Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 248 | I Am the Empire | Novela.app

At this moment, a three-dimensional fire network enveloped the galactic center. The sea of light boiled, its metallic matter continuously reinforced as azure streaks of arrows leaped across the star system, their flickering brilliance announcing that war was underway. A single beam of blue light brushed past the network, crashing violently into the crimson depths of the Silver Core. ... Beneath the core of a certain sector of the Ring World, a giant tree emitting a faint violet fluorescence floated silently. It resembled a massive tree with tangled vines and whiskers, lush with foliage and drooping aerial roots. Its entire form was composed of phantasmal, elongated human faces. These giant purple faces lay tilted like dead souls or statues, eyes closed in peaceful slumber within the sea of violet fluorescence. If Lei Ting were here, he would recognize at a glance that the facial features of these giant countenances belonged to the "Silver Star" race. A swirling flame drifted by, illuminating this hollow cavity—a space so magnificent it felt like the interior of a hollow planet. A globule of red gel the size of a fingertip, trailing fire, approached the giant tree of energy. "The war has begun. The man who killed the traitor is fighting," it said. "This generation of galactic civilization is quite interesting. Aren't you going to open your eyes and look?" A magnificent voice echoed within the cavity. "The last time we opened our eyes, it caused a disturbance among the Behemoths throughout the Silver Core. More than a hundred Behemoths were born prematurely, bringing an end to all things in their vicinity." The voice carried a faint, gentle quality, as if speaking of matters unrelated to itself, yet also as if feeling a deep, sorrowful guilt. Furthermore, there were no self-referential pronouns like "I" in its speech. "Cot, you should not have come here again," it said. "The galaxy needs you, as do your people. "Back then, you chose to break away from the Silver Star to carry out your own plan. Was it not to walk a path unlike any other, to no longer deal with any 'Star,' and to ensure the continuation of the experimental race in your own way? "To that end, you did not even hesitate to change your original form, degrading yourself into a more 'ordinary' life... "Now that you have succeeded, you should be happy and go to your friend's side, rather than wasting time here in futility." "Is that so? It’s been too long; I can’t remember clearly anymore." Fire Wine spoke, lazily circling the other entity. "I think back then, I probably just felt that both you and the Ascensionists were too stupid." "Yes. Whether it be the rigid hierarchy of 'Ascension' or the absolute equality of 'Aggregation,' neither was a way out for civilization. "Even in later meetings, many councilors believed that if you had stayed, the 'Obtaining' and 'Giving' you mastered could have changed everything." The giant tree’s voice remained soft and melodious. "In that race, you were the only winner." "I don't think so. Neither regarding 'changing everything' nor being the 'winner,'" Fire Wine said softly. "You lost, and I lost too. We all lost miserably, Aggregation. "During those years, I harbored an extreme idea. For its sake, I harmed lives and twisted morality. Just like the versions of you I once loathed, I threw out one conspiracy after another, even experimenting on brand-new lives... "I betrayed my former ideals and ran contrary to my goals. On the surface, I seemed magnificent and noble, but in truth, I have done the most malicious of things. Today, I still possess the power of 'Giving,' but it has been too long since it truly served as hope for anyone else. "At that final meeting back then, you all believed I would not achieve my goal. That statement was correct. An utopia in space does not exist, and I cannot bring it forth within a galaxy propped up by weapons of war, even for a fleeting moment." "Perhaps," the giant tree known as Aggregation said. "You should leave. No one here, other than you, will ever return to the radiance of the stars." It did not wish to speak further. This fact was laid bare in its dismissal. Fire Wine was not angry, merely saying, "Then I’m off... "...By the way, Aggregation, I remember sixteen hundred thousand years ago, both you and the Ascensionists asked me why I abandoned the traditions of the Silver Star to change to such a complex and meaningless, strange name?" "Yes," Aggregation said. "That did happen. So, what is your answer?" "Two reasons," Fire Wine said. "First, the 'name' Wine-350 really doesn't sound like a name... even if you all thought 'Wine' was a surname and '350' was a given name, and even praised it as an elegant title with non-equilibrium beauty... seriously, was that actually beautiful?" It gurgled and shifted its shape, striking out in the air in the form of a hand with a wagging index finger. "...Second," it said, "don't you think that name is fucking cool? That’s the name my friend gave me! "To accompany my ideals and actions through history, it has to be a 'human name' ten thousand times cooler than something like '350'!" "..." In that instant, Aggregation fell silent, appearing quite dumbfounded. ... Lei Ting blinked, looking at the large mass of Fire Wine that had recently and surreptitiously drifted over from the energy waves. "What did you just say?" he asked, trying to confirm he hadn't misinterpreted the message from that brief mental link. "I thought I 'heard' you speaking." "I said, 'Can you send me over there!' I mean, to that guy you're fighting!" Fire Wine's mental link flew over again. "Send me over, and I guarantee his black hole won't appear!" "No." Lei Ting's refusal was blunt. "I can't gamble on that." "...Meaning you've gambled on something else?" Fire Wine was instantly suspicious. "No." Lei Ting's denial was equally blunt. He even said solemnly, "I will not place the future on a scale." The words were serious enough, but as Fire Wine circled him twice, it couldn't help but mutter inwardly: *This guy doesn't look like he's planning anything good right now...