Soul of Searing Steel

Far away, in the darkness on the other side of space, innumerable warships of unusual designs were moving through the stars.

Blazing exhaust fumes were spraying in that surge of steel that blanketed the world, pushing them forward as thousands upon thousands of fleets from different origins gathered as one, resembling a moving nebula.

Right in front of those physical warships were countless supernatural forms manifesting out of Emotion power, flashing in radiance under control of their masters and darting silently through the stars.

Billions of fighters were advancing from every corner of the cosmos, with civilizations and races from every corner of the world able to see them—they were looking straight ahead, their eyes ablaze and yet all of them remaining silent, never uttering a single word.

And in front of the Armada of Emotion, an elderly Tanyan who resembled a cicada stood upon the vermillion warship bridge, staring out calmly at the space ahead.

The reverberation of Extraordinary power quaking the atmosphere was the only sound audible of present.

Quietly, the roulette of Emotion was rotating.

It was the rumbling from the engine of the warships that broke the silence.

***

The vanguard troops, positioned at the second spiral arm of the Dark Galaxy in Stellaris.

"What is that light?"

Leader of Operation Retaliation and commander of the Gallantry Fleet, the Tanyan Perpetuator named Kedar studied the report before his eyes somberly and muttered, "The data from the psionic observation is complete gibberish: supergravity converter detected dead ahead? Don't fool around, the entire galaxy is about to break apart according to this data!"

Though he was reprimanding, the commander placed the record evenly on a control panel despite hints of annoyance, unwittingly turning his compound as if he was in thought.

Such inconceivable power… but instead of declaring it some fake record that the machine error created with up to seven or eight zeroes added accidentally, it would be better to admit that it was reality.

"Moreover, with my foretelling ability as a Perpetuator… I can be sure that it's real."

Closing his eyes, Kedar fell silent. 

Just now, he had used his own power and attempted to feel the source of that unusual light at the heart of the Dark Galaxy, only to have his projected strength instantly wiped out. It had been so rapid that he was not even hurt by the feedback.

Either way, it was all real—all of the Dark Galaxy was about to collapse and split because of the battle between champions.

Where that light glimmered, profound power unimaginable even for Perpetuators was overflowing like the epicenter of a tsunami, with the tides incessantly pushing outwards towards the stars of the entire galaxy, breaking them apart. The sheer shockwave itself was enough to give pause the largest galactic alliance fleet in Stellaris history, even leaving them trembling.

"Are we still going ahead?"

"To be frank, there's no enemy in sight."

Kedar could hear the doubtful voices of the alliance troops behind him then. They were feeling instinctive fear, keeping them away from the danger and the galactic battlefield.

"Most of the Evil God spawns have promptly vanished, and we had slain those Void monsters born from the Pestilence…is there still a need to move forward?"

"Our missions have mostly been accomplished!"

Quietly, Kedar listened to the troops who were, in fact, correct—after their venerable Iron Skin leader and the Infernal God of the Midgardians had headed for the core of the Dark Galaxy, the legions of Evil God Spawns had vanished in a puff of smoke, just as the Pestilence spread significantly slower. At the moment, the only mission left for the Retaliation Fleet was to set up a star base on the Beam Saber node that they had occupied.

Still, with the galaxy about to be dismantled, it was questionable whether they should set up base.

"I think we should retreat, commander."

Kedar heard a familiar voice hailing them through Psi. It was Faya, his former subordinate in the Blaze Fleet and present vice commander, who was uncomfortably saying, "Since the enemy is destroyed, there's no purpose in lingering. Let's pull back from the landing point and await our orders—everyone's also feeling a little nervous since the Life Preservation Sequence has gone silent since a while ago."

"I see."

Standing at the fore of the bridge, the commander stared at the dark space ahead and the endless stars, calmly replying, "Our mission is certainly accomplished—we have just culled more Evil God spawns than the last few decades put together while reclaiming many lost grounds, majorly venting the grudge of being invaded over so many years…but does that mean a thing?!"

