Chapter 203: From Now On, I Shall Stand at the Apex of Heaven

[Bonus Chapter via Moon Ticket]

At Station 13, the Dimensional Audience stared at the screen—locked onto the unmistakable pair of cerulean eyes.

The chat flooded in like a tidal wave.

"Wow! I knew Ink was off—he’s the real deal! The Heaven-Defier!"

"Front-row idiots, classic hindsight, right?"

"Ink with a pink-haired girl, Mysterious Masked Man with a green-haired one—simple math."

As the messages scrolled endlessly, Tian Dao’s previously restrained aura—once masked under the guise of Will—suddenly erupted.

The effect was immediate. Chen Kong and the others, already near collapse, were driven to their knees under the crushing weight of his presence.

Hovering above the high Kong, Tian Dao stood like a deity seated upon the heavens, surveying all below. His moon-white captain’s robe flapped violently in the wind.

By this point, he no longer cared whether his identity was exposed.

Because every condition of his plan had been fulfilled.

Now, only the final act remained—how he would bring it to a close.

Even as he saw several Fifth Squad members frantically contacting other Association Stellar Envoys in Steam Capital, he made no move to stop them.

To him, swarms of ants were still just ants.

Standing above them all, with a voice as cold and distant as the stars, he spoke.

"Kong," he said, "you asked me why I did this, didn’t you?"

Chen Kong lay motionless on the ground, his eyes locked onto the familiar yet alien figure above—still reeling from the revelation that Tian Dao had orchestrated everything.

Seeing his disbelief, Tian Dao answered with quiet detachment.

"Simple. Because I seek a higher realm."

"A higher realm?" Chen Kong echoed, voice cracking with disbelief and pain. "Why must you do this? Why hurt so many people?"

"Tian Dao, are you truly… fallen? Have you become so corrupted that you’d sacrifice others just to reach your strength?"

Chen Kong couldn’t comprehend it. The Tian Dao he remembered—kind, gentle, powerful—wasn’t this man. This cold, merciless figure who now sought power through suffering.

Was there truly no other way?

Tian Dao offered only one response—icy, almost pitying.

"Kong… you’re too naive."

He raised his hand, fingers delicately plucking off the black-rimmed glasses that had hidden his identity.

"Naive enough to believe success could ever be won without blood."

Without the glasses, the illusion shattered.

The crowd gasped.

Ink and Tian Dao—identical in face, indistinguishable save for a single detail: the color of their hair.

Then, as Tian Dao let his hair fall back, the darkness melted away—replaced by silver so pale it shimmered like frost, each strand threaded with faint, ethereal light.

His eyes—those same cerulean orbs—now glowed with an unworldly stillness, a god’s gaze descending upon insects.

"Kong," he said, "your vision, your strength—they limit what you can see. What I see… is not what you imagine."

"You think I’ve always stood above. But that’s only your illusion."

"Because the true light beyond the heavens… is nothing like what you’ve ever known."

He paused. Then, with a single motion, he swept his hand through his hair.

"Kong… there has never been anyone up here. But the window to the throne is closing."

At that moment, his hair turned silver—pure, radiant, like starlight made flesh.

"And from this moment forward… I shall stand at the top of the sky."

He turned to Vivian beside him.

She struggled—fiercely—against his grip on her shoulder. But it was useless.

Ignoring her futile resistance, Tian Dao spoke calmly.

"A key. The key to open the door to the Miracle Domain."

"For her… I’ve poured more effort than you can imagine."

In that instant, a translucent quantum cube—its surface pulsing with soft green data patterns—appeared behind him.

The moment it manifested, the Brass Path trembled.

A piercing creak echoed through the bridge as it buckled under the strain.

Then, slowly, a rift tore open behind Tian Dao—a jagged tear between reality and illusion, a Quantum Space Rift.

Through it, the crowd saw it clearly: a path made entirely of flowing quantum data, stretching into the abyss.

This was the true path—the only way to reach the heart of the Steam Furnace, to enter the Gear Central.

With Vivian pale and resisting, Tian Dao turned and stepped toward the rift.

Just as their silhouettes began to vanish into the data stream…

He paused.

He glanced down at Chen Kong, still pinned beneath his aura.

For the first time, a rare note of approval slipped into his voice.

"Kong… as a human, you’ve done remarkably well."

"But that won’t change my path."

A faint, knowing smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"If you believe I’m wrong… then rise. Chase me. Stop me."

"Though… that’s only if you ever find me again."

"After all… the road to Above the Heavens is far longer than you imagine. And I’m not the only one walking it."

With that, he dragged Vivian into the abyss—vanishing into the storm of data.

And with the Quantum Cube and its complete Quantum Key severed from Gear Central, the rift snapped shut with a sharp crack.

The oppressive weight vanished.

The sky returned to stillness.

---

[Inside the Steam Furnace, Outside the Gear Central]

In the surreal realm of Quantum Space, Chen Xing gazed at the massive, floating gear ahead.

"Is that… what you’ve been chasing all this time?" he asked.

Tian Dao smiled.

"Yes. The final piece. The key to standing above the heavens."

"To claim it… I need more than just my knight here."

He glanced at Vivian.

"I also need our clever Dannika."

Dannika perked up instantly, puffing out her chest with pride. Her data-tinged green hair flicked upward, brimming with self-importance.

She didn’t fully grasp what "clever" meant—but if Tian Dao said so, then it had to be true.

"Alright, Star," Tian Dao said, opening the Quantum Cube in his hand.

The air around them shimmered.

Then, like a blade slicing through fabric, the Quantum Space fractured—split into countless isolated rooms.

Walls and ceilings pulsed with flowing data membranes. Door numbers flickered and changed at random.

From the God’s-eye view of the Dimensional Audience, it was clear: every second, the layout shifted. A maze that evolved faster than the mind could track.

They’d seen this before.

In Season 1 of the Stars, Tian Dao had activated a similar defense system at Yujin Base—Infinite Maze.

"Star," Tian Dao continued, "I’ll share the exact coordinates of this Infinite Maze with you. You can decide where each intruder appears."

"But one rule: don’t go too far."

He turned, leading Vivian and Dannika down the glowing, brass-like path of quantum data—toward the massive, distant gear.

Just as Tian Dao stepped onto the Brass Path…

A wave of Association Stellar Envoys—Steam Branch—converged on the top of the Brass Tower.

And then, the news hit them.

Twelve Brass Nobles. All dead. Except Leidon.

"President," a voice crackled.

"I know," Liam said, staring at the Steam Furnace, face grim. "This isn’t your fault. That boy… he’s beyond reason."

He turned to the gathered Envoys.

"Listen well. I want every last one of you to go in. Whatever it takes. Find that bastard who dared to mock our Steam Association—and bring him back."

"I want him on his knees before our banner, screaming his repentance."

"Yes, sir!"

As the last of them vanished into the furnace…

Liu Ma, still standing outside, blinked at Liam.

"Hey… why aren’t you going in?"

Liam didn’t hesitate. He swung a fist straight into Liu Ma’s head.

"Go in? Are you trying to destroy our Steam Capital? The entire New Federation’s priceless first furnace?"

"Do you even know what Catastrophe means?"

Liu Ma rubbed his sore head, scratching his scalp sheepishly.

Honestly? He had no idea.

But it didn’t matter.

Not really.

---

[PS: All overdue updates from last month have been fully repaid. Daily moon ticket requests continue! A bonus moon ticket chapter will be posted at midnight—non-mainline, no points required, just vote for the moon ticket to unlock it.]

[Unpaid Moon Tickets & Alliance Leader Debt: 37]

[Fully Repaid: 37]

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end