Soul of Searing Steel

“I’ll handle that problem.”

Joshua appeared to be prepared, and he shook his head before saying, “The thought acceleration system has been tested and proven in the closed beta phase of Continental War. Although there could be blurred memories when used for learning, partial memories would be kept regarding the things that the user remember under the accelerated process, even when their minds are operating under normal capacity. Through assessment, a batch of crew who had grasp basic knowledge could be swiftly formed.”

Continental War applies simulated thought acceleration which was fine in game since it was a simplified version of reality. However, limits of technology prevented the game from simulating Void warships at a hundred percent capacity, with the taught knowledge easily forgotten or lacking due to thought acceleration.

Be that as it may, the hastened education in both reality and simulation would easily build a crew who has the minimum requirements. It was certainly not the best option and nor does it help with Mycroft’s lacking population, but it at least solves the pressing issue.

“Compared to that, Your Holiness, I’m more interested in the ability of those otherworld champions.”

Joshua turned to the old pontiff who was ruminating, staring doubtfully at his palm—where he had grasped the dimensional rift. “How powerful do you believe them to be?” He asked slowly.

Jerked out of his rumination, Igor groaned for a moment before answering. “Probably… like us. The one who severed the dimensional rift is very powerful, and I had the feeling that their deft holds the mass of a world—no less inferior than your true form.”

And that was very powerful.

At present, Joshua would have been a top-level champion even in the Glorious era next to the Sage, and slightly inferior to the full-powered form of certain major deities. The pontiff himself was of the same level, albeit lacking in ability for mass destruction.

However, Joshua frowned when he heard those words, asking balefully, “No less inferior than us? That’s it?”

Was that all?

“What?”

In response, Igor looked up in shock, glaring at the warrior and said with a perplexed tone, “Is that not enough? You still want stronger foes?”

“I don’t want to scold you, Joshua—I know you want powerful opponents since it’s your nature, but this is a problem for civilization. It is good as long as the beings of unknown allegiance are weaker, and we would be in trouble if all our enemies are as powerful as the Evil God of Death.”

“No, Your Holiness. This actually is a bad thing.”

Joshua shook his head, disagreeing with Igor’s opinion.

The warrior looked around at the Superconductive Arcane Silver world, an unusual realm which hosts no life apart from Thunder Elementals and traces of Superconductive Arcane Silver in every mineral vein. After that he turned, and continued his conversation with Igor solemnly, “Time had dilated over dozens of thousand years. So many galaxies and innumerable civilizations were flourishing, competing, warring and slaughtering each other… and yet, such a grand battlefield and stage with its infinite tales and epics could only birth champions similar to us, or could indeed be inferior.”

“Is that really good? Not at all.”

Though it was hard to understand, that was indeed the truth—it might be good for Mycroft’s civilization now, but as time goes on and their horizons broadened up to the scale of the Multiverse, it was simply not good at all.

“The Evil Gods are ever powerful. If the Evil God of Death that had yet to assume actually attacked us, we would be instantly destroyed—if that’s the case, how powerful was the being that created Evil Gods and lurked behind the curtains of Chaos?”

Joshua could not hold back from laughing at that. While he had pointed out that it was bad, he was not nervous… nor was he fearful of powerful foes that might exist.

Meanwhile, the warrior simply continued speaking his mind, “Actually, there ware flaws to this argument, since we had discovered the appearance of Shadow recently. If we are not mistaken, beings of the Sage’s level could be born in other galaxies within the last dozens of millennia—but is there a class that stands between one such as the Sage and us?”

At that, Igor slowly understood what Joshua was getting at, and so nodded thoughtfully in agreement for Joshua to continue.

“If they indeed exist, why did they not observe us at once? The more powerful they were, the more curious they would be—I would never believe that they would act against an unknown galaxy, and if they did not, it meant that the theoretical class does not exist. For them to first observe beings similar to our level makes it clear that the foreign champions are almost on our level… which is why I believe it to be a bad thing.”

At those words, Joshua sighed and concluded his argument.

“…I generally understand what you mean.”

At that, Igor understood Joshua’s meaning.

His idea was actually simple: Joshua and himself had presently reached a bottleneck since their Legendary forms had obtained True Gods level of combat power. They had to give up on certain things if they wanted to continue forward and become even stronger, or make a reluctant choice.

