Super God Academy: Kabuto

At the edge of the Emerald Galaxy, the space here is no longer the "universe" as commonly understood. Karl's magnificent ritual array, like an enormous and intricate instrument, has transformed the entire star field into an existence approaching a "domain." Ubiquitous veins of eerie blue energy intertwine with purplish-black halos of void light, creating a scene both sacred and sinister. The "texture" of space becomes viscous and fragile; light distorts, sound is annihilated, and even the flow of time seems subtly affected.

Lin Yu's figure emerged from a colorful halo that was far more stable and almost completely unwavering than Tsukasa Kadoya's aurora curtain, landing on a relatively calm fragment of star debris that was suspended just outside the main energy flow. His appearance did not trigger any alarms; in fact, the frantically pulsating energy lines around him automatically diverted and detoured as they passed by him, as if he himself were an inviolable "exception of the law."

He looked up and saw, not far ahead, the true core of the ritual array—there, space, like dough being kneaded by an invisible giant hand, collapsed and rotated inward, forming a slowly expanding vortex with edges flowing with iridescent aurora and the deepest darkness. At the center of the vortex, a pure, seemingly all-consuming "pitch black" was condensing and expanding, emitting a tremor that made Lin Yu slightly frown. That was the forming, stable void passage. Its scale and energy level far surpassed any previous void leak or experimental opening.

Carl's figure, as if extracted from a data stream, silently appeared to Lin Yu's side. He didn't turn around, still gazing up at the gradually forming passage. His profile, under the hood, appeared even paler and more focused against the backdrop of deep blue and purplish-black.

"You've come." Carl's voice rang out calmly, without surprise, as if he had expected it. "To see how I knock on the door of ultimate truth? Or, like Professor Kieran, to try and offer one last... piece of advice?"

Lin Yu didn't answer immediately. He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the intricately operating energy channels, over the invisible yet omnipresent control field of the Great Clock, and finally back to Karl. His tone was calm and matter-of-fact: "You transformed the Emerald Galaxy into an exquisite 'incubator,' using the fall of the Old Gods, the energy of star debris, and all the computing power of the Great Clock as a breeding ground, all to nurture this 'door.'"

"Accurate and insightful observation." Karl tilted his head slightly, seemingly satisfied that Lin Yun had seen through part of the essence of the ritual at a glance. "Destruction and rebirth are two sides of the same coin. The 'explosion' of the star left behind a vacuum of order and powerful causal disturbances. The special energy state of Emerald Star provided stable 'coordinates' and 'fuel,' and the Great Clock ensured the 'precision' and 'controllability' of the process. This is a masterpiece jointly composed by science and philosophy, reason and necessity."

"A masterpiece?" Lin Yu took a few steps forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Karl, both gazing at the swirling vortex. "Are you sure you've opened the 'Gate of Truth' and not 'Pandora's Box'?"

Karl finally turned completely to face Lin Yu. His gaze, hidden beneath the hood, was calm and unwavering, yet it held an almost obsessive certainty: "Fear stems from the unknown, Lin Yu. The destruction of the Divine River civilization, the loss of countless lives... all stem from our ignorance of 'the other side.' Blocking it can only delay the tragedy. Only by opening up, confronting it, analyzing it, and taking control can we find a way out. I will personally unveil the veil of fear, transforming the 'ultimate fear' itself into a stepping stone in the evolution of the known universe."

His words were filled with fanaticism derived from rational reasoning, displaying the martyr-like spirit of seeing himself as both an experiment and a sacrifice.

Lin Yu listened quietly, his face showing neither disbelief nor anger. Only after the speaker finished did he slowly speak: "Kieran told me the detailed process of the destruction of the Divine River. A single 'hand,' with a casual slap, and a top-tier civilization was reduced to ashes."

Karl nodded: "That was a manifestation of 'power,' proving that there are higher levels of life forms and energy utilization 'over there.' That's exactly what we need to learn and transcend."

"Learn? Surpass?" Lin Yu repeated, a faint, enigmatic smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Karl, you study death, champion reason, and pursue ultimate truth. But have you ever considered that the 'truth' you seek might be... utterly meaningless to those 'over there'?"

Karl's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly.

