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After the shattered silver threads were absorbed by the Pensieve, countless cracks appeared around the people. The once-whole world collapsed at that moment, transforming into a fragmented tapestry composed of thousands—tens of thousands—of disjointed scenes.
A man identical in appearance to the soul body became the protagonist of these countless images. But unlike the soul that had been surgically transformed into a soldier upon awakening, this man—who bore the same face—lived through an endless number of magnificent and extraordinary lives.
He traversed the stars, piloting mechs and starships to explore innumerable mysterious and unknown planets. He was the protagonist of comic books and novels, who, after rigorous cultivation, gained the power to shatter a star with a single punch. He fought colossal interstellar beasts whose bodies stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers. The scenes were exaggerated yet strikingly realistic—both awe-inspiring and deeply unsettling.
Then, the people witnessed the same man donning a robe and raising a finely crafted staff. Devastating magic poured down from the sky. Millions of warring soldiers were reduced to dust under its terrifying might. Massive magical beasts, each dozens of meters tall, burst through the waves of magical assault, only to be pierced through by the man's staff, their blood splattering across his robe.
All kinds of bizarre, fantastical, and sci-fi scenes appeared one after another, never repeating. Amidst them were snippets of ordinary life devoid of any supernatural power. Though these seemingly unrelated fragments should have been disconnected, they were astonishingly linked together by one common thread: the man himself. Through him, these fragmented moments wove a narrative of countless brilliant and extraordinary lifetimes.
As the shattered visions flew past and faded away, a particularly ancient memory was unearthed from the deepest layer of these memory shards.
Seti's voice echoed once more in the ears of the spectators.
"This is a fragment from the earliest memory of this soul, buried beneath 146,571 pieces of fragmented recollections. It's a partial memory from when he was still alive—one of the most significant moments in his entire life."
"I've used divination to forcibly reconstruct the missing parts. That world has already begun to establish a link with ours. Fortunately, when it comes to magic, we still hold an absolute advantage over them. That's why this kind of time-based divination can take effect on his memories."
"They are strong, but not so strong as to make us despair. I hope you'll remember that."
There was a subtle undertone in Seti's words, though none could yet grasp the deeper meaning behind them.
"Their language and script are still undecipherable until I finish organizing the master copy. So for now, I'll offer you a basic translation of what you're about to see."
The current vision revealed the man reaching out and swiping through the air. A three-dimensional holographic screen appeared before him. He tapped a red-pinned headline at the top of the interface, and suddenly, his surroundings changed drastically. He was now in a colossal auditorium capable of holding an unimaginable number of people.
"The phonetic translation of their planet's name is Sertak, which roughly means 'Heart of the Universe' or 'Center of the Cosmos.' This planet contains magical energy, but it doesn't have magic as we understand it. Because the level of magical energy is extremely low, the inhabitants of Sertak can be considered pan-magical beings. Magic plays a minor role in their lives—not significant enough to shape society. This is, in essence, a world dominated by science."
"And now, their civilization has reached its limit."
"Scientific progress has been stagnant for centuries. The ever-growing population has become increasingly unsustainable. Even though they've established colonies on other planets within their system, the demand for resources far exceeds supply."
"Just before society could spiral into chaos, they initiated what you're seeing now: a planetary referendum."
"A vote on whether to abandon their physical bodies—uploading their consciousness, or rather their souls—forsaking the material world to pursue the immortality of the soul."
"Due to the trace amounts of magical energy they possess, this science-based civilization was still able to detect, interact with, and study immaterial phenomena. The soul is one such phenomenon. They regard the soul as an energy form that transcends the material world yet remains intricately connected to it. And energy, as they believe, can always be transformed."
"But all of this was merely the official explanation given to the public."
Seti's eyes now turned to the man presiding over the referendum. He appeared to be in his fifties, with an authoritative air—someone long accustomed to power. His popularity among the masses seemed immense. As he delivered his speech, hundreds of millions of onlookers erupted in cheers at regular intervals. Their faces were filled with fervor, their emotions visibly stirred, as if they couldn't wait to enter the utopia this man was painting for them.
The owner of the memory was no exception. He, too, was visibly excited, his enthusiasm practically overflowing. Though the onlookers couldn't understand a word he said, they could feel the hysteria and desperation in his voice.
