War is an extremely cruel concept.
The reason some people glorify war is simply because they are its beneficiaries.
Some throw themselves into war with the belief of protecting their beliefs; others are merely misled, dreaming of rising to the top in a single leap, and thus step onto the battlefield.
Expanding territory is not inherently wrong, and counterattacks or revenge are perfectly justifiable.
But when one's gaze shifts from above to below, they will find that every road is strewn with corpses. Faintly visible among them is a figure wrapped within, when you look closely, it turns out to be yourself.
"Those rotten things are really disgusting, running rampant all day long and hiding in gangs!" Bailu said angrily.
"Mm! That's exactly why we have to wipe them out completely, not a single one left! That's the most appropriate solution for everyone!"
"Huh?"
After a brief silence, Yunli swept away her earlier quietness, her spirit surging.
Facing Bailu's expression, which hadn't yet caught up, Yunli hoisted her sword, slung it over her shoulder, her resolve firmer than ever.
"One day, I'll burn all those annoying things into scrap metal!" Though no one knew what kind of fuel was burning in Yunli's heart, judging from her sky-piercing vigor, at least there was no need to worry about her going down a dead end.
"By the way, the Luofu is holding a banquet. Zhuming should be doing something similar, right? Is it really okay for you not to be there?"
"It's fine. Grandpa said it's just a show to placate internal matters. The real celebration will only start after everyone has properly recovered."
Yunli waved her hand casually.
If it were truly lively, she wouldn't mind accompanying her grandfather and having a good time, but something like this, she'd rather pass.
....
"Not going to chat with her a bit longer?"
"Empty words are a waste of time no matter how many you say. I don't want to squander precious time on meaningless conversations with people." Mobius spoke softly.
Herta gave a slight nod, clearly in agreement.
As geniuses, they had both experienced conversations with tycoons whose minds contained nothing but monetary units.
From beginning to end, there was never a single useful word.
Herta had it easier; back when Mobius was still with the Flame-Chasers, her experimental funding was cut almost daily.
Even doing research meant being closely monitored.
Fortunately, those days were long gone. Now, she not only possessed top-tier intellect, but also stood at the pinnacle of authority and status.
She was no longer the Mobius watched by powerful figures from all sides.
After brief greetings, Mobius spoke again, "Why did you call me here?"
"Do you remember Irontomb? That iron lump that ran the fastest."
"The Lord Rvager, Irontomb? He shouldn't he behaving himself in the Balanza Furnace right now, should he? Oh, right, 'behaving himself' is probably the most unbearable thing for an Lord Rvager. So?" Mobius raised an eyebrow.
"Before leaving, he recorded the collective consciousness of people on the Rahu. A lifeform like him couldn't possibly not be interested. I'm curious what he'll do with it."
Hearing this, Mobius recalled the scene of Irontomb manipulating the activated planet.
At the time, Irontomb was the closest being to the activated planet. With an Emanator's perception, observing the entire process wouldn't have been difficult.
As an Emanator who had become a data-based lifeform, recording all those changes would take no more than a single thought.
In that case....
Thinking of her own research plans regarding the possibility of Intellitrons giving birth to life, a faint glimmer appeared in Mobius's eyes.
That said, Irontomb likely wouldn't easily step outside his own sphere of influence now.
Investigating the territory of a Lord Ravager....
Even if they were on the same level, at best they could ensure a safe retreat. Probing into the true core would be absolutely impossible.
Standing at this level, Mobius knew all too well the magnitude of power they wielded.
Which made her wonder, how exactly did Zulo fall back then, under the siege of countless insects and a group of Galaxy Rangers?
"In the short term, it's definitely not feasible. So this is a long-term task. Just keep an eye out for anything strange in daily life." Herta said nonchalantly.
Mobius nodded slightly, understanding.
Simply put, she was interested in how Irontomb would react after obtaining the data, but that interest wasn't enough for her to drop her current research and run all the way over for a real-life clash.
Following the principle that geniuses are stronger together, perhaps someday they might run into something unusual in some remote experimental zone.
After giving a few reminders regarding Irontomb, Herta left.
She was always like this, if nothing could hold her attention, she would come and go without a trace.
