"I created the Arcane Pathway, I designed the Pioneer of Iron!"
"I invented the Meditation Technique, I am changing this world!"
"Echo, you are always thinking about running away, unwilling to make even a slight change. You are an isolated island in the world, what right do you have to question me why?!"
Spreading apart the flesh that had stopped wriggling, Ian, with only his right arm left, stood before the Deepening Reactor. He gritted his teeth and roared, "I engrave my soul, transform my body, I have completely sublimated my entire being—I am the only true ’True Sublimator’ of this era!"
"If the Star God hadn’t left, I wouldn’t need to fight you for this legacy. I would have a complete, my own Rites of the Star Gods!"
"You ask me why? This is my answer!"
With a punch launched, this time, Echo, unable to control the Dark Gold Colossus Dragon’s body and reinforce it with Origin Quality, saw the existing cracks on its shell enlarge, becoming big enough for a person to enter.
Ian stepped in, seeing his left hand and the Soul of Origin, already shining with brilliant cyan light.
Slowly pressing the left arm, tightly gripping the Soul of Origin, onto his shoulder, successfully reattaching the crystalline arm, Ian’s momentum surged. In an instant, he actually returned to his peak state!
"Echo! The Pioneer gave the Soul of Origin to you and considered you having the right to decide the future of humans because he believed ’Echo is also human’!"
At this moment, Ian gazed at the Soul of Origin in front of him as if staring at the countless shadows hovering within it. He spoke in a deep voice, "In my eyes, you are also human—but even as a human, if you only run away, you will earn my disdain!"
"Your existence is a tremendous threat to me and completely contrary to my path... I will eliminate you here because I must obtain the Soul of Origin, you are my enemy, and I loathe you!"
[... I want to get out]
Facing Ian’s undisguised desires and straightforward killing declaration, Echo did not beg for mercy or speak in despair.
Having known Ian’s identity as the Pioneer, at first, He was astonished, then enlightened, and finally relieved.
He finally understood. He finally comprehended. He finally... knew. This is the best ending He could welcome.
The Soul of Origin’s last dark golden glow flickered, and Echo, with tranquility akin to death, said: [I want to leave this grave-like relic, I want to leave this land devoid of any civilization familiar to me...]
[Tella civilization has been destroyed, that glorious and brilliant civilization has vanished. Today’s Tella is merely a Different Races’ civilization created by people with human appearances. They exploit, cannibalize, and oppress other intelligent life, retracing our past paths, absorbing not a sliver of lessons, with no remorse or reluctance]
[I don’t want to change them, I don’t want to fight for them. I just want to leave, leave this land]
[I will do my best to continue the spark of human life... after all is over, after all has perished, after all disasters have calmed, I will rebuild human civilization in the farthest stars... I will create one person at a time, teach one child at a time, and teach them anew what Terra’s culture is, what the morality of unity is. I will tell them our civilization’s history, the ugliness of the past, the teachings of the sages, and the eventual grand and splendid future]
[I will reshape a perfect Terra, establish our monument once more on a blank land]
[If I die midway, then at least I have tried my best. I am running, but if I don’t run, not even a glimmer of hope for rebuilding Terra will be seen]
At this moment, Ian finally understood the greatest difference between himself and Echo.
Echo never regarded the current Tella civilization as a civilization, as his offspring, as his ’brethren’ in need of help.
All he wanted was the ’Echo’ of the pre-epoch civilization. Yes, the civilization Echo spoke of was always the pre-epoch civilization, not the current Sublimators’ civilization.
However, on the now Tella Continent, wanting to reshape the original pre-epoch Tella civilization is impossible.
The wars between nations, the subtle racial divisions, the rampant Magical Beasts, the Alien Forms’ genes have already polluted all humanity’s gene pool... Alien Forms, Different Races, and Sparkkind Creatures... not to mention those horrific natural disasters, the drastically changed terrain, and the already distorted society and civilization system under the warped Sublimation Path.
If it were an empty land, building a new building or even a new city would be easy.
But if it were the ruins of a city, trying to rebuild and restore the city is almost impossible.
Let alone an entire world, an entire civilization.
"You’ve always said I’m crazier than you."
Clutching the Soul of Origin, the white-haired Prophet sighed, "But in reality, aren’t you much crazier than I am?"
"An Echo speaking of creating a civilization’s Echo... there’s nothing more insane in this world than this."
To recreate the pre-epoch civilization... haha, those sparks, those sparks arriving at Terra, perhaps also held such crazy ideas.
Civilization was destroyed, but if reshaped by a spark, it can’t truly be said to have perished.
"Indeed, whether it’s the spark or you... all are echoes lingering in the past."
[I have always been waiting for this moment, I have been waiting since I was born in the Forerunner’s Laboratory]
At this moment, Echo’s voice was barely audible: [I have waited for one thousand six hundred years, so kill quickly, don’t give me the chance to resurrect]
[Look, on the Soul of Origin, that dark gold core, that’s my fatal point. Destroy it, obliterate this Echo of mine, and swallow everything we have]
[Pioneer, if you really intend to step towards the infinite future as you say]
He said: [Then don’t become an Echo like that old Forerunner...]
Without giving a definitive answer, even Ian’s expression sank slightly, but he didn’t hesitate at all: "I can only promise that as long as I have a chance to win, I will never back down."
He extended his hand.
—Yes. That’s it. So this is the theoretical end of my immortal life.
At the last moment, instead, the ancient will showed a genuine smile: [Death has finally arrived... So, I have always been waiting, waiting for this moment...]
[Waiting for the hope that could surpass me...]
The young man crushed the last thread of dark golden light.
Everything fell into silence.