Bai Shi felt this was the star that had summoned him.
The other stars were all blurry in appearance; he could only distinguish them by their features.
Only this one's form could Bai Shi see clearly, which was special enough.
Moreover, for a white dwarf known for its mass and gravity, the magic of gravity certainly had deep ties to it.
So, was this an Outer God representing gravity?
Bai Shi suddenly realized that perhaps Radahn had sealed the stars by borrowing its power.
After all, from the battle just now, Bai Shi could feel that Radahn had held nothing back.
Although Radahn's gravity magic was powerful, setting aside the abstract concept of sealing the stars and fate, merely intercepting the Astel race waiting outside the Lands Between would require immense power.
Radahn was strong, but he had not transcended the level of the demigods.
If Radahn could truly seal the stars on his own, then the other demigods might as well give up. They simply weren't in the same league.If Radahn was also supported by the power of a god, then it all made sense.
Most other demigods had the power of gods behind them; it would be strange if he didn't.
Furthermore, Radahn's teacher, the White King, was of an alien race.
Speaking of which, Bai Shi remembered that the Black King and White King, despite their similar appearances, seemed to be hostile to each other in the game.
If the White Kings came from this star that resembled a white dwarf, did the Black Kings have their own corresponding celestial body?
If so, which one was the Black Kings' home?
A black dwarf star?
It seemed quite possible. After all, both black and white dwarfs were known for their extreme gravity.
And a black dwarf was what a white dwarf eventually became, yet they were entirely different celestial bodies.
This corresponded with their colors and relationship.
However, after searching for a while, Bai Shi found nothing but more indistinct stars and the sun without color.
Eventually, Bai Shi gave up on trying to find a pitch-black celestial body in the darkness.
His gaze returned to the white dwarf.
Yet, Bai Shi still didn't know why this star, which resembled a white dwarf, had sought him out.
Based on the known information, Bai Shi guessed it might be because Radahn was dead.
Was it preparing for him to take Radahn's place?
Bai Shi didn't think it was impossible.
Thanks to Fengling Yueying, the power of his Starcaller Cry had reached an unprecedented level.
It was likely the most powerful gravity magic ever to have appeared in the Lands Between.
But that didn't quite add up either.
Why replace Radahn?
This Outer God of gravity seemed to have never intended to promote its own law in the Lands Between.
Otherwise, with Radahn's influence, it would have been impossible for there to have been no news of it before.
And in the cosmos, such stars seemed to be the norm.
Aside from a few stars Bai Shi clearly felt were Outer Gods who had left traces in the Lands Between, the vast majority of celestial bodies in the immense cosmos were as silent as death.
They were gods too, yet the Formless Mother and the Scarlet Rot had clear objectives and acted much more proactively.
Since it had no desire to promote its law, there was no need to find a preacher. This Outer God did not need a proxy.
It turned out that the cosmos was not a good place for contemplation.
The boundless darkness around was oppressive, making it hard to concentrate.
Bai Shi soon gave up thinking.
Rather than making aimless guesses here, Bai Shi felt it would be easier to ask directly.
Bai Shi tried to call out to the distant star, only to find he couldn't make a sound.
Bai Shi ‘looked down’ but couldn't find his own body.
Looking below, he saw only the Lands Between.
What kind of existence was he right now?
A soul? Or consciousness?
Bai Shi experimented for a bit and found that he was essentially a camera at the moment.
He could move his perspective, but he couldn't interact with anything.
Bai Shi looked at the white dwarf again.
He began to try and contact it with his consciousness, but still got no response.
However, he could now feel a certain friendly emotion being directed at him from that star.
Bai Shi felt there was hope and tried even harder to connect with his mind.
Unbeknownst to Bai Shi, his Arcane was constantly rising.
Arcane +1, Arcane +2, Arcane +1, Arcane +1...
The increase each time was small, but it was continuous.
Finally, Bai Shi's Arcane attribute settled at 65 points.
And 65 was the threshold for Arcane.
To surpass this limit was to reach another level, one difficult for ordinary beings to attain.
