Reaper of the Martial World

However, how could these people possibly know of all his hard work? Of the fact that sleep was but a distant relative of his. How could they know that he never had a single moment to rest.

The good news was that one puppet had an intact array. The mild news was that the intact puppet happened to be the one he hadn't claimed full ownership yet. But… the news that made his stomach green with regret was the fact that from the damage he could see in his owned puppet, it was likely that the ancient game within dead kings valley was responsible.

Dyon was beyond frustrated. It would be years before he could master an aura to fix this puppet. But, he could only sigh, there wasn't much he could do.

The truth was that if Dyon had had access to celestial stones, the puppet would have had enough power to resist the ancient game for much longer, which would have meant it wouldn't have been damaged. But, Dyon hadn't had any celestial stones at that time, so he would have had no choice but to do exactly as he did anyway…

'Maybe it's better this way,' Dyon thought to himself, 'One weaker puppet and a stronger one. That way, I may be able to catch them by surprise twice?...'

With that thought in mind, Dyon piled half of the celestial stones he had into the spatial ring along with the puppets. It would take time to properly absorb the energy, but by his calculations, the amount of celestial stones would be enough to raise the intact puppet to at least the 4th or 5th celestial stage.

Also, although the other puppet had a damaged array, it still had the ability to absorb energy to repair itself. It wouldn't make it stronger, per se, but, it would at least improve its defenses to withstand a 4th to 5th stage celestial expert…

Dyon didn't want to add anymore celestial stones because that would only marginally increase their power… the requirements to increase strength via energy stones increased exponentially with every passing level. So, it was better to keep the remaining stones to himself. Maybe they would be useful in the future…

'Alright. After a few days, the puppets should be set back at around the lower levels of the middle of the celestial stage. But, there's still the matter of the second facet…'

Dyon knew he couldn't infuse any useful wills into the puppet, let alone intents or auras, but there were other low level things he could inscribe into the puppets to increase the effectiveness when in battle… And what Dyon wanted to mainly do was increase their abilities to work together.

One was called 'Instant Transference.' This allowed the puppets to instantaneously switch places with each other in battle if they were within a hundred meters of each other.

The second was 'Energy Link.' This allowed the puppets to string energy between each other. With this, the puppet master could control the thickness of the energy to near imperceptible levels. Or, the puppet master could increase the energy output to the max to connect a stream of energy between the two.

Both of these abilities were seemingly weak, but Dyon had already thought of a myriad of applications for them. And, the best part, was that they were low level.

His body had become much more powerful, thanks to Ri. In fact, he had recently noticed that because of the melding of their auroras during their dual cultivation, his soul had reached the peak of the 5th stage. As such, with his manifestation, he boosted his soul to the peak of the 6th stage.

Suddenly, Dyon froze, 'If dual cultivating with Ri improved my body cultivation and my soul cultivation… did it help my energy cultivating as well? Did my meridians mature?'

However, Dyon was severely disappointed when he inspected himself. His meridians were completely dormant, no change whatsoever, 'What's going on?…'

It had taken him a while to perfectly understand the two arrays. Although they were 'simple', that was only relative to the level of the stone puppet. In the end, they were still master level arrays.

Finally, Dyon laid back. He could see the sun shining through the window, but he felt he had too much left to do. He had to go to the alchemy guild to stock up on pills for his demon generals. He had to structure and specialize military formations for them as well. And lastly, he had to set in motion his plan for conquering the Epistemic Tower… Because make no mistake about it, that was his goal!

Ri smiled, reaching her hand down to play with something she thought of as her new favorite toy, "You know, if this thing keeps releasing inside of me so much, even with low birth rates we may have little ones running around soon."

Dyon laughed. He knew Ri could tell he used an array on himself to filter out anything procreative. She was just having too much fun teasing him.

Despite his words, Dyon inwardly sighed. He knew quite well that having children with Ri right now was a bad idea. For one, they were still young. Secondly, the situation wasn't exactly safe… Although Dyon doubted it would be anytime soon, it had to be at the very least safer than this.

Ri's father was still missing. Madeleine was still not here. In fact, Dyon and Ri both knew, but never spoke about, how Ri's mother was alive too. What could make a beast as powerful as a Kitsune leave her daughter behind?

"Let's aim to leave a week from now. I need to check on which demon generals managed to learn music will, and form teams from there. Then I need to prepare some supplies, and probably have a few meetings with Akash and the other campaign leaders."

Ri nodded, "You know you aren't leaving me behind right? Try and treat me as a trophy wife and I'll be exactly that. Sitting in a cabinet you can't open."

Just like that, a week passed. It was the early morning of their planned departure and Dyon and Ri stood in front of a thousand men and women.

Nine hundred of them were Ri's army. She had spent years of her life diligently training them. In the end, she felt most satisfied with these ones in particular. Their cultivation levels had all stepped into meridian formation of at least the fifth level, and they were a good baseline.

Dyon nodded with satisfaction, addressing them directly, "This is Princess Alexandria Acacia. Her words are as much of your law as mine are. Our thoughts are one and our actions are one. If I am ever not there for any reason, you listen to her commands."

Although Dyon's father had never taught him much about the military, the one thing Dyon knew was how important seniority and hierarchy was within an army.

Dyon could always tell that his father disliked his disregard for authority. In fact, it often led to arguments, something Dyon unfortunately felt were among his few interactions with his father.

He could never understand why he had to respect people just because they were older than him. Dyon had always thought respect should be earned, not given. And yet, his father always had a different perspective on things.

So, Dyon thought in respect for his father's memory, he would hold sacred the art form he had tried to master his whole life – the art of war.

This was much of the reason why Dyon went out of his way to form a good relationship with Akash. He hoped his actions were pleasing to his dad, even in death…

A synchronized affirmation vibrated through the spatial world, causing shivers to go down the spines of Ri's army… it was clear they weren't used to this.

Immediately, ten demon generals stepped forward. Six females, most fit, but also of varying heights. Four males – strong robust and determined.

He immediately got to work separating the remaining nine hundred ninety into ten groups. Naming them companies. They essentially amounted to one hundred people each, if the Vice Commanders were included.

He then further split the companies in half, naming them platoons. Each pair of platoons was overlooked by the Vice Commander. However, Dyon also chose a lieutenant to pair with them. And, much to everyone's surprise, these lieutenants were also music will users, although they hadn't reached the third level.

Afterward, he split each platoon in ten more groups he called squads. These he didn't choose leaders for. Instead, he emphasized the idea of teamwork and building. Vice Commander and lieutenants were responsible for properly rewarding squads that performed well. If a squad lost a member, they would all be punished. If one of them succeeded, they would all be rewarded.

However, Dyon did add one extra layer of protection for the squads. By ensuring that for every two squads of five soldiers there was at least one demon general, he felt good about the distribution of power.

"This is your home now. This is you, and you are it. You die by our collective will. You fight not for yourselves, but for each other. You are an army of demons. Your only goal is victory. Defeat only means death.

When Dyon's voice started, it was almost as though they had entered the pits of hell – and yet, they had no regrets. They wanted to fight and die with honor. There was no fear, no hesitation – there was only victory and death in defeat.

But, when the Vice Commanders amplified their wills out as well, the feeling resonated. It became more personal. It felt like they were brothers and sisters in arms. This was their family and they were willing to protect it with their everything.

Dyon stood tall with his hands clasped behind his back, finally wearing his battle changpao. A sleek tight fit, its long white and gold tunic nearly touched the ground. It was hard, yet flexible – patterned as a robust leather instead of a soft fabric.

Ri stood right beside Dyon. Her blue-silver tails were long, whipping out at least five meters from her. She wore a white and gold armor, kilted chains of crystals gracing her as a skirt.

"I've already arranged living quarters for each of you. Foot soldiers will live four to a tent. Until the day that you're as powerful as a demon general, don't think of having any other arrangement. Work hard, and you will be rewarded."

A small smile played on his face as nodded in satisfaction, "Successor, where did you think of splitting the army up into groups like this? It's ingenious. At first, I was confused, but the more and more I think about it, the greater the idea becomes."

Dyon raised an eyebrow. He had read many martial world military books, but he had never felt the need to read about formations or even tactics. For one, it was a logical human world practice to have a top down structure like this. Secondly, he had implemented a few communication measures to adapt formations on the fly in response to enemy movements.

Although Dyon had admitted to himself that he knew nothing of military tactics previously, to him, that was only because he hadn't meditated on war before. Dyon was confident in his ability to come up with his own tactics. After all, hadn't someone else invented them? Why couldn't he? Who could be better at reading a battlefield than him with his innate aurora?

But Arios didn't seem to notice Dyon's confusion as he continued excitedly, "And the command codes and communication arrays. Your tactics are so intricate… Where did you study?"

The truth was even if you could found an account for how Dyon knew of military group rankings, there was no simple answer for his tactics. Dyon even went as far as creating a new language to communicate quickly.

Essentially, Dyon's aurora wasn't able to sustain communication with a thousand people – that was too much at his level. And, even if his aurora grew in strength, so too would the size of his army. It just wasn't feasible to implant a communication array into every single soldier. So, he did something different.

