"Intelligent life cannot break through the universe. If it cannot break through the universe, then it can never truly understand the universe. And if it cannot understand the universe, then it will be destroyed by the Ultimate Void!"
"Even gods cannot last forever. If one wishes to avoid final destruction, the only path is to break through the universe and become the void..."
Karthus looked down at the planet beneath him with indifferent eyes. Once, this world had been full of life, but now it was nothing but silence. Since death could not be avoided, then one should accept it willingly. That was Karthus's choice. Yet some detestable bastard wanted to deny everything he stood for and destroy all his work. That was something Karthus could not accept. For that reason, he needed enough power, enough power to fight the bastard who meant to negate him.
"I need enough power!"
"And the only path to power is the void..."
"Over all these long years, with the Grand Clock's help, I have finally managed to catch a trace of true void life!"
"Compared to gene-engineered super-life-forms like us, those great beings that stand within the void are the ones who deserve to be called true gods!"
Karthus recorded everything carefully. He looked down on Kayle and did not think much of Zilean either. Over the long passage of time, he had concluded that everyone else's path was wrong and only his own path was correct, because he had glimpsed a great existence, one beyond time, greater than space, and independent of the universe itself.
"And today, the moment has come. Today, I will communicate with that great existence!"
As Karthus finished his final notes, he knew that the instant Jovian led the host of angels into the Styx Galaxy would be the moment everything reached its end, either his end, or the end of the angels and every Shenhe civilization.
"Grand Clock, help me break through the universe and connect to the void..."
Once Karthus had finished recording everything, he used the vast computational power of the Grand Clock to connect to the void.
"Time, space, reality..."
"The universe is made of all these things. Once a universe is born, countless life-forms arise within it. Every one of their tiny bodies contains astonishing power and infinite possibility. Some awakened beings can even push their thoughts beyond the known universe and perceive my existence. And today, through my eyes, you will all witness a conversation with someone whose consciousness has successfully broken through the walls of his own universe. Let's see what kind of change he'll make with a little push from me. I am the Watcher!"
On the outer edge of the Super Seminary universe, within endless black chaos, a bald being with shining eyes murmured to himself.
"Excuse me, is this the void?"
Suddenly, a ripple of light appeared in the darkness and began communicating with the brilliant bald figure.
"You could think of it that way."
Looking at the flickering "flame" before him, something that could go out at any moment, the bald figure smiled and answered in the gentlest tone possible, already setting the hook.
"So my path really was the right one."
The moment he heard that answer, Karthus's consciousness grew intensely active. He was excited. Ever since remaking himself into a phantom form and losing almost all joy, anger, sorrow, and delight, this was the first time he had felt such excitement.
"May I ask, how can I transcend the universe and become a great being like you?"
Like a humble apprentice, Karthus asked the shining bald figure for guidance.
"No chance in this life. Maybe next life, if you're lucky enough to be born right..."
The Watcher accidentally let the blunt truth slip out. To be honest, he had no idea how one became a being like him. He had simply been born that strong. Not one member of the Watcher race was weak, and he himself was only a fairly ordinary one among them.
"Why not try opening the sealed gate of your universe and invite the void into it?"
"As the first one to truly touch the void, you would surely gain power beyond all things!"
The Watcher rubbed his gleaming scalp and came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea for Karthus.
"I see..."
And Karthus believed him.
"Thank you for your guidance, great void life-form. Once I transcend all this, I will surely repay this kindness."
Karthus expressed his sincere respect to the Watcher.
"That won't be necessary..."
The Watcher gently shook his head. Deep down, he held Karthus's reverence in total contempt, but he was not about to say that out loud.
"Then let me congratulate you in advance on your success!"
The Watcher offered Karthus his warmest goodwill.
"Mm..."
Karthus withdrew the part of his consciousness that had extended beyond the Super Seminary universe. But in a place Karthus never noticed, endless matter was wrapping itself around the outer edge of the entire Super Seminary universe, and within that black expanse, a pair of enormous eyes watched everything.
