and Ling in passing as well. His arrival did not disturb them, and neither did Nostradamus and Israel—the Legendary champions had gathered there as quietly as they left.

Ying was dressed in a smaller-sized instructor uniform and had a ponytail tied behind her. She was seriously discussing the remaining procedures for the graduation ceremony with other instructors, and Joshua could hear her asking the Imperial Royal Mage Guild’s observers about the graduates’ internship. She spoke with composure and frankness, even using her Spirit Terminal to display a series of tables as she went into detail about the attributes and strengths of mage graduates from Winter Fort Academy.

Ling meanwhile was standing in corner, recording and calculating solemnly all expenditures, planning, and resources needed for all proceedings, future internships and the ‘Winter Fort Academy Special Entrepreneurship Funding’. He had been managing the Liege’s Residence, as well as all of Moldavia’s financial since a while ago, which was why him being in charge of an academy’s capital flow was akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—Joshua could tell that he was even doing his work rather absent-mindedly, seemingly able to settle everything with his reflexes alone.

Those two cute fellows were now both geniuses who could hold their own, able to earn others’ respect with their own abilities and without relying on others’ authority.

Furthermore, their ability had improved. Though their energy signatures were very obscure, Joshua could sense clearly that both of them were now around Gold-advanced, mainly because unordinary beings such as the divine armaments should not be defined as ‘Supreme’, giving them a rather vague categorization.

Still, regardless if they were Gold-advanced or Supreme-lower, they were certainly formidable to have such ability at their age. After all, it was only either eight or nine years since Joshua pulled both armaments out from the dungeon—while Joshua’s exceptional ability was a reason that they could attain such power in less than ten years after awakening, the perseverance and diligence of both divine armaments spoke volumes.

Even if the period since they were forged was taken into account, which was right after Joshua was born and two of his carpal bones were extracted to create them, it was just almost thirty years—to reach Gold or Supreme at such an age is already a rare prodigy! Moreover, it would not be unusual for Supreme-pinnacle champions to keep their true forms of near-indestructible sacred objects as a family heirloom, for they are even worthy as national treasures that do not dull in value even in the hands of ordinary Legends.

It was just a pity that Joshua was no typical Legend. He was simply so unbelievably powerful that the force his punch—much less a weapon could not be blocked by World Barriers, while his body was one of the sturdiest substances in the observable universe.

Such a powerful fist and body simply nullified the need for any weapon and armor for him, for all tools and equipment are lacking compared to the warrior’s own body, a physique with supernatural powers even without using external items.

However, that was precisely why his weapons found their own path.

“Divine armament technology originates from the artificial fairies year ago—just as psionic form has been.”

Joshua could not help murmuring as he watched Ying and Ling busying around. “It’s time for a visit to Fairyland.”

***

Ying and Ling had been by Joshua’s side in countless battles, after having fully experienced the great skirmish against millions of aberrations. They had absorbed Chaos energies beyond Gold and Supreme and gained a the firmest of foundations, but the technique in which they were forged remained not at all complete. What was more, they remain the Seventh Generation of specially modified weapons, a fairy of ‘Order’ that stood against elements of ‘Chaos’.

Indeed, since their forging had been unstable, both Ying and Ling could not stay in the same class and Joshua. That was why they became slowly unable to catch up to the warrior, and things developed to how they were now.

To change that, Joshua decided that he should go to Fairyland as soon as possible—immediately, in fact, and not merely for Ying and Ling, but for himself too.

He has many questions in mind for the seemingly innocent and naïve Fairy Queens about the world, elements, Void and the Sage. He wished to learn from those ancient fairies about various unsolved mysterious, legacies from ancient times, along with a great many things.

Joshua turned and leave at the very thought, his form vanishing with a dimensional oscillation, leaving Winter Fort Academy standing beneath the summer’s thin mist of Mount Nissia.

***

Fairyland was separate from the world, and there were basically no portals that connected the world of Mycroft to that mysterious plane.

