High Above

   "It's the center of the earth! The Dead King's plan... the ultimate goal is to create a 'hell' in the center of the earth!"

  Ian finally understood everything at this moment.

  The legacy left by Inaiga II to Grand Duke Sorin is called the "spiritual fire seed", which is a kind of advanced compound spiritual energy project that only exists in conception.

In essence, it has no essential difference from those "fire spacecraft" that fell on Terra and the moon. Its purpose is to create a kind of spaceship that can exist for a long time, travel in space, and preserve traces of human existence. All technologies and art, civilization, and gene pool, and launch it to a planet that might be hospitable to life.

   Next, it will be the recovery of the fire, rekindling the flames of human civilization on Terra, or being absorbed and integrated by alien civilizations like the fire seeds received by Terra, that is the future.

  In any case, whether it becomes the food for the progress of other civilizations or a part of the fusion is evidence of the existence of human beings, it is better than being sealed in the Prisoner Prison as if it never existed.

  A spark burning in darkness and despair.

   One of the most helpless choices.

  However, due to the early death of Inaiga II, this plan has not been implemented in time... Of course it is not only that, because this plan has too many difficulties.

Not to mention anything else, just a few problems that were solved in the hands of Adalbert, if Grand Duke Sorin hadn't used inhumane means to combine the secret technologies of the two countries at the cost of betraying the empire and joining forces with Feiyan , Success is never even thought of.

   Even so, Grand Duke Sorin has no way to create a psionic spaceship that can exist stably in the void of the universe.

  Even if it is possible, with the current technology, it will not be practical within fifty years.

   So he was desperate and had to choose another route.

  Since it is impossible to fire the fire...then at least a tombstone must be left.

  The living tombstone of human civilization.

Adalbert believes that there is no environment on Terra that can naturally provide a large amount of energy and supply the existence of souls. That is because he is still too young and has never seen a real big scene and extreme environment... and Grand Duke Sorin seen.

  He immediately thought of the center of the earth.

Although the core of the earth is not eternal, it will also cool down, and the planet will also shatter, just like the gazed moon... But in any case, its duration is far longer than the life span of any human being itself, and it is also longer than the lifespan of a country. and civilization in the long run.

  In addition, his Grand Duchy was placed by the empire, and Feiyandi was also eyeing it.

  Once a war starts, one's own territory will become the center of the war, and it is inevitable that people will die, and it is not surprising even if it becomes a piece of wasteland.

  This desperate situation made Grand Duke Thorin make up his mind.

  【If there is no room for my citizens to live in peace on the ground, then why not all of them go to hell】

  【At least in hell, there will be no more such wars】

   Seeing that Ian had indeed guessed the ultimate purpose of the Dead King's plan, Grand Duke Thorin showed a nostalgic smile—for many years, since that person left, no one has ever understood his will, his wisdom and his plan.

   Even no one can guess the real intention of the dead king.

  The king of the dead, the king of Hades, the lord of Hell, the judge of all the dead...and the protector.

   Prisoner Star Prison is destined to be unstoppable. Even if Inaiga II did not die and lived until now, he could not prevent the Prisoner Star Prison, which is five light-years away, from being blocked.

  That is a barrier with a radius of five light-years... just to reach the barrier, technical personnel from various countries need to be gathered to develop the minimum 'warp speed engine'!

   And even if it is developed, so what? Practicality is a hurdle, even if the specially installed machine is really over, how many people can it bring?

  The Prisoner Hell is closing, its rifts shattered for unknown reasons are irreversibly re-healing.

  In this way, as long as you leave the star field of Terra... you will never be able to return.

  In that case, it is not so much that I have escaped from Prison Star Prison...it is better to say that I have exiled myself into the void.

  A bigger, more hopeless cage.

  It is called the cage of the universe.

   At the end of the day...still nothing more than a tombstone.

