Soul of Searing Steel

The Spring Day Festival has arrived.

The old bishop of St. Clare’s Cathedral in the Imperial Capital rang the ancient ‘Star Moon Bell’. Its melodious yet distinct sound resounded across the entire city, and in return, every bell tower across the vast Triplet Mountain Holy City—the peasants’ district, the nobles’ district, the trade district, as well as the Royal Square, started to ring in response. The sound that struck in the heart gradually spread until reached the invisible distance.

It was a tradition of the Northern Empire, as well as the entire Mycroft Continent to ring the seasonal bell that signaled the arrival of a new season. Knowledge was once exclusive to rulers and clergies—in order to let the ordinary folk, know what season it was and what they should do, they began to ring bells during the first day of the corresponding season, hosting festivals and offerings to the gods to spread the word.

The sound of seasonal bells was different, too, with each bell being blessed with majestic holy power by the Seven Gods. When the three long and one short bell rings that represents springtime resounded, refreshing and vigorous energies would spread along with the sound waves, blessing each person present.

Dong. The first melodious bell ring echoed, and the power of the gods blessed all life. It usually would have been welcomed by waves of cheers and prayers while the Emperor would walk out of the hall and onto an elevated platform, consecrating the land beneath him as the sovereign of a nation. It was a short yet sacred ritual that would quickly end, but now, every single citizen who should be whooping was silent, the millions of citizens in the capital looking up towards the sky over the Triplet Mountains with doubtful and astonished gazes.

What’s that? Everyone thought puzzledly.

At present, a fissure that was hundreds of meters in size appeared in the blue yonder over the capital. It was still gradually expanding, and within breaths became a behemoth that spans over the entire Triplet Mountain Holy City. As the dimensions apparently undulated, immeasurably jumbled chaos patterns appeared out of thin air.

Many who saw the sight quickly and subconsciously closed their eyes, lower their heads and wailed in pain. Their brains simply could not process the unusual spectacle that differs from three-dimensional space.

In Morlaix Palace, the many nobles, adepts, and royals had all left the throne room and stood on the clearing outside the palace. Most of them lifted their gaze to the diamond-shaped spatial tear in the air that appeared to be slowly open its eyes, and their pupils promptly dilated.

“That–” an aged mage, wearing a spellcaster robe with a ranked Royal Mage Crest on his chest exclaimed in surprise, “is the chief’s mana surge!”

“It’s Master Nostradamus!”

As the old man cried out, the bell towers in the city began to symphonize.

Dong.

The second extended bell ring echoed, and the dimensional tear over the sky stopped spreading as circles of complex runes started to appear around it. They swiftly expanded, constructing majestic yet complex magical patterns, each line hundreds or thousands of meters long that stretches along the void, shaping into an ostentatious three-dimensional magical formation—or perhaps more than three—above the Capital. As it formed, the chaotic void spectacle cleared immediately.

It was like a boiling furnace had cooled as the ceaselessly stirring void turned calm under the soothing of an energy. The dizzying chaotic sides became vivid bit by bit.

Dong.

The third melodious bell ring resounded.

In the vision of the crowd who was looking overhead, a colossal existence that was essentially a fortress appeared on the other end of the void.

It was a gigantic fort that had a cold, pale silver metallic glint. It had twenty surfaces of great arrangement, each marked with observation circle of the highest standard and could penetrate space itself. It stood aloft in the void outside the world, watching the chaotic scenes across the Multiverse in isolation.

Countless distorted dimensional turbulences wanted to approach it, but were dispersed as phantoms under the magical influence.

“The Void Star-Observatory!”

All the knowledgeable nobles or adepts could not help exclaiming right then, causing tides of disturbance. They recognized what the steel fortress that stood on the other end of space was—a grand building that was only finished after three hundred years and four Emperors, the [Void Star-Observatory] was the most distant fort from the Imperial territory, allowing directly studies of the Void and all wonders of the Multiverse!

When the mages realized that the stars above their heads were not little stars but each a grand world in itself, they could no longer suppress their thirst to learn about the Multiverse. That thirst eventually turned into flames, igniting the hearts of all spellcasters within the Empire and every other human settlement.

And so, after centuries of laborious construction and toil, the four manmade constructs—[Sentry Array], [Eye of the Saint], [Observatory] and [Celestial Vision]—stood amidst the bedlam of space. Unlike half-planes, these constructs faced the turbulence of space directly and in turn requires the definitive first-hand news, a frontier of the Mycroft Continent’s civilization for monitoring the Multiverse.

At present, it was civilization’s masterpiece, a majestic sight that did not falter amidst the tempestuous Void. A building in collaboration with the gods and various nations was now clearly presented before the crowd in the Imperial Capital, staring them down from the distant stabilized void.

“Look! What is that!”

