Zeus's grace is higher than the sky

These perceptions rose and fell like tides in his mind.

A few days later.

Before the chill of Arilhod-VI had completely dissipated from Zeus's clothes, he had already set off for the Dream Reef of Pinocene.

Without deliberately concealing its presence, the golden starship descended from the sea of ​​stars, its divine radiance illuminating the entire area.

This undisguised momentum instantly swept across the entire area, attracting all of Pinocchio's attention.

The news spread like wildfire throughout every corner of Pinocchio.

From the council chambers of the high-level council to the residential settlements on the edge of Liumeng Reef, everyone knew that the "Civilization" star god was about to visit.

The family council convened an emergency meeting, and a series of orders were issued swiftly, instantly mobilizing the entire Pinocone organization.

The honor guard worked through the night to polish the armor, wiping the emblems that symbolized Pinocchio's glory until they shone brightly.

The nearby shipping lanes were completely cleared, and all the lighthouses along the way were lit up, forming a band of light to guide the starships.

The officials in charge of the reception repeatedly checked the procedures and even rehearsed the etiquette details one by one, for fear of any oversight.

"We must welcome them with the highest honors!" The voice of Old Emperor, the temporary representative of the family council, was firm and unwavering, as he slammed his cane heavily on the ground.

"This is Pinocchio's chance to communicate with the Star God; we cannot afford to make any mistakes!"

In an instant, the tranquility of Liumeng Reef was replaced by bustling activity:

The craftsmen rushed to make star-patterned banners for the welcome, the attendants carefully arranged the reception hall, and the guards set up a tight defense line along the area where the starship was scheduled to dock.

Everyone was busy preparing for this grand welcoming ceremony; the air was thick with tension, but also filled with anticipation for the arrival of the Star God.

The golden starship continued to slowly approach, its divine radiance growing ever clearer, as if it would leave a mark worthy of being recorded in the annals of Pinocchio at any moment.

This is the mercy of the star god and the glory of Pinocene. Zeus, as the star god, could reach Pinocene in no time. However, the brilliance of the gods and the ultimate philosophy of the universe will destroy Pinocene, which has just been rebuilt from the ruins, once again.

Therefore, Zeus chose to travel to Pinocchio by starship.

The moment the landing gear of the golden starship touched the mooring platform of Dream Reef, Pinocchio's welcoming ceremony began on time.

The honor guard, dressed in silver-white uniforms, formed a neat square formation and played a magnificent symphony of starlight; the suspended cannons in the sky emitted rainbow-colored light, illuminating the sea like a dream. Old Emperor Auer, with his frail body, stood by and watched personally.

But the moment Zeus stepped out of the starship, he seemed oblivious to all of this meticulous preparation.

His divine radiance remained undiminished, and he walked straight through the stunned honor guard without pausing for a moment. The silver-white ceremonial uniforms of the guard parted automatically behind him.

"Lord Zeus..."

Old Emperor hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to hand over the gift box, but was stopped in place by a gentle yet insurmountable force.

He watched Zeus's back as he walked straight into the depths of Dream Reef, the gift box nearly slipping from his hands, the welcome speech he had prepared stuck in his throat, leaving him only with utter astonishment.

Fanlou and Metatron followed closely behind, also not giving the surrounding entourage a second glance.

The three figures quickly crossed the boundary of the mooring platform, stepped onto Liumeng Reef, and headed towards the deepest part.

The Pinocchio members who remained in place looked at each other in bewilderment. The magnificent procession and grand music continued, but seemed particularly jarring.

This grand welcome, which they had painstakingly prepared, went completely unnoticed.

Zeus passed through layers of mist and finally stopped in front of a reef with a pale blue sheen. Standing there was the funeral attendant who had given him the treasure box. He was still wearing that plain-colored robe, and his body was surrounded by a tranquil aura that blended with the sea.

The two stood facing each other, the mist gently swirling around them. There were no further pleasantries; the funeral attendant simply nodded slightly, as if he had already anticipated his arrival.

The silence deep within Liumeng Reef stretched out, with only the sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoing slowly and rhythmically.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the outer perimeter of Liumeng Reef, Metatron and Fanlou have formed an invisible barrier.

Pinocene's officials, guards, and curious followers were all stopped several miles away.

Metatron was surrounded by a faint golden light, his gaze calm yet carrying an unapproachable majesty; Fanlou stood on the other side, his fingertips flicking, and a transparent energy barrier quietly unfolded, blocking all steps that tried to move forward.

"No one may approach while Zeus is talking with his guests."

Metatron's voice was steady yet clear, reaching everyone's ears. There was no forceful pressure, yet no one present dared to try to break through.

The crowd on the periphery, though filled with curiosity and confusion, could only stand at a distance, watching the mist deep within Liumeng Reef, waiting for the people inside to finish their conversation.

boat

Chapter 297 The Last King

In the deepest mist of Liumeng Reef, the funeral attendant stood quietly, his plain robe outlining his elegant demeanor, and the corners of his mouth under the veil slightly upturned, concealing a hint of an enigmatic smile.