Dyon linked a communication array – one that happened to be a slight variation on the one he used to let Aeson know to lay low after his attempted murder – with each of the Vice Commanders and Lieutenants. His last communication array was for Ri. This made a grand total of twenty-one which was well within Dyon's strength to sustain.

These communication arrays had a range of ten kilometers, so, on the scale a thousand-man army would work, it should have been more than enough.

Then, by using these arrays to speak to those twenty-one, they could then use their own soul strength to sustain communication to a single soldier of each of the ten squads they were in charge of. And then, those soldiers could then supply the soul strength to communicate to the other four in their squad.

To be clear, the only one doing the speaking would be Dyon. He was simply using the Vice Commanders as supplements to his soul power to spread his words. This would also avoid what the human world would call the 'telephone effect.'

To Dyon, this was a simple matter. Electrical engineers would use this method all the time – a method he himself used for many inventions. To oversimplify it, it was essentially changing an in series circuit, to a parallel one. Except in this case, the parallel circuit was boosted again and again.

And yet, as though seeing Dyon's thoughts, Ri couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Using multiple cores of soul power to power what amounts to a single array is not simple Dyon… You had to design an entirely new master level array. People are going to hate you if you keep thinking like this."

Arios pondered for a bit, before nodding, "Martial world warfare has everyone searching for the best merits… A lot of the time campaign leaders neglect their armies entirely, just commanding where to charge and when is about it…"

Dyon's brows furrowed, "But don't you have specialized units? Like the fletcher family for archers, and the Grimbold family has quite a few beasts useful as makeshift cavalry."

"Yes, but that's about as far as the subdivisions go. When it's time to launch arrows, all of them are launched at once. When it's time to charge, foot soldiers go and beast users are useful for their increased maneuverability."

A pensive look appeared on Dyon's face, "No wonder you keep losing to innate aurora users. The advantage given to you by a high percentage aurora would be severely cut down if your armies are more organized. But, if you're only searching for the best feats under a weak structure, those who have a better view of the battle field multiply their advantage manifold."

After Listening to Arios' words and thinking on it, Dyon suddenly realized that during all the time he spent researching for this campaign, nothing was said about formations or tactics… He read about Akash's victories, the troubles of the gates, possible pitfalls, he memorized maps, locations – he even thought about possible strategies. But somehow, he only now realized that while victories were detailed, they were often explained in superlatives and expressed who contributed the most rather than how the victory happened…

Everything clicked. The martial world was different. They didn't have set armies. In fact, even their military rankings were shaky. What did 'campaign leader' even mean. There were no numbers attached to it, and even the head of the Elvin Army, Akash, had vastly different numbers under her disposal as compared to the head of the Ragnor armies, or the Pakal armies, for example.

Mortals needed strategy because they weren't as powerful… Martial experts relied on their power. Dyon was sure that somewhere, maybe even in the coming enemies, there were people who used tactics. After all, could the whole of the martial world have no thought of using formations and tactics? He doubted it. But, he'd be ready.

Soon, the three of them were near a pier at the edge of the Elvin Island. Tens of massive ships spread along the coast, filled to the brim with young elves.

However, it seemed Dyon was oblivious to the effect his arrival had on everyone around him. They had all witnessed or heard of the boy who saved their kingdom from ruin. But, he was different now… Maybe he seemed more human when he wore sweat pants… But, now? Especially beside their princess and a warrior whose blood lust made them shiver? His presence was otherworldly.

Arios nodded, "Everything is ready for when you want to move. They've also learned the same command code as the main army. I've also distributed all of the array plate filled spatial rings to them as well. Although, I didn't organize them the way you did."

The array plate filled spatial rings were actually something Dyon had given to the main army as well. He was at a point where he could inscribe hundreds of peak practitioner arrays in minutes. Making hundreds of thousands of array plates to supply an army was only a matter of money to Dyon. Plus, not only did he not lack the money, those array plates made some very interesting formations possible…

Akash smiled. Her appearance was truly domineering. Cropped black armor, a large singular shoulder guard, all brought together perfectly by the two short spears and sword on her back.

"This ship here," Akash said, pointing to a ship slightly larger than the rest, "Is where the leaders will be. We'll have to hurry. Our scouts have reason to believe our opponents may be attacking our key towers soon…"

Akash nodded, "We normally name them by the clans or sects we're dealing with. It makes it better for understanding exactly what we're dealing with and when. From my limited knowledge, very few universes have earned the right to have their own name."

Akash looked around for a moment, a bit confused, "Did your army already board? Princess Alexandria told me that you wouldn't be needing me to assign troops under your lead."

Dyon smiled, "Since you're the head commander, there's no problem with telling you. My and Ri's army are within this spatial ring," Dyon pointed to an inconspicuous ring on his finger. No one ever noticed it, and that was the point. He had been layering it with more and more powerful concealment arrays since he got it.

The amount of possibilities that brought were endless. In fact, if a universe had access to such a thing, why would they need to negotiate? They could directly bypass the gate rules, piling their ring with high level experts, and exit the other side before releasing them.

Dyon smiled. He had once assumed this ring was at the transcendent level. But, the more he researched and learned, the less and less likely that became… he even concluded that such a ring was impossible for a clan at the level of the Celestial Deer Sect to create. Which could only mean they inherited it from something… something that might have to do with their destruction.

As such, when Dyon told Akash this, he had already discreetly placed an array within her. Should she ever want to tell anyone about this, she would not only fail, but she would also alert Dyon as well. This was a test. A test to see whether or not there were elves he could trust aside from Ri and Little Lyla. A test he thought he might as well give to Zaltarish as well.

Akash nodded, immediately understanding Dyon's intent, "Alright. It's best if you bring them out when we enter the ship, since this is a secret you'd like to keep."

Although Akash had thought of the possibility of Dyon simply taking the Elves within the ring and storming to the other side of the gate, it simply didn't make sense.

For one, to get to the other side wasn't so simple to begin with. Someone had to bring you there, and that required more power than the Elvin younger generation had. As a second point, even if they managed to sneak there, what would happen on the other side? The negotiation protected new clans entering into a universe, but, entering one secretly obviously didn't have that built in insurance. Would they continue to run from gate to gate? Ridiculous. They'd have to find a place to settle eventually. Living in a ring for the rest of your life didn't sound appealing at all.

Akash was about to turn to lead them, but she stopped, remembering something, "This is the ranking tracker," Akash handed what looked like an array plate to him, "The array transcribes itself within you to monitor you actions in battle. You can turn it off and on as you please. And, it's always off when outside of a gate. I was told that you wanted it registered under the name Demon Sage, so, I did that for you as well.

Dyon nodded, accepting the plate. He didn't like the idea of all of his actions being monitored, especially when it came to the secrets he wanted to hide. But, a master level plate would never be able to do something he didn't want it to do.

He immediately modified the concealment array on his ring to appear completely invisible by the standards of the ranking tracker. Satisfied with that, he turned to Ri.

Ri rolled her eyes, "Stop being so cheesy, you already have me. Save your lines for Big Sister Madeleine, something tells me your voice is exactly what she wants to hear right now."

Hours later, the Elvin ships had entered Royal God Clan waters. Although the Royal God Clan was within the center of the main martial world continent, they were essentially surrounded by a ridiculous large natural moat that spanned tens of kilometers – effectively cutting them off from the main land.

Usually, troops from other god clans would use Royal God Clan provided ships to sail to the Royal God Clan gate. However, the elves were special cases. Using teleportation arrays provided by the destroyed celestial deer sect, the elves were able to directly teleport thousands of kilometers into this natural moat.

Akash looked toward Dyon. They sat in a comfortable lounging room that made Dyon remember that he should think of these ships as less than that, and more like wooden yachts. The inside was much too luxurious to be plainly noted as a ship.

Akash sighed, "There's no hiding your identity once we enter the gates. We'll have to immediately report, and that will require me bringing notable campaign leaders along with me – leaders that will include you.

You've angered the prince, and normally, that would be enough for trouble, but, from what I hear, you've also had run-ins with the Ragnor and Cavositas God clans… that's not exactly good for your prospects."

Dyon smiled, not seeming to mind. In reality, the worst they could do to him was push him to the back line, but, it was unlikely they'd do that. To them, he was a newbie and he was weak, not to mention they wanted him dead in the cleanest way possible. What would be cleaner than dying on the front lines? But, wasn't that exactly what Dyon wanted? Free reign to charge first and dominate?

"Although campaign heads, like myself, have free reign over attacking, when it comes to defending, the rules are a bit different. If they weren't, it would be impossible for our gate to have lasted so long."

Dyon nodded, this made sense. Most merits were won by conquering, but when it came to defending, the fate of the universe was at stake. Which meant pride should be put aside to work together, rather than competing for the higher ranking.

"Since the competing universe will be attacking us soon, we'll be in a defending position… and the choices for defending are decided with votes.