Someone suddenly shattered the stunned silence. It was a younger mage who was standing amidst the streets, and while he bore the Royal Mage Guild badge too he was merely an assistant-level character. However, it was this youth who first sense something out of place in that stabilized space. “There! There!” He cried—almost a bellow, his hand raised.

Not only him, but many champions also sense the difference of that layer of spatial flow. Still, they did not make a sound, and watched calmly while holding in their quivering hearts.

What they saw was a figure.

A figure was walking amidst the dimensional fissure between the Void Star-Observatory and skies of the Imperial Capital towards the world of Mycroft. His pace was slow, and even though he was in the void it was as if he treaded upon solid ground. Every step the blurry figure whose features were completely hazy made caused the void to pause and the spatial turbulence to pause. The power was even reaching out to the world of Mycroft, causing the winds over the Imperial sky to freeze.

With space itself condensing like ice, all things entered stillness and silence. The bright and beautiful sunlight twisted, prostrating itself below the figure’s feet.

Dong—

The fourth ring—the shorter one—echoed amidst the Imperial Capital. It should have quickly stopped, but a mysterious force was slowing and dragging it—just like time itself was being extended while space was expanded. At present, short and fast was reversed corresponding, becoming slow and long.

Joshua stared at the void. Unlike 03 who was gaping; unlike Ying who was puzzled and uncomprehending; unlike Brandon, Vale Dani, the other adepts and nobles who seemingly knew certain things but were still astonished, Joshua’s eyes swept across the entire world and then focused on the indistinct figure.

The power of dimensions moved across his body; light twisted around him. The concept known as ‘mundane’ was rapidly leaving that aged body that was quickly sublimating and metamorphizing, with a majestic, brimming wild power beginning to shape the shell of a ‘Legendary’.

“Nostradamus,” the warrior said softly. His eyes that could pierce all dense fog, allowed Joshua to level his gaze with the old man on the other end of the Void.

At the same time, all sorts of abnormalities were occurring around the Imperial Capital. Every portal closed itself simultaneously. Mana elements stopped, staying where they were as if afraid approach an astounding being. Pebbles slowly levitated and danced bizarrely in the air.

Experiencing the power that was completely different from his own and yet held the same magnitude and mystery, Joshua smiled.

“Congratulations.”

The obscure figure had arrived at the edge of the spatial fissure.

Thud—

Light footsteps reverberated, causing everyone’s heart to leap. With one step, the obscure figure entered the boundary of the Mycroft world. Immediately, a circle of extremely apparent pale-blue dimensional energy surge cascaded like water ripples across the air in all directions.

And now, the immeasurably obscure human silhouette that was outwardly composed of layers of contorted spatial ripples regained human form.

It was a stalwart mage, advanced in years and clothed in white spellcaster robes. His gazes, as if bright stars, brimmed with powerful mana radiance. Because of his existence, all the elements adrift around the Imperial Capital fell into silence as if prostrating itself in reverence, even as other mages below Supreme-tier fell into such panic that they sensed themselves losing control over the elements around them.

With the fourth bell ring, spring came.

The crowd could now clearly see the old man who had come, stepping through the Void. Behind him, the incomparably large dimensional tear that could have swallowed a city slowly closed up. The giant steel fortress that was the Void-Star Observatory therefore became slowly hidden by the distortion of spatial turbulence.

Over the land, the crowds fell into confusion due to instinctive fear, but was soon soothed by a mild spiritual wave and returned to calm.

“Legend… Legendary… Master Nostradamus…”

Joshua could hear a noble next to him uttering the term that was simple yet extraordinary with a quivering yet reverent voice. The noble himself who operates a mana crystal mining operation and had real power as a count. For all intents and purposes, he should be knowledgeable and not be surprised by most things, but right now he could not help lowering his head respectfully.

It was a far cry of a reaction towards Joshua who was right beside him. Firstly, the warrior did not ascend before the nobles’ eyes, and was now sealing his own presence. His appearance was also too young while his name did not spread for decades—which was why while most nobles favor or even seek his good graces, it was hard for them to express genuine heartfelt esteem.

The old man in front of them was certainly different.

Nostradamus stood peacefully in the air. His once-aged body had reshaped under dimensional ripples, building an extraordinary physique through mana and those ripples. He had visualized the body decades ago, but could not attain it due to various limitations as well as insufficient mana concentration around the world and the Void.

But now, thanks to the Great Mana Tide, thanks to the removal of his student’s injuries and thanks to his experiment for his ideal future in the North having reached initial success, the old man who has swept away all his future troubles. Now, honor-bound to journey once more, he grasped his ‘Fated’ path.

At the same time, Joshua did not continue watching Nostradamus as the mage used his first steps towards Legendary might to substitute the Emperor as host for the Spring Day Festival. The warrior turned his head without being surprised and looked towards the huge silhouette strolling towards him.

