Soul of Searing Steel

All things in the world were born within nothingness out of millions of differing origins, and yet there were scarce few ways that could make them return to nonexistence.

And now, there was such a method of destruction that appeared in this world as Helm unleashed it with its full power.

With a tremendous quaking that made sound, color, touch, and direction lose meaning, an inferno that scorches all things wrapped in light that permeates everything drowned half the world, the cascading tides of light instantly turning all into floating ash along its way. City walls and corpses vanished as if smoke, the debris of towers incinerating and dancing in the air—even the Nether River rippled as the silence of destruction unfurled.

It was the ultimate ruination—a light that inspires fear in the soul. Where it passed, any object would be vaporized, a spell only Helm, amongst the millions of beholders in the Abyss, had learned.

[Star Blaze].

Three-hundred and seventy-years ago, the Demon General had once arrived on an unknown world due to a failed teleportation. The void of that world was vast and borderless while its continent had shrunk into a sphere and orbited a giant flaming tinder, with countless races and civilization prospering in it.

Mana was low in that world, with higher existences such as Helm being spurned extraordinarily. The demon would not even have arrived at that world if not for the accident caused by the failed teleportation, and when it was about to be expelled by the world, the Demon General witnessed the destruction of a civilization with its own eyes.

It was light. A searing light, spreading slowly and profoundly from the depths of the sea of stars, laying waste to the continent and the stars.

As if already expecting the advent of that light, layers after layers of giant energy barriers arose from every corner of the continent that actually startled Helm. It appeared that they intended to withstand it and was confident about doing so, and the Demon General had to admit discreetly that even the Sixth Abyss would not take down such tight defense even if every demon was mobilized.

It was only when destruction descended that Helm became aware of what profoundness and end were.

When that Light of Finality came, the unique continent that had shrunk into a sphere burned instantly despite the powerful shield that actually distorted space itself. In less than a second, its azure oceans boiled. After a few seconds, every existence that existed in liquid state completely evaporated. Within several breaths that the Demon General was left in utter shock amidst the dimensional rift, the entire continent was burnt into a crystallization and pushed away from its orbit, sinking into the celestial tinder that was rapidly dispersing.

As if the shell of a chicken egg shattered, searing liquid heat sprayed out and widened. Thus, a complete world cycle extinguished.

It was the ultimate destruction for a world to die within several breaths, and the power Helm had dedicated in pursuing for most of the last four hundred years. Now, it did not hesitate to unleash its own incomplete radiance that emulates the power from the other end of the stars against a powerful enemy it had never seen before.

You don't understand my power, the Demon General thought. How could one comprehend the majestic power without witnessing the vanquishing of a world? The Light of Finality it barely emulated after centuries of meticulous research and innumerable improvements could not be withstood by anything.

Meanwhile, in that very moment of life and death, the warrior was moved too.

Pinnacle radiance, blaze, and destruction. Although waves produced by quantum leap on the sub-atomic level were usually not meaningful, a Demon General could vaporize most existences in the physical world if he drove those waves with its full power. Everything would collapse at its touch and was fragile as paper.

It certainly was fitting as the killing stroke and pride for a Demon General. The warrior had no way to dodge the stream of light that came gushing at him. Additionally, while its colossal steel body was immeasurably sturdy and was a body that imitated the most powerful Steel born after the death of a planet, it would have assuredly not feared any strike and easily block that surging light in perfect form. But he was yet to be—Joshua's progress of physicality switch did not exceed five percent, meaning that his body density had no way of enduring the assault before his eyes.

He would die if he was hit, and yet he was not even nervous.

Demons were demons after all; they were not humans. But Helm was mistaken about one thing.

Against the focused rays, the giant god neither evaded nor parried. It spread its four arms, with flashing electric currents turning into bolts that rapidly spread over its arms—soon, an invisible zonal net shrouded the giant's body.

Where does strength come from?

Strength did not come from muscle, nor was it inborn, while wisdom and will would be off the mark too. To the first explorers, true strength did not come from everything mentioned above but from the method in which things were observed.

Human eyes could detect light and deliver information of colors to the brain that takes shape and allow intelligent lifeforms to know the appearance of the world. It was an elite method of observation for all things in the world compared to inferior beings that could only sense unvaried illumination. Even if it counted as a domain of that which was inconceivable it was much closer to the truth of all things, which was why humans relied on that one advantage and wisdom to reach the top.

That however, was not a limit either. Seeing light notwithstanding, it was but a frequency in electromagnetism. If there were lifeforms that could truly see most electromagnetic waves and possessed intelligence corresponding to humans, there was no way humans would compete against them since what those beings could see at birth were real motions. If men needed over hundreds of years to pursue truth it would have been mere common knowledge for them, throwing men far behind in the process of accumulating wisdom—not to mention the extraordinary powers spawned from wisdom.

