Chapter 508: True Ideal, Already Completed

"You, just as I suspected, are essentially the same thing as that existence beneath the Void! It is only natural, then, that its power fails to affect you as it should. The only difference between you and it is that you happen to resemble a human being..."

Wang Yu’s response did not surprise Sura; it only confirmed his suspicions. The essence of Wang Yu’s existence was remarkably similar to that entity deep within the Void.

"That is merely my own designation. I am curious, though: what right do you lot, who are committed to slaughtering every sentient race on this continent, have to deem me a threat to this world? Have I committed any heinous acts?"

"I think not. I don't even know what this entity at the bottom of the Void is—the one you keep insisting I am identical to. Now that we have reached this point, do you have nothing else to say?"

Wang Yu’s hand tightened around Sura’s throat. His body, encased in the power of the Chariot, rendered all of Sura’s Void-derived abilities useless. Like a common mage facing a knight, Sura’s frail frame could offer no effective resistance as Wang Yu pressed him downward, plummeting into the depths of the Void.

"Heh, you truly seem to approach the very concept of humanity. Is it a disguise, or have you been assimilated, much like those Void creatures that have merged with sentient races? You possess the power to oppose the Void, yet you do not even know what it is. I am quite curious as to what it is you truly desire."

Sura stared coldly at Wang Yu. He seemed indifferent to his own death; as for the conversation, it was likely driven by the personality defects inherent in his integrated soul, and a desire to gather intelligence on Wang Yu, the "intruder."

"What I desire? Can you not see? I am doing exactly what the sentient races of this continent would do: slaughtering an organization like yours that seeks to turn the entire material world into a void."

Wang Yu responded with disdain, his answer nearly identical to the one he had given before the Wizard Tower of the Spellbinder.

"I told you, you don't even know what the Void is, let alone the entity beneath it. Do you actually believe that merging the material world with the Void is intended to kill the sentient races? No! It is to integrate the power of all existence. That is the only solution to welcome that abominable future!"

Sura’s tone carried a hint of anger—a disdain for the arrogance and ignorance of a man who possessed the power to change the situation, yet chose to stand against them.

"Bang!"

Wang Yu’s free hand slammed directly into Sura’s face. Sura, whose physical strength was incomparable to Wang Yu’s, had no time to dodge or block. The fist, cloaked in the power of the Chariot, struck squarely. His nasal bone collapsed, teeth were dislodged, and blood—red, surprisingly—splattered outward.

"What the hell are you joking about? Aren't you lot the ones who never say anything? Always playing the riddle-master. What are you trying to do? What is beneath the Void? Tell me!"

Wang Yu made no effort to be polite, his own temper flaring as he demanded to know their true intentions.

"Inform those foolish sentient races? This was all meant for them. If this information were to reach those who should not know it, the entity beneath the Void would no longer be shackled by the Void itself. Then, this continent, and all its affiliated planes, would face annihilation."

"However, if it is you, perhaps knowing would change nothing."

His tone remained cold and dismissive. Sura spoke of the Ideal State’s motives with grandiosity, but his focus quickly shifted back to Wang Yu.

"Speak."

Wang Yu frowned, staring at Sura, whose face was a bloody mess yet remained utterly composed.

"Do you know why those Void creatures from beyond the Dissociation Layer come here? What is it they want? Is it merely meaningless destruction, or evolution and consumption of life on this continent for no reason?"

"No, no. All of this is thanks to that existence deep within the Void, which, like the Void creatures, once resided in the starry sky beyond the Dissociation Layer. This thing, which cannot be described in words, fell into this world one day. The pollution and chaos it projected from its center destroyed almost everything nearby in a very short time."

"It was not a simple annihilation of matter, but a total distortion of consciousness, an assimilation into something like itself—an irreversible, desperate, and true death."

"The essence of the Void is distortion and chaos because of it. This existence from the stars is the source of all pollution and chaotic distortion within the Void. You should understand—the Void is vast, yet its pollution successfully tainted the entire expanse!"

As Sura spoke of the entity in the depths of the Void, he painted a portrait of an indescribable being of unimaginable power. To pollute the entire Void single-handedly—the strength required surpassed anything Wang Yu had ever faced.

"Then what is the Void itself..."

Wang Yu’s brow furrowed deeper as he continued his interrogation.

"The Void? It is us. All of us—a part of everyone except you. It is an ocean formed by the power we once possessed. The purpose of this ocean is to ensure that the existence from the stars remains pressed at the very bottom of this 'sea of sand,' preventing it from destroying the material world above."

"When it fell, it assimilated and annihilated countless lives and non-living things. Our original power had no effect on it, until we realized the 'collision' that occurred when its power acted upon us."

"All material means were ineffective, except for that power we once held. The profession of 'wizard' did not exist in the past; or rather, everyone was a wizard, though the intensity of their power varied. Changing matter with one's own will was a talent we all shared."

"It influenced us by reverse-polluting us through this power, and the fact that it could touch us in this way meant that we could, with great difficulty, exert 'force' back upon it."

