Aldous’s final words shook the very souls of the audience with the force of the shock they caused.
A war?
A great war that had been the cause of the devastation that befell their world?
For several moments...
It seemed as though the entire plaza had lost its voice.
One hundred thousand people remained in their places without moving, their eyes fixed upon the old man standing on the platform.
Some of the youths stared at him with their mouths half-open, while confusion was clearly visible on the faces of others.
The word “war” was not unfamiliar to them.
After all, wars and conflicts had been known to humanity since the earliest ages.
But for a war to be the reason an entire world had transformed from a lush, prosperous world into a barren, dry world with weak energy and burdened by the remnants of death...
That was something completely beyond the limits of their imagination.
Then, after the initial shock...
The questions began.
“A war?”
One of the youths spoke, his voice filled with obvious confusion.
“How could a war destroy an entire world to such an extent?”
Another young man replied while still staring at Aldous:
“I don’t understand... Even if it was a great war, how could a mere war turn a prosperous world into a barren land like this?”
A girl spoke softly:
“Do you mean that the warriors who fought in that war were so powerful that they were capable of destroying the world itself?”
Another young man added:
“But how many of them must there have been? And how powerful must they have been for their war to leave behind traces that still exist after millions of years?”
Another girl said:
“Could the war have lasted for an extremely long time?”
A young man beside her replied:
“Even if it lasted for years... how could it destroy a world of this size?”
The questions overlapped.
“Who was fighting?”
“Why did the war begin in the first place?”
“Was it between humans?”
“Or between the other races?”
“And were there enemies from outside our world?”
“How could creatures from outside the world reach us in the first place?”
The questions continued to come from every direction.
Some of the youths spoke rapidly, as though they feared losing any possibility that might explain what they had just heard.
Others remained silent, staring at Aldous as though waiting for him to dispel the strange feeling that had begun to form within their chests.
As for the teachers and cultivators standing at the edge of the plaza, they were no less disturbed.
They were more capable of understanding the meaning behind his words than the youths, and therefore the shock in their eyes was even heavier.
One cultivator said in a low voice:
“A war capable of changing an entire world...”
He fell silent.
Another added:
“If this hypothesis is true, then the war must have been something far beyond anything we know.”
But no one dared to make a definite conclusion.
For everything they had so far...
Was nothing more than a hypothesis.
After several minutes of discussion, Aldous continued speaking.
His voice was calm, yet it was enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Heads turned toward him.
The conversations gradually ceased.
The youths returned to listening with seriousness and concentration, as though they feared missing even a single word of what he was about to say.
Aldous said:
“You may think that this hypothesis is nothing more than nonsense without any basis in truth, but I assure you that this hypothesis did not come out of nowhere.”
Absolute silence descended upon the plaza.
The eyes of thousands of adolescents glowed with curiosity and confusion.
The question was now more pressing than ever.
If the war hypothesis was not merely a guess...
Then what was it based upon?
Where had it come from?
And why was Aldous, one of the strongest cultivators in the city, willing to speak about it with such seriousness?
Aldous continued:
“Thirty years ago, in the Central City, an important report reached the Human Council. There was a powerful cultivator who traveled across the world, exploring and searching for treasures.”
Everyone’s gazes became even more focused upon him.
“During one of these explorations, the cultivator discovered ancient ruins.”
Their curiosity grew.
“He attempted to enter them, believing that there were treasures inside.”
A young man whispered:
“Ancient ruins protected by a formation...”
But his companion silenced him with a quick gesture, signaling for him to listen.
Aldous continued:
“However, the cultivator was unable to enter the ruins because they were protected by a powerful formation that the human cultivator could not break through.”
Some of the youths exchanged glances.
It was obvious that this point had caught their attention.
A powerful cultivator had been unable even to enter the ruins.
What could possibly have been hidden behind that formation?
Aldous continued:
“So he returned to the Central City and reported the ruins to the Human Council.”
The audience listened to Aldous’s words with extreme seriousness and concentration, afraid that if their attention wandered even for a moment, they might miss something important.
No one spoke anymore.
There were no longer any groups exchanging whispers.
Even those in the back rows, who were usually less interested in the lecture, were now focused upon the platform.
When Aldous saw how seriously the adolescents were listening, a faint smile of appreciation appeared upon his face.
Then he continued in a calm voice:
“When the Human Council learned of the ruins, it took the matter seriously. The council formed a team of powerful cultivators in the Nirvana Realm, then entrusted them with the task of exploring the ruins and bringing any potential treasures within back to the Central City.”
Some faces began to show clear anticipation.
If the Human Council had sent a team of powerful cultivators in the Nirvana Realm...
Then the ruins must have been important.
Aldous paused briefly to catch his breath.
Then he continued:
“The team broke through the formation protecting the ruins using a special treasure.”
Their eyes remained fixed upon him.
“Then, when the human cultivators entered the ruins, they expected to find countless treasures, or the inheritance of a powerful cultivator from the past.”
Small smiles appeared on some faces.
This was the scenario everyone had expected.
Ancient ruins.
A powerful formation.
A powerful cultivator who had been unable to break through it.
And a team of powerful cultivators sent to explore them.
Everything suggested that something extraordinary was hidden inside.
But Aldous said:
“However, their expectations turned into disappointment when they discovered that there were no treasures or inheritances inside the ruins.”
Some of the smiles disappeared.
He added:
“There were not even any spirit stones.”
A brief silence descended.
Some of the youths looked at one another.
“Not even spirit stones?”
Another said:
“Then why were the ruins protected by such a powerful formation?”
But before the discussion could continue, a young man asked after seeing Aldous pause:
“If they found no treasures inside those ruins, then what did those ancient ruins contain?”
Aldous looked at the young man with a faint smile, then said:
“The human cultivators discovered a number of stone murals.”
The youths’ eyes became even more attentive.
“Some of them were carved with mysterious drawings of what appeared to be battles, while others contained texts engraved upon the stone in a strange language.”
A girl asked quietly:
“A strange language?”
But she did not wait for an answer.
Aldous had already continued:
“The team brought those mysterious stone murals back to decipher them. Then, after ten years of study, and with the assistance of archaeologists and scholars of ancient languages, the council stated that it had managed to translate the inscriptions.”
The moment Aldous said this...
His expression changed.
The calmness disappeared from his face.
His features became extremely serious.
There was even a trace of fear in his eyes.
The audience noticed it immediately.
Several breaths were held.
The people in the front rows exchanged glances.
Aldous had spoken about the comet, the war, and the devastation without showing such a change in expression.
But now...
It was different.
There was something in his expression that made everyone feel that what came next was not merely an ordinary piece of historical information.
Aldous was a powerful cultivator.
And although his aged appearance might suggest weakness, everyone knew that the man standing before them possessed tremendous power.
Therefore...
When they saw fear appear in his eyes, they realized that what he was about to say would certainly be shocking and terrifying.
Almost no one could conceal their curiosity.
Then a young man, unable to restrain his curiosity, asked:
“What do these inscriptions say, Lord Aldous?”
Some of the young men and women asked similar questions.
“What did they find in them?”
“Do they speak about the war?”
“Do they reveal the cause of our world’s destruction?”
“What did our ancestors write in them?”
Aldous looked at the younger generation before him.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity.
He sighed.
Then continued:
“The mysterious writings contained the history of our world, and what is believed to be the cause of the world’s destruction and its transformation into the state we see today.”
The moment Aldous declared this...
Everyone in the plaza was struck by shock.
Their eyes widened.
Even those who were trying to maintain their composure could not hide their astonishment.
The history of their world...
And the cause of its destruction...
Had been written inside those ancient ruins.
After several moments, heated discussions began among them.
“My God... Did these murals really contain the history of our world and the cause of its destruction?”
“Will we finally learn what happened in the Age of our Ancestors that led to the reality we live in today?”
“I’m extremely eager to know what these murals say.”
Another young man said:
“Then all these years we spent without knowing the truth... there was an answer hidden inside those ruins?”
Another replied:
“Perhaps it isn’t the complete answer, but it is certainly something we never knew before.”
A young man stepped forward, his face overflowing with curiosity and anticipation, then asked aloud:
“Lord Aldous, please tell us what these texts said about our history.”
Aldous watched the young man with his eyes.
But he was not smiling.
He was hesitant...
And there was something of fear in his eyes.
After several moments, he said:
“The mysterious texts stated that millions of years ago, this world was known as Ibiron, and it was a very vast and enormous planet.”
Before Aldous could continue, several excited voices rose:
“Ibiron? Was our world called Ibiron in the past?”
“Ibiron? What a majestic and elegant name!”
“At last, we know the name of our world!”
Another young man said:
“So our world had an ancient name all along?”
Another added:
“Ibiron... I’ve never heard that name before.”
A girl said:
“It is strange to learn now that our world once bore a different name.”
Aldous, however, was unaffected by their excitement.
He allowed them a few moments to absorb the information, then continued:
“Within Ibiron, there were not many lands. Instead, there was a great ocean of water.”
The voices gradually quieted.
“In the midst of that ocean stood a great continent that had towered there since ancient ages.”
Everyone’s eyes began to widen.
“The texts called this continent the Upper Continent.”
Several voices rose again.
But Aldous continued:
“And surrounding the Upper Continent were thousands of islands of various sizes.”
Many of the youths imagined the scene in their minds.
A great continent in the heart of a vast ocean...
And thousands of islands scattered around it.
Then Aldous said:
“This continent was an immeasurable expanse of land, diverse in terrain.”
Then he added:
“And the texts recorded that even Immortals required a full thousand years to explore most of this continent.”
Another wave of shock erupted after those words.
“The Upper Continent? Is that the name of the land we are standing upon?”
“My God... the Upper Continent! What a magnificent name, befitting our continent!”
“A thousand years?!”
A stunned young man said:
“Even Immortals need a thousand years to explore most of it?”
Another said:
“How enormous was the Upper Continent in that era?”
A girl said:
“A full thousand years... just to explore most of the continent?”
A young man replied:
“If this is true, then that means the continent was so vast that it is impossible to imagine.”
Another said:
“I thought I knew the size of the world we live in, but it seems I knew nothing.”
Another girl added in a voice filled with astonishment:
“And thousands of islands surrounding it as well...”
Excitement was clearly visible on their faces.
Even some of the teachers exchanged silent glances upon hearing this information.
The number alone was enough to make them imagine the vastness of the ancient world.
But Aldous continued without paying attention to the youths’ excitement:
“The world was green and prosperous in that era, and its energy was extremely dense.”
The plaza grew quiet once more.
“But at some point in the past, the catastrophe occurred which the texts said was responsible for destroying the world and transforming it into ruins.”
Seriousness returned to the audience.
The excitement gradually disappeared.
Everyone returned to listening.
Aldous said in a serious voice:
“The texts stated that at some point, millions of years ago, a great war erupted and swept across the entire Upper Continent.”
The adolescents’ eyes widened.
Even the teachers and cultivators standing at the edges of the plaza changed their expressions.
This was the part they had been waiting for.
The war that had changed the world.
A young man spoke in a low voice, his emotions evident:
“Why did this war break out, Lord Aldous? And who were the parties involved?”
Many of the adolescents nodded.
They wanted the same answer.
Aldous continued.
But this time...
His voice trembled slightly.
“The murals stated that this war broke out between the races of our world, including us humans, and enemies from outside our world who came to invade us.”
He paused briefly, allowing his words to settle in their minds.
The expressions on their faces began to change.
Enemies from outside their world...
Those words alone were strange to them.
A young man whispered:
“From outside our world?”
Another replied:
“Then they were strangers to Ibiron?”
But Aldous continued before the discussions could grow:
“Armies of Immortals, numbering in the millions, clashed with armies of invaders, led by beings whom the texts called gods, in the greatest war that had occurred since the ancient ages.”
The audience fell silent in shock.
The mere mention of armies consisting of millions of legendary Immortals was enough to freeze their minds.
Millions of Immortals.
The number itself was difficult to comprehend.
They had never even seen a single Immortal.
So how could entire armies of them exist?
And how could their number reach into the millions?
But the strange term that appeared in Aldous’s account was even more alarming.
Gods.
A term whose true existence the inhabitants of this era had never witnessed.
They had never seen an Immortal...
Let alone a god.
Whispers began to spread.
“Millions of Immortals...”
“How could there be so many Immortals?”
“And how could a war gather millions of them?”
“And the gods... who were they?”
“Were they truly stronger than the Immortals?”
At that moment, a teacher stepped forward from the side.
His voice trembled slightly as he asked:
“Lord Aldous... when you say gods, do you mean those beings mentioned in the legends who can create miracles and change the world?”
The audience immediately turned their attention toward him.
The voices fell silent.
Everyone waited for Aldous’s answer.
The old man sighed.
Then said:
“Gods are beings greater than Immortals.”
Breaths stopped.
“Even comparing a god to an Immortal is impossible, because a god is a higher form of existence.”
Eyes widened.
Aldous continued:
“A god is an almost immortal being, for their lifespan is measured in millions of years.”
Heavy silence descended.
Then he said:
“As for their power... it can affect existence itself.”
The moment his words ended...
Another wave of questions and curiosity swept through the plaza.
“Affect existence itself?”
“What does that mean?”
“Then how far does the power of a god reach?”
“What do they look like?”
“Do they resemble humans?”
“Can a cultivator reach such a level?”
“Do gods still exist?”
Questions poured in from every direction.
Some of the youths spoke rapidly, while others seemed unable to decide which question they wanted to ask first.
But Aldous continued speaking, cutting through the audience’s questions:
“The army of our world and the army of the invaders clashed for thousands of years, and the war destroyed the landmarks of our world.”
The voices gradually quieted.
“The records stated that our world was different in the past. There were mountains whose peaks reached into the highest heavens, and enormous lakes that were almost seas in size.”
Everyone’s eyes remained fixed upon him.
“But the catastrophic war erased many of these landmarks.”
Then his tone changed slightly.
“The aftermath of the battles between Immortals was horrifying.”
He paused.
“But the greatest damage came from the gods fighting one another.”
Everyone felt a chill.
Then he continued:
“Although these beings caused the destruction of the world, these damages were material destruction caused by the powerful Immortals.”
Then he said:
“As for the gods... they caused damage far more dangerous.”
Silence descended.
“Their strikes destabilized the foundation of the continent.”
Aldous fell silent for a moment.
That silence was enough to give the audience a chance to absorb what they had heard.
Then the discussions began once again.
“Thousands of years...”
Another added:
“The war lasted for thousands of years without stopping?”
A girl said in astonishment:
“For us, thousands of years is a span of time that cannot even be imagined...”
Another young man said:
“Imagine the scene... millions of Immortals fighting in a single war.”
His companion replied:
“Rather, imagine the gods fighting one another above this continent.”
A girl said softly:
“If their strikes were capable of destabilizing the foundation of the continent... then what happened to the land whenever they fought?”
A young man answered:
“Perhaps there wasn’t a single safe region.”
Another added:
“And what is even more terrifying is that this war lasted for thousands of years.”
Then one of them said:
“But if that war was what destroyed the world... then what remained afterward?”
Another young man said:
“How could millions of Immortals fight in one place?”
Another added:
“And the gods as well...”
Then he swallowed nervously and said:
“I can’t even imagine what a battle between them would look like.”
Everyone was immersed in an attempt to imagine that impossible scene.
Millions of Immortals.
Armies of invaders.
And gods fighting one another.
A war that lasted for thousands of years.
And then...
Their current world.
The connection between those images was enough to allow unease to creep into their hearts.
After a few moments, Aldous continued:
“But these damages, no matter how severe they were, were not what caused the world’s devastation to reach this state, but...”
Aldous stopped.
He did not continue.
In an instant...
The adolescents’ faces turned pale.
Even those who had been discussing moments earlier fell silent.
Fear crept into their hearts.
Because Aldous’s words meant only one thing.
Even millions of Immortals...
And even countless gods...
Despite their unbelievable power...
Were not the true cause behind the catastrophe that brought the world to the brink of destruction.
Then...
What had caused it?
What could have been more powerful than these beings?
The audience began asking in hushed voices.
“Then... what caused it?”
“If it wasn’t the Immortals or the gods...”
“What could have been capable of doing something like this?”
“What kind of creature could be stronger than gods?”
“Are there beings stronger than them?”
“If the gods themselves were not the cause... then who was?”
Aldous did not answer immediately.
Then he continued.
But this time, his voice became troubled.
His face had gone pale.
“The murals stated that the gods and Immortals were not responsible for the destruction of the world into its current state.”
The words came from him with increasing difficulty.
“The texts recorded that the war lasted for a full twenty thousand years without stopping.”
The faces froze.
Twenty thousand years.
Some of the youths repeated the number silently in their minds, unable to comprehend it.
Then Aldous continued:
“Millions of Immortals died.”
Silence.
“The gods fell.”
Some breaths trembled.
“The seas turned crimson from the amount of blood that was spilled.”
It seemed as though the entire plaza had been submerged in a terrifying image painted by his words.
Vast seas...
Their waters changed color because of blood.
Millions of Immortals falling.
Gods collapsing.
And a war continuing without pause for twenty thousand years.
Then he continued:
“During the final thousand years before the war ended, some transcendent existences from both sides lost their patience because the war had continued for too long.”
Aldous paused for a moment.
Then said:
“So they personally descended upon the Upper Continent to end the war.”
No one moved.
“And the texts stated that these beings were indescribable.”
The silence grew heavier.
Then he said:
“The murals knew them by a single name, which was...”
Aldous stopped.
He did not finish.
His face grew even paler.
As though merely thinking of that name had exhausted his very existence.
When the audience saw Aldous’s silence and hesitation to utter the name of these beings, their faces paled and their bodies trembled.
No one dared to speak loudly anymore.
The adolescents began whispering among themselves.
“What kind of beings were they?”
“Why did they disappear from the world after the war?”
“How powerful were they?”
“Were they stronger than the gods?”
“If they were the ones who ended the war... how great was their power?”
“Why does Aldous look so frightened?”
No one knew the answer.
Their hearts waited in anticipation to hear the name of those beings.
And the silence that had taken hold of the plaza made their wait even more tense.
As though every passing second made the coming name more terrifying.
Then...
As though Aldous had anticipated what they were thinking, he let out a weary sigh.
And in a trembling voice filled with fear and awe, he said:
“These beings were given the name...”
He paused for a moment.
No one dared interrupt him.
Then he spoke the name:
“The Great Ones.”
The word seemed to fall upon the plaza with immense weight.
The Great Ones.
Some of the youths repeated it within themselves.
A strange name.
Mysterious.
And majestic.
A name most of them had never heard before.
Aldous continued:
“Because of them, our ancestors named the war after them after it ended, giving the war that changed our world the name...”
The words stopped upon his lips for a moment.
Then he said:
“The War of the Great Ones.”
Aldous finished speaking.
But the plaza was no longer the same.
A vast commotion began to spread through the crowd.
This time, it was not a commotion of excitement.
It was a chorus of trembling whispers.
The adolescents and young women repeated the name among themselves, as though trying to comprehend the word they had just heard.
“The Great Ones...”
“The Great Ones...”
“What does this name mean?”
“Who were they?”
“Were they truly stronger than the gods?”
“Why do we know nothing about them?”
“And what happened to them after the war?”
“Why did they disappear?”
“Do they still exist?”
The whispers continued throughout every part of the plaza.
And every unanswered question opened the way to another.
Above the platform, Aldous remained silent.
As for the one hundred thousand people in the plaza...
For the first time, they found themselves standing before a mysterious name that had emerged from the depths of history—a name connected to a war that had lasted twenty thousand years, in which millions had fallen, and during which an entire world had collapsed.
The Great Ones.
A single name...
Yet it carried within it the weight of an entire age.
And as the whispers began to echo throughout the plaza once more...
A strange feeling began to creep into everyone’s hearts.
At first, they had thought they had come to listen to a lecture about the history of their world.
But they did not realize...
That they were about to approach the most mysterious and terrifying chapter in the history of Ibiron.