The only one that qualified was a direct one found at the Triplet Mountain Holy City of the Empire, the place where the Royal House of Diamond had made their pact with the fairies. A clone of the Fairyland was stationed there, watching anyone with the intent of making passage.

The Royal House of Diamond was, on a certain perspective, a member of the fairies. It was alleged that one person in every Diamond generation would reincarnate as a fairy after death, which appears to be the case for Adrian the Sixth Prince, the creator of Fairy Cards. Through that wildly popular game, the youth is ranked amongst the top twenty wealthiest persons in the world, and was having a trip around the far southern reaches with his sister. After all, the state of the Empire was now not as chaotic as it had been when Israel was grievously wounded, and with the future made clear, princes and princesses like them who are fated not to ascend to the throne would naturally have to distant themselves away from the center of the Empire’s power.

Nevertheless, everything meant that Mycroft had no quick path to Fairyland. Even if it was Joshua, he would have to directly fly through the Void and land there, or teleporting there with a transit hub.

Then, what place is there that could be connected to the main realm of Mycroft, and the Fairyland beyond the world?

The answer was the Infinite Horizon, and only that.

With a rather unpowerful dimensional ripple that vanished amidst surges of the Void, Joshua’s body had already entered the Infinite Horizon, located inside the world of Mycroft.

Since a long time ago, the Infinite Horizon was akin to a ‘transit hub’ area in the Glorious Era, with the entrances and exits to every divine nation of the gods, or what was their private demiplanes were all located there. There were also doorways directed to the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds and the Unified Archives, just as certain believers and champions whose ability had reached Supreme could freely move through the Infinite Horizon, as well as various planes and demiplanes attached to the world of Mycroft. In addition, for convenience, the mage tower and private spatial bubbles of many mages have permission to move through the Infinite Horizon, making moving through the Void easy.

Now, however, though the profoundness was already gone, the millions of private planes and divine nations all falling into destruction, the Infinite Horizon retained the many functions it had before.

Joshua stood amidst the Void of the Infinite Horizon, searching for teleportation coordinates to Fairyland that remained in the Infinite Horizon. It was a process that lasted just a few seconds, with the warrior having the excess strength to observe his environment in his search, allowing him to carefully scrutinize this residence of the gods.

As its name suggests, the Infinite Horizon appeared to be a void without borders. Compared to the external Void, however, the Infinite Horizon appeared gentle and stable, devoid of any ripples from dimensional turbulence. Back when Joshua had challenged Igor, he had once been sent flying by the elderly pontiff into that realm—even then, neither Legendary champions’ full power burst of energy blows could stir many ripples in that world, even if they were considered the pinnacle of Mycroft beings, at most breaking considerable portions of the Infinite Horizon and the Void barrier.

If that was the case, why was the Infinite Horizon no different from the Void? And it appeared to be the case since the Glorious Era.

In fact, Joshua had difficulty understanding the idea. He thought that it was a waste to simply keep such a massive plane empty, for would it not be great to farm with such a vast piece of land? If that would not do, it was alright to build some houses and have more people living within. After all, information suggests that the important areas during the Glorious Era were teeming with people and housing prices had inflated beyond imagination that even a Supreme champion could buy a suite with all their wealth.

If drastic measures were needed, they could simply hang a huge silver luminous sphere at the center and build a few steel platforms where ten to twenty elite adventurers could be stationed, allowing them to use the Infinite Horizon as a transit to explore other worlds. The sense of déjà vu would be there, but it was a fine choice and better than keeping it empty. However, the gods, the Sage, even the present-day Seven Gods did nothing at all—the Infinite Horizon hence carried on its existence in silence, empty and vast until today.

