Soul of Searing Steel

Death comes like winter rain. Freezing all sensations and encumbering the body, after which consciousness plummets into the abyss like a piece of lead.

Joshua calmly felt this heaviest, strongest, and most dizzying sense of slumber. Watching his own flame of life dimming bit by bit, an infinite amount of memories started to replay in his eyes.

But he killed those images and continued feeling the taste of coming in contact with death.

Since his eyes were burned off and his nerves charred, he had no senses left. Hearing, smell, touch, and sight were already too far gone, allowing the warrior to easily sense things he would not feel normally.

He could see his own soul, still lit by just a fraction, sparkling intensely in the darkness.

Under the radiance of his soul, he could see and hear hazily.

"Not Like that! Holy Light can regenerate flesh and blood and restore life, but…"

A kind old woman's anxiety.

"This requires pure lifeforce…"

The calm utterance of an elder.

At the moment, the soul's condition and awareness were swiftly extending. Joshua could now feel four Supreme-tier individuals around him, anchoring his flesh and living state with incredible Holy Light. He could also tell that the utterly incinerated frame placed in the middle of this majestic temple was his own body, and he was watching himself from a third-person angle.

On the other end of the altar, the silver-haired girl and black-haired boy were brimming with tears as they tried to force their way beside him. They were stopped by a solemn Roland, even as the urgent footsteps of the black dragon girl lass and the clunky stride of Unit-01 could be heard from a nearby corridor.

Material did not seem to obstruct the warrior's vision. If he wanted to, he could observe past the stone and wood, and look out to the view hundreds and thousands of meters away.

So that was the perception of the soul, Joshua realized with a start. The sight of spirits was really so unique and different from what he imagined.

Death did not terrify the warrior even by a little—such innate emotions simply did not exist in his soul.

Quite refreshing.

Joshua thought, his immense soul raising invisible ripples unnoticed by those present. The Divine Armaments were busy praying for him, the Supreme individuals preoccupied healing him. In the distant, the battle on the ground as well as the lava rain has ceased, and the War of the Sacred Mountain was put on hold.

Joshua felt that he could speak despite in this condition—just like the ghosts spoke of in folktales. It would not be difficult after a little preparation, but as he prepared to try and greet Ling and Ying, a tremendous yet saintly power surged on the other end of the altar.

Pope Igor and a woman shrouded in the breath of nature sent projections of themselves here. The aged pope stared gravely at Joshua's body, but quickly sensed something, and started looking around the temple.

Naturally, he quickly caught sight of Joshua in the corner while the warrior's slowly regained the shape he had as a human. He prepared to salute the old man, but Igor's spiritual communication stopped him.

"No, Joshua."

The pope's tone carried both annoyance and mirth, as well as shreds of surprise and helplessness. "I've especially brought the Nature Magister from the battlefield to restore your body, and not help you turn into a spirit adrift. Quick, return to your body."

The Legendary champions had been watching as the battle raged beneath them at the Sacred Mountain. Be it Joshua's sudden attack or Evian's decisive counter, everything did not escape the three Legendary dragons and the three Legendary champions.

When the red dragon was almost struck down, the dragons had even attempted to leave the void and return to the Sacred Mountain—only to be stopped by Igor's trio.

Afterward, it was Evian's triggering of the divine longsword, an attack that sunk the western part of the Gray Island by almost five meters and tore a fissure as far as ten kilometers. 

At that point, the three Legendary dragons had lost their intention to fight as they became preoccupied with returning to the physical realm. Taking full use of the opportunity, Igor quickly turned to the Nature Magister and convinced her to send a projection of herself into the altar. He knew that Joshua was not dead, and that to save him, help from the beautiful and authoritative elf was necessary.

Nonetheless, the pope never expected that Joshua's soul was lively that it had rearranged its consciousness and memory just minutes before them, complete with the ability of reasoning.

If he had arrived a moment later, Joshua would definitely have reborn as a solid and powerful spiritual body.