As if he had gone completely mad.
A group of fanatical madmen.
This thought surfaced in everyone's mind at the same time.
"The memories I could repair only go this far. The rest—are divination prophecies I forcibly extracted from the timeline of their world."
Grindelwald's brow twitched. He was recorded as the most powerful Seer in centuries—yet what had he just heard?
Forcibly searching a timeline and extracting only the desired content?
Could such a thing even be called divination?
Seti seemed to sense his reaction. He slightly turned his head toward Grindelwald and calmly added, "The Will of the World has granted the Awakened full access to all its permissions. In other words, aside from raw power, the Awakened now possess every ability and authority that the Will of the World can exercise."
"Manipulating laws, and using those laws to wage war on a world-level scale—these are things we can now do."
"In order to fully restore the passage between our world and the Abyssal Realm, and to sever the Abyss's erosion, our world's Will fell into a state of exhausted slumber. The Heart of Magic, represented by Qizhatdoro, has already been shattered. The magic and resources accumulated over the past thousand years were completely expended just now."
"A flourishing world strengthens its Will. Don't underestimate what has been accumulated over the past millennium. The vast majority of human civilization was gradually formed and established during these thousand years."
"The Taishi Dynasty possesses more world wonders and magic convergence zones than any other place on Earth. I believe you now understand why."
"The only ancient civilization that has survived to this day?" Dumbledore's eyes gleamed with curiosity. Though phrased as a question, the answer was already clear to him.
"Yes, but not just that."
Seti gave a faint nod, then shifted the topic.
"The fragmentary intel I intercepted from their timeline suggests that this was a sweeping purge across the entire planet of Sertak—a cleansing of all 'inferior people.' Not everyone possesses the organs responsible for magic within them. Those without such organs were regarded by the ruling class as burdens—obstacles to the world's progress."
"Uploading the soul is feasible, but without the aid of magic, the soul within a body cannot be converted. Magic is a higher-tier energy beyond the material realm. Only through its assistance can such an inconceivable transformation be achieved."
"But I hope none of you are entertaining that idea," Seti warned sternly, his expression grave. "This method, which appears to grant the soul eternal life, is a burden on the world. Though Sertak's civilization has existed at least ten times longer than ours, and their technology had reached the peak of what it could achieve, their world's Will is shockingly weak. Abandoning their physical bodies and flourishing in a virtual realm—this kind of prosperity is an illusion. It provides no nourishment to the world itself."
"If anyone attempts something like this, the Awakened Wizards, acting as the executors of the Will of the World, will utterly erase all related entities and information. We are the weapons of the Will, the final blades that guard this world. To cut away rotting flesh is also part of our duty."
They understood the reasoning behind Seti's warning. Contact with Sertak was inevitable. Once the two worlds began to interact, there would be no hiding such things. Eternal life of the soul was a form of immortality—and that was an overwhelmingly powerful temptation, especially for certain individuals.
"All right. Now, for the final revelation."
Seti swept his gaze across the crowd and continued, "After purging all the inferior individuals, the remaining people of Sertak successfully shed their physical forms and entered a state of soul-based immortality. However, disembodied souls cannot persist for long. Ghosts in our world are sustained by its rich magical energy. In their world, the lack of magic meant that soulforms could not survive long on their own. Cloned bodies thus became energy vessels—batteries—for their souls."
"After living a virtual life experience, one nearly indistinguishable from reality, they could gestate a blank soul within a fresh, empty clone. That blank soul would maintain the clone's biological activity, allowing it to generate magical energy. These beings effectively became power sources for the immortal souls."
"That is where the soldiers came from. These soldiers were manufactured as expendables—but their creation required the cooperation of those who uploaded their souls."
"These expendables did not need considerations like 'safety' or 'comfort.' It was through this reckless and savage expansion that they gradually overcame the bottlenecks they once faced. They broke free of their own solar system and gained the ability to explore even more distant worlds."
"What they now seek in the cosmos are planets rich in magical energy. They've tasted the wonders of magic—and they want more."
"Our world is a delectable prey they cannot possibly ignore."
"From this moment on, cast aside all hesitation. We don't have much time—because they're coming."
Seti pulled up his hood and vanished with the other Awakened Wizards, departing instantly to handle the tasks that demanded their urgent attention.
(End of Chapter)