In the one thousand years the new Seven Gods of men reigned, they had stayed silent in the Infinite Horizon. So, what had they actually done? Joshua had always been curious, and each time he encountered them, he would always have other, more vital issues he needs to learn about and hence did not have to chance to ask, just as it was the exact same case now: even if he had some questions in mind, he had no intention of staying any longer in the Infinite Horizon to scrutinize if the gods were doing something unknown in this boundless Void.

Still, just as curiosity and interest filled his mind and he scanned every direction of the Infinite Horizon, he suddenly noticed some bizarre Void phenomenon.

—Veins of mild light appeared at the edge of the distant Void.

The light was indistinct, and could have been an illusion.

There was excessive distance away from the vague radiance. If it had not been Joshua, a Legendary champion who could observe thousands of worlds even across the dimensional turbulences in the Void, none would have noticed those veins of dissimilar radiance appearing on the edge of the distant Void.

—An emerald-purple, violent but dull radiance.

—A pitch-black, stable yet dark radiance.

—A sky-blue, asymmetric yet repetitive radiance.

—A light-green, orderly yet sporadic radiance.

—A pale-gold, complex yet distinct radiance.

—A steel-grey, stalwart yet ever-changing radiance.

And finally, dots of light that flickered like pure-white stardust, and yet reveals endless vigor.

Seven radiances that were absolutely different and yet flowing in immeasurable harmony were glittering in seven different directions of the Infinite Horizon, occupying most of the area across the realm. The lights changed incessantly complicatedly like a tangram, mixing and finally becoming a halation that engulfed the entire Infinite Horizon.

‘What on earth was that?’

Even Joshua himself could not see through the lights to uncover its secrets, although he naturally knew that the divine force of a deity lay behind each radiance, and was even able to elaborate in detail the name of each god.

But why?

What were the gods doing?

They had virtually not interfered with the human world over a thousand years. Even their agents, the Seven Gods Church, rarely received their direct decree. Like a silent but ever-present observer, never appearing unless it was necessary, never appearing, never making a sound as if they never existed.

They would never make a move unless other gods did first. It appeared to not matter to them even if a race warred to the point of extinction or the world collapsed on Mycroft, and while they were known as ‘gods’, they never displayed the profound power in which ‘gods’ changed the world, guiding civilization and races. They do not even have the arrogance or the weirdly unconditional selflessness that seemed inherent in divine beings.

There must be some great secret behind the Seven Gods, which could also be correlated to their enigmatic actions, even the very existence of the Infinite Horizon. Joshua knew that very clear after having multiple encounters with the God of Might and Justice. He was sure that while they appeared shallow, there must be some unknown mission on their shoulders—they would never be looking for the ‘Divine Evoker’ so urgently, searching for ‘Divine Ascendant’ that could replace them.

Their mission must be even more important than their very existence, and that was precisely why the God of Might that did not even fear ‘Divine Death’ combed heaven and earth so hurriedly, searching for His successor.

But as it was mentioned before…

Now was not the time to mind such things.

Joshua had already found the path towards Fairyland. With a punch, he mildly ‘opened’ a dimensional passageway, and hence simply vanished from the mysterious Infinite Horizon.

Just as he thought, whether the Infinite Horizon held some secret, it did not appear detrimental to Starfall Era Mycroft Civilization. Since that was the case, instead of hastily pursuing the truth, it was better to wait patiently, and like how river always flows into the seas, they would eventually learn everything.

***

Meanwhile, on the other side of the dimensions, another party that was mid-teleportation as well had fallen into a great crisis.

“Priest!!! So, you really are the Liege’s pupil!”

In the Void, the high-pitch howl of a certain rider echoed amidst the erratic dimensional turbulences inside the rainbow arc of teleportation. “Others notwithstanding, you’ve mastered his quality of running into trouble!”

“Nonsense!”

Another voice that appeared composed but was a mess of panicking sounded in the turbulence as well. “Neither my mentor and I have such an attribute, it’s all clearly because of your Crow’s Mouth! Aaaah! What’s going on, the warp point is changing again—where are we going to land?!”