Soul of Searing Steel

The First Agricultural Realm of the Cherrie Union.

The world tree which roots covered the continent shook its twigs and leaves, interrupting the murloc who had been conducting an experiment on one of the branches.

Even so, the murloc did not complain—Godard the Murloc High Priest merely looked up blankly, shuffling out of his lab before staring up at the empty pinnacle of the world.

"Galanoud, did you hear it?"

"I did."

A lively elven voice spoke from the huge World Tree, but with a hint of somberness. "It's a curious voice…though I almost seem to understand it, there's no doubt that it is very important."

"But it's not as important as the work at hand."

On his branch, Godard frowned in thought and said, "You should continue, I'll contact Igor and the others…damn it, Joshua's not here while the Seven Gods' secret project is at a vital juncture. We may have to ask the Commanding Will of the Multiverse Sacrificial Grounds—it may not know much, but it'll know more than we do."

"Hold on, Godard. My experiment might have succeeded. Let me check the final step."

Just as the Murloc High Priest was prepared to contact the other Legends, the Nature Magister told him the unexpected good news. Godard paused for a moment, before exclaiming in surprised delight, "Really!? You've developed a vaccine for the Ultimate Virus?" 

The towering tree did not answer, although a green halo was shrouding Godard. He did not resist, and at the very next instant, the Murloc High Priest had arrived into a jade-green chamber that was half-wood and half-crystal.

In other words, the heart of the world tree.

***

Nature Power was a derivative force between mana and lifeforce, sharing a connection with all life in the world. Indeed, there was nothing that did not invoke Nature Power, even if manmade.

That was at once its advantage and disadvantage, because Nature Power would not form in barren worlds devoid of life despite rich reserves of mana, just as it would wither in worlds lush with life but lacking magical energy. In other words, its essence was mana with lifeforce attributes or lifeforce with magical attributes, and was considered the earliest combination of Extraordinary powers similar to divine energy and Emotion power.

Now, at the heart of the world tree, profound lifeforce and mana surged around and flowed along the crystal circuits inside the wall. Guided by a dark green light formed from Nature Power, Godard arrived in an exceedingly vast quarantine hold.

Upon entry, the serene atmosphere promptly shifted as Godard found the corner of the place littered with piling bones, sealed tightly by the crystals imbued with Nature Power. The High Priest knew that those were the remains of creatures consumed by the Ultimate Virus, specimens Galanoud had created. There were probably a few hundreds of thousands of them used over the last few days, with countless more about to be used since valueless specimens would be disintegrated and recycled as materials for the next testing.

Meanwhile, at the center of the quarantine hold, which was covered entirely in a body of crystal, a massive fungal ecosystem was flourishing. Within it, fungal forms of all colors with supernatural energy were squirming and growing in the miniature zone that was five kilometers wide.

"From my studies, I've found that any creature more complex than sponges or jellyfish are easily corrupted by the Ultimate Virus. It has certain conditions for selection, and they value the complex organisms the most."

Noticing the gaze of the Murloc High Priest, the world tree, Galanoud's present true form, explained, "In other words, I'd need specimen species simpler than sponges and jellyfish to study the corruption process of the Ultimate Virus thoroughly… there aren't many of them since sponges are the most inferior multicellular organism, with jellyfish just ranking a little higher than them.

"Is that why you've chosen microorganisms and fungi? Well, it's right since the ancestors of sponges are fungi, and it could only be them if one thought about it in simpler terms."

Godard nodded thoughtfully as a fellow specialist in the same field. "So, you've succeeded?"

"Perhaps."

The Nature Magister's voice was firm. Nature Power hence manifested as an arrowhead and pointed Godard to a colony of fungi. "It's not that the Ultimate Virus cannot corrupt fungi and microorganisms, since its structure is smaller than all presently known virus, with the smallest variant around ten nanometers and the biggest no larger than fifty. Still, even other viruses are targets to be 'sublimated'—I've just destroyed some supervirus that was undergoing initial Ultimate growth, and can use Psi to infect any intelligent form that uses spiritual energy in the domain of thought, gradually altering their minds to become the Ultimate Entities we are familiar with."

"However, the bacteria and fungi never did evolve to the state of Ultimate Entities. But look—they are manipulating supernatural forces with their colonies that form structures similar to runes and magical circuits…it is truly frightening."

"But the change that the Ultimate Virus induced in the fungal colonies has allowed me to unravel a loophole about it."

"What loophole?"

"It's quite simple." Galanoud answered simply. "The Ultimate Virus is selfish and very intelligent, ensuring that its host would succeed in becoming sublime before assimilating with the host to become an Ultimate Entity. However, limited energy would prompt the Ultimate Virus to take away all its host's energy once it realizes that the refinement would fail, as made evident by those withered host bones over there, after of which it would self-replicate and spread."

"However, as long as failure is not guaranteed, the Ultimate Virus would never increase its own kind, once again because it is selfish. That's why if one individual succeeds, it wouldn't breed a second."

"Combining that aspect with the fact the Ultimate Virus favors complex organisms, I've uncovered an important factor: The Ultimate Virus seeks individual ultimate growth, and the host should be as huge and as complex as possible."

Godard appeared to have some inkling, and so the Nature Magister smiled. "With that factor and multiple tests, I've discovered that the Ultimate Virus acts unusually slowly should it infect inferior multicellular organisms…it is explainable, since jellyfish would not actually be that formidable after undergoing ultimate growth, and maybe enchanted sponges would have some value. Moreover, rather than squandering its chance on some weak creatures, the Ultimate Virus wouldn't hesitate to hibernate and delay its corruption process."