Mobius felt no ripples in her heart. To be honest, she really was somewhat intrigued by the fusion of people's consciousness that Herta mentioned.
The consciousness of an ordinary human was fragile, but when order collapsed and merged into a single whole, what kind of intensity would emerge, no one dared say for sure.
Not to mention that these were thousands of Xianzhou people, whose bodies, blessed by an Aeon, were destined to be extraordinarily powerful in every aspect.
While she was deep in thought, Mobius suddenly froze. In the next instant, her figure began to blur and vanished from where she stood.
....
Beyond the galaxy.
The Imaginary tree began to tremble. The Quantum sea began to churn.
Two existences of unimaginable magnitude stirred simultaneously, sending out waves far beyond what countless consciousnesses could comprehend.
Yet because their movements were so vast, innumerable worlds within them felt not even the slightest change, this was the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta, which nurtured and contained countless worlds and lost worlds alike.
Viewed from a vertical perspective, these two that had existed since time immemorial stood in opposition. Power beyond cognition constantly battered one another, utterly disregarding consumption, fighting with the sole intent of destroying the other.
Mobius, who had just returned, happened to witness this magnificent scene. In this battle, stars that illuminated entire clusters didn't even qualify as glass marbles.
Complete worlds were merely slightly larger targets.
"What's going on?" The sheer stimulation of the scene left Mobius stunned. Even her brain couldn't immediately grasp what was happening.
Had the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta finally gone to full-scale war?
So exciting, should she be supporting the Imaginary Tree then? After all, her world hung upon the tree; she had no desire to be soaked in the sea.
"Huff, huff."
As she stood there dazed, the occasional whistling sound behind her interrupted her thoughts.
Turning around, she saw that Godzilla had risen at some point. Its thick, long tail swayed gently as it silently watched this battle.
A confrontation between two beings that had opposed each other since the birth of the universe.
Its vertical pupils shifted slightly downward, and the tip of its tail deftly moved above Mobius's head, carefully controlling its strength as it lightly tapped her on the head.
A signal that everything was fine.
The faint unease born of instinct was soothed by this gentle reassurance, allowing Mobius to observe the raging spectacle as a detached onlooker.
Although Godzilla never seriously discussed the actions of the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta with Them, he more or less knew what They were trying to do.
"There's really no need to work this hard."
His tail lightly tapped Mobius on the head again and again. The combination of the two gave off an indescribably relaxed and carefree feeling.
Godzilla's adaptability, as well as his trait of forcing the environment itself to adapt to him, were both extremely powerful.
Neither the Imaginary Tree nor the Sea of Quanta was able to detect Godzilla's existence.
As a result, Godzilla was effectively treating the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta as experience packs, absorbing them freely.
Moreover, the more obvious his enhancement became through absorption, the stronger his absorption grew afterward, forming a completely positive feedback loop.
Although at the very beginning, to Them, it was not even comparable to a tiny tributary, as time passed, the amount steadily increased, eventually becoming heavy enough to be observed with the naked eye.
Neither the Imaginary Tree nor the Sea of Quanta possessed true consciousness. At Their level, the birth of consciousness was almost an impossibly rare miracle.
But They still possessed instinct. After realizing that this could not continue, the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta acted simultaneously.
A large-scale attack!
Since they could not locate the source of the power loss, they launched a massive cleansing operation, from top to bottom, from left to right, a full-scale sweep without blind spots!
And thus came the scene of the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta engaging each other in violent conflict.
As for this, Godzilla felt no ripples in his heart, and even hoped Their intensity would increase a little more.
He stood at every angle of time and space. Even if They fought in earnest, the impact on him was negligible.
From a certain perspective, he was destined to stand at the source of endless worlds.
When he first became a truly infinite existence, Godzilla had felt a wave of emptiness. But a long-lived species was not merely one with infinite lifespan.
After slumber and growth, he had long since become adept at dealing with all kinds of sudden situations, truly unshaken even if the everything collapsed.
"..." No matter what height one occupied in the world, no matter what achievements were obtained throughout countless eras,
In Mobius' eyes at this very moment, all of it was meaningless. She had truly witnessed what a real world was.
An existence that her former self could never have imagined, no matter how hard she tried.
