Chapter 167: Behold, the Mightiest Solar Flare (5k)
In the chaotic tides, the roar of the storm grew ever closer.
Like the drumbeats heralding war.
Or the thunderous heartbeat of a colossal deity, whose eyes were the sky and whose body was the ocean and mountains.
Growing clearer, sharper, echoing between land and sea.
Until, in an instant—
The war drums fell silent.
Then, at the same moment—
The flaming corona of the sun and the emerald-green Abundant Domain expanded simultaneously, claiming the roaring waves and the pitch-black sky before colliding midair.
Upon the black, light-devouring sea… two illusions rose.
One was a blazing sun, the other an ancient tree whose roots plunged kilometers into the seabed, its branches stretching across half the heavens as if reaching the very ends of the sky.
At first, the two domains stood evenly matched, locked in stalemate… with the radiant sun even pressing the Bountiful Tree back.
But then—
Deep within the ocean, a massive eye suddenly opened and began to rise.
The eye gleamed pure gold, like flowing magma, its sheer size covering half the sea.
A crimson-gold dragon’s eye.
Lurking in the ocean’s depths was a forbidden leviathan, its body clad in black scales, its massive pupils opening and closing like erupting volcanoes.
Amid the surging waves, its dark spine emerged, along with wings forged from ink-black scales—wings so vast they blotted out the sky.
Dragon—
If there was one word to describe the forbidden being in the ocean, this was it.
True pure-blooded ancient dragons were a mythical race, long extinct with the Age of Gods. Save for the Old Gods atop the炽天之槛 who might still retain their draconic origins, they had vanished from the modern world.
Yet, some hybrid dragonkin had stubbornly survived the decline of the Age of Gods.
Over time, their diluted bl**d made them less dragons and more oversized lizards…
The innate gifts of pure-blooded dragons—dragon magic, bodies that could ascend to Legend upon maturity—were lost to these diluted descendants.
They had shed their mythical status, living as mere beasts in an era ruled by humans.
But exceptions existed. Just as the experiments blending human and divine bl**d, meant to be failures, had—over epochs—produced a perfect vessel like Akshia, a miracle unlike any other…
Among these dragonkin who had long forgotten their glory, a rare case of bloodline reversion emerged.
In one such creature, the thin draconic bl**d—so faint it barely manifested—awoke.
Over millennia of lurking in the ocean’s depths… it refined its bl**d, revitalizing it, steadily increasing its purity.
Now, this Legend-ranked forbidden being had elevated its draconic bl**d to a threshold—its power, might, and authority no less than a true ancient dragon’s.
Black waves crashed upon the rocky shore, tons of seawater surging skyward as the ancient Black Dragon breached the surface, its fiery breath scorching the waters.
This was the return of a myth lost for millions of years.
An ancient dragon, unseen since the Age of Gods, had reappeared, proclaiming the might of its kind to the world—
And when the Broken Coast fell, and humanity’s last Legend perished… the Beast Tide from the depths would claim the land, heralding the return of the Age of Gods.
Boom—
The dragon’s fiery breath, laced with its unique draconic might, slammed into Cecil’s solar domain, corroding the sun’s halo, leaving it fractured and frail.
From start to finish, the Battle of the Broken Coast was never a fair fight.
The Iron Cross King sought to invade, to feast on flesh, to unleash his cruelty upon his former kin…
The forbidden beings of the deep yearned to claim the land, while the reverted dragon sought to restore the Age of Gods, reshaping the world into a paradise for mythical beings…
And the Gravekeeper, aligned with the cults stirred by the炽天之槛’s gods, upheld an unspoken pact… obeying the laws of fate, the cycle of epochs, to bring an end to the fading Sixth Epoch, to extinguish civilization.
Here alone stood four true Legendary beings…
Against them, representing the Guardians, was Cecil—alone.
Outnumbered, one against four.
No matter how strong, how confident, even he couldn’t deny this truth.
“Finally stopped running and accepted your fate, have you…”
“Cecil.”
Noah’s aged voice carried over the waves.
“d*ath isn’t your only option.”
“There’s always another choice.”
With the combined assault of the other Legendary beings, the emerald-green Abundant Domain suddenly expanded—
Compressing Cecil’s solar halo into a tiny sliver.
“The Sixth Epoch’s end is inevitable. The cycle must conclude, paving the way for a new era.”
“This is the law dictated by fate itself—”
“You cannot escape, resist, or struggle.”
“But fortunately… you’re not like those lowly Ordinary People.”
Noah stood atop his domain, gazing down at Cecil.
“As a Legend—one of considerable strength—you’ve earned the right to stand above time and fate, untouched by the epoch’s demise.”
“Among the Gravekeepers, many were once Legends of past epochs.”
“After ascending, they discovered our traces in history, joined us, and became watchers of fallen civilizations, guardians of bygone eras.”
“Even your predecessor, the founder of the Guardians, was once one of us.”
Noah’s words were sincere.
Not the deceptive taunts of battle, meant to unsettle and exploit weakness… but a genuine invitation.
“Abandon your futile ideals. Join us. Seek eternity.”
“With our power, you’ll gain eternal life, freed from the rise and fall of civilizations…”
“You’ll stand above time and history, untouched by calamity.”
His tone grew earnest.
“I know you’ve devoted your life to ‘protecting human civilization’… something not easily discarded.”
“Even a commoner mourning a pet cat moves on, finds a new companion…”
“Likewise, you can nurture a new civilization in the next epoch.”
“One born from the Sixth Epoch’s legacy, carrying the same bl**d as those you protect now.”
“Like a pet’s offspring continuing its lineage.”
“And you’ll witness its growth, shaping it as you please—purged of corruption, pure and radiant.”
“A new era, molded by your will.”
“And you…”
“Will become its—”
“‘Creator.’”
……
Silence settled over the sea.
Cecil listened, then smiled.
“Become… the Creator of a new era?”
“Sounds tempting.”
“Eternal life, standing above history, without betraying my ideals… a perfect solution.”
“But—”
He paused. “It’s just…”
“Self-deception.”
Cecil raised his hand, feeling the sea breeze.
“Birth, growth, decay, d*ath… these fleeting moments make humans beautiful, noble.”
“You find your offer compelling because—”
“You’ve never seen yourself as human. To you, those below Legend are just pawns, expendable tools.”
“This divide between Guardian and Gravekeeper is why I can never forgive you.”
His left hand clenched empty air.
The solar domain vanished, leaving only a blade forged from the sun’s halo.
Infinite radiance, infinite heat—
Light incarnate, piercing the dark.
“Arrogant fools like you, playing god, reveling in chaos…”
“You’ll never understand—”
“The nobility of being human!”
Boom—
A dark-gold arc cut through the blackened air.
The dragon’s breath split, the sea parted, leaving only emptiness.
Noah’s domain shattered, dissolving into emerald motes.
“Noah, losing half your Legendary self and your mind…”
“Must hurt.”
Cecil’s mockery echoed from afar, but Noah remained unfazed.
“I don’t know what happened in the Abyss, or why my Avatar of Abundance vanished…”
“But if it forced out your trump card, the loss is acceptable.”
“Besides—”
The Bountiful Legend looked up. “You’re the one who should worry.”
“Your ‘Library of Fools’… the火种 containing the原典森罗万象, once held solutions for every foe, every dilemma.”
“Yet just now, you chose brute force over its specialized anti-domain abilities.”
His voice grew solemn.
“The火种… it’s no longer within you, is it?”
“What remains are mere embers—fading with each use.”
“So you avoid the Library, relying only on your ‘Sun’序列长阶.”
……
“Whoever inherited it won’t escape a Bountiful Legend’s reach.”
“But without your Library, your last hope… how can you face four Legends?”
Noah’s tone lost its earlier warmth.
Killing intent surged within the emerald light.
Both knew now—
No compromise existed between Guardian and Gravekeeper.
Only blades could decide.
“Afraid you won’t find the Library’s heir.”
“You won’t get the chance…”
Cecil’s aged lips curled.
“The Library is indeed gone…”
“But you’ve misunderstood—”
He raised the solar blade, surveying land and sea.
Its dark-gold edge shimmered with the sun’s corona.
“Just because I’ve weakened… doesn’t mean you’ve grown stronger.”
Turning, his voice carried on the wind to Rast, resting on the Broken Coast’s distant rocks.
“Behold, Guardian of the new epoch—”
“The mightiest solar flare.”
(End of Chapter)