* "I heard your conversation just now," Lei Ting said. "What do you intend to do?" "You did hear it." Fire Wine wasn't surprised. "Teleport me over... Lei Ting, any later and it will be too late. I could go myself, but that might be a bit... destructive." "What kind of destructive?" "Everyone dies together," Fire Wine said. Golden light and void-blackness continuously collided and dissipated in the starry sky. The scene didn't actually look tense; on a cosmic scale, it merely resembled a firework show occurring within the galaxy. But Lei Ting knew that he was currently maintaining his maximum energy output, a process that had already lasted for two hours. Every second, the energy he output was enough to sustain a civilized interstellar planet for ten years without depletion. Maintaining the front, trading long-range blows with the enemy, continuously charging the energy cannon in the giant mecha's hands... For the first time in his life, his energy output per minute was higher than his recovery rate. "Temporarily lift the restriction and send me over... You won't regret it, Sun Star." Fire Wine spoke in a low voice, the flames on its body burning more intensely. The fierce light and heat made it look almost like another light source within this sea of radiance. "..." Lei Ting remained silent for a moment. No one knew what he was thinking. Two breaths later, he said, "Fine." Fire Wine froze for a second, seemingly not expecting him to agree so smoothly. But in the next second, a lightless rift tore open within the sea of golden light, and a surge of nihilistic darkness immediately squeezed out from it— Fire Wine suddenly lunged forward, its entire body expanding to envelop the darkness, swallowing it in one gulp. A crown-like phantom emerged from its body. Amidst the swaying brilliance, it dove through the rift, transforming into a dazzling blaze of fire that crashed straight toward the "Commander" on the other side of the crack. At the same time, it suddenly raised its voice, laughing as it threw down one last sentence: "I've wanted to say this for a long time, Sun Star... you actually got one thing wrong back then. You said I was a member of the Empire, but I want to tell you, have some confidence..." "...【I AM THE EMPIRE】!!" *BOOM...!!!* Just as a new surge of energy erupted from the Silver Core behind him, the foul black-red finally swallowed the snow-white fungi completely. Lei Ting felt something. He looked up, and as his neck moved, rigid and mottled black patterns flickered in and out of sight within the golden glow. Beneath that was his form-fitting light armor—it could finally no longer conceal the truth. And Lei Ting did not care if it was exposed, for he knew that no one could look directly at him as he was now. But he could watch everyone. ... A brain-shuddering explosion occurred at the other end of the rift. Facing Fire Wine's charge, the "Commander" actually didn't dodge. Of course, he couldn't—because as those final words fell, a flame that seemed intent on incinerating stars exploded outward. A domain silently emerged, like a solar corona, like divine light, and like the fierce fire radiated with composure when the last bundle of wood is tossed into the furnace. 【I Am the Empire】—that was its name. *A good name,* Lei Ting thought. He knew exactly who this fellow was now. At this moment, that fire burned in space against the backdrop of the universe's most massive celestial bodies. Before that empty darkness, the crown-shaped "Shackles" and half of the shattered "Fortress City" collided with a roar. A burst of psychic power that echoed through nearly half the galaxy erupted; it was the Commander's voice: "Atrin Cotaris, you're fucking crazy...!!!" ... *...Crack.* A fissure suddenly opened on the small portion of Lei Ting's cheek that had turned to metal. An illusory eye peered out from within, and the thing let out a soft chuckle. Lei Ting could feel what it was thinking... "...'Soon, I can make the galaxy look the way I want it to'?" he murmured to himself. He tilted his head slightly amidst the ear-grating sound of shattering, even offering a casual compliment: "A fine obsession." The thing's laughter seemed to grow louder. Lei Ting laughed as well. That smile could be called sincere, a perfect replica of a certain smile from his youth, yet his eyes held no emotion. —Powerful energy impact and envelopment, forces related to space-time or gravity... The conditions that could pluck the strings of space-time had now all been met. Good. He had realized long ago that almost every being who had seen him in the "past" had never mentioned words like "mutation" or "shattered," nor had they shown any related reactions. In the past, when Lei Ting communicated with the "Beholder" and the "Recorder," he had asked related questions. At that time, the answers they gave provided him with a highly dangerous backup plan. —If he didn't know when the "Time-Space Closed Loop" would appear... ...Then he would set the most solid benchmark for all of this! A benchmark composed of his own life and state! Lei Ting soared into the air. Borrowing the properties of the sea of light around him, which were similar to the "Bottom of the Spirit," the golden light on his body actually began to slowly detach from his physical form. ...No, that wasn't golden light at all, but a tall, humanoid figure... with a spiked halo behind its head!! *** Glossary Table: