Star Iron, conquer the world from Omphalos

"?"

The communicator fell silent.

"?"

Ash took out his phone, only to see a message from Black Tower – "Go to hell."

Ash: "Just kidding, even half is fine. Anyway, try to prepare as much as possible so we can do something big. Okay, I'll help you complete the simulation experiment later."

"..."

"..."

There was another moment of silence.

Black Tower: "...If you dare to regret it, you will die."

Two or three hundred interstellar battleships, the cost is an astronomical figure. I'm afraid that even Ester can't afford it. Ash certainly won't force her to do it. Even half of it is difficult. The company and the Immortal Boat Alliance are giants that have accumulated wealth over a long period of time.

Although Black Tower has some industries, most of its funds are invested in research. Not to mention Ruan Mei. Although geniuses like them can easily raise a lot of funds if they are willing, it is not worth it to owe favors to others for money.

So Ash didn't force it, the more the better. This time he wanted to gather more combat power. In addition to building up his own army for Shurima and dealing with the conflict between Xianzhou and the company, he also planned to make a big move in Pinocchio.

As long as the Sunday of God becomes chaotic like in the game, the families that have suffered heavy losses will have to seek solid allies to overcome the crisis if they do not want the company to interfere in Pinocchio's business.

There are not many in the galaxy that dare to challenge the company, and Shurima happens to be one of them.

However, in order to "close" this deal, in addition to Tingyun's performance, Shurima's strength must not be weak.

Now that we have him, plus the Star-Breaking King Bug at the level of an envoy, these two geniuses are working steadily as logistical support. The next step is to build up the empire's army as soon as possible.

The construction of Ascended Chapters and Astra Militarum is imminent, and interstellar battleships are indispensable for conquering the galaxy. If you think about it carefully, there are bottomless money holes everywhere.

Ash had no choice but to find different ways to exploit Black Tower.

At worst, I can wait until the empire becomes more developed and support her experiments more.

After finishing his chat with Heita, Ash contacted Cocolia who was commanding the Great Expedition.

The Immortal Boat was now preoccupied with itself, and the Great Expedition continued. First and foremost, they had to recapture the dozen or so worlds they had lost. This wasn't difficult, as the Immortal Boat had no intention of establishing dominance on those planets.

However, because the number of people is still too small, the Great Crusade is still struggling to crawl towards 1%. It has not even conquered the Griffith Galaxy, let alone the entire Milky Way.

More importantly, after Ash rejected Illusion's invitation twice, the Lord of Destruction finally became angry and blocked most of Griffith, waiting for Ash to lose his temper and negotiate with her.

Destruction needs "talents" like Ash, but Ash has no intention of working for Destruction. However, he does have the intention of stirring up trouble everywhere under the banner of Destruction, and it's a big one.

As for where Shurima stands in the eyes of others, Ash doesn't care. You call me fertility, fertility, destruction, or joy? Ah, yes, yes, I am the Envoy of Joy.

Now that there are colonies on more than a dozen planets, Ash asked Cocolia to speed up the recruitment of mortal armies and train combat-ready soldiers as soon as possible.

As for the armament issue, the hole is too big and can only be filled slowly. Since the Legion of Destruction has blocked the Griffith Galaxy, Ash simply asked the First Regiment led by Ryan to leave the galaxy and go find the company to fight in the field, specifically picking the planets that are well-funded and under construction, and robbing... no, just taking the things and money and leaving.

The good news is that the mining of gold on the planet Atiya is going very smoothly. Currently, two thousand sets of armor have been made with these materials, all of which are used to arm the First Ascended Regiment.

Taking into account the physical fitness of the Atiya warriors, the Atiya warriors after ascension are more suitable for close combat. Ash still let them use battle axes to fight, and only a small number of personnel were equipped with guns.

As for the establishment of other ascended warbands, Ash planned to ask the Black Tower to help design several firearms suitable for single-person use, such as "bolt guns", which are easy to carry and have strong firepower, as well as a large number of single and group weapons, to facilitate the construction of warbands that are good at different combat methods.

After all, Ruan Mei also said that although their gene seeds were combined to breed offspring, basically only those who were good at a single thing would emerge, which meant that each offspring's fighting style would be different.

After instructing Cocolia, there was finally news from Wan Di.

"Emperor, the Black Swordsman has appeared."

......

Outside the Shurima Royal City.

On a flat ground, when Ash arrived here, Wan Di was leading a group of soldiers to stare at a person in the distance - that was a person holding a black sword, wearing black clothes, black pants, a black cloak, and dark gold shoulder armor on his arms, dressed mysteriously.