  At this moment, Grand Duke Thorin recited the ancient Terra mythological hymn softly: [At the beginning of the world, the Heavenly Father stepped from the light to the ladder of nothingness]

  【The first ladder of heaven, its name is the movement of all things, the human body, the flowing clouds of the sky, the soil of the earth, the rush of water, the beating of the wind, and the burning of fire are the foundation of phenomena】

  【The second ladder, its name is the condensation of all things, the soul of man, the falling stone of the sky, the solid rock of the earth, the frost and ice of the water, the dust of the wind, and the embers of the fire are the essence of the matter】

  【The third ladder, its name is the brilliance of all things, the wisdom of man, the aurora of the sky, the lava of the earth, the rain of water, the rush of wind, and the flame of fire, which are the cornerstones of existence】

  【The fourth ladder, its name is the authority of all things, human belief, the vastness of the sky, the stability of the earth, the infiltration of water, the interaction of wind, and the urging of fire are the source of truth】

  【Heavenly Father took four steps, and it was done. The action, soul, foundation and origin of all things are already in place, and anyone can understand the supreme truth from it, be able to sublimate, and promote themselves]

  【But He sees that the world is still not good enough, so he took another three steps to endow all living beings with another three levels of grace】

  The Silver-eyed Dead River Armor looked at Ian who was in deep thought, and Yadbert who clenched his fists on the other side.

  He said softly: [That is the fifth floor of the ladder "The Top of Steel", the sixth floor of the ladder "The High Court of Stars" and the seventh floor of the ladder "The Horizon of the Far Side"]

[The creation representing civilization and wisdom came from above the sky, with fire and steel, inspired all living beings to invent the furnace, leading the people from the "Dark Age" to the "Steel from the Sky" to the "Age of Fire and Steel" 】

[Hanging on the other side of the top of the sky, shining with endless brilliance, leading all beings to look up and know what is vast, what is infinite, what is beyond the high sky, the "star high" that ended the "era of war and entered the age of exploration" court'】

  【As for the last...】

At this point, Grand Duke Sorin laughed bitterly. At first he only laughed softly, but then he laughed louder and presumptuously: [The horizon is a line that can never be reached. The limit that the ancient sages could imagine is Represents 'the distance that can never be reached', it is the eye of the heavenly father, the distance that the light of the sun cannot touch, that is, the eternal horizon]

  【It is a good wish, wishing that our civilization can go to eternity, to the sea of ​​stars beyond the sea of ​​stars, to the infinite beyond the infinite】

  【The pre-epoch civilization should have stepped up to the seventh floor of the ladder. They have ended the era of war and chaos and are heading towards the starry sky. They are starting to climb this supreme ladder】

  【However, the stars went out】

  【We are locked here by the prison where the stars are imprisoned】

  【Then...there is no hope anymore】

  Ian can understand that in the ancient myth of Terra, the ancient sage borrowed the words of the Heavenly Father’s Ladder to send good wishes to future generations of civilization.

  They use the height of the sky to make judgments and predictions for the degree of civilization, and believe from the bottom of their hearts that future generations can definitely go beyond their predictions and go to places beyond the distance.

  He could understand the optimism and praise contained in this sacred prayer... and the unstoppable sadness in the heart of Grand Duke Sorin.

  —Because there is no distance anymore.

  The horizon has its end, and the imagination of all living beings has reached its limit.

  The Prisoner Star Prison five light-years away erases all fantasies and expectations about the sea of ​​stars.

   There are no stars and no future.

this world…

   Only the top of the mountain remains.

  The second half of the ballads of the dead emerged in the boy's mind.

  Ian suddenly felt a great sadness in his heart. He closed his eyes and slowly recited: "We will stare at you, all those who are destined to die but not dead..."

   “We will not have mercy and salvation.”

  “Just like…you】

  Ian and Grand Duke Thorin uttered the last line of the ballad at the same time, and then fell silent at the same time.

  They felt the same emotion.

  —Yes, yes.

  If we say that in Grand Duke Thorin's plan, the dead king who sank into the center of the earth, and the dead souls in the dead king's body, will create a world that is the so-called 'hell'.

  Then, this **** born in the endless depths of the earth, is it not a new cage?

  The blood, tears, corpses, lamentation and pain of the dead souls turned into **** in the center of the earth. They were indeed imprisoned by the sin and despair of this world in a cage with no exit, a **** of fire with no redemption.

   They are dead, but they are going to spend eternity in hell.

   But Ian, and all the beings who are still alive in this world...all the ones who are destined to die but not dead.

   How is it different from them?

   "It's all the same... We who are wrapped in the prison star prison, aren't we also imprisoned in this eternal cage with no exit?"

  Ian closes his eyes.

   There is no redemption, no mercy.

   Whether living or dead.

  Emperor or beggar.

   Is it a sublimator or an ordinary person.

  In this dark night without stars, in this world without distance.

  Everything… the same.