It was no laughing matter. Igor even saw the divine patterns spreading over his soul, and with it as support the warrior's spirit would definitely come to possess immense capabilities that would not lose out to when he was a human. But if that really happens Joshua would never be revived, that was why the elderly pope quickly got Joshua's soul to stop wandering and return to his body.

Whatever the case may be, the Joshua had contributed greatly to the Church of Seven Gods once more. If he did not suppress the red dragon, the Longsword of the Ashlands that could turn an entire particular direction into ash—the parted sea and land be his witness—would be leveled instead at an entire line of fortifications.

It was not some bad case scenario, but the truth. That alone compelled Igor to do his best to revive Joshua, even if it took 'divine providence'.

Still, before that was needed, the Nature Magister who could completely heal his grave injuries walked forward.

There was something unusual about the outer layer of the warrior's soul form. There was a circular pattern of Order power flashing there as if stifling the Nature Magister's senses so that the Legendary champion could not detect the commune between Joshua's soul and Igor.

Naturally, Joshua could not sense it too, and merely obediently return to his body.

The moment the soul slipped back into the toasted body, the warrior could see a green crystalline overflowing with the power of life being pressed over his heart.

A warm touch spread, and his heart started hammering once more.

However, the moment he felt that he could open his eyes and looked upon the world as a human once more, Joshua felt the world spinning.

In the altar, the Nature Magister looked on in amazement at the warrior's chest. The moment she placed the Heartwood of the Lifetree on the hub of his energies and disseminated the incredible lifeforce throughout his body with her secret method to stimulate regrowth, Joshua's heart suddenly flashed with a brilliant green radiance.

The radiance was combined with the Heart's lifeforce that could raise the dead, swiftly repairing Joshua's body. In seconds, blackened body parts peeled off, replaced by new blood and nerves, while the organs and eyeballs grew out in a rather harrowing pace.

However, Joshua's spirit awakened in another illusionary world.

It was a broad grass plain that stretches as far as the eye could see. The emerald plants filled nearby hills, and a little river flowed, winding around valleys and forests.

A peaceful hut stood beside the river, and the whirling sounds of a water wheel could be heard.

The sun shone cozily, the sky was clear and cloudless for thousands of miles.

"The first time I've revived a kid, the family was rearing, my mother stared at me in fear. My father did his best to soothe her, asking me affectionately to not use that power in front of others. But I know that he was scared too—he later tried to be coy about my origins, as if I wasn't their child."

Joshua's entire body suddenly halted. He turned behind to see a comely youth with white hair and eyes, sitting atop the lush green hill.

The youth's white hair was not of this world. His features were kind and flawless—the very definition of perfect. Still, beauty and looks were just a part of him, the most eye-catching was that hint of a smile beside his mouth.

He grinned silently on top of the hill, his plain flax robes flapping lightly in the wind.

"… Sage?"

Joshua inhaled sharply. This was not the first time he was here.

The Sage that spent his early days in a little village, and it was not the first time he spoke either. Still, it was the first time he came seeking the warrior to interact with him.

That being said, the white-haired youth did not answer Joshua's call. He simply stood up lightly and looked up towards the sun.

A dulcet but young voice then came.

"Fear towards the unknown is temporary, they ultimately accepted my ability."

"But I wasn't satisfied—for what did my power represent? And what's behind that? All that I desired to learn was thanks to human curiosity."

The youth then spread his arms against the sun, the golden rays shining into his eyes, reflecting an atypical color.

"That's why I left home and traveled the world. To seek the truth behind nature, the rationale behind all phenomenon.

The scene peaceful river hut then shifted, and time began to hurry. Mountains, dense forests, elven villages, dwarf settlements, halflings huts, lizardmen nests, human towns, floating islands of winged people, centaurs running across grass plains, savage orcs rampaging in barren wastelands, as well as ougels, as dumb as rocks but more powerful than daemons, led their two-headed kind into the hunt for draconic beasts.

There were harpies living beside the cliffs, and deep beneath the oceans, primitive merfolk taming sea monsters. Even at the heart of the icy sea at the northern poles as well as the peaks on the western continent, all sorts of races flourished.

