Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 252 | A Kind Madness | Novela.app

Over the past few decades, the 'Sun Star' had never truly hidden his abilities. Later, this information was even officially released to strengthen external deterrence. Consequently, everyone began to ponder how to rid themselves of their dependence on metal. Some went even further, researching a vast array of weapons specifically designed to destroy metallic structures. But all of that amounted to nothing before another characteristic of the Sun Star’s power. Thus, 'Stillness' became the primary focus of every major civilization in the galaxy. Plans to counter it emerged in endless succession, only to be repeatedly overturned... because for over twenty years, a fundamental question had plagued researchers: What was the principle behind 'Stillness'? In the past, the answer to this question was likely known only to Lei Ting himself. But now, Evanheiler knew it too. 'Stillness' was a powerful form of offensiveness, a counteracting force that transcended all imagination. It was extreme yet capable of restraint, its specific effects depending entirely on the user. If released outwardly alongside a massive surge of energy, it could repel and destroy almost anything. However, if one wished to use it to maintain internal stability, the user faced a problem: if such offensiveness was directed at oneself, could it possibly lead to a good result? Of course not. Now, Evanheiler understood this better than almost anyone else. Currently wrapped in golden light, he floated within the chaotic energy currents. A ball of golden light manifested in his hand; with a backward pull, he caused the door several kilometers away to close on its own. With a mere thought, the multiple locking shafts—which normally required a host computer or engineering machinery to physically engage—turned and clicked into place, returning everything to its original state. This was 'Metal Manipulation'... This sensation was as if he had become the god of all metallic matter. Even non-metallic substances that had temporarily acquired metallic properties bowed their heads in submission to him. Yet he knew that what truly commanded them was not him, but this power. Or rather, the original form of this false power, and its true master behind it. Evanheiler frowned, gazing at his own hand. He could feel that the power of the 'Sun Star' was far too 'fierce'; the name, which seemed like a mere physical description, was not misapplied at all. Holding this energy in his hand felt like clutching a blazing star, a sun on the verge of eruption. And the way 'Stillness' controlled all of this was through a never-ending process of self-attack and erosion. Superpowers were idealistic things; each person's unique energy was a manifestation of their personality traits. So, what should one call a person who possessed such extremely intense, unstable destructiveness, yet restrained it through a method that could be described as chronic suicide—even allowing the latter to spread across their entire mental plane? Generally speaking, even in interstellar society, such a person was usually called a 'madman.' Evanheiler closed his eyes. "...No, there are plenty of madmen, but you are different," he whispered to himself, his slender fingers clenching tight. "Lei Ting, you are just kind." *An arrogant judgment,* he thought. It was surely different from the labels the rest of the galaxy used for that man. But Evanheiler had been certain of it for a long time. A moment later, he took a deep breath like a living being and reopened his eyes—even in his spirit state, his external form did not affect his perception of or communication with the outside world. "No concept of 'space,' catch a fish..." Evanheiler murmured to himself, his form drifting like a breeze as he gradually vanished into the far end of the kaleidoscopic, violent energy currents. *** The edge of the galaxy, near the Large Magellanic Cloud, in the Barren Sector. The massive phantom of the 'Bastion' was wreathed in black mist. Here, the boundary between the Spirit Depths and the physical world grew blurred. The phantom manifested within it as the surrounding starlight rippled, occasionally extinguishing entirely only to reignite the next moment. This was a phenomenon where the physical world and the Spirit Depths briefly overlapped—the sight of the Starless Dark revealing itself to the world. Two sets of rules collided here. The fundamental physical laws that supported the physical world and the irrational power overflowing from the Spirit Depths flashed alternately within this space. A massive phantom crown, hundreds of meters in diameter, hovered in the void. Great fires poured from it, the flames spreading through the vacuum and incinerating every obstacle in their path. Yet the ruined city wreathed in black mist stood firm, absorbing every impact. The strikes only made its shattered parts more broken, but they recovered with lightning speed. The 'Commander' hovered near the accretion disk of a black hole, black mist surging around him. Using the surrounding environment as a reference, he was actually moving slowly. His 'hovering' was an absolute anchoring, much like the way a stargate was fixed in place. "If this were a thousand years ago, no one could have imagined your current weakness." The Commander spoke, sounding somewhat pleased. "'Firewine'... Heh, I knew it was you. Kothares. Is this how you greet the half-self born from the depths of your own heart?" "I have always been this way. You should know that better than anyone," said a towering... 