Chapter 168: Protecting a World Where Ordinary People Can Smile (Two-in-One)
In the pitch-black ocean, that brilliant solar crown suddenly collapsed.
All brilliance converged and then faded into silence in this moment.
It was as if a total solar eclipse occurred at noon, where the dark sky and crimson moon obscured the brilliant sun.
The entire world fell into silence, devoid of light; from ancient dragons to giant trees, everything faded into obscurity.
In this canvas made of the sea as the foundation and the sky as the layer, drawn in pure black and white, only that bright solar crown remained, diffusing over the black canvas like a shadow born from sunlight.
A clear flame ignited in Cecil’s chest, pure and splendid, yet tinged with a sense of unreality.
This was the flame seed—the power of “Library of Fools”—passed down to the Guardians.
As a Guardian who had possessed this flame seed for hundreds of years, even though he had lost it, remnants and residual heat still lingered deep within Cecil’s soul, allowing him to use that power again when necessary.
But that was just the residual heat from ashes, embers destined to extinguish without being blown by the cold wind…
In the years following the transfer of “Library of Fools” to Grey, Cecil had been making every effort to avoid using this power, wanting the remnants of heat in his body to last a little longer.
However, at this moment, Cecil abandoned his prior persistence, letting go of the maintenance of this residual flame seed, and instead released it unrestrained, exploding forth.
In the dark sky, it suddenly began to snow—
That was white ash, the remnants left after the firewood in the furnace was burned to nothing.
The power of “Library of Fools” was released without reservation, staining both Cecil himself and the solar crown he embodied with a layer of twisted time.
That was twisted time, the power known as “Fate.” As Grey’s leader within the Guardians, Cecil had unlocked the original texts corresponding to the “Fate” sequence and could use the abilities contained within.
Yet, at this moment, what Cecil used was not “World Stasis” or “Time Reversal,” which Grey had once used—
These skills were indeed powerful, capable of directly altering the tide of battle, but at this time, the Broken Coast had five legends. Targeting all five would exponentially increase the consumption of both stasis and time reversal…
Given the flickering light that remained within Cecil, akin to a rootless duckweed, he simply didn’t have enough to fully employ such skills.
Thus, what he used at this moment was a different ability from the “Fate” sequence—
“Life’s Year Ring.”
This did not target the entire world but was activated solely for Cecil as an individual, thus the consumption was much less.
And the specific effect of this skill was really quite simple.
Within every being that holds the concept of “life,” there is an imprint representing their age and experiences, similar to the rings visible on the cross-section of a felled tree.
This is a testament to the existence of life thus far and a manifestation of the concept of “lifespan.”
What “Life’s Year Ring” grants the user is the ability to manipulate those originally solidified year rings as they wish.
If the rings are moved forward, the user will become youthful again, temporarily returning their body to a younger state.
If the rings are moved backward, the user will accelerate growth, crossing stages of life to gain a more mature body earlier.
Letting the elderly individuals, whose bodily functions are nearing decay, regain the robust bodies of their youth.
Allowing the still young and undeveloped boys to step directly into their peak states of adulthood.
This enables the user, regardless of what life stage they are in, to achieve their prime state in battle… This is the most common use of “Life’s Year Ring,” more akin to a pure supportive skill.
Compared to “World Stasis” and “Time Reversal” that Grey once used, the consumption is lower, but the potential is drastically different.
Even at this moment, what Cecil used wasn’t sufficient to bridge the enormous battle power gap at the Broken Coast…
It should have been that way.
…
In the flowing time and twisted fate, Cecil’s appearance began to grow increasingly aged.
The original Cecil had already begun to show signs of aging; his hair was speckled with white, but his movements and expressions still bore the majesty and vigor of a lion, instilling respect and awe in those who saw him, knowing he was still in his prime, albeit at the tail end of it.
Like a lion king, showing age yet not defeated, time had not yet been able to conquer his proud spirit; he still had the strength to guard his territory and kin, tearing apart the throats of all intruders.
But at this moment, Cecil was truly aging at a visible speed, the last strands of black hair disappeared, leaving only pure white… His spine and back were no longer straight and sturdy but began to bend slowly, deep grooves forming on his aged face.
If the previous Cecil was merely a lion king who had just descended from the mountain peak, still capable of a long descent, this moment he was an old elephant, quietly crawling away from the herd, waiting for d*ath among the skeletal remains of his kin.
Behind him, the once brilliant solar crown gradually dimmed and withdrew. It no longer shone with the fervor of noon, but visibly weakened, its radiance insignificant.
Not far away, Noah frowned slightly, unable to understand Cecil’s intentions.
He knew Cecil would not sit idly; after all, “Library of Fools” originated from the Gravekeepers, and Noah wouldn’t be surprised by what powerful secret cards may remain within it. Cecil’s desperate gamble was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.
As for the emergence of “Life’s Year Ring,” it was not beyond Noah’s expectations.
However, Cecil should have turned his life year ring forward, returning to his youngest state, his bodily functions at their peak… Although Noah did not believe such an enhancement could make up for the four-to-one disadvantage, it would still be a positive increase.
Yet at this moment, Cecil chose the completely opposite path.
Within the spiritual vision that every legend could unlock, upon the manifestation of Cecil’s spirit, there was originally a very dense series of year rings imprinted, layer upon layer, representing nearly a thousand years of his lifespan.
Not only were they not moved forward to reduce the number of rings, returning him to youth…
In fact, the opposite happened; the years began to turn clockwise, constantly adding more layers, becoming increasingly complex.