Ace's elder brother, Voron Cavositas is the head of their clan. Elof's elder brother Vidar Ragnor is the head of their clan. Luckily, the Royal God Clan's first prince of this generation is not here currently… but, unluckily, this means he's left his duties to Elwing. With 3 major votes like this, it is unlikely the lesser clans will go against them. You and your army will be put in the most dangerous situations without a doubt."

Akash took a deep breath, "And that's not even to mention the Saeclum clan, an auxiliary branch of the Ragnor clan. We heavily rely on their soul strength to provide scouting reports and various other supportive measures. The mere fact they're under the Ragnor clan would be enough for them to play foul…. But you also killed one of their best geniuses! They won't let you go."

They stretched thousands of meters into the sky, casting a massive shadow onto the ocean's surface. The doors themselves were a dark black with faint gold worn with years of ageing. And, to make it even more odd, it stood in the middle of the water!

Currently, the elves were directly in front of Earth's gate, about to cross two identification pillars that would open up the doors. The Royal God Clan Island was still off in the distance, far away from the gate.

And just like that, the doors opened. There were no flashing lights. No enormous black hole. No grandiose display. It simply opened them up to a new world, one that seemed not too different from theirs.

Until… you caught the whiff of blood in the air. The feeling of war hung thickly… But, the atmosphere of a warrior wasn't something many could handle. To some, it crushed them – never allowing their full potential to shine through. But, for Dyon, his eyes flashed as he suddenly grinned for an inexplicable reason.

Dyon had always wondered why his father was so adamant about the military. There was nothing glorious about war. There was death. There was pain. There was suffering. And yet, in all of that, there was a rush. The feeling of domination. The primal feeling you got knowing there was little left to protect you. There was only yourself. Your comrades. And the weapon in your hand.

Why do I have a loving wife and a treasured son here and still insist on putting my life on the line everyday? Because war isn't just about yourself.

When the day comes that you have to step onto a battlefield for yourself. When the day comes that you smell the blood of your allies and your enemies and you smile. When the day comes that your blood boils and your eyes redden, pushing you – itching you toward the lands of hell. That's when you'll know you're my son."

These chapters were a bit shorter than usual (around 1000 words instead of the usual 1200 ish), but I think it's best we end it here for now, just had to set up a few last things. Tomorrow, the true hype train is setting sail (wow, I just realized that makes no sense… fuck it).

Soon they had touched down on the shore within the gates and were greeted with the sight of the first key tower… except it was nothing like a tower.

Standing in the distance about a kilometer from the pier was a massive tree hundreds of meters in diameter and height. But, if that wasn't shocking enough, the tree itself looked little like what a tree would. It was an amalgamation of thick vines that weaved up and down to form its trunk before rising into the air to bloom into a canopy of intricate patterns that seemed to hold no life at all.

However, it was still a beautiful sight. The vines making up the body of the tree held myriads of oval shaped spaces between them that were filled with transparent crystals that acted as windows into the hollow trunk of the tree. To an observer, if they had to describe the key tower two words, they'd land on 'World Tree' without hesitation.

Hundreds of thousands of tents, makeshift buildings, and what seemed like millions upon millions of warriors buzzed about in an oddly orderly fashion.

Ri suddenly nudged Dyon, "You haven't stopped smiling in a long while, learn to read the room. Did I promise myself to a psychopath?" She said teasingly.

Dyon looked around, seemingly just realizing the gloomy expressions on everyone's faces. The only person who seemed completely unaffected was Arios who was smiling right along with him.

Arios paused. It had just dawned on him that Dyon was right. He had been so focused on executing the plans Dyon had laid out, that he completely forgot.

Akash was stunned, "The Sicarius family?" Her look sharpened as she looked over Arios once again. It wasn't that she hadn't noticed the blood thirsty aura dripping from him, it was just that she didn't know how someone who seemed to be Dyon's subordinate could have such a deep background.

To the outside world, the Sicarius family was a small backwater family near Focus Academy. But, God Clan level existences knew fully well how important they were to the underground of the martial world. They weren't only the leaders of the only assassin guild on Earth, they also happened to be the only personal guards of the Royal God Clan themselves.

Sighing, Akash stopped trying to put a gauge on Dyon, "Dyon. Ri. Gael. Bele. Zaltarish. Aeson. You six will come with me. The rest of you can start setting up camp. Be ready to move at any time."

Gloomy expressions appeared on the faces of many when Akash mentioned setting up camp. It seemed that they didn't like the footwork. But, Dyon caught a whiff of something else, 'Seems the elves haven't been treated well recently…'

So, Dyon ignored it, looking around to confirm some things. For one, it was clear that the space nearer the gate was much more stable than it was as you reached the middle. The fact there didn't seem to be any counter measures against the unpredictability of the gates here attested to that.

The weather was stable, the temperature amiable, and the sky stuck in a perpetual sunlight. In other areas, day and night might flip on a whim, spring might become summer in an instant, and even the ground you stood on my not be sturdy for long.

However, just as Dyon was getting lost in his thoughts on their walk to the key tower, he suddenly felt a small and delicate hand slip into his, "Half the load." Ri said softly.

The room itself was near the very top of the key tower, sitting in the center of the canopy of vines out in the open air. And, there was of course a collection of people Dyon would recognize.

"Listen. Dealing with the Scaled Elephants of the Phantus God Clan is not going to be easy. How did they even get this close without us realizing?!" Ace Cavositas raged. Although he wasn't a head, he was noted campaign leader of a God Clan, he had every right to speak.

"Stop asking stupid questions Ace, that's hardly relevant right now. What's important is that we find a way to send them back, or better yet, eliminate them here," Elof retorted. Ace may be his friend, but scouting was the responsibility of the Saeclum clan, a branch under his family. Blaming scouting was by proxy blaming the Ragnor family, something Elof wouldn't stand for.

"You of the Ragnor clan sure like dodging blame, never taking responsibility for anything." Caedlum's elder brother, Sloane Pakal, spoke out with disdain.

"It would be best if you stop pouting and pretending as though you're above everything. I've never seen such a pathetic first son. Not having the talent to even surpass your younger brother and you think you have the right to talk down to mine?" Vidar Ragnor wasn't in the mood for dealing with cheap shots from the Pakal God Clan.

The Scaled Elephant of the Phantus God Clan were no joke. They were among the main reason why Earth hadn't conquered any new key towers in decades.

But, because they were so hard to maneuver due to their sheer size, this also handicapped them from attacking on this side of the gate… until now that is. No one had any idea how the enemy universe had managed to pull off this move, and to make it worse, their scouts hadn't even picked it up! Now they had to deal with heavy units that didn't even share the faults of heavy units? This was ridiculous!

Earth didn't have a heavy emphasis on beast taming and breeding at all. You might see the odd clan like the Grimbold family and their white tigers, but that was all. How were they supposed to defend against thirty-meter-tall monstrosities?

Sloane chuckled at Vidar's word, "I think you should probably take some notes from me." He said rubbing Caedlum's hair lovingly, "At least I have an understanding when a family member is more talented and smarter than I am." Sloane sent a not so subtle glance toward Thor who was observing in his usual quiet manner.

Thor was a member of a branch family but had been welcomed with open arms as a dual first in line genius along with him. His faith seed was the higher ranked and the one that provided the most talent. If it wasn't for him not understanding he had a faith seed due to being born in a branch family, no one doubted he'd have surpassed Vidar by now.

"Alright. That's enough." Elwing Belmont calmed the situation down. "I think it's best we try and hold them off for as long as possible and call my brother and Madeleine Sapientia back here."

A handsome red headed young man, sitting beside a decidedly more reserved and mature Ava, nodded in agreement, "I agree. The first in line genius of the Sapientia clan made her debut in the gates against the Phantus God clan. Her ability to use music will to deal with the beasts is our best bet right now."

Elwing nodded, turning to a young man with golden eyes and crystal framed glasses, "Do you think you can handle communicating with your other Sapientia God clan branch to get them to come back, Airic?"

"Actually." Ava spoke out, glancing toward the Niveus sect to find Delia, "We know someone else who's even better than Madeleine with music will, no?"

Over the passed year plus of time, Delia had chosen to leave Focus Academy to join the all girls God sect: Niveus. As such, she was now known as Delia Niveus. This was, of course, the sect that only accepted women with God level constitutions.

A girl with white hair and eyes Dyon would have recognized as the girl from the legacy world opening, looked at Delia questioningly. But, she was quite surprised to find a nod of affirmation.

Seeing Erea Niveus' reaction, many realized there was more than a little truth to Ava's words. In fact, even if they questioned the legitimacy of such words, not many would be willing to offend the Sicarius clan, especially when it came to Ava… her father was a bit… over-protective to say the least.

The head of the Niveus campaigns, and first in line genius, Evelyn Niveus, was interested in this as well. In fact, she shared Erea's characteristics even down to the white hair and eyes because they happened to be sisters, "And who is this person?" She asked questioningly.

Airic furrowed his brows at this. As the current campaign head of Earth's Sapientia God Clan, he didn't like how Ava referred to Dyon. Ester Sapientia had even told him to keep an eye out for him specifically… It seemed Akash had missed one other clan when it came to Dyon's enemies.