'torch' several hundred kilometers away. It didn't care that its enemy used the word 'weak' to describe it; there was even a hint of a smile in its voice. The Commander was laughing. He rarely laughed like this. But ever since 'Firewine' had traveled from afar and nearly burned him down to half his size, he hadn't stopped smiling. Since then, whether it was the temporary black hole he created swallowing most of 'Firewine,' or 'Firewine's' eerie flames scorching his core, he continued to laugh. "Do you know? This is quite interesting, Kothares," he said. "The rebel of the 'Silver Star,' the Emperor of the 'Galactic Empire'—you aren't even a carbon-based lifeform anymore... But I, though a Xenodemon, maintain your former appearance and part of your personality. Even the 'Bastion' chose to recognize me. To many, I am the true 'Atrin Kothares.' Tell me, between a being of Order and a Xenodemon, what is the difference besides a title?" "There is no difference," Firewine replied. "...?" The Commander faltered at those words. *Why is he agreeing with his enemy's trash talk??* "After all," Firewine continued, "whether it is a lifeform of Order or a Xenodemon, whether it is me or you, we must all die one day. So we are the same, just as 'yes' and 'no' are the same thing—equally limited, equally destined to be forgotten, and equally meaningless." "..." As a race created innately for better survival, even though a Xenodemon would develop extreme desires due to the influence of the host that birthed them, he still couldn't help but retreat several kilometers in the face of such overwhelming, extreme nihilism. First, there was the Sun Star's Xenodemon who thought he was crazy, and now Kothares's Xenodemon thought he was too extreme. This was perhaps a characteristic of the galaxy's powerhouses. "You make me feel afraid... Kothares," the Commander murmured, his tone ambiguous. "Clearly, I am the part of you that 'plunders,' while you can only 'give.' A weak, powerless giving." During their conversation, several more rounds of combat ensued. Stars flickered in the distance, at one point vanishing completely from their field of vision. This proved that Firewine was at a disadvantage; it had lost control over the surrounding environment several times and was dragged along into the darkness of the Spirit Depths. "Seriously, what do you see in them? Your Great Majesty Kothares?" The Commander knew the victory was decided; the rest was only a matter of time. He sighed affectedly. "The 'Sun Star' hasn't come to help you even now. My dear 'self,' you turned yourself into this for something significant, but if you lose the gamble, it becomes worthless. Don't tell me you don't know that the 'Lover' of the Orion Human Union has been staring at you... That fellow has self-awareness, covets your power, and is the largest collection of psychopaths in history. You still dare to cooperate with a part of Him?" "After all, I am red," Firewine said cryptically. "It is only natural that He likes me." "...?" The Commander was rendered speechless for the third time. He felt this conversation could no longer continue. "The 'Lover' wants the power I 'give.' For that, He did not hesitate to risk a falling out with His own ace, exerting forceful interference on the Sun Star's lover. I know this much better than you do." As Firewine spoke, it shook its head slightly. The Commander was suddenly struck by suspicion and uncertainty. In an instant, he retraced the events of the past few years dozens of times in his mind. This even caused the gravitational pull of a tiny black hole that had just emerged near Firewine to weaken considerably. At the same time, a burst of fire emerged from the void, exploding right in his face! The Commander's figure dissipated like a phantom, and in the distance, Firewine's form also melted into firelight. They were both merely phantom incarnations. These two, sharing the same source, even had identical combat habits. Further away, another mass of red gel-like substance writhed into existence, and another incarnation of Firewine manifested from the void. "Though I cannot kill you, if this continues, I can stall you forever," the red torch-like gel gathered itself again. "What do you think?" It had no intention of continuing the previous topic—the one about the 'Lover.' The Commander watched it for a long while before gritting his teeth. "You know what He intends to do." "Perhaps so, or perhaps not." Firewine's answer was full of a maddeningly riddling quality. "Do not forget, that is a superpowered entity. Even if His state is incredibly chaotic, in every sense of the word, He can be called a 'god.' What thoughts do you think a 'god' with self-awareness would harbor toward this starry sky?" "You are stalling for time," the Commander sneered. "Don't forget, I inherited a part of who you once were—the 'Commander of the Silver Star Council Guard.' Don't think you can hide anything from me." He and Firewine gazed at each other from a distance as a pitch-black sphere began to form between them. But a flame-like energy appeared simultaneously like a shadow, wrestling with that unformed superpowered force. Although it caused the surrounding sense of space to distort, it prevented the thing from being fully born. The Commander was not anxious. His 'Black Hole Manipulation' and its accompanying 'Gravity Control' made him invincible in a certain sense. But he also knew that everything had its flaws: first, this ability wasn't originally his, so he wasn't proficient with it; second, Firewine was his other half, and... The Commander's gaze shifted slightly, looking inconspicuously at that crown-like phantom 'shackle.' As one of the two... 'remnants' of the Galactic Empire's creator, he naturally had more than just these tricks. But the existence of this thing prevented both him and Firewine from truly throwing everything away and destroying everything. Because this very thing was the restriction the 'Kothares' of old had placed upon himself! "You think the 'Sun Star' is still coming?" Thoughts raced through the Commander's mind, formulating and discarding thousands of plans in an instant, but his mouth continued to taunt Firewine. "Stop being stupid. He hasn't come yet, which proves he has abandoned his alli—" *Crack!* Halfway through his sentence,