"We had no way to kill it. Even now, we haven't found a way to wound it. All we can do is push against it like helpless infants, all while being constantly polluted, assimilated, and distorted."

"But the fact that I can still speak to you here proves the final outcome. The total amount of power that constitutes the Void remains constant, belonging to the sentient beings born on this land. When enough die, that power gathers in the hands of the few."

"Coincidentally, that is exactly what the existence from the stars did. Its frantic pollution and erosion facilitated the gathering of this power. When dispersed among many, it is weak, and under the uncoordinated wills of the masses, it can only struggle uselessly before being distorted."

"But when the number of sentient beings dwindles to a few, that power concentrates in the hands of the few. And that gathered power is enough to influence the entity from the stars."

"A great one, whose name I do not know, made a choice. They stripped this power from the sentient beings, turning the thing that could influence the entity into something independent of us—the 'Void'."

"This power requires the mobilization of our consciousness. To use it, one must at least have 'cognition' of it. When even that is lost, the power remains silent, like stagnant water, influencing nothing—except, by its very existence, suppressing that indescribable thing from the stars."

"That is what they did. They fundamentally altered human cognition, leaving only a few to know the truth. The power that lost its 'cognition' became true 'dead water,' gathering into a vast ocean—the Void as you know it—to capsize the entity from the stars, pinning it in the deep sea of the Void so that the material world might be preserved."

"They left the solution to time. After suppressing the entity, they made this choice. The Void was born, and all sentient races lost the power they should have possessed. The path of development became twisted; the paths of wizards, mages, and knights were born only after that."

"But the path of the wizard was wrong from the start. The power they thought they 'borrowed' from the Void actually belonged to them all along."

"The Void is an objective reality; it was bound to be discovered by sentient beings. Once discovered, the path of the wizard emerged, but the power they reclaimed had already been polluted by the entity from beyond the stars. Thus, once the physical body could no longer withstand the pollution, it would inevitably collapse and distort."

Sura spoke with focus, revealing a truth that could overturn the entire world. The essence of the Void was laid bare, and from this root theory, the origins of the gods, the demons, and the Void creatures could all be deduced.

"Since it has already been suppressed, why are you doing what you are doing now?"

Wang Yu’s expression remained grim as he continued to question Sura.

"Doing? Time will not bring an answer; it will only bring destruction!"

Sura suddenly became agitated. This matter, which touched upon their ultimate ideal, was like a red line in his psyche; touching it inevitably provoked a violent response.

"We have been searching for a way to solve that existence, but in all this time, has there been an answer? No! What we have waited for are the Abyss creatures! Those things that come from the same place as it are here to release it!"

"They are learning and evolving, usurping the power that belongs only to the beings born on this land. Once they succeed, they will release that entity from the stars and completely pollute and destroy this world!"

"And we? We have no way to break through that damned Dissociation Layer. It has no effect on those creatures; they can enter, but we can never leave. It is an eternal cage. As long as we cannot take that step, we will inevitably face a future fraught with crisis. The appearance of the Abyss creatures is the best proof."

"Fortunately, the 'Morning Star' we created changed this world and crushed those Abyss creatures. But it was only temporary. Who knows how many more invasions there will be, how many things will come for the entity in the depths of the Void? We must reverse everything and make the future secure. That is our Ideal State!"

"In our contact with the Abyss creatures, we found ways to influence the entity in the depths of the Void. Perhaps it is this connection that brought them here to rescue it. Regardless, we have the means to influence it; we simply need the power of the entire Void."

"Gather the power of the entire Void, suppress and influence the entity, and then drag it and the entire Void away from this land bound by the Dissociation Layer. A pure land within a cage, and a new realm composed of pure Void—that is the 'Ideal State' we desire!"

Sura spoke rapidly and excitedly, revealing the ultimate goal of the Ideal State organization to Wang Yu.

"So, to gather enough power to drive the entire Void, you need three nodes to influence it, and then you must assimilate the souls of all living beings on the continent, merging them into a unified entity with a single goal, to command the entire Void, is that it?"

Wang Yu asked calmly.

"It seems you can understand these things. So, what is your choice? Will you continue to stand against us? Or will you choose to help us complete this great ideal?"

Watching Wang Yu’s unreadable eyes, Sura asked earnestly. He truly wanted to know Wang Yu’s stance.

"Creak!"

"That sounds truly great. My apologies, but I am a rather despicable fellow. I have no desire to see my friends die before your so-called Ideal State is established."

Wang Yu responded by tightening his grip on Sura’s throat, the bones emitting a harsh, unbearable sound.

"Forget… it. I should… never have… harbored the fantasy that you… could be reasoned with. You are… truly too much like a human, so much so that I… thought I could… treat you as an ally. But your thinking… is so narrow… it is truly… pathetic…"

Sura’s speech became extremely difficult, his words stuttering and broken under the immense pressure on his neck.

"You… know… the third… node… actually… has already been… completed…"

"Boom!"