Appearing at some unknown point in time, the dull-blond sovereign of the Empire nodded slightly and gestured for the warrior to take a walk with him.

Joshua shrugged and gently placed 03 who sat on his shoulders on the ground, before reminding both Ying and the Artificial Intelligence girl with a rather deep voice not to run off. Before the girls who were still absorbed in the phenomenal birth of a new Legendary mage could lethargically say goodbye, he had already turned and left, walking shoulder to shoulder with His Majesty.

Amongst the crowd, Empress Edna who was the only one to notice them bit her lip lightly. Frowning, she then sensed that the Second Prince Dimore was feeling something too, and immediately raised her vigilance against him.

In the little path of an unoccupied garden within Morlaix Palace, two Legendary warriors conversed sonorously.

“My teacher needs ambition,” Israel said as he stepped upon the little gray path laden with sturdy stone. As he looked up towards the sky that was cascading just moments ago and immeasurably tranquil now, his voice showed a hint of emotion.

“Forty years ago—even before that, he had done a great many things, for both the Empire and myself. His contribution is incomparable; I don’t even know how to repay him.”

Walking side-by-side with the Emperor, Joshua listened as the student—the sovereign of this land—reminisced the past with a nostalgic tone.

“Unrepayable? Contribution so great it destabilizes the throne? There would also be people telling me that Nostradamus’s great deeds have reached a pinnacle. Thrice he ruined plans of the orc shaman army, even successfully stopping numerous ambushes of utmost deception all by himself. He had helped me, the Emperor himself to defeat the other princes and secure the highest seat of the Empire, even as he groomed hundreds of noble and peasant mages.

“He presided over the construction of warp portals that connected all corners of the Empire, made the many vengeful nobles drop their schemes reluctantly. He presided over the construction of a new generation of regional spatial anchoring circle, while leaving himself a back door.”

Then, Israel’s tone became rather mocking. “At the time, a lot of people sent in notes, warning that Nostradamus had ill intent and plans to revolt against the Royal Family. It was not unusual for them to think so since my teacher has the possibility of ascending into Legendary at any given time. Furthermore, if he really used his full influence, the vigor of the Royal Family would be maimed—not to mention the fall of the Empire—which was why they wanted me to award him the gift of death, claiming he was useless now after all. Even if Teacher would stop doing anything after completing what he wanted, even if he would rest peacefully and play chess with me, they would still somehow claim that he was burying his machinations in the dark and planning dark deeds.”

The sovereign of the Empire stopped walking. The warrior sensed that they had arrived before a court. Israel looked around at the outer layer of plain but motley stone walls, and smiled nostalgically. “This was the palace I used to live in as a prince—my teacher would explain the way of extraordinary here. He may be a mage, but he understood that mana and lifeforce was actually one body early on, that the two were just spawns of a certain higher power.”

“Joshua.” Israel turned towards the warrior, his gaze flashing with a curious glow. “There would always be those who tell me that the path of an emperor is lonely, that I must sacrifice much for the authority in my hands and the throne beneath me in so far that should be no affection, friendship, love or respect from then onwards. Everyone would work for my benefit, and yet I could trust no one and must view all of them as lackeys and tools. That was the way to rule a great kingdom so that my authority could continue.”

“But I say: fuck it.”

Those were the calmly expressed words of Israel Diamond, current Emperor of the Northern Empire, a great hero who defeated the orcs. “I’m Legendary. Who I trust is my problem. I will decide how to be Emperor.”

“My authority comes from my power, and has nothing to do with those bullshit sayings—authority itself is spawned from my fist.”

His words were compelling. There may be no truer words spoken by this Emperor in his entire life.

Joshua grinned in return, his eyes narrowing.

“Quite the willful speech,” he said.

“That’s for sure.” Israel snorted coldly as if the warrior was saying nonsense, and looked up again towards the sky, his gaze breaking through clouds and skies with certainty, staring towards the stars. “Noble Radcliffe. After witnessing the memories of the Glorious Era deities, I’ve come to understand many things—such as how dull and uninteresting authority amongst men was and how vast and boundless the stars beyond the sky. I want to change this world and spread the revolution my teacher desires so that everyone would attain the possibility of reaching extraordinary regardless of their social standing or the size of their coin bags.”

“Even if that would tremble your place as Emperor?” the warrior asked.

“Drivel of a rhetorical.” The Emperor shook his head.

“I’m willing to trust you, Noble Radcliffe. Are you willing to help me?” Israel asked straightforwardly, extending his hand.

Joshua looked at him, a man whose fate he had changed. A man prepared to change the fate of this world. A man with such incredible ambition he intends to begin a grand revolution that was beyond his own fate.

The warrior’s lips parted, revealing a joyous smile.

He grasped Israel’s hand.

“With utmost pleasure.”