I, the Final Boss of the Beta Server!

Chapter 166: Watch Closely, the Strongest Solar Blaze

Within the frenzied sea tides, the roar of the storm drew ever nearer.

It was as if the drumbeats heralding the arrival of war had begun.

Or perhaps, it was the thunderous heartbeat of a towering god whose eyes were the sky, whose body was the sea and mountains.

The sound grew clearer, more distinct, reverberating between the mountains and the sea.

Until, in a certain instant—

The thunderous war drums abruptly ceased.

And then, simultaneously—

The flame layer of the Corona and the verdant domain of Bounty expanded at the same time, occupying both the roaring sea and the pitch-black firmament, colliding in midair.

Over the Lightless Sea, dark and devouring all radiance... two illusions simultaneously rose.

One was a dazzling radiant sun, while the other was a sky-piercing ancient tree, its roots plunging kilometers into the seabed, and its branches veiling half the sky, seemingly reaching the very edge of the heavens.

At first appearance, these two domains remained evenly matched, locked in stalemate... the radiant sun even managing to suppress the domain of the Bountiful Ancient Tree.

But then—

From the depths of the sea, a gigantic eye suddenly opened and slowly ascended.

This eye shimmered entirely with pure gold, as if molten lava flowed within it. Merely the eye alone occupied half the expanse of the ocean.

It was a crimson-gold dragon’s eye.

Lurking in the depths of the sea was a colossal Forbidden Creature, its body covered in pitch-black scales. With each blink of its massive twin pupils, it seemed as if a volcano were erupting.

As the turbulent waves surged, its black spine surfaced, and upon that mountainous breadth rose majestic wings of dark scales, stretching across the sky and blotting out the sun.

A dragon—

If one were to describe the Forbidden Creature within the sea with a single word, this would be the only fitting term.

Pure-blooded Ancient Dragons were true mythic beings, long extinct alongside the Age of Gods. Aside from a few old gods that perhaps still lingered atop the Threshold of Seraphim, all others had vanished from the Present World.

However, there were still some mixed-blood draconic species that had stubbornly survived after the fall of the Age of Gods.

But with the passage of time, the dragon blood in these creatures grew ever thinner. Rather than calling them draconic, it would be more apt to describe them as oversized lizards...

The innate gifts that only pure-blooded mythic dragons possessed—like Draconic Magic, or the immensely powerful bodies that could enter the Legendary Realm upon reaching adulthood—had long disappeared from these creatures bearing diluted dragon blood.

They had already shed the label of mythic beings and now survived as ordinary beasts in an era dominated by humanity.

Yet, as with all things, exceptions existed. Just as the failed human-god hybrids eventually produced a miracle like Akxia—a Perfect Vessel born after countless epochs—

Among those draconic species that had long forgotten the glory of dragons, there emerged a rare case of bloodline reversion.

Dragon blood, once too diluted to even manifest draconic traits, revived within one of these creatures.

Over thousands of years, through a long life spent hibernating in the deep sea... it refined and activated its draconic blood bit by bit, continually raising its blood concentration.

In the end, this Legendary-tier Forbidden Creature had refined its dragon blood to a threshold—equal in stature, strength, and authority to a true Ancient Dragon.

The black tide crashed against the reef shore. Tens of thousands of tons of seawater soared into the sky as the ancient black dragon leapt from the sea, its violent dragon breath sweeping the entire waterscape like crimson flame.

This was the return of a myth long lost to tens of millions of years.

An Ancient Dragon, once visible only in the Age of Gods, now reappeared in the world, declaring the majesty of mythic beings—

And when the Fractured Coastline fell and humanity’s last Legendary warrior perished... it would mark the moment when the beast tide of the deep sea occupied the continent, and the Age of Gods revived, returning once more to the world.

Boom—

The searing dragon breath, imbued with the unique Legendary might of an Ancient Dragon, struck against Sisel’s Solar Domain, further corroding the Corona’s halo, rendering it fractured and fragile.

From beginning to end, the Battle of the Fractured Coastline was never a fair duel.

The Iron Cross King longed for his clan to complete their invasion, to pillage flesh and blood, to inflict his sadistic desires upon those once his kin...

The beast tide and Forbidden Creatures lurking in the deep sea yearned to reach the continent, and the atavistic dragon sought the return of the mythic era, to reshape the land into a paradise suited for mythic beings…

And the Gravekeepers, together with those cultists wreaking havoc in the Present World under the influence of the gods atop the Threshold of Seraphim, maintained a tacit, unspoken agreement… following the rules of the Order of the World and the principles of epochal succession, seeking to bring the Sixth Era, already nearing its end, to a close—civilization extinguished.