If Joshua wanted to improve, he would have to solve the problem of a world’s standard—while a world could grow endlessly, the World Barrier would strengthen without boundary as well. Should the day come that his World Barrier becomes so strong that the warrior himself could not crack it, what difference was there for him to turn into a black hole and be sealed within his own event horizon?

Just like the supermassive singular world in Project Rebirth, its existence would be near eternal, and yet it was nothing more than a mere tortoise that had shrunk within its own shell.

For his part, if Igor wanted to become stronger, he probably could only choose the path of ‘partial eternity’ for divine beings, broadening his limited lightspeed domain to the threshold boundless light. Still, that was merely living as a main deity, and a class below the Sage.

If such was the limit of Extraordinary powers on a general sense, what if they come to face the champion that had created countless Evil Gods?

That was why Joshua believed that if there were champions superior to them in other worlds, it would be a good thing.

If another galaxy boasts an existence that surpasses that boundary and was stronger than both of them, it makes evident that there is still a path ahead. If there was not, it means the miracles of supernatural power ends there, showing that Joshua and Igor were about to reach their end.

Now, they could either pause and simply be bound in stagnation, or choose to break a leg and create a brand-new Extraordinary power to the Multiverse and hence become the next Sage.

And that was simply too far away. None knew what one should actually do to become the Sage.

“…Huh.”

The old Pope wanted to say something then, but ended up shaking his head and saying nothing.

Be that as it may, Joshua was not showing an attitude against all that. He was at most a little disappointed, but soon looked up past the World Barrier toward the boundless stars beyond.

“The physical form of humans has boundaries. They are creatures that live on land in this world, which is why their flesh alone could not fly and head into the Void.”

“That is why humans chose wisdom,” the warrior said, looking up at the stars, “Wisdom to create technology and cultivate Extraordinary abilities. Whether it’s magic, aura, psionic, Holy Light or enchanted armor and Void warships, everything was ultimately creations of human wisdom.”

There was essentially no difference between using enchanted gunnery or magical spells, or between aura-cultivated longevity or physically modified longevity. In the end, those are all splendor of wisdom which the physical form of humans could not reach.”

“Even so, human wisdom is limited. When we apply the fruits of our wisdom so that our bodies may take flight into the Void, we would arrive upon a taller barrier—ordinary Extraordinary individuals are as vulnerable as mortals who live on land when they reached the stars, as feeble as primitive humans looking upon the skies when they face the Void between worlds.”

That is why there were follow-up training and Supreme that surpasses limits, as well as Legendary champions who stood beyond Supreme, having utterly become a superior being.

Joshua looked down and leveled his gaze at Igor, and both men were silent for an instant.

When life surpassed the limits of ordinary lifeform and become Legendary champions—a life of a different concept, they could walk upon the stars as they wished as if it was their backyard. If mortal humans were mundane life living on continents, Extraordinary individuals live in the units of worlds, just as Legendary champions were entities born to belong to the Void. A world was simply too small for them, and only galaxies could fulfill them.

“…Even that has its limits.”

Joshua spoke calmly and without emotion as he stared straight at Igor, as if simply mentioned a Truth. “Beyond the endless galaxies is the Multiverse.”

An even greater concept.

“Consuming matter without end and self-replicating. Converting mass, energy, and souls to obtain seemingly limitless strength.”

“Forming ecosystems, demiplanes and world out of one’s own body, even changing oneself into a complete realm.”

“Turning oneself into light, refinement to become a constant inside a personal domain. Changing the world, universe, and existences beyond oneself as one wished.”

“Molding planets, stars or greater cosmic forms to attack opponents, violent strength on a galactic quadrant scale.”

Lifting his eyes in the galaxy again, Joshua spoke so serenely and slowly that anyone could tell who and what ability he was talking about. “Evolving rapidly to adapt to any environment, attack and any skill special to a race. Photographic memories that remembers every technique and instantly recreate any ultimate skill through runes, even improving it. Controlling mind and spirit, finding the smallest of flaw even in the most powerful individuals and hence sowing horrific seeds in the mind.”

“Legendary power is truly formidable.”

And such was the truth.

Igor said nothing. He could elaborate, but the aged pontiff was aware that all those abilities held no meaning.

“But what purpose is there?”

As he had thought, Joshua lowered his gaze from the stars and said regrettably, “That level of power is merely the foundation. If even that could not be conducted well, what right do we have to call ourselves champions and set our sights upon the stars?”

“Your Holiness. In the end, such class of ability was trivial on the scale of the Multiverse.”

That is the only way to triumph over enemy, and become the champion who lives on until the end.