The abrupt enraged yell left the noisy comms channel in complete silence, while Kedar did not turn his head and growled, "Isn't our venerable leader and the God of you Midgardians just ahead—fighting where the light is shining? Did our troops labor so much, destroying so many Chaos spawns, to come here just to accomplish the 'mission' and not reclaim the future that Evil Gods had stolen from us?"

Then, taking a deep breath, Kedar pressed down on the sudden flames of rage rising in his mind. Having walk far along the path of Emotion power, he could feel the side effects from Ring of Courage manifesting upon his body…the most apparent symptom being sudden fits of anger.

"…I am well aware, just as all of you would be."

Feeling repressed but also calming his tone, the silence emanated across the psionic channels while Kedar stared forward with a lonely gaze, softly saying, "The fight ahead probably is no longer one for any individual beneath Perpetuator or Boundless Light. That entity which is fighting our Iron Skin Leader and the Midgardian God is powerful beyond imagination, and the violence from their fight actually quakes the foundation of our galaxy.

But is this not the moment to charge forward?

"Leave, all of you."

The heart and the mouth were expressing different things as the calm commander suddenly relayed clear orders to retreat. "There is certainly no purpose in having all of you stay here—hurry up and leave. Although the shockwave would take a few thousand years to reach here, all of us would be in danger upon seeing that unusual light if there are warp blows that go beyond light speed."

"…No. Commander. Did you assume that we fear death?"

The long silence on comms was broken by an angry question. "We are only afraid that our deaths would be worthless—but since you have said that, I will lead the fleet forward even if hell is ahead of us!"

"Me too!"

"Who on earth joins the vanguard of Operation Retaliation but is afraid to die?!"

"Never planned to return alive. Commander, do not besmirch our courage!"

In a split second, the comms become a million times noisier than before as innumerable languages, voices, frequencies, even cries and roars echoed through it—but it returned to silence again as Kedar, the Tanyan commander-in-chief who held the highest authority, pressed the full-mute button.

"If lives were betting chips of fate, the world would therefore be unequal."

The elderly being voice rang with the cold sound of his translating machine. "All of you are right: there's no point in all of you staying here since all of you are too weak… no, we are all truly weak, that we would feel cowardly at the very sight of shockwaves thousands of light-years away.

"As betting chips, our lives are essentially insignificant…but whether the chips have greater or smaller value, they are the same because the owner controls them—in other words, the resolve to die and be sacrificed exists."

"But is that necessary?"

At that, Kedar paused as if allowing the others time to think, before slowly saying after a moment, "For all of us, what is worth dying and sacrificing ourselves for is not to destroy our enemies, but to protect family, brethren, and things that matter to us. To that end, true courage is to decisively choose to withdraw and avoid a senseless end due to a moment of impulse!"

Those words were reasonable that most of the muted Retaliation Fleet were convinced, not to mention that they had wanted to retreat to survey the resent situation in the first place… but it was only Faya, Kedar's former First Mate who was most familiar with the Tanyan, sensed something unusual in Kedar's tone.

'Retreating to protect the people important to us is true courage' is the right call… but does Commander Kedar still have important people in his life?!

Unsurprisingly, just as Faya ruminated, the massive star destroyer in front of the Emotion Fleet abruptly left formation, its engines moving at full speed and darting forward at full power.

"Commander!"

Faya instinctively mobilized his own ship to keep up with his former captain, with many ships doing the same—even so, a mysterious interfered their control over Emotion power, preventing them from moving their ships at once, watching as the massive star destroyer warped away.

It was only then that the Midgardian, who smashed his fist angrily onto a control panel, heard the final words of the old Tanyan.

"I have nothing now, Faya."

"That was why, be it out of pity or compassion, allow this lonely old man to embody sacrificial courage as he fights to the very end…for young people like all of you."

"Commander!!"

Faya gritted his teeth, promptly looking up at the spot where the old Tanyan had disappeared as Kedar's words lingered around his ears.

"Witness, in my place, the light of tomorrow."

***

At the moment, Kedar, who was streaking ahead at the fastest speed he moved in life, remembered many things.

