Boundless, without beginning or end, from the moment the Void was born, it was destined to nurture everything. The Protoss had created many worlds, but even more worlds were born from the Void. They were condensed from the source of all things, extracting Order from Chaos and obtaining form from nothingness, forming oases brimming with vitality in the Sea of Chaos. This was an infinite reaction that no one knew when it would start and would never end. But with the birth of worlds, there would definitely be worlds that perished. Most worlds under closed systems would recover their balance in heat death, turning into graves that would be dissolved by the Void at any moment. Meanwhile, worlds under open systems would disintegrate after their internal laws gradually deviated, falling into Chaos and Turbidity from the inside out, finally assimilating with the Void once again. For a single world, it was a rather long process from birth to destruction, even enough for it to nurture hundreds of millions of glorious civilizations. But for the entire Void, the birth and destruction of worlds happened every moment.
It was said that in the eyes of the eternal Protoss, the densest places in the multiverse were like the starry sky. Countless worlds that might have borne the weight of highly intelligent civilizations were like twinkling stars, instantly creating millions of lives and deaths.
— Of course, I didn't come up with such a sour beginning myself. The above text was excerpted from an interview with the former Schilling Emperor Belavilla, "The Destruction of the Empire". If there were any copyright issues, the now-defunct Ministry of Culture of the Xiling Empire would be fully responsible for the explanation.
On the way back to the Rebellion's assembly point, the silver-haired girl, who still maintained Belavilla's personality, recalled the ancient times and recounted a dusty piece of history.
"Greed is the nature of all races, and even the Shiring Apostles are no exception. Even if we interpret it as a necessary decision made by a high degree of rationality, it is a fact that they greedily encroach on the Void after possessing infinite psionic energy." Belavilla closed her eyes slightly, and if it were not for the fact that she spoke more fluently, no one would be able to tell the difference between her and Sylvia. "Before the Cataclysm, eighty percent of the Apostles of the Empire had jointly launched a series of plans that in retrospect would be reckless, including researching the application of Void energy, analyzing the rapid coding of basic laws, and even attempting to explore the secrets before the birth of the Void … The Father of the Galactic Protoss and the Supreme Goddess of Darkness had come to warn us. They told the Emperors of the Empire at the time that even the Protoss had to be cautious about those secrets, and even the low-level Protoss were not allowed to study those things. However, we, who were already restless due to the bottleneck of civilization's development, belittling the warning and investing great efforts into those things. As equal allies, even the Protoss could not interfere with the decisions of the Shiring Apostles, and so we dug our own graves.
There were many results in the early days of research. We had a deeper understanding of the essence of energy, and successfully created the 'Infinite Cube' that allowed the psionic energy to constantly change between positive and negative states, thus producing energy eternally. We analyzed the theoretical formula that allowed the ultimate energy to leap in reverse, and finally become Void energy again. We even researched the technology to directly extract Laws of Order from the Void and use it to create worlds. This had always been the innate ability of the Protoss, and they had used a long time to let us learn it. But with the impetus of those taboo research, a series of miracles were born, and the stimulation that was like sweet poison would make even the calmest of Empire Emperors ecstatic.
That was why we became bolder, and finally carried out the most reckless experiment: artificially synthesizing the Void. "
Sandora could no longer keep her composure and exclaimed, "Are you crazy?! I didn't even know that there was such a plan! "
"Princess Warsong has spent her entire life fighting. Apart from pioneering new lands, you basically didn't participate in any scientific research in the Empire, and this is well-known among the entire race." Belavilla lifted her eyelids slightly, and her cold eyes quickly swept past Sandora's suddenly blushing cheeks. "You were 1.2 meters tall when you came out of the high-level Mother Nest, and you were still a 1.2 meters tall war machine even after you were promoted to General. Before you were crowned Queen, you were personally leading troops to war everywhere, and after you were crowned Queen, you only stopped for two days and three hours. You are one of the two weirdos of the Empire, and a highly vigilant figure in the multiverse. Although you don't know it yourself, even the Protoss have heard of this reputation."