"So!" The Murloc High Priest exclaimed excitedly, punching his own path after keeping up with Galanoud's thought. "If the Ultimate Virus could be misdirected…"

"Yes. If it could be misdirect to infect a host that isn't human, but is simply a massive sponge, jellyfish, or microorganism, it would not act at once but only be triggered in eight to fourteen days and attempt to find their next host."

There was a puzzling mirth in the Nature Magister's voice. "In a nutshell, it won't corrupt you if it considers you refuse," she said quietly, "and would instead reserve its strength for when it encounters a better target."

No one could use you if you're refuse.

At that, the Murloc High Priest fully understood the Nature Magister's idea.

The Ultimate Virus was indeed a superior biological creation far more advanced than present-day Mycroft, and indeed the legacy made by a certain ultimate lifeform. It was an impossible task to tailor a vaccine based on its essence—at least, Galanoud could not do it at the moment.

On the other hand, utilising the Virus's own exceedingly advanced and intelligent aspects was actually viable…creating a supernatural medicine that imbued attributes mimicking sponges and jellyfish would keep the Virus from infecting them, and instead pick other targets.

Would that be difficult?

It was actually all too easy. In Extraordinary realms, where dragons could assume human form and humans could become neutron stars or even a world, merely masquerading as some invertebrate was too simple for Legendary champions.

While that would mean that as the Ultimate Virus would simply be redirected to cultivate things like Ultimate Cow, Ultimate Grass, Ultimate Creepers, or even Ultimate Cereus, humans were at least safe… and that was enough. If it did not move and maintained its weeklong lurking period, having the Seven Gods and a few Legends disinfecting the populace would cull the Virus entirely.

On the other hand, if circumstances proved unfortunate and the Virus's natural anti-arcane aspect rendered the transfiguration trick ineffective or simply triggered earlier… there was nothing to be done since it would be a dire situation then. Galanoud could only ensure the safety of most, and not for all humankind.

"Would it work?"

Still, worries bloomed as the excitement passed. Godard paced a few circles around the quarantine hold, his brow wrinkling once again, "If the Ultimate Virus realizes that its host is just pretending to be a sponge…"

"100%. The Ultimate Entities are definitely supernatural creations of a pinnacle lifeform so advanced that it would not risk wasting energy to check whether its victims were an advanced lifeform pretending to be an invertebrate, or simply was one."

There was great assurance in the Nature Magister's voice. "After all, it is so small that it cannot carry out multiple infections, regardless of how advanced its method in carrying energy around is. It must go for the kill with each strike, which gives us this chance to exploit.

"I did it."

"…And it could not have gone any better."

Murloc sighed deeply and quickly raised the communications circle in his hand, unable to wait to share the good news with the other Legends.

***

Igor was the first to be informed, having quickly realized that it was a remarkably simple and viable countermeasure against the infection after Godard provided a general explanation.

"Now, immediately, right away."

He said, and took out his own communications circle to inform the others. "Have Galanoud write down the recipe—we'll include it in Joshua's Redemption Beam… Thank goodness Radcliffe is finally helping in a way beyond fighting…without the Redemption Beam, the production period alone would see the deaths of millions—trillions, if we include the cosmos' population."

The elderly pontiff hesitated for a moment then, before shaking his head and said determinedly, "The other civilizations must be informed of this measure as well. Ha, this isn't too hard a countermeasure and someone else must've discovered it too, but let's consider a low-cost favor."

"After all, no civilization in the Multiverse must die anymore. If that voice had indeed spoken the truth, this could be the last chance."

And if all civilizations could not work together even in this final chance and share their resource in the fight against that profound threat…then this plague called selfishness would sever all hope, thus bringing upon the fated destruction and apocalypse.

"It's my duty as an intelligent being."

Pope Igor did not believe himself to be wiser, and knew for certain that he was simply gifted with innate talent, luck, legacy, and conditions for growth. His wisdom and talent would never ascend him as the Heir of the Holy Light or Pope of Worlds and Races—he will be the pontiff of Mycroft at best, a fine person who was formidable, benevolent, and enjoyed watching sunrises.

Even so, none would claim that the Mycroftians or their Pope was unconcerned about the Multiverse—just as no race could say that they existed apart from worlds.

For in the face of the calamity that would engulf every world, the minds of all intelligence were one, and not an island.

Under the illumination of the Flame, Order must exist eternally.

That was what he firmly believed; that was why he continued unto this day.

Upon this path completely different from the Ultimate Virus—the path called civilization.

***

Meanwhile, the voice which resounded through the Multiverse echoed in the erratic dimensions. All champions and the enlightened hence understood that this was the final moment: the path to the Root was about to be severed, and the Initial Flame would soon completely be detached from the Multiverse.

From then on out, everything would be doomed, for they would become black ashes that could not burn anew after their flames died.

Therefore…

I must succeed.

We must succeed.

It would be alright as long as I succeed.

It would be alright as long as someone has a future.

It has to be me and only me. The Multiverse would have no purpose without me, with neither destruction nor death having meaning.

I am the best. I hope it is me. But if it proves not to be me, I hope that at least my successors and I will hold the chance for a future.

The beast and a civilization that yearned for tomorrow.

A clear line separated both like an Abyss, aptly known as the Abyss of tomorrow. It divided two forms of behavior and fundamental logic, deciding the future of the Multiverse.

Even if there were those unable to distinguish between the two, but at least as a collective, even if the alien races leaned towards ruin and suffered from mysophobia which compelled them to destroy all that was foreign, they were civilizations too, a group formed from countless individuals—most civilizations would understand.

However, that was only 'mostly'.

At the dome of stars above the Amos Court, a great luminous nebula was in deep thought as the beast cried from afar—until Void warships arrived one after another, interrupting his thoughts.