Including the child, the friends and people he loved, as well as the nation and civilization he cherished.

And the world he held dear.

"What am I even saying…'I have nothing'?"

As the old Tanyan drove the ship across the dimensions, he felt boundless power pouring into him, setting his life and soul aflame. Feeling that, Kedar laughed, both self-deprecatingly and composedly.

"Don't I still have my life?"

[I have always struggled for a single objective.]

[For myself, for my child, for my civilziation and the world.]

[But is that really necessary? Simply putting my life on the line for simple reasons…trading for another upon losing one, it's like finding excuses to die.]

[Isn't the greatest courage to survive by all means to witness the future regardless of despair?]

[But… I knew it, I certainly knew that it was true courage.]

[And yet I would still do it.]

[Not sacrificing, not resolving myself, not for anyone else or even love and hate.]

[I just want to see the light.]

"As I thought."

Warping through various coordinates and punching forward, the old Tanyan looked on as boundless divine radiance arose from the brightening and distorting silver core—at that very moment, the crimson Ring of Courage on Kedar's limb illuminated in the splendor of divine strength.

Ignoring all that, Kedar smiled and softly muttered, "Even if it's a little bit, just a little, insignificant bit… I will join the fight."

Even if small and inconspicuous, I will witness the light that broke the darkness of the stars.

The light of courage burst forth!

His name was Kedar, Bearer of the Ring of Courage!

On the other side of the dimensions where the vortex rumbled, one of the Four Divine Rings shone in resonance, having felt its agent, an individual who could embody its power, arising. Thus, it began to swell, stirring raging tides of emotion.

Another chip of causality has been betted.

Hence, possibilities began to close itself.

***

The silver core black hole at the center of the Dark Galaxy in Stellaris—the space of silver and blue where ultimate Extraordinary individuals stood off in violent confrontation against the gloomy alternate space that had come from the other side.

At present, every external destruction was diminishing as the three sides in the battle focused all their attention on their adversary. Nothing could be seen or felt in the tricolored and erratic space that covered the silver core black hole, as only the brightest light bent the dimensions itself, leaving everything in the galaxy in pieces.

Mutually devouring, plundering, and dominating—universal constants were altered as the tempo of light was controlled. In this battle, the factions were equally matched, with none able to secure advantage.

The only thing that could decide victory or defeat was their equally profound 'will', which would last until the universe ended.

The battle looked like it would have lasted forever, until a single bright crimson star appeared in the heart of the grand conflict.

It was surging like a tiny raft amidst wrathful tides, engulfed by the distorted space and unable to control itself. However, with the burst of a single vein of divine strength, it finally controlled its path forward through Courage.

Thus, without pause, it rushed into the profound darkness.

Soon, shorter than a single split second and quieter than a drop of rain falling into a sea—not to mention the lack of a single ripple—the bright scarlet star was consumed entirely by the dark space. Even the remnant divine strength only flickered for an instant before being swallowed into the darkness.

It lasted only a brief moment, but heroes never concerned themselves with how long they would shine!

When the darkness had melted that iota of divine Emotion which had been insignificant to it, the balance was broken. The difference that was 'just a little bit' had caused a cataclysmic chain reaction!

"Now!"

The silhouette of the silver Giant God could be heard roaring resoundingly over the cosmos. He could feel the divine power pouring from the Four Divine Rings rising exponentially from the Swirl of Emotions, gathering the strength that had could have either come from a 'surprising coincidence' or 'certain fate'. Either way, Joshua did not hesitate to clench his fist and smash it heavily down on the egoistic beast!

[Releasing restraints: Self-destruction levels—400% overclocking.]

On the other side, Star the Steel Python and the Triple Curtain were exerting their full power as if they were about to burn themselves out, charging forward alongside the warrior!

Likewise, the Ultimate Sublimator Collective silently mustered all of its remaining strength, gathering all that that it had dominated in the final burst to meet them head on.

It was a single moment that seemed to last for all eternity.

Endless light ignited all life visible in the observable universe, returning all to the moment of the Big Bang.