Solar Blood Masters (164)

Chapter 164 - The Finale

“Everyone please listen…”

Arlof, Drake Ho Orien, Thienika, and a group of Solar Blood Masters addressed the panicked masses gathered within Ava Varium. An Omniscient Mirror, a massive, swirling disc of energy, hovered above them, broadcasting their message to every corner of Gaia.

They tried to explain the Cosmic Council’s verdict, the 50 million year confinement, the isolation, the darkness. But their words were drowned out by the crowd’s fear, their anger, their disbelief.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light pierced the sky. Rel materialized.

His presence was so unexpected that Arlof gasped, “Rel?! But… how? Even HE’S here? Just how powerful IS the Cosmic Council?!”

Rel looked around, baffled by the scene, the millions of humans gathered, the dome of darkness, Thienika’s colossal form. He strode towards Arlof with a worried expression.

“Arlof! What’s happening?! Why are all these people here? Why am I here?!”

“Brother, I…”

Arlof, overwhelmed by guilt and shame, broke down. Tears came gushing forth as he confessed his sins, the raids, the plunder, the destruction of Athien, the White Century’s homeworld.

Thienika’s roots touched Rel gently, sharing the truth with him.

“YOU…!”

Rel’s eyes widened in horror. His Solar Essence exploded outwards, blasting Arlof and the surrounding Solar Blood Masters away like leaves in a hurricane.

Arlof, sprawled on the ground, stared up at Rel’s incandescent form, “His power… It’s over 3 billion kelvin! In such a short time…. How…?”

Rel’s aura subsided. He glared at Arlof. To think his brother had not only attacked and plundered weaker civilizations, but he’d also betrayed the White Century, their allies? He was disgusted.

Arlof sensed his brother’s disapproval and groveled.

“Brother! I’m sorry! I was foolish! Greedy! I didn’t think… Please… forgive me! I’ll do anything! I’ll even… take my own life!”

He raised a trembling hand towards his head, but Rel grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t be a fool, Arlof.”

Rel pondered their predicament. He looked up at the dome of darkness, the Cosmic Council’s barrier. He summoned a miniature sun and tossed it upwards. The barrier was unaffected.

“As expected,” he sighed. “A barrier created by the Cosmic Council cannot be easily broken. We are trapped… for 50 million years. But… without the sun… Gaia will freeze to death. Our descendants… they’ll perish.”

“Then the Cosmic Council has doomed us all! Those bastards!” Drake Ho Orien roared.

“Silence, Drake,” Rel commanded. His gaze hardened with resolve, “The Council anticipated this. They brought me here… not only to atone for humanity’s sins, but to prevent Gaia’s destruction.”

“What do you mean, brother?” Arlof was confused.

Rel explained his plan, “Our combined Solar Essence Density… it’s over SEVENTEEN billion kelvin. We’ll sacrifice ourselves. We’ll use our power to keep Gaia’s core warm. We’ll create Fire Pools across the land, oases of energy that will sustain life, even in darkness.”

“Sacrifice?! But… that’s suicide!” The Solar Blood Masters cried out in protest.

“You were the ones who brought this upon us!” Rel’s voice thundered, “I spent millennia building alliances, fostering trust, raising Gaia’s standing in the galaxy! And you… you destroyed it all in a few thousand years! Gaia is now a laughingstock! But… we will endure. We will survive! Even if we perish, our descendants, our planet… it will thrive again.”

He turned to Thienika.

“We’ll channel our power through you, Thienika. Your roots… they’ll be our conduits. We’ll reach Gaia’s core. And from there… we’ll ignite the ‘Grand Fire Pool Formation’. It will sustain Gaia for millions of years to come… even in darkness.”

No one protested. This was their atonement, their last chance to redeem themselves.

They gathered at designated locations across Gaia, their Solar Essences flared, converging upon Thienika. The energy was immense, causing her core to crack, to fragment, but she held firm, her starlight leaves dimming, yet unwavering.

When the ritual was complete, the Grand Fire Pool Formation activated. Across Gaia, pillars of fire erupted from the earth, creating oases of warmth and energy in the encroaching darkness.

And then…

The entire human race watched via the Omniscient Mirror as their most renowned leader, Rel Louche Longtier Bloodthorne, Arlof Louche Longtier Bloodthorne, and billions of Solar Blood Masters…

They vanished.

Reduced to shimmering particles of light that dissipated into the wind.

Thienika with her colossal form shrinking drastically, collapsed. She was buried beneath the earth; now a silent guardian. Her roots intertwined with Gaia’s core. She vowed to sustain her essence until Gaia’s imprisonment was over.

