Chapter 311: Planet Trial, Alice Becomes the Planet's Soul?

After defeating Sephiroth, Luode and Alice arranged for Cloud and the others to continue their journey, while they themselves went to the Cetra people's temple together.

A few days later, Luode brought Alice to the ancient Cetra temple, where the Cetra race had once built a great miracle on this planet! This is a very special temple, built by the Cetra in ancient times as a place to communicate with the planet, and without the Cetra leading the way, no one can set foot here.

Ordinary people cannot approach this place at all, for when they come here they see only a void-like ruin.

Only by using special means can this temple be reassembled, turning a pile of ruins into a complete temple.

Alice came to the center of the altar and quickly activated the special magic array here; countless small black patents began to combine together.

Soon an ancient temple that blotted out the sky appeared.

The two nodded at each other, then entered the temple's interior and headed toward the innermost sanctuary.

Over the past month or so, Luode has been frenziedly infusing Alice with life force each night and teaching her how to use chakra; now this girl's strength has risen, and her ancient race's abilities are slowly awakening.

However, there is one thing that makes Luode very strange: logically speaking, he has already raised Alice's power to an extremely exaggerated level, to the point that even in ancient times she would be considered a powerhouse among the Cetra.

Logically speaking, Alice should be able to communicate with the planet's consciousness without hindrance even if she didn't come to this temple, but for some unknown reason the planet merely sent her a message telling them to come to this temple.

As for other matters, no matter how Alice prays or activates her racial abilities to try to communicate with the planet, the planet simply avoids the topic.

Even recently, neither Sephiroth's black Fira nor the Planet Soul's white Fira has appeared again.

Along the way, Luode encountered no obstruction from any Fira and arrived smoothly at a temple shining with emerald light.

At the very center of the temple is a place for prayer.

"This is the place; two thousand years ago, my seniors prayed here and communicated with the planet's consciousness." Alice said.

"Alice! Do you have any news about the Cetra?" Luode asked.

Luode always felt that the Planet Soul had brought him to the Cetra temple for some unspeakable reason.

"I know, the Cetra, like Jenova, are an extraterrestrial race, but they are peace-loving, unlike the vicious Jenova."

"But since they are not native to this planet, after death their souls cannot merge into the planet's Lifestream and cannot find peace."

"It is said that this race used the power of prayer to create a black materia, and this black materia is hidden within this temple."

"It also has a very special function: it can summon a doomsday meteor." Alice related what she knew.

After arriving here, she felt a sense of unreality; fragmented memories began to flash back—she saw herself kneeling here in prayer, while Sephiroth descended from the sky with a blade and killed her in one strike.

That was his original fate: he would enter the Lifestream, pray together with the planet, borrow the Cetra's power, and mobilize the planet's entire energy to stop the doomsday meteor.

But the situation is very strange: if the doomsday meteor is merely artificially summoned, using the black materia to call it forth,

then the planet should have known this all along. So why didn't it destroy that black materia? Wouldn't that make the planet safe? "Alice, contact the planet's consciousness right away and tell it my thoughts, and also tell the planet's consciousness that I mean no harm; I've already given you the detailed information about the Titan." Luode said.

Upon hearing this, Alice nodded, came to the very center of the temple, knelt on the ground, spread her arms, then clasped her hands together and began her prayer.

"Great Planet Soul, hear my prayer: a deity from another world wishes to help you, defeat the evil Jenova, and lead you to a new universe, a new world.

"Even help you awaken to become a true living being, guiding us toward a more glorious future." Alice began to murmur in her heart.

And she conveyed Luode's ideas and the message of becoming a Titan to the planet's consciousness.

"We have heard, we have heard this foreigner's request, but how can we believe him?"

"Luode is now my partner; he means no harm, he only wants to help you, Planet Soul." Alice said.

One can feel that Luode sincerely wishes to help the planet's consciousness, to make it a complete living being and even grant the planet greater strength.

"What he calls awakening is becoming a complete living being; you have prayed to us many times and conveyed this idea many times, but we are different.

"We are a whole, yet we are not a whole; we are the collection of all life on the planet.

"If we were to become a so-called living being, who would lead our consciousness? We are a whole, not a single life.

"We are the planet's will, but we are not the planet's soul; these two are distinct.

"If we follow the established fate, our planet will eventually be saved, but his appearance has consumed much of our life source." The Planet Will spoke.

"The power of the Lifestream has already been seized by Sephiroth."

"But that man has utterly annihilated that power; that dark green energy is the bane of all life, it is evil, even more evil than Jenova.

"And the blue power he has granted you on your body—don't you find it familiar?" The Planet Will suddenly asked.

"That power is called chakra; Luode told me it is a combination of mental force and cellular energy." Alice said.

"Nonsense, we can feel that it is the planet's power, drawn from the planet's life, and essentially it is no different from Jenova."

"How could that be?"

"I need not deceive you; that blue power, although unlike my Lifestream,

but essentially it is still the planet's life energy, possibly coming from another universe, another planet.