Even here alone, four true Legendary beings had gathered…

While on the other side, representing the Shoreguards, stood only Sisel.

Alone, unsupported, one against four.

No matter how powerful or confident Sisel was, this was a reality he could not deny.

“So you’ve finally stopped running, and come to face your own Dead End…”

“Sisel.”

Noah’s aged voice echoed within the roar of the tide.

“In truth, you don’t necessarily have to die.”

“For you, there’s always been another path.”

With the combined force and support of the other Legendary beings, the verdant domain of Bounty suddenly expanded.

Compressing the Corona beside Sisel into an extremely narrow space.

“The civilization of the Sixth Era is destined to end, and the epoch must fall, so a brand-new era can be born from the silence.”

“This is a law established by the Order of the World, like a decree of fate—”

“You cannot escape it, nor resist it, nor struggle against it.”

“But, fortunately… you are not like those lowly ordinary people.”

Noah stepped into the domain of Bounty, gazing down at Sisel before him.

“As a Legendary being, and not even a weak one at that… you already possess the qualification to reign above the torrents of time and fate, to not perish alongside those mortals when the epoch ends.”

“Among the Gravekeepers, aside from the original members who joined at its founding, there are also many who were once Legendary figures of past epochs.”

“After ascending to the Legendary realm, they discovered the traces we left throughout history and chose to join us, becoming one of the Gravekeepers… standing watch over the tombs of perished civilizations, the gravestones of epochs.”

“In fact, even your predecessor, the founder of the Shoreguards’ first generation, was once one of us.”

Noah spoke with sincerity.

It was not the usual verbal skirmish before a great battle, not a ploy to shake the enemy’s heart and find a fatal opening… but a heartfelt and genuine invitation.

“Abandon those meaningless convictions. Join us. Become one of the Gravekeepers, and pursue eternity together.”

“With the power of the Gravekeepers, you can obtain Eternal Immortality. No longer bound by the succession of epochs or the rise and fall of civilizations…”

“But instead, transcend the River of Time and the torrents of history, and reign above all calamities.”

In Noah’s voice, a hint of genuine earnestness appeared.

“I know too, in your past life, you devoted so much effort to ‘protecting human civilization’... it’s not something that can be easily cast aside.”

“Even an ordinary person who’s raised a cat for over ten years would form a deep attachment, viewing it as their child or family… let alone you, who fought for a lifetime and viewed this belief—called the Shoreguards—as the very meaning of your existence.”

“But when a beloved pet like a cat or dog eventually passes from old age, its owner, after a period of sorrow, ultimately looks forward again and chooses to adopt a new youngling.”

“For you, it is in fact the same principle.”

Noah gazed beyond Sisel, toward that plain shrouded in pitch-black night… where the Watchtower and the human settlement it protected resided.

“If you’re willing—”

“Then, in that brief window after the destruction of this epoch and before the beginning of the next—”

“You could personally sow the seeds of civilization, nurturing the sprouts of the new humanity of that era.”

“Those seeds would be direct continuations from the Sixth Era… and the new humanity of the new era would bear the exact same bloodline as those you now protect.”

“Just like how a dying pet leaves behind its offspring to continue guarding its master.”

“Moreover, you would be able to witness the entire growth of this new civilization with your own eyes… shaping it according to your ideals and will, eliminating the filth and corruption born within civilization’s development, and retaining only the purity and Brilliance of human nature.”

“That would be an entirely new epoch, born completely according to your desires.”

“And you would…”

“Become the—”

“‘Creator’ of this new human civilization.”

…

Those peaceful words echoed over the entire expanse of the open sea.

Sisel listened to Noah’s voice, and could not help but smile.

“Become… the creator of a new human civilization?”

“That certainly sounds like a very tempting proposal.”

“To gain Eternal Immortality and the right to stand above the River of Time while not abandoning one’s ideals and long-held beliefs… it’s the perfect, impossible ideal.”

“But—”

His words paused slightly. “In truth…”

“That’s nothing more than self-deception.”

Sisel lightly extended his hand, feeling with the back of it the sea breeze blowing from the horizon.

“Birth, growth, aging, and death… these are the unique beauties of short-lived beings like humanity.”

“It’s precisely because we are fated to age and to die that humanity becomes so lovable, so noble.”