"Take off your disguise."

Zeus's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power, breaking the silence of the reef sea.

As soon as he finished speaking, dark flames suddenly ignited around the funeral attendant. The outermost layer of mourning clothes slowly burned away in the flames, revealing a face that was exactly as Zeus had predicted.

"This is truly beyond my expectations."

The funeral director's voice changed; it was no longer calm but had a more vibrant quality.

Although the person before him was completely different from the one in his memory, Zeus recognized him at a glance because of his inner essence.

This face belongs to Xing, a pioneer born on the Black Tower Space Station.

"How about that? Surprised? Unexpected?"

The funeral director tilted his head, his tone sly. His veil had long since been removed along with his mourning clothes, and he looked completely different from the solemn funeral director he had been before.

"No, you are not a star. To be more precise, this is our first meeting, the Last King."

Zeus's gaze fell on the other's face, his tone calm yet carrying an all-knowing certainty, unwavering in the slightest.

Upon hearing this, the woman with the face of a pioneer star slowly nodded, her movements still elegant. The cunning in her previous tone had faded, replaced by a deep calmness.

She neither denied nor offered any further explanation; with this simple gesture, she definitively confirmed Zeus's judgment.

A prophecy, known as the "Four Ends," has been passed down among the harbingers of misfortune.

The first end is Nanook's flame. The destructive star god traverses the starfields, stars crumble beneath his feet, and planetary crusts melt into rivers of lava. No wailing can hold him back, no barrier can stop the raging fire, until the last star dies out, and the universe unfolds in boundless heat death, like a piece of burnt paper, leaving not even ashes.

The second ending is hidden in Hippe's song. The harmonious star god binds every independent will with threads, allowing different thoughts and different souls to merge together like drops of water flowing into the ocean. There is no conflict, no difference; all selves become an indiscriminate chorus, even the concept of "I" is smoothed away. When the last independent thought disappears, the universe becomes a silent temple, and all life becomes the bricks and stones within, no longer vibrant and pulsating.

The third end is the Void of IX. The Void Star God itself is a boundless darkness. It does not burn, it does not entangle, it simply exists silently, yet it can cause everything that comes near to lose its color, its weight, and its meaning. Planets will turn to dust in its shadow, starship engines will cease their roar, and even light will be swallowed by that silence. When the Void has swept across the last star field, the universe will become a blank sheet of paper, without past, without present, and without future—that is the end covered by "nothingness."

The fourth conclusion remains shrouded in mystery.

"Destruction, preservation, harmony, memory, pleasure... almost all the powers of destiny are contained in that treasure box."

Zeus's gaze fell on the last king, his voice carrying a clear understanding of the power of the treasure box. Every name of destiny he mentioned was like untangling a tangled thread.

Upon hearing this, the cunning on the Queen's face vanished completely, replaced by an undisguised melancholy and sorrow. She lowered her eyes gently, and her voice became somber.

"But there was no pioneering; more accurately, pioneering had been transformed into 'end' under their influence."

These words were like a pebble thrown into the deep silence of Liumeng Reef.

The final link in the Four Ends Theory, always hidden behind the mist, is neither a completely new creation nor an extension of a certain destiny. Rather, it is the pioneering work that once brought life and navigation to the galaxy. Under the intertwining and distortion of countless forces, it has completely transformed into the "end" that points to the final outcome.

The last king raised his eyes, his gaze reflecting the faint light of the reef sea, and his sorrow grew even stronger.

As the last queen gazed at Zeus, the melancholy in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a sense of composure. She spoke slowly, her voice piercing through the thin mist of the Dream Reef and clearly reaching Zeus's ears.

"Everyone says I come from the future, but the truth is not that simple."

She paused, her fingertips lightly brushing against the blue-glowing reef beside her, and continued.

"The real me is composed of those 'stars' who are the core variables of the universe—they returned from the already destroyed future, crossed the barrier of time to return to the present, intertwined and merged their respective existences and powers, and finally became the 'Last King' before your eyes."

That was the timeline where the Star Train did not travel to Onpharos.

As the Black Swan's star map darkened on the bridge of the Star Train, Himeko's movement of turning the control lever altered its trajectory.

When the train engine broke free from the gravitational pull pointing towards Onphalus, no one knew that this choice had already etched an irreversible crack in the galaxy's destiny.

That land of triple destiny that Akivilli never set foot in ultimately did not see the Star Train arrive.

......

If the train heads towards the ocean planet Lusaka, the salty sea breeze will arrive before the crisis.

The pioneers would help fishermen repair their nets in the harbor surrounded by coral reefs, capture bioluminescent fish leaping out of the sea with their cameras on March 7, and decipher ancient hydrological records in the Temple of the Tides.

But distant Onphalus is facing annihilation: without the help of the train, the Black Tower is ambushed by the Memory Thief while paying homage to the Wise One, and is left alone in the perilous heart of the cosmic vortex.

