If they didn't do this, the will of the Source of the Void would devour their souls and restore its power. When that happened, the entire Douluo Continent—even the entire dimensional plane—would fall into eternal damnation.
But if they did this, they would vanish forever. They would never see the smiling faces of future generations, never guard this land again, and never pass on the will of the heroic spirits.
"I agree." Zhao Feng was the first to speak, his voice low and unwavering. "A millennium ago, I chose to protect; a millennium later, I still choose to protect. For this land, for these future generations, I have no regrets."
"I agree as well." Lin Mo's voice echoed, calm and resolute. "It has been my absolute honor to fight alongside Lord Qian Renxue and Zhao Feng. If there is an afterlife, we shall fight side by side again."
Qian Renxue smiled, her expression warm and utterly at peace. "Alright. Then, let us finish this final battle together."
The souls of the three began to burn. Golden flames erupted from their phantoms, igniting the black tentacles. The black tentacles thrashed violently within the golden fire, emitting a sizzling, corrosive sound, but the flames roared ever higher, completely consuming them.
The will of the Source of the Void let out a furious, shrieking roar: "No! You're mad! With Soul Self-Detonation, you will vanish forever! You won't even have a chance at reincarnation!"
"We know," Qian Renxue said serenely. "But we also know that some things are more important than life, and far more precious than reincarnation."
"That is guardianship," Zhao Feng took up the refrain.
"That is conviction," Lin Mo followed.
The voices of the three rang out in unison, resolute and forceful: "The heroic spirits are immortal; our guardianship will never cease!"
Boom—!
A deafening roar, potent enough to shatter the very dimensional plane, erupted as the trio's souls detonated simultaneously. The golden flames transformed into a colossal pillar of golden light that soared into the heavens. The pillar pierced through the soul origin space, pierced through the subterranean depths, pierced through the surface, and shot straight into the clouds. The entire Douluo Continent could see that golden pillar of light; the entire continent could feel that terrifying fluctuation of energy.
The will of the Source of the Void struggled frantically within the golden flames, shrieking in agony, but the fire only burned fiercer, thoroughly purifying every wisp of its consciousness. The black radiance rapidly dissipated within the golden inferno, and the Seed of the Void completely collapsed, bursting into countless black motes of light that were instantly purified by the golden flames.
The golden pillar of light lasted for a full quarter of an hour before slowly fading away.
The moment the golden light dissipated, the entire Douluo Continent fell into a deathly silence.
Above ground, the crowds in the plaza remained in their upward-gazing poses. Their eyes had been temporarily blinded by the golden light, and tears flowed uncontrollably down their cheeks. No one spoke. No one moved. Everyone could sense that something had vanished in this moment—not the Seed of the Void, but something far more precious, something infinitely warmer.
Su Chen fell to his knees, both hands braced against the earth, his entire body trembling violently. Qian Renxue's final voice echoed in his mind—that voice, gentle yet resolute, carrying a power that transcended life and death. It was the sound of a soul burning, the sound of a life making its ultimate sacrifice.
"No..." Su Chen's lips quivered, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible. "It wasn't supposed to end like this... Commander Zhao Feng... Lord Lin Mo... Lord Qian Renxue..."
His tears struck the ground drop by drop, splashing up fine grains of dust. He was the strategist of the Heaven Dou Empire; he had endured countless life-and-death trials and witnessed far too many comrades sacrifice themselves. He thought he had long grown numb to death. But at this moment, he realized he was wrong. When the heroic spirits he had revered and followed for a century truly disappeared, his heart still felt as though it were being ripped apart.
Ares stood behind Su Chen. This barbarian warrior, who had never shed a tear in his life, now had eyes red as blood, his fists clenched so tightly his joints creaked. He didn't understand soul fusion, nor did he comprehend the Source of the Void; he only knew that three people he considered family had just left this world forever.
"Su Chen..." Ares' voice was deep and raspy. "Will they... ever come back?"
Su Chen didn't answer. He couldn't. Because he knew better than anyone what Soul Self-Detonation truly meant. It was an absolute end where even the soul origin was completely pulverized. No reincarnation, no rebirth—not even a remnant soul would be left behind. Qian Renxue, Zhao Feng, and Lin Mo would vanish from this world entirely, as if they had never existed at all.
The silence across the plaza lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Then, from somewhere in the crowd, a trembling, aged voice began to sing:
"The spirits of heroes, forever enduring;
The heart of guardianship, through generations renewing..."
It was the Ode to Heroic Spirits, a song composed by the people of the continent after the great war a millennium ago to commemorate the fallen. The old man's voice was hoarse and quivering, like a gust of wind that could be scattered at any moment, yet the emotion contained within the melody was as deep as the sea.
More and more people joined in. The sound shifted from a low murmur to a resounding chorus, spreading from the center of the plaza to its edges, from the cities to the villages, from the earth to the heavens.
"The spirits of heroes, forever enduring;
The heart of guardianship, through generations renewing.
Blood paints the mountains and rivers, souls return to their home,
Immortal their names, their light shining for aeons to come..."
The voices of tens of thousands converged, transforming into an invisible force that pierced the clouds, pierced the very fabric of space, drifting toward the place where the golden motes of light had dissipated. No one knew if this song could truly reach the ears of those heroic spirits, but everyone believed that it absolutely could.
Because conviction never fades.
The soul origin space had completely collapsed.
That endless white light was gone, the memory fragments were gone, and even the sealed Seed of the Void was gone. In its place was a void of utter darkness—nothing was there, nothing existed. But in the deepest depths of this nothingness, three souls on the verge of dissipating were making their final farewells.
Qian Renxue's soul phantom was so translucent it was nearly invisible. Her wings of light had long since shattered, her divine crown had fallen away, and her face was so blurred that only a faint silhouette remained. Yet her voice was still clear, still gentle, still carrying the innate nobility and dignity of the Angel God.
"Zhao Feng, Lin Mo." Qian Renxue's voice echoed in the darkness, half-speaking, half-whispering. "Thank you."
Zhao Feng's phantom was equally transparent. The battleaxe he never parted with had dissipated, and the armor that never faded had shattered, but his spine was still straight, and his gaze was just as resolute as it had been a millennium ago when he led the Heroic Spirit Army into the enemy ranks.
"Lord Qian Renxue, do not thank us," Zhao Feng's voice was deep and calm. "To have followed you into battle for a thousand years has been Zhao Feng's greatest honor."
Lin Mo's phantom was also dissipating. His Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor Martial Soul had already returned to his soul origin, and his body was no longer wreathed in lightning, but his smile remained as warm as it was a century ago when he saved that little girl on the streets of Heaven Dou City.
"Lord Qian Renxue, Zhao Feng," Lin Mo's voice carried a hint of a smile. "If there is an afterlife... let's fight side by side again."
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