"Whether you want to pretend or not is irrelevant to me. You're already aware of how Madeleine feels about the situation, and I doubt that you, someone who couldn't earn the first in line genius title for themselves, has station above hers." Ava's words were sharp, she was never one to deal with nonsense. How these people could very well see how Madeleine felt and still deny it was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Airic didn't seem perturbed by this. He was a scholar above all else and spats weren't within his style. "My feelings are irrelevant. I only acquiesce my wishes to that of my clan. And I've never heard of them accepting such a thing."

A sudden sound came from the stairs at the side of the room. The sound was faint, but it seemed as though there was not a person here who could stop themselves from looking over.

There, seven people walked into sight. Four were easily recognizable. Akash, her younger brother, Gael and Bele. But, among those not recognized, Aeson was completely ignored.

Ava backed away a bit embarrassed. When she had first met Dyon, her impression of him wasn't so good. He was a flirtatious annoyance who was also arrogant and weak, he hardly deserved any of her attention. But, after he saved Madeleine and got revenge for her even at the expense of his own wellbeing, he took hold of a strong part of her heart. She didn't romanticize their relationship because she had realized that that was just the type of person Dyon was – he saved and cared without reserve. So, to her, he was a great friend she wanted to always be a part of her life.

Yet, despite Ava's innocent actions, many people took this the wrong way. Even Zaltarish nearly self-imploded, 'How many women you bastard?! Teach me!'

Dyon smiled at Ava's reaction before looking past her. He barely spent any time scanning Elwing and he completely ignored Ace and Elof, much to their anger – but, he did take note of a few people… namely Vidar, Voron and Airic. Well, it may have been more accurate to say that their eyes were among the most noticeable.

Surprisingly, Elwing was the first to respond. "How useful would your music will be in dealing with beasts compared to First in line genius Madeleine Sapientia?"

"Not as useful as hers." Dyon said without hesitation. "Madeleine practices music techniques and thus has specialized methods to direct her music will. Music techniques useful for men are rare and I haven't dabbled in such things."

Disappointment colored the faces of neutral parties. But, there was a faint happiness on the faces of some at the thought that they wouldn't have to rely on Dyon.

Dyon smiled to himself. Although what he said was true, that didn't mean he didn't have a method to deal with beasts like that. His music will didn't need to be as well directed as Madeleine's, he only needed to combine his music will with some tactics he thought of to deal with large beasts. But, he wouldn't say this so soon, after all, he preferred if his Madeleine came back sooner.

However, too many took this as a sign of weakness. This was a room they had just spent hours yelling at each other in, who would accept an insult like that?

Suddenly, Dyon's eyes landed on Delia, "Del –", before Dyon could finish his brows furrowed, "Why isn't your God constitution awakened to 100%."

Dyon didn't wait for her response, instead looking around at the women surrounding her to land on a white haired and eyed young woman – Evelyn Niveus.

Dyon's care free demeanor changed completely. A dark pressure covered the room as many realized that Dyon hadn't ignored Ace because he was scared. He had ignored him because such a small character wasn't worth his time.

There, sat an aloof young lady with a faint smile playing on her face. Even though she was seated, her eyes seemed to look down on everything.

The campaign heads watched on in interest. Although they didn't like Dyon, they couldn't help but admit to themselves that they had severely underestimated him. But, this was something anyone would have found ridiculous. If you had paid attention, how could a first in line genius fall in love with a normal man? They should have realized this a long time ago instead of letting their biases play their thoughts.

"Dyon? What's wrong?" Delia looked confused. "I only haven't awakened my constitution to 100% because Patriarch Niveus wanted to study the pill to see if more of our sisters could benefit… I hope you don't mind."

Dyon's heart broke at Delia's naivete. She didn't have access to the senses Dyon had with his aurora, how could she tell that the pill she had given in good faith had already been used?

"What do you mean?" Evelyn said playfully. "The truth is just as younger sister Delia has said. It can't be that you want to keep such an ingenious thing to yourself, right? You should be kinder to women, I'm quite good friends with Madeleine, I wouldn't want her to know of her future husband as a short-tempered brute."

There were not enough pills to condense to be effective at 100%, Dyon had already used too many of them. Therefore, he could only wait until he became a high-level grandmaster array alchemist. So, his soul would need to climb to the peak of the 7th stage before he could boost it to the appropriate level.

Delia looked at the person she had called big sister for the better part of the last year and half. She was slowly beginning to piece together what was going on – but, she didn't want to believe it.

He placed his hand on Delia's shoulder, "You're Madeleine's little sister. Therefore, you're mine too. I want nothing but the best for you and a corrupt sect like this isn't."

Delia looked down, gripping her fists at her knees as she tried to control her emotions. There was nothing she wanted in life more than to get stronger. She had watched her father age away in a backwater Academy for much of her life. She had learned her mother was taken away by the Clyte God Clan, a clan she knew next to nothing about. And now, the sect she had chosen to grow stronger, one she had put her faith in, had betrayed her.

"Leaving the Niveus God Sect is nothing short of a crime punishable by death. I'm not sure what it is you think happened, but I hope you won't be following a fool to your grave." Evelyn spoke calmly, her smile never leaving her face.

"You've taken our resources, our techniques, you've learned our secrets and so much more. Our patriarch has even spent precious amounts of her time diligently teaching you. You're quite ungrateful."

Dyon said nothing to her, instead looking back to Delia, kneeling down one knee, "Hey," He said trying to get the attention of the dazed Delia.

No one knew what was going on. Evelyn was a first in line genius! Her god constitution wasn't among the best and her talent couldn't compare to Madeleine or those with faith seeds, but that didn't change the fact she was a high-level Meridian formation expert. And yet, Dyon sent her flying when it was clear he had no cultivation!

Dyon's heart saddened looking at Delia. From what Madeleine had told him, he was quite aware that Delia had a tough exterior but was still quite weak. She had a lot of room to grow as a person and the situation with her parents was fast-tracking the progression. But, she felt like this was a wall she had hit. And yet, she cared more about letting Dyon down than not having awakened her constitution.

Dyon sighed, "When I give something, I don't claim it to still be mine. I gave the pill to you and you had every right to use it as you wanted. You have a kind heart and wanted to help people. How could you know someone you thought of as a big sister would take it for herself?"

Erea froze at these words, slowly turning towards the bloodied Evelyn. Her sister's usual beautiful appearance had become swollen – even some of her teeth were missing.

Dyon looked her up and down in disgust, "I can already tell what happened. You practice a technique that requires chastity and yet you didn't keep it. You're pathetic. You have no conviction, so you seek to make up for it by stealing what belongs to others. Tell the old bitch of your sect that Delia will no longer be in the Niveus sect. The fact she manipulated a young girl for the benefit of such a pathetic first in line genius is enough for me to kill her."

"You? What? It's clear to anyone that you used to practice a lower heaven technique but were forced to switch to an earth one. Did you think the rules of a cultivation method were a joke? No wonder you're so weak. Did you think you could keep up a façade in front of me?

You can keep the pill and what it's given you. It's completely useless to you considering the backlash you're facing right now. Challenge me again or speak ill of my sister and I'll have no issues killing you."

Dyon couldn't be bothered with the Niveus sect girls anymore. He had already been disgusted with their chastity practices to begin with, it seemed more like man hate than anything else – whether that was because he was biased or not.

He wouldn't have cared about Evelyn being a virgin or not, under normal circumstances, he would have remained silent. But, her actions and her words pissed him off.

Dyon stood, walking past Evelyn much to her shock. After bringing Delia to the elves, Dyon smiled at Ri, "Delia, this is my fiancée, Princess Alexandria Acacia."

Delia giggled, feeling a bit better watching this scene, which in turn made Dyon feel better. There was nothing harder than getting someone to stop blaming themselves. Delia was young and naïve, not as mature as Madeleine or as hardened as Ri, but, could everyone be as outstanding as those two?

Madeleine had been basically sentenced to death for most of her life, and yet, she still forged ahead to form loving relationships with those around her. What's harder than caring for others when you yourself have little to rely on?

Ri had basically been pushed into a leading role since her youth, even to the point where she diligently built an alliance and army under the noses of everyone. The determination she had to climb to the top of the steps at dead kings valley… feeling her bones crack and her organs rupture, and still moving forward – these weren't things many people had.

Finally, Dyon looked back toward those in attendance. His display had had his wanted effect. He had not only dealt with Evelyn and her disrespect of Delia, he had also shut the mouths of much of the people here.

He took note of the fact he saw no members of the Kami God Clan here, 'Are they not from this planet?...' But, he couldn't be bothered with that right now.

Airic looked at Dyon, and maybe it was because of the confidence in Dyon's voice or the display from earlier, but he felt compelled to answer, "No. They're within a gate. Maybe when they come out it will be possible."

"I can handle it anyway. I'll save you all the trouble of finding underhanded means to send me up as vanguard. I volunteer. I already know everything I need to know about the Phantus God Clan. Just stay out of my way."

With that, Dyon turned and left. Not caring about their so-called vote. He was sure this was how they'd want it to end up anyway, might as well stop them from wasting his time.

Many watched Dyon disappear with varying emotions, but, the heads were deadpan. They were quite used to arrogance like this. In fact, even their arrogance was like this. But, the difference between them and Dyon was that they had backing that warranted such arrogance. Where was Dyon's? The Elvin Kingdom? It was true that the Elvin Kingdom was the equivalent of any god clan here, even more so if their king was here, but they were also a declining kingdom… Aside from Akash, none of their younger generation had any rankings of note.

Suddenly, a message entered both of their ears, making them shake violently. They looked at each other in shock before rushing out under the confused eyes of everyone. But, there wasn't much they could do about it.

Sloane Pakal suddenly began to laugh, "Little brother, that friend of yours is quite interesting. But, he might be underestimating the Phantus God clan a bit too much… There's a reason they can attack us alone without worry."

Caedlum who had been silent this whole time finally looked in the direction Dyon left in, "I guess we'll see. He's right regardless, he just saved us a lot of time. Even I would have voted for him to be vanguard if nothing else but to test him. The first time a person touches a battle field is the time you can tell what kind of person they really are…"

Elwing calmly looked around the room. He demeanor was completely different from his interactions with the Elvin Kingdom, he acted as a true prince here. Aloof and refined.

He turned his gaze toward Vidar and Voron, "If you two want any chance with Madeleine Sapientia, you'd best stop considering this Dyon as a nuisance and more like you treat my elder brother. If you don't start seeing him as a rival, he'll crush you before you realize what happened."

They both nodded. Their thinking was much the same. There was a time for the arrogant young master personalities, and there was a time for taking things seriously. Madeleine wasn't just a beauty, having her virginity meant a ridiculous boost in power that would solidify most of their futures. This wasn't just about wanting a beautiful girl. Madeleine was the only virgin in this universe with a god constitution awakened to 100%. Her value was immeasurable.

Of course, Elwing didn't remind these two of this because he wanted them to win, he just didn't want Dyon to be strutting around so easily because people constantly underestimated him. The best-case scenario was that he died as vanguard. But, in the event that he didn't, he'd officially become one of them. And when that happened, he'd learn what it really took to stay at the top.

Dyon watched with a big smile on his face as Ava cried in Arios' arms. She had gone through so much to save him, even being humiliated by Baal, and now her big brother was finally back.

Arios' elder brother clasped his shoulder, "Dad nearly started a war because of you, you know. He tells everyone it was because of Ava, but we all know how much he loves you. And what's up with this hair? Are women into this kind of thing?"

Dyon pondered for a bit, "The Phantus clan not only relies on their beast taming and breeding, they're also expert body cultivators and earth will warriors. Because of that, normal traps don't work against them."

Ri nodded. Usually when dealing with large beasts, the best option was to ruin their footholds or block their paths – things of that nature. However, how could pitfalls work against warriors who could manipulate the earth itself? No straight forward plan would work against them.

"In addition, even stalling the beasts will be difficult. Their skin is too difficult to pierce for meridian formation warriors. It makes no sense to attack their eyes because their eyesight is already poor and the size of weapon that would be needed to kill them with an attack aimed there would be seen through almost immediately. The truth is that attacking their hearing really is the best option."

"Right, but, my music will isn't good for soothing. I read about Madeleine's battle and she succeeded by lulling the beasts into a sense of comfort – a state where they're near useless. But, my music path is much more useful for instilling fear in my enemies and confidence in my allies."

Ri nodded, "And instilling fear in such beasts would be a double-edged sword. They might hurt the Phantus god clan, but they could just as easily hurt us too. The best method for soothing we have would then be your and my celestial will, but the Phantus will bring at least ten beasts, leaving the rest near their gate to defend. It wouldn't be possible for us to deal with all of them alone."

"I agree. There is the possibility of using my crystal will to boost our celestial will to the appropriate levels, but the calming effect of celestial will is more of a symptom rather than its actual purpose. Celestial will, down to its core, is meant to cleanse, but when its not for defense, it also requires direction with my aurora to be effective. Something as intricate as effecting emotion would definitely need touch… And that's not a viable option with so many opponents. "

What Dyon was saying was correct. Whenever he wanted to manipulate the emotions of others with his celestial will, he touched them. That included when he wanted to calm Little Lyla, or when he had intimate contact with Madeleine or Ri. Both required the precision of his aurora.

Essentially, Dyon cheated. He used his aurora to make up for deficiencies he had in controlling his celestial will. So, without the use of his aurora, meaning his touch in this case, celestial will could only be used as a defense.

"But, what makes this even more difficult is how they use earth will to attack. Sure, its annoying when they defend with it against pitfalls and the like, but it becomes even more annoying when the manipulate the landscape to suit them."

Akash suddenly spoke up, "That's correct. Whether that be turning the land to sludge to ruin footing or elevating their attack position above ours to give an elevation advantage, they're tough to deal with."

Dyon smiled, "They aren't normal elephants. The Phantus clan has used special methods to meld them with reptilian DNA. That's why they're scaled. Usually, this is good for defense – after all, what could be better than the scales as a defense?"

Dyon sighed sitting cross legged on the bed and helping Ri take off her armor, "The truth is, only you and I are necessary to make this work. In fact, if I include the members of our army with the necessary affinity, its almost overkill. But, I want to give her a purpose."

Soon Ri lay to rest in bed, staring at Dyon's meditating figure. She sighed, knowing fully well that he wouldn't sleep tonight. In fact, he wasn't even being his usual perverted self… But, this only made Ri smile. Dyon's focus was one of the things she loved about him.

Dyon himself was taking deep breaths, running over patterns and simulations in his head. He thought of dozens of possibilities and everything seemed to change with just the slightest variable shift.

The first key tower was known as the Earth Tower. It sat in the closest position to the gate and the terrain around it was fairly flat. That being said, there was only one way to get here: a mountain pass called the Earthen Passage.

About ten kilometers past the Earth Tower sat two mountain ranges that stretched around in a semi-circular pattern. The only easily accessible opening in this mountain range was a wide passage. In fact, the passage itself was so wide it was almost inaccurate to call it as such. However, it served its function as the only route here.

There were many problems even knowing this, though. For one, the mountain pass was a huge advantage for Earth will users like the Phantus. In addition, a set straight passage like that severely hindered maneuverability, something that would be highly important when dealing with the Scaled Elephants.

Therefore, Dyon settled on a choice. 'We'll meet them about a kilometer out of the Earthen Passage. The first thing they'll see when the step out will be us.'

They were made up entirely of men and they were abnormally large. Even the smallest of them would stand at 2.5 meters tall at his full height. But, maybe the most striking characteristic, was their leather like skin and oddly flat noses.

Funny enough, their flat noses were as a result of a surgery they often performed on themselves to heighten their sense of smell in order to offset the vision problems that came with their cultivation technique.

A towering man with robust grey leather skin nodded, standing to his full five-meter height as he walked over to what looked like a slowly roasting pig.

The surroundings were eerily quiet as the army watched their commander inspect his food. Many had their own, but there seemed to be a silent agreement that the first bite went to Commander Draven.

A bit less than a year ago, the mighty Phantus Clan had their reputation unceremoniously tainted… And the worst part was that it was done by a woman. The Phantus God Clan had always seen women as the weaker sex, in fact, their campaigns never had a single female member of their clan take part. And yet, their pride had been stripped of them by a being they had looked down on from the start.

In this time, they had spent all of their resources, prepared to combat that one glaring weakness. They refused to lose like they did again. Even to the point where they insisted on running vanguard in this experiment… the experiment that would change the tides of everything.

Commander Draven finally bit into the large pig. His teeth were large flat rows of an endless white, but they were immediately tainted by a scarlet blood.

His look was sinister, and his aura reverberated through the air, causing the mountains around them to tremble violently as red dripped down his jaw.

The next morning, Dyon sat still, meditating in the same position he had been in since the previous night – the faint flickering of red flames dancing around him.

Ever since he had begun dual cultivating with Ri, his blood essence had steadily increased; and, with his demon qilin blood at 31% now, his affinity for fire will had grown exponentially. As such, he began tapping into this will as well, knowing fully well he didn't have full control over his black flames quite yet. Maybe if he started with red fire first, he could work his way to that level. But as it was now, it seemed only emotion could make them come out…

Slowly, the red flames blazed, increasing and shrinking to Dyon's will. 'Sixth level is my cap. If I stimulate my demon qilin blood I should be able to tap into the seventh. If I use my humanoid manifestation, I should be able to tap into the ninth. That's enough.'

The truth was that, by now, Dyon already had the ability to tap into the ninth level of his wind and sword wills. However, his other wills were all around the sixth level. It seemed he was missing something to surpass that mark.

The more he thought about it though, the more it made sense. His Weapon's Hall manifestation gave him high affinity for weapons, so his sword will being high made sense.

In regards to his wind will, he had been confused at first. Why was it so easy for him to learn? But then, he remembered the tattoos on his back. How could Dyon have a manifestation with wings and not have a wind will affinity?

