There was no blood, no scenes of cruelty, only muscles and bones writhing.
As a Sublimator of the preceding era’s civilization, the Pioneer might not possess the power to destroy worlds, but he had indeed honed his body and soul to their peak.
Using his soul to control his body, the Pioneer removed his own head; the elderly man gently cut the flesh and bone around his skull, and then took out his brain from his head.
[I shall divide the gift bestowed upon me by the Star God into three]
A hazy voice of Spirit Energy resonated, carrying the exact tone of the old man: [Representing my conviction, I bestow the ’Radiance of the Stars’ to future Humans]
At this moment, a silver stellar radiance was extracted from the old man’s brain and spinal cord... then condensed into an extremely thin yet immensely intricate ’Core Chip’ that contained the entire cosmos!
[Representing my body, I shall leave it here as the ’Body of Light’ for those who come after]
The headless body of the Pioneer pressed its hand to its chest; a blazing white light shone as a ’gem’ condensed in the center of the chest under the collarbone.
[And lastly, representing my soul, I shall give unto my Echo disciples the ’Soul of Origin’]
A somewhat staggering platinum phantom emerged from the old man’s corpse, a purely radiant soul; Ian had never seen such a brilliant and pure soul before, more dazzling than even the Fourth Energy Level.
The hazy voice of Spirit Energy laughed, then sighed: [I created the Echo. I selfishly created, and selfishly despaired when the creation was not as I wished—I even selfishly judged my creation as a failed mistake]
[But, in truth, I was wrong, so I must atone. Since the Echo lacks a soul, I shall gift them mine—after all, they are indeed Humans, one possibility of Humans]
[How regrettable. I had indeed gained lessons that could be applied next time, but there will be no chance.]
The Pioneer held his own head and lay down on the control seat.
[Could those who come after... tell me?]
He softly asked: [Is what I did for Humans... meaningful?]
Everything vanished into smoke.
Countless phantasms shattered, Ian stood in place, the world continuously changing, flashing through countless different scenes and figures, but finally, it still condensed into the ’now’ of a millennium later.
Exotic Species Research Institute, Central Control Room.
On the control seat, a severely damaged corpse sat peacefully.
Perhaps due to Ian’s earlier touch, the corpse’s head, originally cradled, lowered slightly, revealing a blazing white gem on its chest.
At this moment, the silver chip... or rather, the ’Radiance of the Stars’, softly trembled, conveying to Ian that this was indeed another part of the ’Rites of the Star Gods’.
It had been there, waiting for a millennium.
The black-haired young man remained silent for a long time, then smiled.
"...Isn’t this very meaningful?"
He extended his hand to grasp the blazing white gem from the corpse’s chest—in that moment, the Pioneer’s corpse shattered, dissipating into endless fragments of Ethereal Spirit Energy, leaving only the blazing gem still warm in his palm.
Feeling the lingering warmth through the ages, Ian lowered his gaze, answering the Pioneer’s question across the years: "I have seen your lesson. I have inherited your legacy."
"Humans still exist, relying on your Sublimation Path, albeit with some errors, but they flourish nonetheless. And, due to the Radiance of the Stars you left, this world still holds a glimmer of hope."
Bowing to the now empty chair, Ian earnestly replied: "This is Inheritance. The greatest meaning."
He spoke, as the black-haired young man stepped forward.
In place of the now vanished body of the Pioneer, Ian sat in the control seat.
Terra’s second Pioneer, smiling, gazed at the complex light screen before him: "Everything that follows."