I was stunned for a moment, and while holding back Pandora who was about to go up and hit Belavilla's head, I whispered into Sandora's ear, "Girl, you also have a dark history."
Sandora immediately bit a Rolex on my artery. "Pay attention to the history lesson! Haven't I changed now?! "
The problem was that the person beside me, who was constantly climbing up, hadn't changed at all. From her height to her personality, she was exactly the same as she was tens of thousands of years ago!
"Alright, alright. Let's get down to business, artificially synthesizing the Void … No matter what was in the brains of the Empire's technical geeks back then, in short, there was a problem with this experiment?" In the end, I hugged Pandora tightly in my arms, and only then did I appease this 1.2-meter tall woman whose sore spot had been poked. Then, I asked curiously.
"A big problem … artificially creating the Void. That was the ultimate goal of the experiment, but in reality, it went out of control at the very beginning. The first step of this experiment was to separate the Void. As you and I know, when the Void decays into a physical form, it will give birth to elementary particles (different from the elementary particles that humans have already researched). When it decays into an energy form, it will give birth to psionic energy, and when it decays into a hybrid form, it will give birth to singularities. However, these are all secondary products. What we were researching was what could be born from the Void without decaying. This process is similar to the birth process of the original worlds that weren't created by the Protoss. The latter are products that were 'digested' directly from the Void. Their birth processes are all strange, but basically, they all self-assemble while the Void doesn't decay. This type of Genesis, which wasn't modified by the Protoss, is of course a huge waste. The tremendous amount of Void energy in the end can only create ordinary worlds. However, it has a great meaning, because by controlling this process, we might be able to create something on the same level as the Void … And so, driven by this beautiful prospect, we began to try to forcefully control this process that even the Protoss didn't interfere with, creating something that is equivalent to the Void … And so, driven by this beautiful prospect, we began to try to forcefully control this process that even the Protoss didn't interfere with, creating something that is equivalent to the Void … And so, driven by this beautiful prospect, we began to try to forcefully control this process that even the Protoss didn't interfere with, creating something that is equivalent to the Void … And so, driven by beautiful prospects, we began to try to forcefully control this process that even the Protoss didn't interfere with, creating something that is equivalent to the Void …"
"What … did you guys create in the end?" Shallow Shallow, who was now treating this as a horror story, gripped the armrest of her chair tightly and asked carefully.
"Is there even a need to ask?" Belavilla smiled. "The Chaos Abyss, the strongest and densest existence in all of history. It might even be an amalgamation of the Mother of the Abyss. It was born in the artificial world that we used as our experimental grounds, and then it invaded all of us!"
"The Chaos Abyss is the equivalent of the Void?" I did my best to make my brain function normally so that I could understand Belavilla's theory.
"Of course not, there's no equivalent of the Void at all!" Belavilla suddenly opened her eyes. "We were wrong from the very beginning. The Void is something that occupies an absolute peak. Any change in its form would be considered as a form of decay. Even if it's a world that was directly 'analyzed', it would be impossible for them to have anything to do with the Void in the slightest. That is nothing more than the residue that was extracted from the Void and coincidentally formed an orderly structure. We misunderstood this concept, which was why we wishfully believed that even if the experiment failed, we would only obtain a deformed world. However, we never expected that the Void would randomly decay and actually produce the Abyss out of nowhere!
That was a disaster. At that time, eighty percent of the apostles who were online participated in the research. All the apostles from the Mystery and Science Factions were involved in the research. When the gigantic Chaos Abyss Creation Machine that we created exploded in the heart of the Empire, everything was irreversible. The Spiritual Network security system that was used to prevent similar contamination was basically useless. That energy first infected the Emperor-level apostles who personally controlled the experimental grounds. Then, under the command link with the highest authority, the will of the Abyss was broadcasted on all frequencies. As long as the apostles were connected to the Spiritual Network, almost none of them were spared. "
"This … is the truth behind the Empire's slumber?"