Her grave… would become Yama Yaguai.

The flashback ended.

…

Raphael’s massive form trembled. He was wracked with sobs as Thienika’s story, her sacrifice, her love for her human family resonated deep within his bull heart.

‘So THAT’S why Grandma saved me back in the Dark Swamp Gorge. The moment her roots touched me, she knew. She knew I was a descendant of the Bloodthorne, a human trapped within Shao Jin’s body. This entire journey, this Great Divine Tribulation… It wasn’t about saving herself. It was about helping ME. It was about getting me Sindoll’s blessing, and for her to see you one last time… Grandma…’

“WAAAA!” Even Lu Jade wept openly.

Qi Fenwei, though she remained stoic, felt a newfound respect for Thienika’s sacrifice, and a deeper understanding of Gaia’s history and those ancient Solar Blood Masters’ immense power, their folly, their fall.

Thienika’s weak yet loving voice, echoed in their minds.

“Raphael… my grandson… I hope Sindoll will fulfill your wish. May you become a better Solar Blood Master than your predecessors, and restore Gaia’s glory to the galaxy.”

She bid farewell. Her gaze lingered on Lu Jade, then shifted to Qi Fenwei, and finally, settled upon Sindoll.

With a final, gentle sigh, Thienika’s light dimmed. Her colossal form shrunk, her roots and branches intertwining, her starlight leaves coalescing, until only an oval of bark and roots remained upon the invisible floor.

Raphael’s heart ached. He wanted to rush over, to hold her, to prevent her from fading away, but he couldn’t move. He was paralyzed by his grief.

Sindoll closed her eyes briefly as a silent farewell to her teacher. ‘Teacher, I hope you find divine peace.’

And then…

The oval began to transform. It blossomed into a delicate flower. And as the flower bloomed, a small globular object with a milky pink membrane took form at its center. Within the membrane, a tiny seed could be seen.

Raphael stared at the object, puzzled. “Is… Is that Grandma Thienika’s Solar Consciousness?”

Sindoll shook her head. “No, Raphael. It’s a Solar Seed. With it… the Draconic Star Lumber lineage can continue.”

A flash of blue ray came.

Sindoll blessed the seed with 100,000 years of her own Solar Essence. “Thienika would want you to have this. It will germinate… in Draconic Fire.”

“Draconic Fire…?” Raphael frowned. “I don’t possess such a flame, but…” He remembered Lu Ruby’s blood, the draconic essence he’d absorbed with his Buddhist Pill Gourd, and his own Sapphire Spring Blood Dragon. “I have draconic blood… will that work?”

“It might,” Sindoll replied, “but it will require a vast amount.”

“Thank you, Void Emperor.” Raphael carefully stored the Solar Seed and Thienika’s remaining bark and star leaves within his Abyss Nylon. He made a silent promise to honor her legacy.

Feeling impatient, Qi Fenwei spoke up, “What about MY blessing?”

Sindoll glanced at her.

Boom!

A beam of blue light descended, bathing Qi Fenwei in a radiant glow.

She gasped as she felt an increase of power course through her. Her wounds vanished. Her Solar Essence rose. She’d ascended to the 8th Layer Nightmare Calamity Stage.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said with gratitude.

Boom!

Another beam descended, this time upon Lu Jade. He straightened. He broke through to the 7th Layer Calamity Stage. “Yes! I’m a Calamity!” He laughed, his earlier sorrow momentarily forgotten.

It was Raphael’s turn.

But he stopped Sindoll. “Void Emperor, I… I have a request.”

“A request?” Sindoll’s antennae twitched curiously.

“I… I want to become human.”

“WHAT?!” Qi Fenwei and Lu Jade stared at him, stunned.

This bull… he wants to become human? Why? Could Thienika’s story have influenced him so profoundly? Qi Fenwei wondered.

Sindoll, however, remained calm. “There are many transformation techniques that can grant you the appearance of a human. Why sacrifice your blessing for something so… trivial?”

“Those are just imitations,” Raphael countered, “They don’t replicate the… core… of a human’s Solar Consciousness.” He summoned his Astro Soul Orbital.

Sindoll, Qi Fenwei, and Lu Jade stared in shock. A beast with a Soul Orbital? And… It had TWO Soul Planets?

Raphael explained, “I possess both Beast and Human Cultivation Dao. But they conflict. It’s difficult for me to merge Soul-Planets onto my Soul Orbital, let alone awaken more. My first Soul-Planet appeared instinctively, and the second… was only possible thanks to Thienika. It took a great deal of effort on her part.”

