Soul of Searing Steel

Starfall Year 841, fifteenth of April, the Great Ajax Mountains of Moldavia, the North.

Once, the Great Ajax Mountains were encircled by lush boreal Dark Forest inhabited countless magical creatures and draconic beasts. A playground for adventurers and explorers alike, it was also the origins of Dark Tides which every region had to be careful of—the Radcliffes' Dark Forest fortress happened to be at the edge between Moldavian borders and the mountains, which was also once the borders between civilization and wildlands.

Now, after the Moldavian Liege had ascended to Legend, wiping out all monsters and purging the Central Dark Forest, even the Dark Forests of the North were withering, leaving one patch at the center of the mountains that no longer mutated but remained lush as ever, a virgin forests where many magical creatures grew. The Dark Forests fortresses at the edge of the mountains no longer had to defend against the Dark Tides of old either, having essentially grown into a city of trade, visited by the many adventurers who brought precious minerals and beast ingredients from the mountains.

Incidentally, the Radcliffe Family crypt was placed at one of the mountaintops by frontiers. That Legendary Liege had long since accomplished his clan's duty, drawing out his ancestors from the obscured foreign dimension so that they could once again see the world they protected at the cost of their lives.

That was perhaps the reason why the region below mountaintop crypt slowly became a public graveyard. Many adventurers who died from accidents or soldiers whom perished in previous Dark Tides were buried there, just as others were given the honor to be buried there… soon, it became laden with tombstones, with the local municipals building walls around while assigning patrolling guards, solemnly and quietly acknowledging the fact.

Whoosh—

The winds billowed lower a low hill, stirring waves over pine forests. Ivan Makarov looked up at the nearby pine trees, before silently looking down at the tombstone before him.

[Edward Makarov]

[SF7775~SF837]

Beside that tombstone carved out of steel stone were two other identical tombstones.

[Andre Makarov]

[SF802~SF832]

[Xena Makarov]

[SF807~SF832]

Beside Ivan, Amelia Makarov was dressed in black formal clothes, closing her eyes and praying in front of the tombstones. As mages, they naturally were no theist, but there was nothing to do now other than to pray.

The simple grave visit quickly ended. Ivan had crouched before the graves of his parents and grandfather, his mouth opened as if wanting to say something, but unable to say anything at once. It was after some time that the platinum-blonde Gold-tier mage said in a drawn-out manner, "Grandpa, dad, mum—it's been nine years. I'm now a member of the Royal Mage Guild and is working at a Mass-Production Enchanted Armor Design Department, more than accomplishing your hopes for me to become a hunter and a mage."

"Grandpa, it's a pity you didn't live past that winter to see us graduate, or my brilliance during the exams… you've even told Madam Derny to hide news of your death so that we won't be disturbed… and that shouldn't have been. It's my greatest regret no to have seen you one last time."

Ivan blanked out slightly after those words, but the spellcaster who had traveled many otherworlds and gained a sturdy spirit quickly recovered. He then turned to the two other tombstones and said happily, "Mum, dad. There are no longer any Pentashade dragons in Moldavia… no, they no longer exist in the world of Mycroft. Any dragon around Moldavia are either wiped out or familiars."

"The Liege had been responsible for the former so it does not count as our vengeance for your sake, but the latter is something myself, Amelia, Karen and Nick. It took us a month to claim the heads of every dragon head—oh, right, we've even taken in a white dragon as a mount. They were the very species that plotted the Draconic Plague, the culprits who've killed you!"

"Now, I can finally say that I've avenged you."

There was no shuddering in Ivan's words, for that was unnecessary. He had achieved success in avenging his parents, live up to his grandfather's hopes—as a child who survived the Draconic Plague, the former hunter's sun had done his best. There was no reason for him to cover or to be humble, instead, he should calmly and pridefully tell his perished kin about his accomplishments, and they may well feel pride for him.

Beside him, the praying Amelia opened her eyes, stood up and held his brother's hand, watching the tombstones before her and spoke softly with the same prideful voice, "Tomorrow, myself, Ivan and other members of our party would become Crew Mages, and be stationed at the first Dreadnaught-class Void battleship."

"Brother would check how many Mega Magical Combat Units the vessel could carry and design an enchanted armor compatible with the ship itself, while I would be in charge of the energy system's circulation. Although our being the Liege's apprentices must have something to do with our assignment to such an important department right after we graduated, we would never be allowed on the ship if we were sub-par."

Nine years had passed.

Once son and daughter of hunters, the Makarovs were now the most elite Gold-tier mages over the entire world. They would board the Dreadnaught-class Battleship—the summation of Starfall civilization's technology and contribute to its future, but what kept them going and surpassing many difficult hurdles before reaching this level was their kin's expectation and the strictest of self-motivation.

A gentle wind billowed, wafting revitalizing fresh air. The two siblings hence lowered their head, closing their eyes before their kin's graves.

"Please be proud of us."

***

Something similar was happening on Kronos.

Lisa the Drakonid girl was standing at the surveillance station beyond the world, watching her own home. Behind her, Syndicate the Balrog and a smaller Zero One looked at each other, unsure what to tell her.

"I say—Lisa, are you really not going down for a visit?"

Syndicate asked carefully after holding it in for some time. "We are going to be testers tomorrow, and would be boarding the battleship—if you don't visit it now, it would be a long time before we can come again."

" Bzzt-bzzt, bzzt-bzzt-bzzt, bzzt-bzzt-bzzt-bzzt-bzzt. " Zero One nodded and buzzed in agreement.

In response, the Drakonid girl simply turned and grinned, her expression relaxed. "There's no need. Thanks."