All of this confirmed one thing: he hadn't integrated enough of his blood essence yet. His soul was melded perfectly to him, therefore he benefited from 100% of its affinity. However, with his blood essence not being fully integrated, his affinity for wills other than wind and the sword were lacking.

That said… He had only been practicing fire will for as long as he knew he would be facing the Phantus clan… meaning he had learned up to the sixth level of fire will in a single night!

Dyon was perfectly right. Even though the black flames flickered in and out of existence, it still boosted his fire will affinity to this level!

Dyon suddenly felt like laughing, this sounded exactly like the start of a conversation in a romantic comedy. 'Maybe those shows I showed Ri are influencing her.'

Dyon grinned, "Only me and my lovely fiancée need to know." He said, lightly kissing Ri's neck, "Did I ever tell you, you smell like lavender floating in an ice pool? How am I supposed to focus with you here?"

Ri pouted, "You seem to have focused just fine last night. Don't think your flowery words will work with me. I'm not as naïve as little sister Del –."

Ri lightly tapped Dyon's lips with her finger, shaking her head, "I hear that men lose their strength if they have sex before battle. Might not be the best idea."

On this day, the disparity between the demon generals and the orphans couldn't have been clearer. While the eyes of the demon generals shone with unyielding might and anticipation, the orphans shrunk, many shivering in terror.

There wasn't much Dyon could do. Sure, instilling them with confidence through music will would work, but, constantly relying on others would only be a detriment to them. He would let them sink into this feeling for a bit longer before doing something.

Currently, Dyon stood looking toward the Earth Tower and could see passed it to the pier. They were on the flat lands between the key tower and the mountain range at a place where the ground became decidedly rockier.

In the crowd of foot soldiers, familiar members of the big sects stood. They had been stunned to find out that Dyon was not only alive, but also leading the vanguard. But then, they had become secretly happy. After all, vanguard was usually the duty of them as low-ranking sects and clans. In fact, they hadn't even been allowed to participate in any meetings.

"Serves you right." Hashim and Lehabim seemed to speak at the same time. It seemed they could only come together on mutual ground when it came to their hate of Dyon. Because of him, the big sects had been relegated to little else than footnotes for the upcoming world tournament.

The campaign heads had vastly different reactions to the big sect 'geniuses'. To them, they wouldn't underestimate Dyon again, but they could hardly believe he planned to face ten thousand men with only a thousand. Especially when the Phantus God Clan was known for thwarting armies in the hundreds of thousands with that very number.

"If he wins, you realize he'll shoot to at least top 20 on the leader boards, right?" Voron Cavositas spoke to Vidar, trying to gauge his opinion.

Vidar shook his head, "The headquarters may nerf some of his points since this is an army already defeated by first in line genius Madeleine Sapientia. The honor is less when there's a blue print already out there."

Voron shook his head in disagreement, "He made it very clear that his music will isn't as effective as hers. Meaning, he'll be using a different method. That's not even mentioning the fact she used an army of hundreds of thousands to face about fifty thousand of the Phantus God Clan and about fifty scaled elephants. He's facing less, but he's also only using a thousand men."

Voron remained silent at this. It was indeed ridiculous for Dyon to use smaller numbers against an army that was already prepared to be severely out numbered.

"Just be ready to clean up his mess. Phantus clan or not, it's clear that they're only here to test something. If not they wouldn't have sent such a small number even if it was the Phantus clan."

But they all agreed on another thing… was it really smart for Dyon to leave the protection of his army like this? Wasn't he just making himself and the princess an easy target?

The platoons were arranged very deliberately, their 50-man units standing in orderly five by ten arrangements. Six were arranged to the left, and six were to the right, checkered off from each other. The remaining two platoons were arranged at the back, prepared to merge into a company if need be.

Dyon didn't even look to see if the formation was completed properly, his eyes were completely focused on the growing cloud of dust in distance. "Conceal."

The checkered 50-man platoons collapsed in on each other seamlessly, resulting in a perfect three by three set of 100-main companies with two platoons remaining in the back. Suddenly, a complex formation became nothing more than a stock group of troops. And yet, it was still more organized than the martial world was used to.

Airic Sapientia's eyes shone watching Dyon's army move with absolute synchronicity. He had been researching about ways to war more efficiently. He had always thought the brute strength approach was too crude, but, the Sapientia family spent little time on such things, preferring to focus on cultivation related topics.

But, because of this, he suddenly saw Dyon in an entirely new light, 'Is Elder Ester really right about you? I wonder… Can I learn from you? Or is this nothing but a show?'

They stood thirty meters tall but were at least double that in length. Their tusks were enormous, shining with a sheen only ivory could provide. But, that was nothing compared to their skin.

And yet, everyone's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to ten Phantus clan members that rode on the heads of these scaled elephants. They each held thick rods in their hand as their grey leathered skin trembled with anticipation.

The orphans beneath Dyon and Ri shook under their pressure. The bloodlust and unyielding will for victory coming from the Phantus was something they just weren't ready for.

Suddenly, a deafening roar sounded. It wasn't from the mouth of the grumbling scaled elephants, or their ten vice commaders… Instead, it came from the ground!

A massive scaled elephant appeared, standing fifty meters into the air! On its head stood a leader of unmatched aura. He stood five-meters tall and his hand was gripped around a javelin, his thick rod strapped to his back.

The rumbling of the scaled elephants never ceased, they were now within a kilometer of each other, but, this distance was nothing when it came to a javelin's throw.

Soon, Dyon stood alone above everything, staring down at the charging scaled elephants with a pillar of flames reaching ten meters long in his hand.

Dyon grinned, propping up the javelin to throw as wind and sword will picked up, spiralling violently around it, "It's time this martial world understood my arrogance."

Oh yea, if you want picture representations of Dyon's formations and tactics, you can follow me on twitter, or join our discord (we can have a fun time discussing what's useful about it and what isn't :) ) https://discord.gg/G3ME8z2

Dyon flew in the sky, almost as though he was one man against the world. His troops became nothing but a backdrop. However… his tall back, his unmatched confidence, the grin on his face made the hearts of his army light on fire. There was no longer doubt in their hearts that this was a leader worth following.

Commander Draven stared at the man with a white and black wing, his veins popping in anger. It was one thing for a prestigious commander of the Earth Gate to look down on him like this, but this was a boy of not even sixteen years of age. A boy no one knew. 'You have a lot of nerve.'

Ri looked up at Dyon's back a smile blooming on her face as faint snow flakes began raining down around her, her hair fluttering gently in response.

Dyon's skin reddened as blood raged through him. The javelin's flames left an uncomfortable heat on everyone below, but suddenly, something changed.

The wind and flames merged, a tornado of fierce reds and yellows bathing Dyon's arms in an endless blaze. But, that wasn't all. It began to drip with a bloody aura, demonic sovereign will etching patterns of a black red into the already domineering pillar.

The campaign heads were beginning to feel real threat. The amount of wills Dyon was melding into one attack completely surpassed their expectations. But, the majority of the problem lied in the fact they had no idea what he wanted to use this attack for. Was he trying to take out Commander Draven in one shot? Did he really underestimate them that severely?

But suddenly, all thoughts froze as Dyon's arm careened forward, his torso rotating so quickly that the javelin disappeared from his hand in an instant.

Commander Draven's eyes widened, his heart palpitating in agitation. The demonic will dripping off of the spear of flames, the killing intent aimed for no one else but himself, it was as though for but that instant, he couldn't move.

The scaled elephant beneath him seemed to feel his master's agitation, causing a raging roar to resound from its mouth, piercing toward the rapidly approaching tempest of flames.

Maybe if Commander Draven could see anything other than a blazing light headed right for him he would have seen Dyon's smirk in response to his words… Maybe if he had seen it, he would know that his call was futile.

Unfortunately for the Phantus, he hadn't. So, as they did before every battle, the tens of thousands of troops on the ground circulated their earth will, tapping into the deep reserves of the ground to elevate their piece of land. It was something they did all of the time, it gave them the perfect charging momentum. What could give an army more of an advantage than charging downwards from high ground?

Suddenly, something completely unexpected happened. Dyon's javelin shot directly past the tilted head of Commander Draven! 'As if I would be frozen into not moving. Do I look like a rookie to you?!'

It was suddenly clear to everyone that Dyon's attack looked flashy, but it was exceedingly weak. He had missed directly into a patch of running meridian formation warriors, and yet took at most five lives. Even more astonishingly, the ground seemed to be barely affected! Even the javelin had disappeared from existence, the abyssal core making it up had already flashed back into Dyon's fading Weapon's Hall Manifestation as he touched down on the array beside Ri.

Dyon couldn't be bothered with the thoughts of others, he instead took a deep breath, 'Even with all that preparation, it took a lot out of me… We have ten minutes…'

But, the Phantus clan didn't seem intent on waiting for Dyon. They approached rapidly. From a kilometer to eight hundred meters. From eight hundred meters to five hundred.

The crystal formation above Dyon continued to expand again and again. It seemed that for every meter the Phantus approached, Dyon added another ten to his array.