"For our god Karthus!"
When the holiest beings in the known universe, the angels, entered the Styx Galaxy on a massive scale, they were met with unprecedented resistance. Countless battleships charged toward them without any regard for their own survival.
"Have these tiny spacefaring civilizations gone insane?"
The beautiful school-uniform angels looked helplessly at the spacefaring civilizations ramming warships toward them. Their expressions were full of baffled frustration. They simply could not understand who had given these pathetic weaklings the courage to attack the angels, the greatest and most powerful beings in the known universe, when these civilizations could not even scratch the uniforms the angels were wearing. Did they not understand that angels, each one equipped with a third-generation divine body, were to civilizations that could not even create a first-generation super soldier as real gods?
"My king!"
Leng looked at the fleets facing off against the angels and flew to Jovian, who sat high on his throne with a beauty on either side.
"What is it?"
Hearing her voice, Jovian stopped the enjoyable little game he had been playing and looked at Leng.
"Battleships are blocking our path. We cannot pass through them directly and enter the Styx Galaxy."
Leng reported the situation truthfully.
"Hm?"
Jovian frowned slightly and turned his eyes toward the Styx Galaxy.
Sure enough, when his gaze swept over it, he found countless battleships suspended in space.
"Analyzing..."
"Analysis complete. With the enemy's technology, they cannot break through. Recommendation: charge straight through."
His bio-engine's voice instantly sounded in his mind.
"Destroy them."
After finishing his scan, Jovian gave Leng only those two calm words.
"As you command!" Leng had never questioned Jovian, and once she received the order, she did not hesitate. She immediately relayed it to the entire angel host. "All units, hear my command. Exterminate every enemy blocking our advance! Prepare Judgment!"
The instant Leng's order spread across the angel army, all hundred thousand school-uniform angels raised their flaming swords at once. In a flash, a hundred thousand blazing lights ignited in the dark universe like a hundred thousand radiant stars.
"Fire!"
The moment the angels were ready with Judgment, Leng issued the command to all of them.
And the instant that command was given, ten full blasts of Judgment, each one powerful enough to burn away divine bodies and destroy chief gods, were launched straight at the battleships blocking the angels' path.
"Gentlemen, you've done well."
Watching the dazzling light that seemed ready to set the universe on fire through the observation screen, the fleet commander spoke the last words of his life to his crew.
"Everything is for our god Karthus!"
Inside the battleship, the soldiers faced their commander and gave him the final salute of their lives.
Boom!
Countless ships suddenly shook...
"What's happening?"
Hearing the violent rumbling inside the warships, countless crew members looked up, only to be instantly burned to ash by heat reaching one hundred million degrees.
When the light finally faded, every last one of the countless battleships floating in the universe had vanished without a trace.
"Advance!"
As if they had merely cleared away some refuse, the noble and beautiful angels wiped out the weaklings blocking their path through the Styx Galaxy and continued forward. This time, nothing obstructed their route.
Karthus's academy...
"My god, please retreat now!"
"Once the surrounding space is locked down, there will be no chance left for us to leave!"
Several of the "gods" of the Styx Galaxy looked anxiously at Karthus, who sat in the academy quietly reading. They had already received the frontline report. The fleet they had sent to block the angel army had been completely annihilated.
"Leave?"
"Why should I leave?"
"This is my territory. No one can force me to leave it..."
Karthus sat in his study, calmly writing in his journal.
"My god, stop talking to yourself!"
"The enemy is almost here!"
"The new Angel King is nothing like Kayle. He doesn't believe in justice at all!"
"He's a god of pure self-indulgence. If you don't leave now, you really won't be able to leave at all!"
This god of the Styx Galaxy looked at his chief god in utter desperation. He kept glancing up and around, and honestly, what he wanted most right now was to slap Karthus across the face and yell, "Idiot, if you don't start running now, then you're fucked!"
But Karthus was the source of their faith, their great chief god. He absolutely could not do something so disrespectful.