At some point, Bai Shi suddenly realized that a peculiar power had entered his being.
This was a gift from the star.
But what kind of power it contained was still unknown; he would have to return to his body to find out.
In addition to this power, the star's goodwill became clearer.
Bai Shi could even discern that its emotions were admiration and gratification.
But Bai Shi waited for a long time, and it seemed... that was it?
After giving Bai Shi its gift, it didn't send him back.
Bai Shi silently looked at the star that had summoned him, feeling a bit baffled.
Now he understood why the Two Fingers absolutely had to be paired with a Finger Reader Crone.
The language barrier was absolute.
Bai Shi was a little helpless. Even if it was just bestowing some power upon him, it could at least say something.
Of course, it was also possible that it had responded, but he simply couldn't understand.
If it wasn't going to say anything and just wanted to give him some power because it liked the look of him, then after it was done, it should at least send him back.
The white star still gave no reaction; communication was impossible.
Bai Shi began to think of a way to leave on his own.
His physical body was surely still in the Lands Between.
It had probably used some method to forcibly transfer his consciousness to the cosmos.
This meant that if Bai Shi wanted to leave, he could just use Fengling Yueying's immunity to abnormal statuses to return.
But should he use Fengling Yueying in this situation?
Bai Shi was hesitant.
The uses of Fengling Yueying were his most precious resource.
Although he was a bit lost waiting here, he was in no danger.
So Bai Shi decided he should probably wait a little longer.
——
In the pitch-black universe, the true passage of time could not be felt.
Thus, the perception of every minute and every second was stretched to an indescribably long duration.
Just as Bai Shi was pondering what kind of god the distant, shadow-like star might be, a change finally occurred.
Bai Shi's consciousness here was suddenly enveloped by a warm sensation. He was startled by the sudden change and began to search for its cause.
Then, he found the source of the warmth—it was the sun without color he had found earlier.
It was a pale white, eclipsed sun that seemed to be surrounded and eroded by countless wraiths.
Bai Shi had seen the image of this eroded sun before, on the Eclipse Crest Greatshield of the headless Mausoleum Knights.
Bai Shi also knew a little about the eclipsed sun.
It was said that the sun, eroded and without color, was the patron god of the soulless demigods.
Castle Sol regarded the eclipsed sun as a symbol of despair and an object to be revered.
But why was there now a sliver of the brilliant color of a true sun revealed at its edge?
And Bai Shi also found that the warmth he felt came from that corner of solar radiance peeking out from the edge of the eclipsed sun.
Bai Shi carefully studied the eclipsed sun and the solar disc next to it.
Thanks to his consciousness being here, Bai Shi could stare directly at the sun without any problem.
After a moment of observation, Bai Shi was surprised to find that they were two different suns!
The eclipsed sun was close to the Lands Between, while the true sun was very far away, so distant that it appeared rather small.
The massive eclipsed sun stood between the Lands Between and the true sun, almost effortlessly blocking out its brilliance.
Perhaps once the eclipsed sun completely obscured the true sun's light, their goal would be achieved—to save Godwyn and bring the soulless corpses back to life.
But it was not enough. The light of the true sun could still shine through, proving they had not yet succeeded.
Come to think of it, the spirit in Castle Sol from the game would say:
‘The sun has not been eclipsed... Our prayers were lacking.’
Was the current eclipsed sun constructed through rituals like prayer?
However, it seemed that not only were their prayers fruitless, but the true sun didn't want to help them either.
An indescribably abstruse will entered Bai Shi's mind.
Bai Shi had an epiphany.
It turned out it wasn't the white dwarf that had sought him out, or rather, not *only* the white dwarf.
That one had merely stuffed something into him. The one that had truly sought him out, the one unwilling to let him leave, was the distant and ancient sun.
That ancient sun cared not for faith, nor did it intend for sun worship to return to the land.
But obscuring the sun's brilliance was something it would not tolerate.
The light of the sun should shine equally upon every world.
Otherwise, the world would fall into ‘abnormality.’ This was the experience it had gained from shining upon countless worlds.