Everything was so alive, so moving.

But ultimately, the images stopped at a battlefield.

It was a skirmish that lasted for thousands of years. Armies of mixed races were tearing at each other for a bountiful land. Swords clashed, blood spluttered and filled rivers and lakes, while corpses blanketed the land.

The white-haired youth stood at the heart of the battlefield—surrounded by blood, bones, and cadavers. He was calmly caressing a human warrior's cheek and closing the spiteful eyes. Though the iron smell of blood was a contrast to his personality, he did not show a trace of discomfort.

"Knowing the truth and possessing power meant seeing further and thinking heavier thoughts."

The illusion changed again, and now the youth stood at the heart of Chaos. He turned and looked at the silent warrior, while silhouettes started appearing beside him.

Finally, thirteen individuals came, standing firmly beside the youth.

"I led human to progress, replaced strife with peace, and the world returned to tranquility under the influence of me and my followers."

"I led the humans away from their walls to build empires."

"I led the elves away from dense forests to form alliances."

"By my doing, the dwarves united under a single leader. Most of the conflicts were eliminated, Order was raised, and all races advanced, hand in hand, towards a new age."

"That is why they honor me by calling me Sage." He said calmly.

Time then finally transfixed to one autumn day several millennia ago. In an altar built in pure white marble, the Sage's solemn expression returned to the one he had in his childhood days. His sight could sweep across the world, and though there were discord, slaughter, war, hardship, and foolishness happening quietly at some corner and persisting, he was satisfied—for it was enough.

The dwarves created a mobile city of steel between the hills, the elves constructed Sunships that launch expeditions far into the void, human exploration teams had broken through dimensions and found more than ten new worlds.

It could not get better. Everything was developing steadily. Though life evolved in wars or survival against cruelty, nobody needed to live through that anymore.

Joshua, however, inhaled sharply again at the scene.

He knew what happened next—the invasion of the Abyss, the advent of the Evil Gods. All that was peaceful and thriving was thus shattered, just like a clay pot within kilns.

Thus, the warrior was rendered speechless.

Keenly aware, the white-haired youth resorted to gazing nostalgically and longingly at the sights of prosperity, just before everything vanished, the illusions being reclaimed by darkness.

Leaving him and the warrior in the void, staring at each other.

"Order will always be destroyed jus as new Order will be reestablished. The multiverse is recycling between the death and rebirth of millions of existences, and I believe that holds true for our world too," the Sage said softly, and walked towards Joshua, hand outstretched as if to touch his face.

But due to an issue with heights, he could only reach his chest. The Sage did not seem to mind, and merely spoke again with a tranquil voice.

"My heir, would you help me love this world?" 

Though he appeared to be just a young man, the words he said were filled with compassion and sentimentality—as if an elder feasting his eyes upon a scion he never saw in ages, releasing a heartfelt lament in turn.

Without waiting for Joshua's answer, the 'Sage' smiled again and dematerialized. The illusory darkness shifted hurriedly too, returning it to the normal darkness since when one's eyes were closed.

The warrior slowly opened his. It was a private room in a temple of the Church.

He was wearing a patient's loose robes, and beside him, the divine armament siblings and black dragon girl stood nervously.

The huge Steel Elemental Unit-01 was standing outside the door due to another case of issue with size. Unable to enter, it lowered its back, and stared keenly at the warrior's bed.

Ying was the first to leap into his arms when they saw that Joshua woke up. The warrior could feel something wet on his chest, as well as hearing a whimper. Black let out a sigh, before pressing down on his legs. Ling was the calmest, but he seemed to turn soft as if prepared to fall to his knees—either way, it was a lot off his mind.

Petting the lass's head, Joshua showed a gentle smile that does not fit his old impression. He spoke, calming everyone and assuring that he was perfectly fine.

Somehow, the warrior could hear a sigh—or perhaps a blessing—ringing around his ears.

–All this.

–My fellow beings that which I love dearly.