Ri nodded, "Ready." Her voice had a demonic and seductive edge to it, giving Dyon all the motivation he needed for his crystal array to bloom to five hundred meters!

A raging tempest of wind and fire will accelerated from the companies below Dyon, immediately charging into his crystal array… His crystal amplification array!

The cold and hot wind tunneled their way into the sky, immediately causing a swirl of dark clouds to form. The atmosphere shifted, the sky darkening. A massive cumulonimbus covering the sun in an endless black.

The booming of thunder tore through the battle field as the cloud seemed to rumble to life, endless sheets of water pouring down it and coating the lands almost instantly.

But, the Phantus didn't seem to care. What was a weather change to them? But, what they didn't notice was that their beasts were being coated with the relentlessly pouring rain. There was no escaping it.

Delia's hazel eyes iced over into a cold blue, her hair turning a blinding shade of white as she lifted her hands up to Dyon's amplification array.

Suddenly, Commander Draven realized something was wrong. Since the time he had issued the command to raise the ground, less than half a minute had passed, and yet, that was too long for nothing to have happened.

Suddenly, Airic realized something, 'The land… It's not elevating even though the Phantus commander called for it?' Confusion covered his features until his eyes widened, 'THE JAVELIN!?'

The Phantus were beginning to panic. They were less than five hundred yards from clashing with the Earth gate army, but, their momentum was being slowly crushed.

But, there was no response. The usually rowdy and vicious scaled elephant had lost its fire. The water that had coated its skin was slowly icing over, and although that wasn't enough to encase it in ice, something else entirely different was happening.

And suddenly, ten of them stopped, collapsing to the ground. Their breathing was nearly non-existent, their robust scales covered in a sheet of thin ice.

The Phantus God Clan didn't know what to do. Their Commander and Vice commanders had lost their beasts, they couldn't elevate the ground to gain a topical advantage, and now they were ten thousand against hundreds of thousands.

His battle changpao seemed untainted even by the falling snow, but there was not a drop of surprise on his face. It was clear that to him, there was no doubt in success.

In all these years the Martial world had ignored a glaring weakness of the Phantus. In fact, the weakness was never exposed only because the beasts usually played a defensive role near the gate entrance of the opposing universe. This meant that the weather they experienced was stable.

Although Dyon didn't know what tricks they had used to make it here unscathed with such large beasts, he had analyzed each god clan he might face in this campaign. The weaknesses of each were firmly etched into his mind, whether they were aware of them or not. And the Phantus, could not escape the cold-blooded nature of their beasts.

Warm-blooded creatures were special. They had the ability to use food as an energy source for heat, resulting in a constant body temperature. However, cold-blooded creatures relied on the environment around them to dictate their internal temperature… Which meant, as long as it was cold enough, they would begin to hibernate.

Commander Draven looked up, apprehensive about the situation. But, a flame of anger suddenly raged in his heart when he noticed only a thousand men were charging. And, from his vantage point on the ground, the formation looked as ordinary as could be.

"Men!" Commander Draven's enraged voice boomed through the battle field, "They dare to look down on us like this. Attacking with a mere thousand. Crush them!"

A furious blaze was lit in the heart of the Phantus warriors. To only attack them with a thousand? Even when they could have attacked with more? This was nothing less than a slap in the face.

Commander Draven smirked, 'You are too young. Your little tricks are clever, but you know nothing of the art of battle. You form drones out of your men, while I take into account the heart of mine. You won't win if your army has no morale."

However, how long would that really last?… Dyon's voice boomed, laced with a compelling power that seemed to stifle even the rumbling of the battle field.

The three center companies lured the Phantus into a false sense that this formation was no different than any other, leading the unorganized masses of the Phantus into charging in blindly in an attempt to salvage their courage. But, it was futile.

The middle three companies were nothing but a ploy. They were already the most tired after putting everything into creating the storm clouds, so it was more than believable that they'd be the easiest to beat… But, that was exactly the point.

Dyon's army seemed to collapse inwards, the three companies giving way. The two front companies peeling to the front, while the one further in the back peeled backwards. But, then, Dyon gave the penultimate order, standing in the skies domineeringly.

The six platoons of either side collapsed in on themselves. In their checkered formation, three platoons had maintained the integrity of the sides while the center companies lured the Phantus in. However, with the command, the checkered platoons fell back, immediately being replaced by three fresh platoons on either side.

At the same time, the two platoons that had remained at the back surged forward. Being well rested, they pushed to maintain the back line in the absence of the three companies who had disappeared.

The Phantus ten-thousand-man army was whittled down to almost nothing. Their morale was low, their beasts were down, in fact, in the hours it took for this to take place, they hadn't even noticed that they could once again elevate the land beneath their feet.

The ice that coated the ground was horrible for footing, and yet it seemed as though everyone in Dyon's army had defensive formations to use for traction.

Then Commander Draven thought he could use his overwhelming strength to raise the morale of his troops again, but, the white-haired demon generals simply toyed with him. He was nothing before them.

After losing half his men, Commander Draven had had the thought of escape, maybe his pride just wasn't worth it… but then Dyon from his high perch said dreaded words that resounded in his psyche even as he stood bloodied with less than a thousand of his men left.

Flashes ran through the entirety of Dyon's army as each of them took out tens of defensive array plates. The air was filled with shimmering gold as dome after dome of defensive formations completely surrounded the Phantus.

The Phantus were filled with endless despair. Although they could work to destroy these arrays, Dyon's army seemed to have an endless supply. But, the worst part was that they seemed to be fitted with special weapons that could be launched without effecting the defensive array.

Looking down at the massacre, Ri asked Dyon about it and received a smiled in response, "I call them spatial spear grenades. They're essentially array spears fitted with time sensitive spatial transference arrays. It allows the spears to pass right through the defensive formation before materializing to attack the enemy."

The campaign heads almost couldn't believe what they were seeing. Regardless of the fact that Commander Draven wasn't the best the Phantus had to offer, he was without a doubt in the top 3 campaign leaders they had. And, his strength had already stepped into the essence gathering stage! Just who were those white-haired freaks Dyon called demon generals?!

The checkered formation allowed tired soldiers to switch out and fresh ones to come in. The back and front lines constantly alternated as well, and yet, it was all done without a hitch.

Commander Draven could only watch helplessly as his scaled elephants were being constantly rained down upon with ice will. Although the storm had stopped, one of the companies that had sneaked in behind the Phantus while allowing them to penetrate had left the battle to ensure the elephants didn't wake up!

No one knew how Dyon communicated these things so smoothly. It was as though he was speaking into the ear of every single one of his soldiers! How could the campaign heads and the Phantus know how exactly right that assumption was?

Commander Draven suddenly realized that there was no reason for him to still be alive. He was the only remaining life blood of his army, why hadn't they targeted him?! And then is suddenly dawned on him… 'They want to capture me… They've realized there's something odd about how we brought the scaled elephants here!'

However, despite realizing this, there was little Commander Draven could do. Even when he charged in with no regard for his life, knowing they wouldn't kill him, he was stopped immediately by the overwhelming demon generals.

"YOU COWARD!" Commander Draven screamed into the air, slowly losing his mind, "What kind of man hides behind his army while they war! Why should anyone follow you!?"

Commander Draven was immediately cut down, the tendons in his leg sliced apart with no regard. He could only stare blankly into the air as his ten vice commanders were laid face down beside him, their faces buried into the muddy ground despite their best efforts to wiggle free. In the end, only the eleven of them remained.

You had no thoughts of retreat until half your army was gone, and yet you used your own men as shields before you realized we were keeping you alive, and yet you still claim I'm the coward?"

Dyon touched down from the sky, holding Ri's hand with a smile on his face. Akash could only shake her head bitterly, "I didn't earn these prisoners Dyon, you should take credit for the information we get from them."

Dyon grinned, "What do you mean commander? I came here under you, so all of the work I do is under the Elvin Kingdom name. In fact, I placed all the merits of today's battle under my little feu glace's name. I want you to know that I am here for the Elvin Kingdom too, I remember the promise I made very well. It may have been to Primrose at the time… But, wasn't Primrose acting princess?"

Dyon shrugged, "Manipulating master level formations like these are easy. For some reason, I can't seem to change the rating system on a whim, most likely because it's linked to an even stronger array acting as a check and balance, but, something like changing the name the points go to is easy.

"Specific heat is just a measurement of how much energy it takes for a certain amount of an object to raise its temperature by a set amount. Essentially, water has a high specific heat meaning it takes a relatively high amount of energy to raise its temperature. Conversely, this also means that it has to lose more energy to cool down.

While normal ice will would have been effective, the ice will powered by your faith seed seems to be different… The purity path of your ice will made it so that we used a lot less energy than necessary because it was much more sustainable away from your body.

In order to force the scaled elephants to sleep, we needed more than just pumping them with ice. For one, in order to do that, we'd have to let them get too close, which would result in some losses. Also, it would take more time as well. The fact they were coated with water before the temperature dropped made the cold all the more piercing to them."