It was difficult to discern the features beneath the mask. When Ash came over, he spoke in a deep voice, "Emperor Ash, you are here. As agreed, I will tell you the location of Kephale."

"Rather than that, I'm a little curious about your identity." The soldiers parted the middle, and Ash walked to the front, sizing up the black-clad swordsman. "You're neither a Golden Descendant of the Fire Chaser, nor a member of any of Omphalos' factions."

"My origins are unimportant. If you really want to know, just treat me as a burning ember."

"So, what's your reason for helping me? This reason is just as important as why you killed Aglaya. Depending on your answer, I will take different measures."

"..."

The black swordsman was silent for a moment, as if considering the truthfulness of Ash's words, but in the end he chose to compromise.

"I have glimpsed the truth of this world and realized that Chasing Fire is nothing but a wishful lie. I don't need an oracle to save Omphalus."

"The truth? The cycle?"

When Ash said these two words, he clearly felt the black swordsman's body tremble.

"What a coincidence! I also spied on it." Ash smiled faintly. "Now I can confirm a few things... Are you going to continue to hide your identity?"

"My identity is irrelevant, Emperor Ash. If you wish to restore order in Omphalos... Kephale is heading to the edge of the world. Take out his spark. This is the best and only chance."

"I'll take you there. In exchange, please don't question my identity. I'll burn to ashes after completing my mission, and it won't affect Omphalos in any way."

"Oh?"

Ash raised his brow.

Now that things have come to this, he feels that if he insists on forcefully exposing the other person's identity, this guy might choose to commit suicide.

"Alright. Wan Di, take the First Imperial Guard Company and two battleships with you to go with him," said Yaxiu.

"You're not going there yourself?"

The black-clad swordsman looked at Wan Di. "He's quite powerful, but he hasn't gained Nicardori's power. He's a Golden Descendant who hasn't yet ascended to godhood. He's no match for the Titans."

"You reminded me. Wait here... Wan Di, follow me."

Ash called upon all the enemies and returned to the royal city.

Wan Di did not absorb the power of discord. Although he was immortal, his strength was still a little lacking. After the unification of Omphalos, he decided to follow Ash to the galaxy to see the world.

Therefore, it is time to let the new king of Xuanfeng ascend.

When the golden disc released its enormous power, the dazzling golden light almost illuminated the entire royal city. Even the people of the royal city who were accustomed to the ascension ceremony could not help but look up.

The shadow of the perfectly transformed beast flashed by, and when the light faded, Wan Di slowly opened his eyes.

Throughout the ascension, he didn't utter a single scream; the burning energy of the sun seemed to have no effect on him. However, Ash could tell he was simply holding on. As the King of Xuanfeng, he had to maintain some dignity.

"A powerful force..."

Wan Di clenched his fists, power surging through him. The power of the sun didn't erase his immortality, but instead significantly strengthened it. Combined with the Ascendant's abnormal recovery ability, it was safe to say that no one except the Envoy could truly kill Wan Di.

And this power still has the potential to be further developed. At this moment, he finally understood why Ash asked him not to inherit the power of strife.

Because the upper limit of the ascender will be stronger than the Titan.

"Emperor, how many people in the galaxy are stronger than me?"

Wan Di couldn't help but ask.

"More than the hairs on your head."

"..."

“Go, Ten Thousand Enemies, bring back the fire of Kephal.”

King Xuanfeng left the city-state with a hint of reluctance and headed towards where Kefal was.

Taking advantage of this time, Ash calmed down and released his power into the universe outside of Ompharos, and began to repair the broken Möbius strip.

This thing has been in a broken state since it was broken by the power of the mark he triggered a long time ago. During the battle of Ohma, the black tide was swallowed up in the memory world, and the third power of destiny was transformed into life sand. Heita found that the power today can still be in that delicate state of balance.

This further confirmed her guess that Ash's power showed substitutability in many aspects, such as the vitality made more powerful by the power of abundance, and the destructive power of death that was more powerful than destruction.

If the three forces were to regain balance, they could stabilize Omphalos from the outside, allowing the Möbius strip to continue to exist, and using the power of memory to conceal the planet.

However, repair is a delicate job, so Ash can only be patient. Fortunately, the process went smoothly. After he repaired the Möbius strip, Wan Di also returned on the battleship.

He brought the fire of Kephal to Ash, but the black swordsman died in that battle.

"It looked like he had no intention of leaving alive." Wan Di recalled the battle with Kephale. The Titan who bore the world was already dead, but was awakened by Bai'er who obtained the power of the fire. No one knew what he did when he ran to the edge of the world, but what was certain was that when Wan Di found him, the dawn machine carried by Kephale was gone.