“I see. So you desire a complete realignment of your Cosmic Mind Sea, a transformation that will allow you to fully embrace the Human Cultivation Dao, and for that, your physical form must also be in harmony.”

“Yes, Void Emperor Sindoll. Can you help me?” Raphael sounded hopeful.

Sindoll pondered his request briefly. “It can be done.”

…

Within the Grand Mound Arena, a restless energy permeated the crowd. It had been over three hours since Void Emperor Sindoll had vanished into the sky with Thienika and Raphael’s team.

“What’s taking so long?”

“Did Sindoll execute them?”

“Where’s the bull?”

“I want my winnings!”

Impatience and frustration mingled with a morbid curiosity.

On the Emperor’s platform, a similar unease permeated.

“Sindoll hasn’t responded yet.” Lu Ignis mumbled.

“Perhaps… she’s punishing that tree and the bull for their… excessive display of power,” Silk Yune speculated with her icy gaze fixed on the empty sky.

“That tree’s Solar Pressure was truly terrifying. I haven't felt so… weak… in millennia,” Elux Badger grumbled.

Anakin Vader remained silent, his masked face showed no emotion, yet his aura flickered with unease.

Boom!

Suddenly, a blue ray of light descended, striking the central platform. Qi Fenwei materialized. And immediately the audience sensed it.

Her Solar Essence now radiated the potent energy of an 8th Layer Nightmare Calamity.

Qi Hawk’s single eye snapped open. His feathers ruffled slightly as he sensed his daughter’s increased power.

Gastaroid lumbered over to Qi Fenwei. “Where’s my blessing, bird?! Did you bastards BETRAY me?!” He noticed her enhanced aura. “And what’s with your power? It’s… stronger. Did that damn caterpillar give you MY share?!”

He was about to unleash his fury when another beam of light descended and engulfed him in a radiant glow. His Solar Essence exploded. He’d ascended to the 1st Layer Emperor Calamity stage.

“MUWAHAHAHA! Emperor Calamity! Finally! With this power, I’ll crush anyone who stands in my way!” He flexed his massive arms and molten rock creaked and popped.

“Hmmm…”

Still lost in thought, Qi Fenwei reflected on the events that had transpired within Sindoll’s Marble World.

Then…

She was startled by the sudden appearance of massive, black and white wings behind her.

She turned.

“Father…?”

Before she could even utter the word, Qi Hawk scooped her into a hug.

“Fenwei… my daughter…”

“Fa… FATHER!”

Tears came rushing down her face as she buried her head in her father’s chest. She hadn't realized how much she’d missed him, how much she’d craved his comforting embrace.

“There, there, my child.”

Qi Hawk patted her back gently, then vanished in a blink, taking her with him.

Muburt announced, “It would appear that the Breath Takers have won the Great Divine Tribulation! They’ve earned Void Emperor Sindoll’s blessing!”

Above, on the Emperor’s platform, Lu Ignis glared down at the stage.

“Where are they?! Where’s that damned bull?! And that tree?!”

He looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Could it be… that Sindoll is protecting him from me?”

He’d been waiting, eager to unleash his wrath upon Raphael the moment he materialized, to avenge his daughter's humiliation, but the bull was nowhere to be seen.

He decided to cut his losses.

“Hmph! Lu Ruby, we’re leaving. Now.”

He conjured a swirling portal of fire and was about to slither through it when…

“Lu Ignis! You seem to have forgotten something.” Mermaid Merlando’s voice had him pausing. “Our wager… You owe me a trident.”

Lu Ignis ignored him.

He vanished into the portal, taking Lu Ruby with him and the golden trident.

“That stingy bastard! Just you WAIT, Lu Ignis! I’ll get my trident back! One way… or another!” Mermaid Merlando vanished into a swirling vortex of water.

One by one, the Emperors departed.

Only Julian Ringtail remained. He hopped down from the platform and landed beside Gastaroid.

“Boboboboho! Congratulations, Gastaroid! You've earned an Emperor Calamity title! We’ll have to celebrate! Come, I’ll give you a lift back to Kongming Mountain. The finest wines await us!”

Gastaroid glanced at the empty sky, then nodded. They hopped onto a cloud conjured by Julian and vanished.

Sly Ringtail, who'd been watching from the Kongming Mountain platform, scowled. His father hadn’t even acknowledged his presence.

“Damn it! That old man… He’s always ignoring me! Ma Osu! King Wa! Ge Vanisher! Get over here! You’re going to PAY for MY humiliation!”

Muburt cleared his throat.

“And so… the 108th Great Divine Tribulation… comes to an end! We thank you all for participating! And we hope to see you again… TEN THOUSAND years from now! May your Solar Essences blaze ever brighter!”