After a few minutes of silence, I finally broke the silence.
"You never expected this, did you? The extremely powerful Schilling Civilization was actually destroyed in a failed scientific experiment in the end." Belavilla's eyes were a little gloomy, but more than that, it was a kind of self-deprecation. "To think that we dared to disregard the Protoss's warning with such a dismissive attitude."
"A failed scientific experiment isn't enough to destroy our civilization," Sandora said slowly. After the truth was finally revealed, her expression actually returned to calmness so quickly. It was really hard to imagine how much more shocking storms this seemingly weak young lady could withstand. "The one that really destroyed us should be arrogance.
Actually, long before the last expedition, I had already felt that something was germinating in the depths of the Schilling Civilization's soul. The unparalleled power, the unparalleled authority under the Gods, the submission of millions of worlds, and the difficulties that were overcome one after another, finally caused the pure rationality of the Shiring Apostles to develop arrogance. This isn't the superficial arrogance of an ordinary species, but the entire race, the entire civilization, was dyed with a color of superiority. We firmly believed that we could easily control everything, that there would be a day when even the Void would have to submit to the Empire. We even began to silently criticize the slow-moving Protoss, treating the wisdom that they had accumulated over countless years as slow-witted. What really destroyed us wasn't that accident, but the pride that gradually accumulated under this arrogance. Otherwise, how could such crazy research be carried out without any qualms? "
Listening to Sandora's sigh, I didn't know what to say. How should I put it? After all, she was a human who had only learned to be a human halfway through her life. She couldn't empathize with certain things at all. However, these sigh really came from the bottom of her heart.
"Belavilla just said that the number of Shiring Apostles who participated in this joint research reached eighty percent." The big sister who had been listening by the side wanted to ease the atmosphere, so she diverted Sandora's attention. "What about the remaining twenty percent? They should have survived, right? "
"The remaining twenty percent? Of course, after the Empire suddenly fell silent, they quickly rushed back to rescue them or connected to the emergency channel to inquire about the situation. Do I need to explain what happened after that? "
Big sister, you really failed to start a conversation.
"Cough cough, let's talk about something else. For example, the document library. Can you talk about the construction of it in detail?"
"You should be aware of the general situation," Belavilla closed her eyes tiredly. "After the outbreak of the catastrophe, there were only a few Shiring Apostles who survived, and most of them were Emperor-level Apostles who relied on their own soul power to hold on. We were all deeply infected, and we were losing members every second. The Mausoleum Project was carried out urgently under such a situation where we were severely unprepared. We built a huge database to preserve the entire Empire civilization. Just like the weak worlds that we had saved before, we also embarked on the path of packaging our own civilization as a backup. This database is the document library. In order to ensure that this information is foolproof and can be reactivated in the future, we built a mausoleum system to preserve and create unmanned fleets, as well as a platform of creation that is compatible with the document library. With the power of the self-sacrifice of more than thirty emperors of the Empire, the entire system became a creation device that can run forever. Once it is activated, it can instantly create several worlds. We named it Saint Hall.
In addition to these things, we also need a crucial role … the Watchers after the apocalypse. They shoulder the heavy responsibility of pressing the activation button at the right time. Well, I don't need to explain this in detail, right? "
"Are they the current Fallen Apostles?"
The big sister asked softly.
"Not all of them." Belavilla shook her head. "Some of the Fallen Apostles were once Watchers, but most of them were people who did not self-destruct after the entire Empire was turned into the Abyss. Instead, they regained their sanity. They are even more dangerous … We won't discuss this. In short, the Mausoleum Project was also a failure. Our final efforts were in vain. The database was infected when it was first established. It is impossible to find out which link went wrong. The only thing we can confirm is that all the Watchers eventually became Fallen Apostles. For example, Ockham, who was the editor of the document library, Caesars, the keeper of the first floor key, Savy, the guardian of the mausoleum, Conradin … The names of these old friends have now become synonyms for sin, including my own …"
"Then, how did you all leave this world in the end?" I had a new doubt. "Since your minds were already controlled by the Abyss, why didn't you release the Empire that was turned into the Abyss? Instead … Look, other than the autonomous spaceships, there are no Fallen Apostles. Did all of you take the initiative to retreat?"