"I don't want to go back because I am simply a little afraid… afraid that if I go, I could not return to the portal by the appointed time. It would be a waste if the enlistment for vessel testing that we fought so hard to secure is voided."

"…"

Even without looking, Syndicate's ears could pick up the loneliness behind her smile. He certainly understood why—Lisa did not want to go back was naturally because she would hate to delay them as she had put it, but more than that, she would not want to see that world: familiar, yet her parents and acquaintances were not there.

She had stopped by Kronos shorter with each visit. It was not because she hated her homeworld but that she liked it too much: she was obsessed with the winds of her home, the scents of her origins and the growing downpours of her old village. Therefore, Lisa, who had greater ambitions, resisted that desire even more firmly.

Before she succeeded, before she could become like her mentor and Dragon God—beings capable of changing worlds and converting their own ignorant race into civilization, she must endure, and become stronger while holding on to that spirit.

But Syndicate stepped up, catching Lisa hand as she appeared prepared to turn back.

"Alright. Let's cut the nonsense."

The former balrog said heavy-handedly, dragging the bewildered Lisa towards the Kronos portal. "Go take a look if you want to do it so much. It's a great thing to board the Dreadnaught-class battleship, so why not go back and tell your parents?"

"Moreover, if you are so afraid of wanting to stay and losing to your own desires, Lisa… don't you still have me?"

Syndicate smiled nonchalantly as he stood beside the Drakonid girl in the portal. "Don't worry, I would always stay beside you, reminding you."

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***

Starfall Year 841, fifteenth of April, a vast and flat part of the Barnett Highlands, southeast of the Void warships docks.

Teams of Imperial mages were running around a steel base that was inscribed with runes and built over the highlands. They formed groups as they watched the many screens nervously, seemingly analyzing data and running simulations. At the same time, construction workers wearing enchanted armor were urgently digging ditches over the vast highlands, as well as reimbuing runes.

Still, most of the work was now completed. Both groups of personnel were simply here to test and adjust a completed spell circle, which was why the atmosphere was nervous but not busy.

"What do you think, Nostradamus?"

At the center of the mages and construction workers, Legendary mage Barnil was at once handling streams of runes on the screen in front of him, while another Legendary mage frowned and laughed from the other side of another screen. "Feeling nervous? Tomorrow is the maiden voyage of the super warship you lot planned a long time for, after all. Feeling antsy?"

"Why do I have to be nervous?"

Nostradamus, sitting on the surveillance throne and controlling the Skynet System merely responded nonchalantly. "I'm not in charge—Israel himself decreed to have it researched and built back then."

"Hmph. Well, it has to be said that the future God of Might and Justice had been truly far-sighted."

Barnil sneered and shook his head at the screen. "Even not counting the bow, the ship is more than a thousand meters long, and weights more than three million tons even with the repulsors systems running. The materials for such an unthinkable behemoth would have been enough for ten standard Void warships—and you lot even designed it without in-world cruising functions in mind, and for all intents and purposes, it is simply used for claiming the Void."

"Really. That thing could only have been built at the Void like Fort Pioneer, and without Joshua, the Dreadnaught-class battleship would never have passed even the World Barrier. When that happens, the vessel which allegedly boasts destructive force surpassing typical Legends would never undock, and it would be useless."

The old mage shrugged on the other side of the screen. "Still, Barnil… don't we have Joshua after all?"

"You're right." Barnil laughed without any retort even as he kept controlling the runes before him. "That's why I was saying this would not be a failed design, but a far-sighted one."

"Ah, he's here!"

As the Rune Master spoke, he closed the screen in front of himself, which in turn seemed to cause veins of enchanted rainbow radiance to appear over the vast, even plains.

The mages and engineers who had been running over the plains, checking the spell and rune status quickly evacuated when he saw the light they had seen in their drills. With them gone, flickering runes hence appeared on the outermost layer of the rainbow.

Shrouding almost all of the Barnett Highlands to form a patterned circle over the land, glinting runes appeared as if a piece of domino had materialized on the outer portion of the circular spell, with even more dominos soon filling the entire circle.

Then, all the dominos collapse, each of which had been energized and connected by Barnil's power. A profound power, drawn by the great runic circle was hence promptly drawn out from the subterranean depths and gathered into the circle. Thus, in that single moment, a blinding white beam burst forth, firing away like a shooting star towards the highest point in the skies—end of the world!

Barnil looked up and smiled at the bright tractor beam. All runes had been set in place, the foundation had been established, with even the energy systems filled with the world's core energies that he had drawn out. The old mage's work was finished, and all he had to do next is wait for the most powerful quickest and 'biggest' construction worker of this world.

In fact, Barnil did not have to wait too long.

Boom—Boom—

With the echoes of something astronomically heavy approaching, a shadow suddenly appeared over the skies.

The clouds thus moved upwards unnaturally, while all pebble and dirt on the ground defied gravity and floated.

Every person present—from the mages to the construction workers apart from Barnil gulped when they saw that shadow. It certainly was not out of fear but reverence of the existence that created that shadow, and it was precisely that it was not an enemy that they would be awe of its splendor.

Some moments later, the shadow paused.

Even sunlight had slightly dulled, with more radiance absorbed by that great shadow itself.

In the next instant, following a heart-stopping heavy crash that echoed from the skies, massive circular shockwaves unfurled, causing the heavens to tremble and the clouds to disperse.

At present, both Barnil and Nostradamus, and every Legendary champion or deity watching the Barnett highlands saw the sight unfolding over the edge of the skies.

A gap had split open over the World Barrier.

Then, an infinitely massive and long bony arm forged entirely out of Steel that was more a metal beam hence followed the tractor beam Barnil cast and reached into the world of Mycroft.

And, just like that, it gently pressed upon the great circle over the Barnett Highlands.