"Alice, you should fulfill your mission; you should follow Cloud and the others, and encourage Cloud to ignite hope.

"This is your mission; after this, you will return here, rejoin the Lifestream, and be with us." The Planet Soul said.

"Great Planet Mother, are you demanding this?! But! But! That, that is not my choice!"

"No 'buts'; abandon that man, merge with us, become part of the planet, fate must be carried out."

"But Luode is eliminating this planet's threat, and he can even defeat Sephiroth." Alice said.

"According to the established fate, Cloud will in the future receive the planet's blessing, defeat Sephiroth, and save this world." The Planet Will said.

The reason the Planet Will let Alice come to this temple before speaking with her is simple.

It is to have Alice merge into the planet's Lifestream, which is the safest way to handle things. "Come on, Alice, fulfill your mission and become part of the Planet Will; only then can we save this world and all life."

"Hmph!" Luode let out a cold snort.

Conqueror's Haki and the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit exploded at full strength, even mixed with red Ten-Tails chakra.

He placed his hand on Alice's shoulder and directly blocked the Planet Will's intrusion.

This Planet Will is not a single living being at all, but a composite of all soul memories on the planet.

No wonder, in the Final Fantasy Holy Son Descent, the planet often aids Cloud, because Alice is present there and accounts for a large portion of that.

This Planet Will is not like Sargeras or Azeroth, a single consciousness, but a great aggregation of consciousnesses.

From the moment they entered this temple and Alice began to pray, Luode used Observation Haki to attach his consciousness to her.

All of her conversations with the planet's soul were heard clearly by Luode.

Is this your purpose, outsider? You're stopping Alice from joining us.

That's equivalent to destroying this world, Alice. Do you really want to watch this world be destroyed?

Me! Me, Luode! What should I do?

Planet's will, I can help you resolve all crises, yet you insist on choosing the most foolish way.

Can't you see, Sephiroth wants Jenova to replace the planet's entire consciousness?

Outsider, you should know, according to your method, we too cannot awaken, because we are not a single will. the planet's will said.

You refuse my goodwill, then I won't let Alice enter the planet's River of Life, because she is now my woman. Luode said.

Then that equals choosing to destroy us, to destroy all life on the entire planet.

I will help you block that meteorite; don't worry, my own strength is enough to destroy that world-ending meteorite. Luode said.

Outsider, do you really think the planet's power can't deal with that meteorite?

We let Alice join the River of Life because this is fate, and fate cannot be changed. the planet's will said.

What does that mean?

If fate encounters interference, if it does not develop along its original course, then the whole world will collapse.

This place will become a collapsed world; that is the true crisis. The planet's consciousness presented Luode and Alice with a picture.

A yellow bolt of lightning tore through the entire sky, making the sky seem to split in half, after which the whole planet was ripped apart by a force into nothingness.

Everything will vanish.

This, this is, the world's destruction!

That's right, this is the world's collapse; if fate is changed, then the whole world will be destroyed.

Sephiroth also knows this, so even he cannot defy his own mortal fate.

What Sephiroth wants to do is let Jenova replace me, to break his own fate, and this has already happened countless cycles. the planet's will said.

As long as you go to my world, the entire planet will be safe; no force can cross the universe to harm you. Luode said.

Outsider! Can you truly resist the fate of nothingness?

Since you arrived, the speed of this world's collapse has actually accelerated; haven't you noticed? Look at the whole sky!

At this moment, a yellow world-rending lightning had already appeared in the sky. "After all, you still don't want to believe me, but the so-called fate can actually be controlled in your own hands." Luode said.

After all this fuss, it turns out you're afraid of the vague fate of nothingness? "Because we know it's useless; it seems we can't convince you, and you can't convince us."

If that's the case, outsider, we give you a test; if you can complete it, that will prove to us.

Fate can be broken; then we will agree to your request and give you an unimaginable gift.

We will let Alice's soul become the main body of the entire planet, become the planet's soul.

Become a single consciousness, then awaken into the life Titan you spoke of. the planet's will said.

Anyway, after Alice joins the River of Life, she will also take the dominant position, and after the Titan is born, this planet will still exist.

They will still serve as the planet's will, only the planet's soul will be Alice.

Go on, say it.

Making Alice become a Titan truly moved Luode; this is equivalent to having another Azeroth.

In this universe, there is a planet suffering the same fate as me; it is a hopeless world.

If you save that planet in your way, then we will agree with your statement.

Otherwise, Alice will merge into the River of Life, and you will be expelled from our world.

Deal! Remember what you said! What kind of world is it?

There is a lifeform similar to Jenova, but he is stronger than Jenova; he is a true god.

He descended upon a planet, then drained all its etheric magic, causing the entire land to lose magical power.

Go save the planet, kill that god; if you succeed, then it proves your view is correct.

The so-called fate can also be controlled in your own hands. the planet's consciousness said.

Damn! Actually letting me go slay a god. (End of chapter)