Chapter 526: with translation of chapter title

"Just as the Stoneheart Ten follow the diamond, you should also have a leader. I wonder what kind of person he is, and I also wonder whether every Starcore Hunter is like you..."

"The smile on Lady Emerald's face faded silently; she lowered her gaze slightly, and her long, dense eyelashes cast a small, profound shadow beneath her eyelids."

""Walking the path of 【Apocalypse】, yet striving forward against the direction of fate?""

——

Marvel Universe.

In the lobby of the New York Sanctum, the air was filled with the scent of old scrolls, dust, and a hint of black coffee. Strange held his coffee, floating in midair, his sharp gaze fixed on the elegant woman's face in the sky.

""Apocalypse..." Strange's tightly furrowed brow barely relaxed, and he exhaled lightly, feeling a sense of relief."

""You can relax now?" Wang, standing nearby with arms crossed, raised an eyebrow."

""Hmm… at least, this explains that his prophecy is not a similar creation of the Time Stone. No need to worry that somewhere in the universe a guy named Elio is using a sibling product of the Eye of Agamotto."

For him, protecting Earth's safety is an inescapable responsibility; any potential temporal manipulator from the cosmos is an object requiring extreme vigilance.

"Apocalypse…… that word rings a bell, didn't Shajin mention it?" Wang plopped onto the chair, opened his phone, and began searching for earlier content on the Universal Locust Plague. "Oh, found it—Apocalypse first appeared in the locust plague as well; at that time, He gave the self-destructive officer a raving word, which directly led the officer to Decay Star, inaugurating the era of the locust plague—but aside from that, there is no further information about Apocalypse, nor can we find any trace of the forces that follow Him."

""However, from some of Elio's actions we can make a simple guess." Strange took a sip of coffee, bitterness instantly spreading in his mouth, "He is not predicting the future; rather, he looks back from a future that has already happened, marking the route and nodes for the Astral Express leading to that specific endpoint. The right to choose, theoretically, still lies in the hands of the present.""

""It sounds like a time‑traveler from a movie, and moreover one who has done it many times.""

""Yeah, but this also indicates that the upcoming confrontation with Nanok will be an extremely perilous battle, possibly spreading to the whole universe like the Universal Locust Plague." Strange looked up at the sky, his gaze seeming to pierce through the clouds and waves straight to the cosmos, and he let out a soft sigh."

""……Will Earth be able to stay out of it then?""

——

""Liuying remained silent.""

"""If I get the chance, I hope you all can come to my pawnshop for a sit‑down. And for that day to arrive, I am willing to wait patiently."""

""Liuying said solemnly: "May I understand this as an invitation from the Diamond, hidden from the company, extended to the Starcore Hunters?"""

"""If possible, I would prefer you to regard this as my personal act, representing neither the company nor the Strategic Investment Department." Emerald explained.""

"""Starcore Hunters have had many dealings with the company, but the Stoneheart Ten… we have no connection. I can relay your proposal, but before that I have a question… You know my identity, and you can surely imagine that my partner is likely monitoring this room. If she wishes, just a few seconds and the entire Beirpont will see this meeting. What makes you willing to risk becoming a 【Discard】 in order to accomplish all this for the Diamond?"""

"""Because, in short… we are 【Kindred】." Emerald spread her hands, "But unlike the Starcore Hunters and the Astral Express, we gather together… merely to meet our own needs. Each of the ten has their own origin and destination. And on this stretch of the road, we have received the Diamond's invitation and travel alongside him."""

"""This stretch of road can be short or long. Because each of us has a void (ambition) in our hearts, which can only be filled by continually relying on external things. And the Diamond has made a promise—to divide the authority of the 【Preserver】 Envoy into ten parts, adding a 【Foundation Stone】 to that void."""

"""Flesh is frail, but my heart is firm as radiant stone. Otherwise, the way of the Preserver would have no foothold."""

""Emerald lifted her gaze at the girl before her and gave a faint smile: "So you understand? This is not just an oath; it is the collateral we ten have put up, thereby gaining opportunity, wealth, survival, and tomorrow…"""

"""And everything else they exchange for will make the Stoneheart Ten even more indestructible, enabling the achievement of the Preserver's (Diamond's) great work in the impending War of the Gods."""

——

overlord

""War of the Gods…… the company even mentioned this—could it be that the Amber King also intends to join the campaign against Nanok?"""

""Not sure, but Lord Ainz is especially concerned about this."""

""Lord Ainz is worried that the Amber King will swing his hammer, and the shockwaves will reach our world, right?" Aura gave her opinion, "Maybe he'll just smash the Breeder to death again—boom, boom, boom—" Aura made a cute sound, imitating the posture of swinging a great hammer, "Just like smashing the Breeder Star God to death, he'll pound Nanok into mush!"""

""That is indeed a reasonable guess, and Cossettes also expressed his agreement—after all, everyone has personally witnessed the devastation of the locust plague in the Throne Hall; if a star god were to step onto the battlefield, probably few worlds could escape harm. But whether one can easily crush Nanok… Cossettes thinks it's not that simple."""

""There is no doubt that the Amber King is one of the oldest and most powerful star gods, but the strength among star gods cannot be judged solely by age; if Destruction and Preservation were to clash, the latter might not necessarily prevail."""

""Demiugeus, do you think our world will be destroyed in the War of the Gods?"""

""I'm not sure, but this isn't something we as servants should be considering, right?"""

""Demiugeus lifted his head; his voice was the same as usual, with no detectable negative emotion. He closed his eyes and wore an expression of longing: "Even if we are to face destruction tomorrow, just thinking that today we can still remain loyal to Lord Ainz—how is that not a kind of happiness?"""

""Demiugeus's words left every guardian present feeling enlightened, the gloom on their faces swept away in an instant."""

""Exactly."""

""As guardians, they can die at any moment, but if they perish while faithfully serving Lord Ainz as his slaves, then their lives are complete—even destruction would not be a pity."""

""However, although the idea is good, Cossettes still hopes the War of the Gods will be delayed—better yet, not come at all, for once Destruction reaches their world, it would likely mean that Lord Ainz…""

""Cossettes drew a sharp breath, instinctively stopping that terrifying thought."""

""He recalled how the former Gluttony star god had once swallowed countless stardust in one gulp, fearing that when destruction truly arrives, they might vanish without even realizing they are dead."""

——

""After Liuying confirmed that Emerald could not give her the desired answer, she turned and left her room."""

""Meanwhile, on the other side, Xingzheng stood on the bow of the Radiant Long Stone, joking with a few origami birds."""

""(There are also plenty of treasures on this airship, a rich harvest…… the opening ceremony of the Harmony Festival is about to start—go check it out in person.)""

""She came down from the deck, approached a bar, where Boteo was fixedly staring at Shajin's projection, his tone threatening: "…Don't forget, I can always love‑kill you with a shot."""

"""That's truly my honor… don't worry, I hate nothing more than cheating at the gambling table."""

"""Hmph… you'd better be."""