Moreover, the speed of this layering accelerated, as if in just a few seconds, Cecil’s body had gone through endless years of aging.
His body grew more and more ancient, incapable of adequately describing its state; it was as if he was now a half-buried, withered bone from a grave, indistinguishable from his past vibrant self.
As for Cecil’s surroundings, the once brilliant sun gradually dimmed.
The solar crown slowly dissipated, fading until it completely scattered and vanished from sight.
In the end.
The last ray of sunlight was also stripped away by eternal darkness.
The blazing sun that Cecil manifested, the immense furnace that radiated light and heat at all times, was extinguished.
Only the core of the sun remained, a star nucleus made of pure metal, an ethereal star core.
Lonely, it hung in the pitch-black ocean, much like a silent dark dead star in an endless starry sky, drifting in the depths of the universe’s dark side, where eternal blackness and cold became the main theme of this silent world.
“No choice to become young again, to return to peak condition.”
“On the contrary, allowing his life to slip away faster, actively aging?”
Noah observed the pitch-black surface of the sea as the last ray of sunlight gradually faded away. Whether it was the vitality or the power of the sun, Cecil was at an extreme low, and his confusion only deepened.
If this trend continued, they might not even need to strike; just waiting a few more minutes would let Cecil’s own lifespan reach its end, naturally dying without suffering any external force.
However, at the same time.
A strange premonition flashed through his mind.
At first, it was only a tiny alert, appearing insignificant in such a legendary battlefield, but soon that small seed swiftly sprouted, ultimately growing into a towering tree, encompassing all of Noah’s mind.
Not just Noah, but all the other legends hidden throughout the sea.
The black dragon, resurrected with dragon bl**d to be indistinguishable from true ancient dragons, Iron Cross King…
These powerful forbidden beings all had a faint intuition, a legendary beast’s instinct or so-called intuition, sensing that something exceedingly terrible was about to occur.
But no matter how they prepared, they could not comprehend the true source of this crisis.
…
On the rocky beach miles away from the true battlefield, Rast leaned against a boulder, observing everything happening in the battlefield.
At this moment, his life force had become so weak that it bore no difference from an ordinary small beast, and coupled with the distance from the battlefield and Cecil’s active distraction of the participants, none of the battling legends noticed Rast’s presence.
Among all the beings present, only the distant observer Rast saw through the true meaning of Cecil’s actions.
The sequence long scale is a path to simulate the laws of the world using the power of the human mind.
And the so-called deity is the manifestation of reaching the end of this divine ascent, with the powers held by a true god being a manifestation of the world’s rules, such as the “God of d*ath” sequence controlling the “d*ath” rule, while the “Fertility” sequence corresponds with the “life” rule opposite to “d*ath.”
Cecil’s powers are analogous.
His sequence long scale, “Sun,” is a simulation and analysis of the sun in the sky, or rather, the heavenly body known as “star,” existing within the rules and principles of the world.
Although merely a simulation and analysis of the nature of stars, the might that a legendary figure like Cecil could unleash was less than one trillionth of a real star in the real world, yet still, it was powerful and unique enough.
As for the unique solar domain that Cecil possessed as a legend, it was a star-like entity simulated within his mind world after analyzing the star’s nature, projected based on his mind’s imagery and psychic power.
Existing in the gap between fantasy and reality, this product, though illusory, could interfere with reality… Its internal structure and form of existence were indistinguishable from that of a true star body.
And at this moment, under the super-acceleration of “Life’s Year Ring,” both Cecil’s physical lifespan and the star he simulated in his mind—were undergoing accelerated evolution.
From a once vigorous and prosperous youthful state, towards the twilight of his life cycle, to its very end.
Then—
When the once incredibly hot and powerful immense star, after going through the stable and peaceful main-sequence phase, finally enters the decline of its old age, what will await this star?
This is a question no one in the Sixth Epoch, in this era, could answer, not even an ancient legend like Noah who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
Yet, in the not-so-distant future, in the present world where Rast lived—
This was a question that could be easily answered by elementary students with even slight interest in astronomy, printed in general knowledge textbooks.
This is the limitation of the era, an insurmountable cognitive chasm.
However, in this ignorant and confused time, where civilization had yet to be enlightened—
This old man named Cecil managed to simulate and project the end that no one had ever seen before—
The celestial body known as a star, performing its swan song at the end of its life.
…
“After the battle at the Broken Coast is over, there will no longer be any legends walking the continent.”
“But that doesn’t mean peace; on the contrary… without the suppression of the highest tier of powerful beings, the future world will only become more chaotic and turbulent. Every inch of safe land, every opportunity for survival and resources must be seized at the cost of bl**d and bones.”
“However, the future you depict, I truly like it, very, very much like it.”
The sea breeze carried Cecil’s voice, now barely discernible in its old age, echoing in Rast’s ears.
“So, protect it.”
“Little Grey and Rast—”
“Protect that beautiful world where even the most insignificant ordinary person can smile with happiness.”
Under the dim sky, within the cold, silent black ocean, reminiscent of deep space in the universe, suddenly a glimmer of starlight shone.
At the same time, the star core, manifested from the old man’s mind, forged from pure steel, suddenly collapsed.
A light far more brilliant and hotter than before erupted from that metallic star core.
It was an eternally burning star, in the final elegy of its life.
And it was the most splendid firework in the entire universe.
Its name was—
“Supernova Explosion.”
(End of Chapter)