No matter how intelligent or extraordinarily talented the individual called Mobius was, relying solely on her own efforts, she could never break through that layer of barrier.
That was not a realm mortals could reach. Even taking a single glance was an extravagant luxury, a foolish wish.
It was a span of time more despairing than mortals gazing up at geniuses. Those within it could not even feel the slightest ripple.
If not for the coincidence that allowed her to form a bond with Godzilla, she knew she would never uncover the truth even if she exhausted her entire life.
The infinite World Serpent was ultimately only an infinity within a certain time-space. Once that infinity was placed upon a broader stage, it lost its original meaning.
This was undoubtedly a challenge to the limits of a genius.
But only by standing within it could one truly understand, this was not a genius being challenged, but rather a genius who had spent their entire life improving themselves, finally reaching the highest point they could attain, and then, one morning or night, cautiously lifting a corner of the curtain to glimpse the scenery at the very edge.
Yet that single corner was enough to send a genius into ecstatic joy, no matter how calm they had been before.
Even someone born emotionally vacant would feel their heart quake.
"This is a realm even the Aeons cannot hope to match."
After an unknown amount of time, Mobius finally came back to her senses, sighing sincerely from the depths of her heart.
She had collected countless pieces of information and anecdotes about the Aeons.
Among them were rumors that the Aeon of Joy had climbed to the very top of the Imaginary Tree.
Combined with her own knowledge and experiences, Mobius initially judged that this was true.
That Aeon had indeed reached the summit of the Imaginary Tree, and thus became Aha, the Aeon of Joy.
But she understood even more clearly that even Aha, who stood at the forefront among the Aeons, had never witnessed the scenery before her eyes.
How vast and magnificent it was! The emotions in Mobius's heart were impossible to put into words.
At this moment, she was more grateful than ever for the decision she had made back then.
Although she had drifted through the empty depths of outer space for fifty thousand years, the reward for those fifty thousand years was something that could not be obtained even in another hundred thousand.
She had established an incomparably close relationship with Godzilla.
And had borne witness to the clash between two immensely powerful existences that had existed since the birth of the universe.
No one would ever again have an experience as astonishing as hers.
For some reason, she was absolutely certain of this.
Only...
"With such an intense confrontation, what will happen to the worlds relying on Them?"
Leaning against Godzilla, Mobius could see that within the Sea of Quanta, where countless world bubbles were already extremely fragile, many were smashed apart under the impact of surging waves, their energy rapidly dissipating.
Many worlds that had barely managed to sustain their own signs of life completely fell in these repeated clashes.
If nothing unexpected occurred, they would never recover.
As the thought surfaced, Mobius immediately began to wonder what kinds of events would unfold in those worlds.
Perhaps… there would be some turmoil?
....
"Brake, brake!!"
"Screeech!!"
Despite being in outer space, the agile spacecraft was driven by Boothill with the unmistakable feeling of street racing on a highway.
Because of the excessively violent maneuver, this battle-hardened ship, freshly repaired, suffered a tiny malfunction.
"Damn it, where the hell did this thing come from?"
With narrowed eyes, Boothill stared irritably at the Imaginary vortex ahead, roughly three hundred meters in size.
From a big perspective, three hundred meters was smaller than a glass marble.
But blocking his path head-on was crossing the line.
It was only because he had taken such a remote route. If something like this suddenly appeared on the Silver Rail, it would be a full-blown galactic traffic accident.
Those pen-pushers raised by the IPC would never miss such a performance opportunity.
"So what the hell is this thing, anyway?"
Imaginary energy was something every Pathstrider could manipulate, but that was always Path power after various forms of manifestation.
Even someone drawing upon the most primal Imaginary energy wouldn't be able to create something like this.
Boothill could clearly see that anything approaching the vortex, meteors or otherwise, was instantly broken down into Imaginary energy and dissipated. If he hadn't braked in time just now, he would have experienced a painless death firsthand.
And this was no isolated case. Similar situations were occurring across the galaxy.
Most of them appeared in sparsely populated regions, where even if losses occurred, they were insignificant.
But some were not so lucky.
"... The Third Legion has vanished entirely?"
Staring at the Imaginary vortex that had completely wiped out his Third Mechanical Legion, every unit forcibly deregistered, the data terminal in his hand froze mid-calculation.