“The only reason you believe your offer to be so compelling is because—”

“From the very beginning, you never once accepted the identity of being human. You’ve always regarded yourself as a superior being. In your eyes, mortals who haven’t reached the Legendary realm are nothing more than chess pieces on a board—sacrifices and chips to be discarded at will.”

“That is the rift between the Shoreguards and the Gravekeepers, and why I’ve never been able to forgive you.”

His left hand grasped at the void.

In the next instant, the Solar Domain dispersed, leaving only a single blade forged from the sun’s disk.

Infinitely radiant, infinitely searing.

As if it gathered all the Brilliance of the world, illuminating even the pitch-black night.

“Scum like you, long perched in the clouds, pretending to be the player of this game, delighting in sowing chaos and mocking history—”

“How could you possibly understand…”

"I bear the nobility of being human!"

Boom—

An arc of dark-gold light flickered in the pitch-black air.

Within that arc, the flames of the dragon breath were severed, as if the ocean had been split in two, leaving behind nothing but an empty, unobstructed path.

Noah’s domain of Bounty also shattered along with it, silently collapsing into scattered emerald light.

"Noah, having your Legendary Incarnation obliterated..."

"And permanently losing half of your spiritual power as well—it doesn’t feel good, does it?"

Sisel’s mocking voice came from afar, but Noah's expression remained unchanged.

"Though I don’t know what exactly happened beneath the Nether Abyss, nor why my Incarnation of Bounty was obliterated..."

"Still, if it meant forcing out that meteor-like final weapon of yours, then the loss of one Incarnation of Bounty and half my spiritual power is not unacceptable to me."

"Moreover, compared to that—"

The Legendary of Bounty, like a gardener, slowly raised his head. "The one who should truly be concerned... is you, isn’t it?"

"Though it was once only an immature suspicion... from the way you destroyed my domain just now, I can now be certain."

"The Sinful Tome contained within that Fireseed holds all-encompassing knowledge, built upon countless generations of accumulation... capable of deducing the optimal response to every peril, every enemy, every problem in the world."

"Yet you chose to refine your 'Solar' domain into a blade, using the most direct and brutal force to destroy my domain—instead of employing the Original Ability recorded in that Library, designed specifically to counter domains, with a more refined and efficient solution."

He paused slightly, his majestic voice merging into the sounds of mountain and sea.

"The Fool’s Library..."

"That Fireseed stolen from us—it no longer exists within your body, does it?"

"What you’re using now is merely the remnants of that Fireseed, the snow-white ash left in the furnace, still holding a lingering warmth that hasn't yet burned out."

"Each use causes the remaining source of fire to grow even weaker... until it vanishes completely from your body, leaving no trace behind."

"That’s why you’ve been avoiding the use of the 'Fool’s Library', instead relying repeatedly on your own Higher Sequence Tier—this power called 'Solar'."

...

"I don’t know who you’ve entrusted that Fireseed to, but it doesn’t matter."

"Do you truly believe, having lost the Fool’s Library, having lost your final trump card... that you still stand a chance against four Legendary beings?"

"And once you’re dead... no matter where the new inheritor of the Fool’s Library runs, to the ends of the world—how could they possibly escape the pursuit of a Legendary of Bounty capable of conversing with every plant on this earth?"

The sincerity and calm in Noah’s voice finally vanished.

Within the aura of Bounty that surged forth, a killing intent sharper than ever was embedded.

During that brief exchange of words, both Noah and Sisel had clearly recognized one truth.

Between the Shoreguards and the Gravekeepers, there existed no room for negotiation.

And thus, all that remained was to meet blade to blade.

"How unfortunate. It seems you won’t be able to find the little one who inherited the Fool’s Library."

"Because you no longer have the chance to seek her out..."

The corners of Sisel’s aged lips curved slightly.

"The Fool’s Library is indeed no longer within me..."

"But it seems you’ve misunderstood something—"

He once again raised the Blade of the Sun, then looked down upon the vast rivers and seas, upon the grand and desolate world.

The edge of the dark-gold blade swayed lightly in Sisel’s hand, reflecting a halo like the Corona.

"Even if I’ve grown weaker, it doesn’t mean you have grown stronger."

He turned back, blade in hand, and his voice rode the sea breeze, carrying across to the far side of the Fractured Coastline—to where Rast sat against a reef.

"Watch closely, you future bearer of the new era of the Shoreguards—"

"The strongest Solar Blaze."