If the sun's light were to be brought back to the Lands Between, the ritual to summon Godwyn's soul must be destroyed.
The sun gave Bai Shi a choice.
Should he do it?
Bai Shi felt that anyone who could hesitate for even a second before this choice was a god themselves.
Of course, he wasn't referring to the gods in the Lands Between.
Yes, as you know, Bai Shi had always been a Knight of the Sun.
He had fought alongside Brother Sol long ago. That guy was unbelievably strong. They used to beat up the Gargoyles on the bell tower together. Sol was a great guy.
As for Godwyn, he wished him luck.
Without a doubt, Bai Shi had no reason to refuse and gladly accepted.
And so, Bai Shi obtained the power of the sun.
It was a fierce, scorching flame, and also a warm sunlight.
Even though his flesh was not here, he could still feel that strange power as if it were burning every inch of his body.
As he received the power, Bai Shi also ‘saw’ the worlds the sun had once shone upon.
——
In one world, demons emerged from a deep fog, devouring souls and plunging the living into despair.
A warm brilliance brought divine revelation, and six kings brought a brief period of peace to the world.
——
In a world shrouded by darkness, the first light shed by the sun became fire.
In the flames, the beings born of dark found the souls of Lords.
The Age of Fire thus began.
——
A once sun-drenched world was invaded by aberrant gods, and the sun's brilliance was blocked out.
After the last rays of the sun vanished, a horrifying beastly scourge ravaged the land, leaving only despair.
——
There was also an ordinary world, one without so much mysterious power.
There, the sun was just an ordinary celestial body.
However, that world was not ordinary either.
The sound of armored machines thundered, and endless war never ceased.
——
Bai Shi's consciousness returned to his body. Flames flickered upon him, leaving the mark of a god.
Pinpoints of fiery scars lit up, gradually spreading across his entire body.
Like freshly burnt kindling, still retaining the embers of the flame.
Bai Shi was very familiar with this state. He used to call it—Ember.
He was still standing in the same spot, his posture unchanged, looking up at the sky.
From the deep pit that had already been filled with seawater, it was clear that some time had passed.
Bai Shi suddenly saw what seemed to be a red-haired woman on a distant sand dune, also gazing at the night sky.
But the moment he noticed her, the figure vanished.
And before him, a somewhat ethereal figure was watching him with concern.
Rose-gold hair, golden eyes, and a closed left eye. Who else could it be but Melina?
“Melina?”
Melina looked at Bai Shi, who had been staring blankly at the sky, and was very worried.
For some reason, Bai Shi had suddenly entered such a state.
And just now, flames had ignited on his body, leaving behind never-extinguishing scars.
Hearing Bai Shi's call, Melina quickly stepped forward and took his right hand in both of hers.
“Yes, I am here.”
The touch from her hands proved that this figure was not a figment of his imagination.
“I’m fine, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
Bai Shi was in disbelief. Could he now see spirits?
He glanced up at the sky, but the sun was still nowhere to be seen.
What obscured the sky was the Erdtree, which shone brilliantly even at night.
Then, as Bai Shi slowly gazed at that resplendent Erdtree, he saw it—
The Erdtree was slowly burning.
Flames ignited from the trunk, then climbed all the way to the crown.
Then, all the branches and leaves of the Erdtree were consumed by fire.
A great and brilliant sun was raised high by Bai Shi, held aloft by the charred trunk of the Erdtree, becoming the master of the world.
Bai Shi blinked, and everything vanished, as if it had all been a delusion.
But Bai Shi knew. He had seen the phantom of the flame and foreseen the future of the Erdtree's destruction.
Bai Shi looked up, silent for a long time.
“Ha, haha...”
After the silence, Bai Shi chuckled softly.
Then, unable to contain his ecstasy, he began to laugh wildly
“Haha, hahaha!”
As expected, when it came to burning a tree, you had to leave it to the professionals.
Bai Shi didn't have to use this flame, but he absolutely had to have it.
He had found the most crucial piece of the puzzle.
He had transformed himself into kindling.