At the moment, Joshua could see most rate and rhythm of electromagnetism. He could see the flow of energy, as well as the Sea of Dirac that was boiling in thin air.

Naturally, he could also see that light came striking at him and examine each detail within lucidly.

"You're wrong," said Joshua, "I understand. It is you, on the other hand, that don't understand your power."

As he spoke, the giant clenched its fists as if his four arms were four giant bases. Powerful electromagnetic undulation materialized and whirled wildly around them, and with the churning of that power the dimensions boomed while the radiance slightly distorted too. Under the surge that was much more powerful than the magnetic field shift cannon before, the soul of the land around began to vanish into nothingness—it was the disturbance of fundamental energy that formed them, with atoms having to self-destruct since they could no longer connect.

The powerful magnetic field that could skew even electrons thus formed instantly, forming layers after layers of the tightest invisible barriers. In that very moment, the profound wave of light blasted at the deviant magnetic field encircling the Steel giant god, releasing powerful heat and light simultaneously at an instant incalculable by time and devouring Joshua entirely!

After engulfing the warrior, the flowing light roar and kept cascading wildly, continuing to spread towards the distance in a slight slope through the clouds and sky, breaking into the dark sky and sinking into the endless Void. Beside it, the continent melted, air seared as if molten steel, waves of ink-black dust and tidal waves of magma poured at the surroundings, a shockwave that could end all things.

That terrible power lasted for one brief moment.

And then two.

And then three.

While darkness returned and the Thousand-Eyed Python sighed distinctly and exhaustedly, every intelligence that still had a will only noticed then that the light has already died down. The battle had ended.

It should be over, the demon general and the surviving spectators thought. They did not think the warrior weak, but was instead earnestly astounded by that terrible radiance before. Like Helm, each survivor could not imagine how any life would survive from that attack.

It was a possibility that surpassed life itself.

Nevertheless, those known as the powerful excelled in the impossible, observed unnamable things, and destroyed irresistible foes.

"Demon, have you even thought about it?"

As the ever-present dust and residual light scatter, an audible clanging sound as if scraping metals rang from within the giant crater that had comprehensively melted into magma. And so, a tremendous but crippled body moved, each of its steps leaving all intelligence astonished as it appeared within the black world.

"Have you even thought about how to focus the energy of atomic binding flow so that it would not easily deviate from electromagnetic fields?"

With an incredible boom that surpassed thunder, the giant stepped out. There was a huge and visible circle gap stretching from its chest to abdomen, with highly dense liquid slowly dripping from that wound. There were terrible explosions that could kill an archdemon each time one drop of the liquid touch ground, while a cluster of sturdy Steel flowers simply formed over the center of the explosion and quaked along with each of the giant's stride.

"Have you considered adjusting the wavelength to counteract against special defensive moves from different enemies so that the ray truly becomes an invincible power?"

The giant was rapidly contracting like a liquid robot, melting more than half of the gaping wound to heal himself by compressing his size. In seconds, the Steel giant god that was over eighty meters tall hence contracted into a Steel giant that was just over thirty meters tall. On the other hand, the injuries over its entire body had completely healed albeit with a significantly weakened presence. Now, the giant's eyes glinted in physical, dazzling light and arrived before the Thousand-Eyed Python that was left gaping beyond belief, flexing its four arms.

"Have you considered where your power comes from?"

Helm had completely no way of answering such a ridiculous question. It stared at the being that could actually endure its full-powered blow and survive, before promptly roaring like a beast and shook its body, pressing forward with all its might!

It shrank too much in size. Even if the demon was exhausted, it had the high ground in terms of pure power!

The warrior stared in turn at the Thousand-Eyed Python that dived towards him without any hesitation, he too unhesitatingly raised its four arms. Although each limb was clearly not moving, it was whirling rapidly in reality under the influence of a powerful magnetic field. Soon, the arms' form was obscure to the naked eye, and there were only four Steel spirals that could cut into all things!

You definitely never think. You're a demon from a post-apocalyptic world, a being of a dead realm. All you knew was that it is powerful and deals profound damage, and so simply used it, ignorant of the principles beneath.

There was a difference even when it came to acting without thinking—the demon's style was known as 'impetuous', while the warrior was 'resolute'.

Demon General Helm. You know nothing of power and combat. You are a mere beast that solely knows of slaughter, completely unlearned in the origins of might—life is limited, but not truth.

Honestly speaking, Joshua had forgotten a little what the story had been before, and was utterly unable to recall the ability of the existence known as Helm the Thousand-Eyed Demon that only existed within the compendium. Everything about the enemy was not known to him, so each was a brand-new opponent to the warrior.

What does that matter, however? He was already Legendary, the peak beneath the gods.

If there were enemies, they should be defeated.

If there were dangers, it should be uprooted.

Therefore.

"Taste the weight of wisdom!"

The warrior spoke thus, his iron fist rocketing away, breaking dust and tearing air.