This battle gave Wan Di a very strange feeling. Kefal's strength was within his expectations, but his opponent did not show the will to fight to the death. On the contrary, the black-clad swordsman seemed to be seeking death, so much so that he was just "wandering" on the edge of the battle most of the time.

"Perhaps death is the result they want to pursue."

Ash didn't know much about Kephar, but this Titan who created humans shouldn't have any ill will towards this world.

Even if there were indeed problems with the oracle, it did not mean that Kephar had malicious intent. Uncertainty existed in the dissemination of the oracle, and a thousand years had passed. It was hard to say how many times distortions had occurred in the interpretation of the oracle.

As for the Black Swordsman, if he really came from a certain looped future, dying after completing his mission would be easier than living alone.

After all, what is more torturous than death is that everyone else is dead and only you are still alive.

After obtaining the fire, Ash tore open the space and stepped into the center of the vortex of creation.

Before coming in, he brought Tibao with him.

"You, the Golden Race, were on a journey to chase fire. Who would have thought that I would be the one to complete it? I, the tyrant you call me, am about to save the world. Isn't that ironic?"

Tibao looked at the twelve constellations in the sky and shook his head. "That's not ironic at all. The Oracle exists to save Omphalos. It's not necessarily the only solution, but we have no other choice. Aya's persistence is not wrong, but she doesn't have any companions around her who can support her and allow her to take the risk of trying other possibilities."

"In the thousand years of Chasing Fire, we have witnessed the failure of many, so we are afraid. I apologize to Emperor Ash. You are powerful and have accomplished a feat that no one has achieved in a thousand years. You saved Omphalos, and we thank you. War, death, trust, betrayal... We don't know which path truly leads to the future, so I apologize that we chose to oppose each other in the beginning."

Ash remained silent. Right or wrong was meaningless. His thoughts had never changed. Whether it was chasing fire or other methods, it ultimately came down to whether he had enough power to solve the problem.

Don’t we also rely on the power of pioneering in games?

Although he didn't know how the plot would unfold, perhaps Wumingke's good character would allow him to tolerate Aglaya's troubles, but he would not, and this was the biggest difference.

"Are you going to return the fire?" Tibao asked.

"Ah."

"Why did you bring us in?"

"As the original inheritor of the Oracle, I was thinking you should be here. After all, you're the only one still on the Fire Chaser." Ash spread his hands. "Just think of me as completing the final step in the game."

"Game?" Tibao tilted her head. "Then... can we make a request?"

"You said."

"Let us perform the last rites."

Ash looked at Tibao.

"We have no ill intentions. We just think... our mission should end here."

Tibao's voice couldn't conceal the loneliness, but then there was also a sense of relief. Zhuhuo's goal had been achieved, although it was a little different from what he had expected.

She no longer needed to carry that oracle and move forward.

A thousand years have passed, and the duties of the saint of Janusapolis have been passed down to this day. She is the one who has witnessed the most deaths and separations, so although she is sad about the departure of her companions, she is not desperate.

Now she just wants to complete her "mission" well in the end.

Ash gave her this opportunity.

When Kephale's fire was lifted high and integrated into the twelve constellations, the entire starry sky at the center of the creation vortex was illuminated by the power of the fire. Tibao clasped her hands together and chanted the prayer of Janus' power. As the power of the portal emerged, Tinin's figure appeared beside her.

"Tibao..."

"Tining, this is the last road we will take."

Uh-huh! ——

In the heart of the vortex of creation, the images of the twelve constellations suddenly shattered, and the power of the fire seeds merged together, representing that the old power was completely shattered, and the power supporting the world order was reintegrated and flowed into every corner of Omphalos.

Years, paths, laws, sky, earth, ocean, life, rationality, romance, disputes, conflicts, tricks...

Restart order and redistribute the fire.

at the same time.

Corresponding changes are also taking place outside the vortex of creation.

When the power of fire was reintegrated into the world, the first thing to change noticeably was the sky.

The power of the sky was no longer borne by Aigle, but became an ownerless fire. Order was restored, and the long night that shrouded Omphalos finally returned to clarity at this moment.

Its daybreak!

At this moment, everyone living on the land of Omphalos raised their heads and looked at the sky which was illuminated by the sun again. Some people who did not know what was going on even thought that Aigle had opened his eyes again. This idea was quickly slapped away by the Emperor's loyal supporters.

What is Aigle, now Omphalos, the emperor is the sky!