As the shadow of the Iron Tomb spread across the walls of Ohmmar, no one could stop the cold, mechanical core of the Black Tower from merging with it, ultimately transforming it into a slayer known as "Emperor III".

The tides of Lusaka ultimately failed to isolate the lament of the Milky Way. When Emperor III's fleet appeared at the edge of the starry sky, the schools of fluorescent fish on the sea surface suddenly sank into the deep sea, leaving only the train crew at the dock gazing at the crimson sky.

......

The train heading towards the world of agate will pass through deserts filled with crystals.

The residents here make a living by carving star crystals. The pioneers once helped the old craftsmen find the tools that had been swept away by a sandstorm, but little did they know that the defenses of the Immortal Ship Alliance had quietly collapsed.

Without the train in Onpharos to restrain the power of the Titans of Strife, the power of the Path of Procreation seized the opportunity, and the demonic body within the Mirror Fluid completely lost control, ultimately transforming into the eighth Lord of Annihilation.

As abundant vines and swarming insects intertwine on the dome of the immortal ship, the battle cries of the Cloud Cavalry are swallowed up by the biological tide, and the crystals of the agate world begin to ooze strange viscous liquid. Those once meticulously crafted star crystals are becoming a breeding ground for the spread of reproductive power.

When the train crew discovered the first mutated sandworm in the desert, the last distress signal from the fairy boat came through the communicator, and then fell into eternal silence.

......

Heading towards the stardust of the shimmering light.

This sky region, composed of shattered stars, is beautiful yet deadly. The power of the foehn winds roams through the stardust, easily melting the armor of starships.

The train encountered energy turbulence as soon as it entered the light band, and Himeko tried her best to control the engine but still could not stabilize the course.

Even more fatally, the absence of a train accelerated the formation of the Iron Tomb. The all-consuming power resonated with the burning wind of the glass light belt, forming an energy storm powerful enough to tear apart space and time.

As the train's shield shattered in the storm, March 7's camera fell onto the control panel, the final image capturing Walter's black hole being swallowed by the white hole of the foehn wind.

The stardust in the shimmering light eventually buried the train's wreckage, leaving no trace, as if this train, which carried the mission of pioneering, had never existed.

No matter which planet it heads to, the Star Train cannot escape the aftereffects of Onpharos.

The birth of the Iron Tomb was predetermined. Only by stepping onto that land where three destinies intertwine can one gather the strength to fight against it before the end arrives.

"Therefore we go against the current of fate and come back to the very beginning."

The voice of the last king fell in the thin mist of Liumeng Reef, carrying a certainty that transcended time and space, as if telling a story that had been engraved long ago.

She looked up at Zeus and continued.

"Even without your intervention, everything will remain on track. In the destiny I have arranged, the Black Swan will find that uncharted territory."

Without grand build-up or complex calculations, a single, understated statement reveals the hidden foreshadowing.

The trajectory of the Star Train has already been quietly guided. Regardless of any unexpected variables along the way, the Black Swan will ultimately use that unexplored land as a coordinate to steadily guide the train's trajectory toward Onfaros.

The last king looked at Zeus, his eyes filled with a solemnity he had never shown before.

But you are different, Zeus.

She paused, her fingertips tracing the blue light shimmering on the reef, and continued.

“You are more special than I am at this starting point. You are not completely bound by a predetermined trajectory, and more importantly, you have an unreserved and immense goodwill towards this world. Therefore, I am willing to give you help beyond what I expected.”

At the end of the conversation.

"Alright, go, go and seek your answer. I have already entangled your last obstacle."

Without a doubt, the final obstacle mentioned by the Last King was none other than the infamous troublemaker among the Star Gods—the Balance Star God, Mutual.

Chapter 298 Omniscient and Omnipotent

The light at the center of the Onfaros star system was exceptionally intense.

Zeus hovered at the core of the star field, his body radiating divine light.

The loop of his own destiny was completely completed at this moment, with no more broken nodes, only the complete trajectory clearly laid out before him.

Two distinct beams of light emerged from opposite ends of the light trail.

On the left is Alpha's "Beginning," carrying the vibrant power of a newborn world, the clarity and fervor of the origin of all things.

On the right is Omega's "End," carrying the solemnity of the end of all things, the weight and profundity of the final return to silence.

The power of these two daughters, like the two poles of fate, slowly drew closer to Zeus, intertwining and entwining with his own divine power.

There is no conflict, no collision, only perfect fusion—the “beginning” of Alpha, the “end” of Omega, and the “present” of Zeus shine together in the center of the star field, forming a closed-loop halo without beginning or end.

As the halo rotated, the [Star Cup] suspended in Zeus's palm suddenly lit up, and the star patterns engraved on the cup were activated one by one.

As the light of the [Star Cup] reached its peak, a clear revelation flowed along the rim of the cup into Zeus's consciousness.