The Starfarers swiftly united.

More than a hundred races and countless powerhouses ignited their Immortal Singularities. Under the guidance of several Divine-grade powerhouses, their energy gathered into a raging torrent, soon erupting with a terrifying aura that far surpassed that of an ordinary Divine-grade.

This abnormal movement startled every faction closely watching this place.

"These lunatics really are going all in."

The pirates cursed with laughter, yet their eyes flashed with excitement.

"That’s fine. Once they’re done fighting, we’ll see if there are any bargains to pick up."

"These hypocritical desperadoes really dare to do anything for the sake of a world."

The pirates folded their arms and watched coldly from the side.

"The two powerhouses inside that world have no choice but to show themselves now."

Jack smiled.

"If they hide inside the world, they can only watch helplessly as the world is destroyed. If they come out, they’ll have to face the suppression of Divine-grade powerhouses."

"That’s right... This choice is far too difficult."

The Council of Races powerhouse shook his head and sighed.

"This is the cruelty of the Endless Starfield. Strength is everything."

...

Swish—!

Daniel’s brows suddenly furrowed.

"The threads of causality..."

The threads of causality had suddenly surfaced of their own accord without warning.

This was the second time!

The last time had also been when he was facing an enormous crisis.

"What kind of danger is approaching?"

He stared at those pulsing threads of causality and opened each highlighted thread one by one.

Buzz—!

His consciousness sank into them...

Whoosh—!

When he withdrew from the threads of causality, his face was as dark as the sky before a storm.

"Master, what happened?"

Seeing his expression change so suddenly, Camille quickly asked.

"This is no small matter."

Killing intent surged in Daniel’s eyes as he slowly said,

"Those Starfarers beyond the realm have set up a Starfall Arcane Array."

"They want to use this world as a hostage to force us out. If we go out, we’ll be suppressed by Divine-grade powerhouses. If we don’t, they’ll blast this world into fragments."

"What a ruthless, vicious scheme."

"Master... then we..."

Camille opened his mouth, but he did not know what to say.

Daniel barely hesitated.

At a moment of life and death, a choice had to be made immediately.

Recklessness might lead to death.

But hesitation would certainly lead to death!

"I’ll go out. You stay here and guard this place."

He clenched his fists tightly, his voice as heavy as iron.

"They dare threaten me? Then let’s see whose skull is harder!"

"Master... may you return victorious."

Camille did not try to stop him. There was not even the slightest surprise in his expression.

Once, he had made the same choice.

He had sacrificed himself and guarded his people alone for nearly ten thousand years.

His enemies had changed from the blades of other races to the long passage of time, then from time to the human heart, and finally from the human heart to his own people.

Camille had never regretted it.

If he were given another chance to choose, he would still walk the same path—even if the ending had already been doomed from the beginning.

Daniel was the same.

"That human leader who carried the greatsword on his back turned and returned to a battlefield of certain death for the sake of his race."

"The sages of Aetheria drew their blades across their own throats to win their people a place to live."

"In previous eras, countless human powerhouses threw themselves forward one after another to protect their people."

"I am merely... making the same choice."

Daniel raised his foot and stepped forward.

His figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

"Humans cannot remain ignorant beings who are merely sheltered. They must know who is shielding them from the wind and rain..."

Camille murmured softly, then suddenly waved his hand.

Swish, swish, swish—!

Countless sword lights flew from his hand and transformed into massive swords, hovering before every player.

The backs of the swords were as smooth as mirrors, reflecting the scene beyond the realm.

The players were startled at first. Then they saw the image clearly.

They saw that familiar figure—Daniel!

"That’s... Guild Leader Faustus! Why did he go out?"

"What’s going on? Has the guild leader already decided defense is beneath him and chosen to attack first?"

"No... why do I feel like the guild leader was forced out by something?"

"Yeah, even I can sense a suffocating, terrifying aura. That is definitely not Strength that belongs to this world."

"Don’t tell me... the guild leader went there to..."

"Shut up! Close that cursed mouth of yours!"

"Lord Faustus is invincible! Even if the end of the world descends and the God of Death swings his scythe himself, he won’t be able to take Faustus’s life!"

"Look! The guild leader is charging in!"

"Charge! My hero—let those petty villains see what a true god really is!"

...

Beyond the realm.

The moment Daniel’s figure appeared, countless pairs of eyes locked onto him all at once, like starving wolves catching the scent of blood.

"Once, I saw a very similar scene."

Jack calmly looked at that young figure, but his fingers trembled slightly in a way almost impossible to notice.

That tiny movement was seen by the Council of Races powerhouse beside him.

In Jack’s vision, Daniel’s figure gradually overlapped with a certain back from his memories.

Only, back then, that figure had faced Astral Corsairs.

At this moment, Daniel was facing Starfarers, pirates, and the entrenched factions from every side.

That year, that figure had already been at the peak of demi-sage rank.

Daniel, however, was only legendary-grade.

"Jack..."

The Council of Races powerhouse hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

He remembered very clearly the first time he had met Jack.

At that time, a pirate group had used the survival of an entire plane as leverage. Jack had gritted his teeth and walked out of the world barrier, preparing to go to a battle where death was certain.

Back then, Jack had still been at the peak of demi-sage rank.

Many years had passed. The demi-sage rank from back then was now a Divine-grade powerhouse, and that pirate group had been uprooted by his own hands.

But that feeling of being forced into a desperate corner, where even breathing felt painful, had probably already grown into his bones. It could never be carved out in this lifetime.

...

"He’s out! This fellow finally came out!"

The pirates grinned viciously, their eyes filled with excitement.

"Although only one came out, once this human leader dies, that sword wielder will have to crawl out sooner or later too."

They had seen far too many scenes like this and had never miscalculated before.

"Hurry up and die. Hurry up and die. Once both of them are dead, we can loot to our hearts’ content."

The pirates suppressed the hearts that were nearly leaping out of their throats, their mouths dry with anticipation.

"Only him?"

The Starfarer Divine-grade powerhouse frowned, then quickly relaxed.

"Then we’ll lure them out and kill them one by one. We’re not afraid of him coming out. We’re only afraid he’ll hide in his shell like a cowardly turtle."

The Divine-grade powerhouses of the other wandering factions cracked their knuckles, their eyes filled with eagerness.

"Hmph, legendary-grade? An ant-like thing."

One Divine-grade powerhouse suddenly erupted with an overwhelming aura. His sage rank unfolded with a thunderous roar, and he was about to smash Daniel into meat paste on the spot.

Daniel felt the terrifying Strength of the sage rank pressing toward him from every direction.

He did not hesitate at all.

He summoned ninety-nine clones at once, cast teleportation, and charged madly toward the area where the Starfarers were clustered together.

Rumble—!

The sage rank descended.

That Strength, powerful enough to crush everything, swallowed Daniel whole.

On Earth, countless players stared fixedly at everything through the images projected on the backs of the swords.

They could not feel that pressure, but just by watching, they knew how terrifying that sage rank was.

"Guild leader..."

The hearts of the guild players clenched into tight knots.

"Lord Faustus, nothing will happen to you!"

Some players were so nervous that they bit their lips bloody. Their fingernails dug into their palms, and they did not even notice when beads of blood seeped out.

"Daniel..."

A female player’s eyes had already turned red.

Suddenly, within the sage rank, Faustus’s figure shattered with a boom into a pile of motes of light!

That invincible guild leader...

Had died!