Starry Sky Railway: Opening Performance - Taixu Sword God

“You can’t destroy an immortal body with just strength, so you and that girl came to my era to find the answer.”

Watching the statues gradually take flight, Gnaeus reminded them:

"Courage, honor, perseverance, sacrifice..."

"There are only four Soul-Forging Statues here. Even if they did divide Nicardi's divinity into five parts, one part of the soul is still missing."

“I already know where that fragment of the soul is.” Yan Huan first drew the soul from the Courage Sword Vessel.

The moment the spirit of courage was drawn, the sword vessel emitted a distant prayer.

'We have sealed the God-King's courage within the sword vessel. This is proof that it has never retreated a single step on the battlefield!'

Even when faced with the untouchable black tides from beyond the mist, it alone raised its sword and bravely confronted them…

Gnaeus's gaze was fervent. "This is Nicardoli's courage..."

Yan Huan raised her hand again and extracted the soul from the Glory Sword Vessel.

'We will seal the glory of the God-King within the sword vessel!'

'This serves as proof: it never pierced any enemy's back with its divine spear.'

Even when besieged on all sides and beset by internal and external troubles, it never yielded to despicable tricks, and upheld the dignity of its warriors…

Next comes the spirit of resilience.

'We have sealed the God-King's fortitude within the sword vessel!'

'This serves as proof: it is fighting against the calamity of unknown origin with an indomitable will.'

Even though the black tide was so powerful, enough to corrupt the will of gods, it has stood firm to this day, resisting the gloom of this corrupt world…

sacrifice.

'We will seal the God-King's sacrifice within the sword vessel!'

'This serves as proof: its last words before falling into slumber were a vow to resist the dark tides that engulf the world.'

'It will act as a wall, blocking the endless spread of madness.'

It knew all too well that if the end times came, there would be nothing left in the world to conquer…

The four souls transformed into golden light, merging into one in the air and radiating a soft glow.

Seeing this, Yan Huan lowered her hand and silently looked at Gnaeus.

"..."

The latter did not speak, but simply stared at him silently.

After a long silence, he finally spoke:

“I remember now, Your Excellency… I think I understand what you mean.”

Gnaeus slowly looked up at the dilapidated dome, his gaze deep and unsettling.

He then spoke in a deep voice:

"At some unknown time, a black tide arose from beyond the distant horizon—it slowly approached the borders of Onpharos, and Nicardoli was the first Titan to come into contact with it."

"In the struggle against the Black Tide, its consciousness began to fade... At its peak, the Titan could reduce the archipelago to ashes with a single sword strike, but it could not eradicate the root of the corruption."

"It fought against the Black Tide with its will, but ultimately it was defeated."

"Before its divinity was completely corrupted, it peeled away a part of itself..."

"Could it be—" Seeing Yan Huan staring at Gnaeus, Xia Die finally realized something.

Gnaeus continued speaking slowly.

"The part of divinity it stripped away, the part it most wanted to preserve intact—that is, [reason]."

"Titan believes that its [reason] will one day answer the call and return to the body of the god... to fulfill its due mission."

"Now I can draw my conclusion."

Gnaeus slowly turned around, looking at Yan Huan and Xia Die, his voice low.

“Nikadory’s soul is rotten and there is no possibility of redemption.”

"The seal that bound divinity has been broken."

“As long as the soul forging is completed again, Nicardoli can be restored to its original form.”

"You will fight a Titan who is nearing his prime, and at the same time... the glory of slaying a god will shine before you."

"And what about you, Lord Gnaeus?" Xia Die asked somewhat nervously.

“I will return to the origin and become a fragment of Nicardo’s divinity.”

Gnaeus said calmly:

“My memories have returned; I am one of the fragments of [reason]…”

"Corrosion will probably engulf me, but this step is unavoidable in order to end the madness."

"Although I will never see that future again... I can leave some words for the two of you."

He first looked at the distant butterfly.

"Girl, do not despise your talents, do not hate death."

"The journey is great, and the epic is magnificent, because everything eventually comes to an end."

Upon hearing this, Xia Die was somewhat taken aback.

"...As the embodiment of strife, are you telling me about the world's magnificence? How ironic..."

Gnaeus explained, "Civilization can only grow when it is placed under conflict."

"This is also why peace never lasts."

"Man is born hating suffering, but only suffering can teach man to stand tall..."

“Next, it’s your turn.” Gnaeus looked at Yan Huan.

"I can no longer fathom the depth of the energy you hold, but I understand that you intend to kill us on the spot after I merge with the other souls..."

Yan Huan: "Hehe~"

Gnaeus: "Your approach is correct and impeccable, but I have a request..."

Chapter 1257 Are you sure you didn’t hit the wrong person?

"Promise me that you will use the fire as fuel to ignite a raging fire and continue to fight against the Black Tide."

“Of course,” Yan Huan smiled. “I will always fight for good people.”

Xia Die nodded, "On behalf of all the Golden Descendants, I grant your request."

Having received their replies, Gnaeus seemed to relax and slowly walked to the ground beneath the golden soul.

He turned around and faced the two of them.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly shouted, breaking the silence.

"I am the Spear of Divine Retribution, Nicardoli! Messenger of chaos, embodiment of strife!"

"Remember—I am a necessary scar in this world!"

The entire city of Suspended Edge shook violently, the dome collapsed, and the golden soul transformed into a golden spear, mercilessly piercing Gnaeus's body, bursting forth with dazzling golden light.

At the same time, the fluctuations of time became increasingly intense, and the dazzling light transformed into a giant golden cocoon the size of a building.

Time travel.

"It's you—!"

Wan Di stood aside, his robes billowing in the energy fluctuations, and asked Yan Huan and Xia Die, who had suddenly appeared, while braving the gale:

"How did it go? Did it work?!"

“There’s no need to ask anymore.” Bai E gripped his longsword tightly, feeling the terrifying aura around him, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Golden claws tore through the chains, revealing the true nature of the conflict.

At that moment, it seemed as if the heavens and earth trembled.

The former god of strife has broken free from his chains, standing like a fierce Vajra, his imposing presence awe-inspiring.

In the darkness, Xia Die heard the cry from Gnaeus.

'Defeat me—give me the end a warrior deserves!'

Bai'er's eyes widened. "This is Nicardoli's true form? Unbelievable..."

Suddenly, a crack appeared in the glass of the dome.

The embers of dusk solidified on the broken golden fragments, making the retina seem to burn, and the whole world was bathed in golden flames.

Now standing before them is the true god of conflict—the Spear of Divine Retribution!

It came on fiercely, exuding murderous intent, and every step it took was terrifying...

Before anyone could react, a beam of purple light descended from the sky, pinning the newly revived God of Conflict to the ground.

'Om—'

Dark purple cracks appeared on the magnificent armor, spreading like pythons...

The golden Titan struggled fiercely, roaring and howling, resembling a beast at the end of its rope.

Gradually.

Under the witness of the Golden Descendants, the warring gods crumbled into a pile of fragments, never to rise again...

They were as silent as the garbage carelessly piled up on the roadside.

Bai Er couldn't believe what was happening.

At the moment the Titan of Strife descended in its true form, he even had the illusion that he was already dead.

"What...?" Wan Di's pupils trembled violently as he stared at the pile of dim, fragmented remains of Nicardoli, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.