"Yes, we took the initiative to retreat." Belavilla closed her eyes and muttered to herself. "When we realized that something was wrong with our situation and that some weak-willed fellows were attempting to activate the heavily infected database, we all chose to leave on our own accord. We charged into the depths of the Void. At the same time, we completely deleted the coordinates of this world from our memory cores. Some of us self-destructed in the Void, while others were turned into the Abyss ahead of time. They were hunted down by our comrades who were still clear-headed. As for the rest, they eventually became the core strength of the Fallen Apostle Alliance. This is the end of the story. All along, other than destroying the world, we, the Fallen Apostles, have always placed the search for the document library as our number one priority. You might not dare to believe it, but … this is due to our loyalty to the Empire. How about it? Isn't it the same as what Ockham said? "
Seeing that we were all looking at her strangely, Belavilla shook her head and continued, "I'm not joking. The Fallen Apostles are still loyal to the Empire. Ockham is also a genuine loyal subject. The entire Fallen Apostle organization views the revival of the Empire as one of their highest missions. The only thing that needs to be noted is that the Empire that the Fallen Apostles are loyal to has been turned into the Abyss! In other words, the Fallen Apostles no longer care about the nature of the Empire. Their only goal is to revive the Empire. Even if they were to open a door that destroys everything, they would not hesitate. This kind of obsession seems to be called … "
"Vengeful spirits."
"Oh, Sandora, your summary is very accurate. This should also be one of the side effects of the Abyss energy … However, there is no need to worry about anything now. The document library has already been destroyed. This is something that I wanted to do when it was first established, but I didn't have the time to do it. Now, I feel that my whole body is relaxed and I can have a good rest …"
Belavilla's voice gradually calmed down. It wasn't until she completely calmed down that I realized what had happened.
"Hey! Wait a minute! Belavilla, you can't be … "
Just as I called out anxiously, the silver-haired girl in front of me suddenly opened her eyes. "Ah, right! I still have a few words to say!"
Everyone was speechless.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Belavilla looked around in dissatisfaction. Then, she intentionally put on a cold look. "I will say it once, it is up to you all whether you want to listen or not. Firstly, regarding the final goal of the Fallen Apostles, you all don't have to think too much about it. The destruction of the world and the revival of the Abyss Empire are just these two goals. Right now, the second goal is already impossible to achieve. Furthermore, they will definitely find out about Ockham's death very soon. So, all of you should focus on dealing with their first action. When you see the Fallen Apostles, don't show them any mercy because of their past experiences. Eradicating them without hesitation is the best way to free your old friends. Secondly, I don't know how I suddenly regained my rationality, but it definitely has something to do with the other personality in this body. That girl named Silvia possesses willpower that astonishes me. She was even able to change my thoughts with just her obsession. So, the one who truly contributed greatly today should be her. Chen Jun, due to the words that you said when you killed Ockham, from today onwards, I will temporarily acknowledge you. Take good care of Silvia and don't let me down. Right now, the Empire is already a mess. Even if all of you think that you are reviving it, it is still a mess. So, don't be nostalgic about the glorious days of the past. Look for the Protoss. In the Endless Void, they are the only true friends. Besides, just like what Sandora said, the wisdom that they have accumulated over the endless years is definitely not slow. When you encounter a problem that you cannot solve, just look for the Protoss to help. We no longer have any pride to hold on to. During the great calamity, we did not have the time to ask for help. Now, you have more time than we did back then. "
Her voice gradually became softer. The expression on the girl's face had completely relaxed. This time, Belavilla was really leaving …
"Ah, also, I want to drink some water. After talking so much, my mouth is too thirsty. I don't want to keep having nightmares of looking for water in my long sleep. Hey! The look in your eyes … "
"… Why don't you leave after we have a meal together?"
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