"Karthus, come out!"
Just as that god of the Styx was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to persuade his great chief god to leave, a clear voice rang out from outside the academy, bright as a songbird in the trees.
"Damn it, those angel bitches are here!"
"I'll lure them away. Take this chance to get our god out of here!"
One of the three divine-body gods of the Styx Galaxy made up his mind. He would go out himself and draw the angels away for his god.
"Brother, take care!"
The other two of the three gods looked at their comrade preparing to go out and die alone, and genuine sorrow appeared in their eyes.
Time passing and long years together had forged real feelings between them.
"There's no need to grieve for me. Death is only the beginning of everything. Protect our god, and when you have the chance, bring me back. Then we can all continue serving our god together!"
The Styx god who was going out to die finished speaking and left without giving the other two a chance to say anything.
When he stepped out of the academy and looked up into the sky, he found that there was not a whole host of angels waiting for him after all. There was only a single beautiful female angel with a high ponytail, holding a flaming sword and hovering in the air.
"You think one angel is enough to come here and start shouting? Send out your chief god!"
The Styx god saw that only one angel stood outside, and immediately flew into a rage. He knew that sending out just one angel as the vanguard meant only one thing, the enemy did not think they were worth taking seriously at all.
"You think you're worthy of our chief god coming out personally?"
"You're giving yourselves far too much credit."
"If you want to see our king, you're not even qualified."
The high-ponytailed angel swung her flaming sword with total indifference.
Boom!
In the next instant, a massive Judgment came crashing down from above.
"Aaah!!" Facing those endless flames, the Styx god let out his final roar. "Our god Karthus is eternal!"
Boom!
The endless fire melted the academy grounds into boiling magma. By the time the Judgment ended, the Styx god had vanished completely. All that remained was a puddle of charred sludge, the only proof that he had ever been there at all.
"Karthus, come out!"
Even after killing that Styx god, the high-ponytailed angel kept calling for Karthus at the top of her lungs.
Boom!
As the academy shook again, the remaining two Styx gods looked at each other. Both of them could read sorrow in the other's eyes. They knew their comrade had died. What chilled them even more was that their god was still quietly writing.
"Let's go!"
The two of them knew they would never persuade their great god to leave, so they resolved to go out and die alongside their fallen companion.
Smack!
But just as the last two gods of the Styx Galaxy were about to go out and die for their faith, their chief god Karthus finally rose from his seat.
"My god..."
The two Styx gods both froze when they saw Karthus stand up.
"I'll go out with you."
Karthus said it simply and walked past them toward the doors of the academy.
...
The two Styx gods exchanged another glance. In the end, neither of them said a word. They simply followed closely behind their chief god as he walked toward the entrance.
A moment later, led by Karthus, the two of them stepped outside.
...
Karthus looked at the melted ground beyond the doors and fell silent. His gaze paused briefly on that puddle of ruined sludge before lifting to the angel high above.
"Just you?"
Karthus looked at Leng and asked.
"Am I not enough?"
Leng's expression changed instantly. She was a senior guardian angel, after all. If she could not handle a mere scholar like Karthus, how was she supposed to hold her head high in the universe after this?
"Not enough."
Karthus answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Arrogant."
Leng's face darkened with displeasure. She raised her flaming sword high, and a force powerful enough to burn everything gathered toward her.
"Leng, calm down!"
"Let me personally meet this Karthus who's so confident in his own strength!"
Just as Leng was about to strike, the sky above the academy suddenly began to boil.
Countless clouds rolled and churned!
Then a beam of golden light streamed down from the heart of those roiling clouds like a veil of silk...
Ranks of beautiful angels flew out through that golden curtain, flaming swords in hand, and formed up in perfect order.
And when the angels had finished taking formation, a solitary, lofty man descended from the heavens seated on a red-gold throne. Surrounded by countless angels, he looked like the king of gods himself as he gazed down from above at the tiny Karthus below.
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