To the Strongest

At night, the dim lamplight inside the tent cast the entwined silhouettes of two people onto the canvas walls, swaying gently with the flickering flames.

“Mm—Xia Lun, just because I called you a little silly earlier, you can’t get revenge by doing this.” Aina breathed softly, both hands pressed against Xia Lun’s firm, heated chest as she tried to create a little distance between them. A faint blush colored her cheeks, like the first snow illuminated by the evening glow.

“You said I was simple-minded and all brawn. I’m only trying to regain a little confidence by finding it on you. You won’t even indulge me in such a small request?” Xia Lun sighed, his voice carrying a hint of grievance. Yet his arms tightened around her, firmly holding her warm, soft body against him. “Aina, you’ve changed. You don’t love me anymore.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I never said anything like that!” Aina turned her head aside, avoiding his lips as he tried to lean in again. Several strands of her silver-white hair clung to her slightly damp forehead, sparkling faintly in the lamplight.

Xia Lun refused to relent. He gently brushed the strands of hair away from her face, his tone full of teasing certainty. “The meaning is more or less the same. Perhaps that’s what you really think deep down.”

“Xia Lun, do you even know what sophistry is?” Aina asked irritably, looking up to glare at him.

Xia Lun shook his head and put on an innocent, bewildered expression. “No idea.”

“Then you should have learned it by now. Now you know.” Aina puffed out her cheeks in a huff.

“I’m rather stupid. I can’t learn, Aina.” Xia Lun grinned, revealing what he considered an honest, good-natured smile. His white teeth stood out in the dim light, though to Aina, he looked utterly detestable.

“Unless I experience it firsthand, someone like me will have a hard time understanding such obscure and difficult things.” Xia Lun nipped at Aina’s tender lower lip. “So, what comes out of this little mouth… is that what sophistry means?”

“Mm—then do as you please tonight.” Aina let out a soft moan. The strength in her resistance faded like melting ice and snow, leaving her in a submissive posture, her shy voice carrying a faint plea. “Please be gentle, Xia Lun.”

The lamp inside the tent went out, cutting off all sight and sound from the outside world. Only the soft, intimate noises within and their gradually synchronized breathing remained, mingling in the silence of the night.

…

Beyond the world lay an eternity of cold and nothingness.

A planet covered in thick layers of ice hung silently in space, reflecting the faint light of a distant star and taking on a deathly pallor. There was no wind, no sound—only an unchanging, primordial cold, as though even time itself had frozen.

Suddenly, a black spatial rift appeared out of nowhere, like a piece of silk being torn apart. The rift expanded, its edges flowing with a lava-like radiance. From within stepped a graceful figure.

Aina had changed into a blood-red gown. Its hem resembled congealed blood, or perhaps a blooming rose, clinging to the graceful curves of her body and outlining breathtaking contours.

Xia Lun stepped through the spatial rift right behind her and naturally reached out to support his wife.

“That guy has started causing trouble again…” Aina furrowed her brow, a trace of weariness and helplessness flashing through her eyes. “Honestly, can’t he let me get a good night’s sleep?”

Her voice was slightly hoarse from their intimacy, lending it an even more languid quality.

Xia Lun looked around at the frozen silence surrounding them. The temperature here was low enough to be outrageous. Fortunately, Aina had prepared measures to keep them warm before they came. A magic array temporarily inscribed inside their robes radiated a comforting warmth.

When he looked up, he saw a magnificent hall standing tall in the distance, built entirely from dark-blue ice crystals. It seemed to be their destination.

“Look, Xia Lun.”

Aina suddenly raised her hand and pointed toward a certain spot in the endless starry sky.

“That’s our world.”

Xia Lun followed her finger and focused his gaze.

A sphere of brilliant colors floated in space. Vast oceans of deep blue covered much of its surface, while patches of brownish yellow and lush green were distributed across it like delicate brushstrokes. White spirals of cloud drifted slowly, adding vitality and movement to the resplendent jewel.

“What a beautiful place,” Xia Lun couldn’t help remarking.

“The Mechanical Prophet and the others call each individual world a planet, but I still prefer the old name.” Aina stuck out her tongue, then sighed with some displeasure. “They actually called me old-fashioned. It makes me feel like I’ve aged several decades for no reason…”

Xia Lun said, “You know what I’m going to say.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll always be eighteen in your heart.” Aina rolled her eyes at him, though the gesture was still full of charm. “Can’t you come up with something more original?”

“Then sixteen,” Xia Lun said seriously.

“You rogue.” Aina gave a delicate little snort and stopped paying him any attention.

Supporting Aina, Xia Lun entered the blue hall with her.

“The Hall of the Stars. This is the domain of the Sinking Ages,” Aina explained slowly. “He is the only one on this planet, so he offered the place himself and turned it into a meeting hall for our faction.”

They passed through a long, empty outer corridor. Its pillars were all built from enormous blocks of ice, carved with ancient runes that were impossible to decipher.

When they finally entered the great hall, several gazes descended upon Aina and Xia Lun beside her. The figures behind those gazes were strange in form, yet each radiated tremendous pressure.

“It’s the Scarlet Goddess.”

“Why is she being supported? Could she be injured?”

“It doesn’t seem so. Her aura remains as powerful as ever, but her steps are unsteady… What a strange condition.”

“And the one beside her… an unfamiliar face.”

Aina gracefully settled into a broad chair, then lifted her eyes and calmly swept her gaze across everyone present. She offered a brief explanation.

“This is my husband.”

“So that’s how it is.”

“His aura is not weak. He should prove to be a reliable combat force.”

The probing thoughts directed at them gained a little more understanding and approval.

Xia Lun glanced around at the assembled gods. According to what Aina had told him, every one of them was the strongest being in their respective world—great existences who had surpassed the limits of mortal imagination.

The gathering was truly a bizarre assortment, filled with all manner of strange and wondrous beings.

Yet aside from Aina, there seemed to be very few who possessed an ordinary humanoid form.

The Sinking Ages was completely covered by a tattered, withered-yellow cloak. His body was extremely thin and gaunt; beneath the cloak, there seemed to be nothing more than a gigantic skeleton. Yet he stood over three meters tall. Sitting there in silence, he emanated the lonely aura of all things decaying and time slipping away.

The Mechanical Prophet, on the other hand, looked no different from an ordinary person. His synthetic skin was nearly indistinguishable from real flesh… provided he did not occasionally remove his own head, hands, or feet and expressionlessly adjust some intricate component inside his body, accompanied by the faint sound of machinery turning.

The Arcane Sage… If I had to describe it, I’d say it was a naked brain, half a meter in diameter, floating in midair. Its gray-white convolutions were clearly visible, while a terrifying energy field surrounded it. The arcing, flickering arcane energy seemed to form temporary tentacles and sensory organs, radiating a heart-pounding aura.

They were all members of other races from beyond the universe…

In short, it felt like not a single one of them was human…