Lin Yu continued, his voice calm yet carrying a penetrating power: "The scholars of the Divine River, perhaps like you, were initially just curious, wanting to study that 'rift.' They may have also considered 'understanding' and 'controlling' it. But what was the result? No communication, no probing, not even giving the Divine River civilization any chance to react or negotiate. Just a 'hand' slammed down. Like a human accidentally stepping on an anthill. Would you discuss the truth with ants? Would you try to 'understand' the structure of an ant society?"

He turned and looked directly at Karl: "Kieran and Dinghei were perhaps lucky enough to stand on the edge of the 'anthill' and escape being crushed. What you are doing now is actively exposing the 'anthill' of the entire known universe more clearly and firmly to the path that 'foot' might traverse. What you are asking for is not communication and truth, what you are asking for... is a 'gaze' that may even erase the concept of 'asking' itself."

The vortex at the core of Emerald Star spun even faster, the darkness at its center expanding continuously, and fine, glass-like spatial cracks began to appear around it, emitting a silent shriek. The passage would soon be formed.

Karl was silent for a few seconds. Lin Yu's words were like a cold needle, trying to pierce the thin membrane called "absolute truth faith" that enveloped his rational, fanatical emotions. But he quickly regained his composure, even revealing a very faint, almost mocking smile.

"A very interesting analogy, Lin Yu. You're comparing the relationship between advanced and less advanced civilizations to that between humans and ants. However, you've overlooked one point." He pointed to the forming passageway. "Ants cannot understand the human world, but humans can understand ants, even building anthills for observation and research. The difference lies in 'dimension' and 'level of understanding.' What I'm doing now is trying to lead the known universe from the 'ant's' dimension to the 'human's' level. The process may be risky, but stagnation will inevitably condemn us to forever remain ants, trampled upon at will."

He paused, his tone now tinged with inquiry: "You possess power I cannot fathom, Lin Yu. Where do you come from? Your knowledge, your composure, your attitude towards this matter… none of it resembles that of the 'natives' of this universe. You prevented Morgana from cooperating with me, yet you observe my ritual now, and even engage in this dialogue with me. What exactly is your purpose? And what are you… waiting for?"

Lin Yu didn't answer his question, but instead turned his gaze back to the entrance of the passage that seemed to connect to an endless abyss. He could sense that on the "other side" of the passage, some vast, chaotic "being," filled with boundless hunger and indifferent will, seemed to be drawn to this side by the increasingly intense energy fluctuations and spatial distortions, slowly "focusing" on it. It wasn't a specific creature, but rather more like an aggregate of "rules" or "concepts" themselves.

"Karl," Lin Yu said finally, his voice soft yet clearly piercing through the roar of the ritual energy, "I cannot stop you, nor do I intend to completely stop you. Perhaps, as you say, this is 'inevitable.' But I give you one last reminder, or rather... a prophecy."

He raised his hand, and the silver pocket watch appeared in his palm. The watch cover opened by itself, and the nebula inside spun wildly, pointing towards the passage.

"What you've opened may not be a 'laboratory of advanced civilization' that you can 'study' and 'learn' from."

"What you've opened might be a 'stomach pouch'."

"And what you seek as 'truth' and 'evolution' may just be, in the eyes of that 'stomach,'... a slight difference in the 'texture' of food."

After speaking, Lin Yu closed his pocket watch, took a step back, and disappeared into a quietly unfolding silver halo. It was as if he had never appeared, leaving only those chilling, ominous words that echoed faintly in Karl's ears and in the Emerald Galaxy, a star field transformed into an altar.

Karl stood rooted to the spot, gazing at the place where Lin Yu had vanished. He then slowly turned, staring intently at the void passage that was about to solidify completely. His expression was inscrutable in the shadows beneath his hood. Lin Yu's words, like the deepest curse and the most sober warning, clashed violently with the absolute reason and conviction within him.

He slowly raised his hands, as if to embrace the coming "new era," or as if to face a judgment from which there was no turning back.

"Truth...food..." He murmured these two words, and finally, all the wavering and doubt in his eyes were completely swallowed up by the obsession that had burned for tens of thousands of years, a desire to reach the "ultimate" at all costs.

He faced the void passage, the unknown that was about to emerge, and the possible "stomach" or "truth," and made a calm yet firm declaration:

"Then... let me see what the so-called 'ultimate' tastes like."