Ri's eyes shone listening to Dyon. She still didn't completely buy that she made or broke Dyon's plans, but, Dyon was at the very least telling the truth.

Dyon's eyes sharpened at this question, "There's something odd going on here. This seemed like a test run rather than a real attack, but that's not the main issue. The question of how they traversed the gate with those massive beasts is a preeminent one.

But, what I do know, is that there was someone watching this entire battle take place. Someone who didn't seem to care whether the Phantus lived or died…"

The rating system reports back to a larger and more sophisticated array to tally points, so, manipulating how the points are tallied (ie, faking merits) is impossible.

However, manipulating who those merits are calculated under is within Dyon's abilities because it only requires changing the name the tracker is registered under. Dyon simply changed his tracker to read Alexandria Acacia instead of Demon Sage before he went into battle

Although he doesn't tell Ri, he does this because he doesn't want her to live in his shadow, because he isn't lying about the fact she played a large role in the battle. Even though Ri is okay with that, Dyon doesn't want her to lose herself because of him.

The second reason he did that is because the stuff he's about to do with the Epistemic tower is going to bring his ranking to a ridiculous level… of the charts you might say…

Confused by the description of the 'collapse' of the formation? Follow me on twitter @Awespec to get the detailed diagrams. Or join our discord >>> https://discord.gg/G3ME8z2

Dyon turned back to Akash, taking his mind off of their observers. The mountain range was much too large and innate aurora wielders were much too versatile to handle nonchalantly.

Dyon's hand flashed as a ring appeared in it. Handing the ring to Arios, he spoke, "This ring is filled with medicinal pills. I ended up having to buy them because I simply didn't have the time to make them myself, but they should be good enough for now. We were lucky enough not to lose any members this time because the demon generals protected their groups of ten well, but its best we don't allow injuries to pile up, or else its only a matter of time before someone dies."

The surrounding campaign leaders looked at Dyon as though they were staring at an alien. Spending money on medicinal pills for foot soldiers? Who would be willing to bear such a cost?!

This was a simple concept, it had nothing to do with money. In fact, if you kept having to replace members of your army because they got injured, they would never become elite. And if they never became elite, you'd be stuck in a perpetual rut of mediocrity. The martial world was too concerned about the growth of their campaign leaders and didn't pay enough attention to their foot soldiers. No one wins a battle alone.

Arios nodded, taking the ring to handle the task Dyon had given him. He was quite painfully aware that although Dyon was standing tall now, his fatigue was unquestionable. Dyon had already been drained after amplifying so many attacks, but then he forced himself to stay out even further passed his limits just to make sure communication was seamless. The problem was that communicating took even more soul power… Dyon hadn't rested all day.

Ri looked at Dyon's side profile, worried. Any casual observer wouldn't see anything wrong with Dyon, but Ri could clearly see his clenched jaw and pulsing veins… He was ready to collapse at any moment.

Ri tightened her grip on Dyon's hand, sending her soothing ice will to stabilize him for the time being. She smiled, hearing a message of thanks enter her ears.

Dyon looked up and into the sky, it had seemed easy, but he was aware that it was anything but. Had their commander realized that Dyon could only stop them from raising the ground for ten minutes, the turtle shell defensive formation would have been hard pressed to continue working. In fact, if they had heightened their vantage point, they would have seen the quirks of the formation and maybe would have made counter measures against it.

Dyon was snapped out of his thoughts as a familiar red-haired girl walked out from the crowd, "Big brother, let me help you with that. After all, the rest of us did nothing."

Airic looked confused about why Dyon was laughing. Wasn't a man marrying into a family via their princess known as a prince consort? What was funny about that?

Dyon looked up to find a young man standing beside a beautiful young lady in the air. Beneath their feet, an array of shimmering reds lay, holding them up.

The young man had short jet-black hair. He was handsome, but rugged, standing at over four meters tall. However, his defining characteristic was a faint red scale that was etched into his forehead.

The white haired lady herself didn't seem to mind. She was about two years younger than the young man, most likely around Dyon's age, and yet she towered at three meters tall, somehow still dwarfed by the young man. However, her defining feature was a glittering blue scale at the center of her forehead.

"It's simple really." The young man continued, "The javelin was a misdirection. It was actually meant to complete a purification type array. One that only lasts for about ten minutes. The Phantus are just idiots. I could have sent them a message that would have changed the tide of the battle, but I preferred that they suffered for their ignorance."

Suddenly, the young man paused, sniffing the air and locking his eyes on Ri, "Interesting. So that wasn't a body modification technique, you're an actual beast. A beast worthy of being compared to my lineage if I'm correct. And yet you gave your virginity to a human?... Whore."

His body trembled, but it was involuntary. He was truly too weak right now. And, what wasn't helping was the fact he felt as though his demon qilin blood was being supressed.

The young man didn't seem to care about Ri's words, "I should take you right now. You'd make a good slave girl for me to toy with every once in a while. It seems you're quite loose anyway, right? It must be the greatest joke in existence for a human to be expected to curb the desires of a beast."

Suddenly, the woman by his side giggled, "Do you smell that?" She gently rubbed the crotch of the young man. "I smell an inferior bloodline. There's no doubt. He can't compare to you."

"Ah yes. Since I've decided to not leave without this little beast girl here, you should just let her come with me. At least then, you can live for a bit longer." The young man looked at Ri with lecherous eyes, she was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, 'Maybe only she can compare…'

Dyon ignored him, walking to the Phantus troops. "You called them idiots, right? You could have changed the course of the battle with a single message, right?"

The campaign heads scrunched their brows listening to Dyon's words, what was he talking about? Even if he was tired, that shouldn't be something he told his enemy.

The young woman's eyes widened in surprise before she suddenly started laughing as though she had just heard a funny joke. "You're not even bigger than me." Her pinky lifted into the air with disdain. "How could you possibly match up to my husband."

Looking into the reddened eyes filled with hatred, Dyon chuckled, "If you like choosing your women based on how big they are, you might want to re-evaluate this macho man stance of yours."

The eyes of the young man sharpened at Dyon's words, instantly understanding the innuendo. "It seems you don't want to live today. I'll cripple you first." His aura changed, a crackling fire red blooming around him. "Then, I'll strip your woman down in front of you and take her."

In the distance, Arios was leisurely administering medicine to the troops. He and the demon generals hadn't even looked to help Dyon. If he needed their aid, he'd have asked for it.

The young man watched this scene up in the sky, not entirely certain of what was going on. All he could tell was that Dyon was killing the Vice Commanders, but, that was good news for him.

Finally, Dyon reached Commander Draven much to the commander's dismay – but, he stopped. "Eh, I think that's enough for now. I'll deal with you later."

Dyon laughed, "Of course. The only reason I didn't use my devour technique to replenish my soul with the Eostre family was because the culprits that deserved death had soul power that was too high for me to take easily. But, The Phantus are body cultivators, and they're much younger, it's quite easy to use them. I'm at full capacity."

Members of the Saeclum heard Dyon's words and shook violently… This was exactly how they'd lost their genius! But, why would Dyon be bothered with such hypocrites, he simply turned a blind eye to the shift in aura. If they made a move, they'd die just the same.

In fact, they had been so surprised by the change in events, that none of them stopped to consider what it meant for Dyon to have taken the virginity of a woman with a faith seed.

"Don't get any funny ideas pervert. You're only allowed to make me and big sister Madeleine pass out. If you're fighting a woman, I expect you to go for the kill. After all, she seems quite used to self-pleasing men."

Dyon turned to the fuming couple in the sky. "I'm quite aware that you have no confidence in showing yourselves here. The only reason you risked it is because you don't want us to find out what the Commander knows. Unfortunately for you, in the process of doing that, you've angered me and my little feu glace. There is a price to pay for such things. And today, that price is death."

The wind accelerated around them, blasting outwards as the earth cracked beneath their feet. "Whether you know our goal or not," The young man said through gritted teeth, "Is irrelevant to whether or not you can stop us."

Dyon smiled, 'I was wondering when you'd make use of your god constitution… You neglect it too much.' Suddenly Dyon's eyes widened, "You've been hiding your manifestation from me?... That's not nice."

Ri smiled, her tails blooming into existence. A majestic aura spread out from her, making everyone feel as though it was only right that they should be kneeling.

The fox was a creature with beauty beyond words. Its pointed nostrils flared out adorably while its delicate paws hovered in the air, standing tall behind Ri. A blue crystal melded to its forehead, giving the demon fox an undoubtedly noble air.

Ri suddenly laughed, standing in front of Dyon, not an ounce of fear in her as the large five-meter tall young man barreled toward her, "You say my bloodline can be compared to yours… But, from what I see. You're the equivalent of a shit stain beneath my feet."

Dyon looked up toward the three-meter-tall woman who seemed intent on charging toward Ri as well, "I think it's best you stay out of this, my little feu glace isn't too happy right now. Your husband dug his own grave by questioning the decisions she makes."

Liska looked down at her bloodied arm in a rage, looming over Dyon. Her eyes became blue gem-like slits, seemingly piercing toward Dyon's very soul.

Dyon smirked, 'A basilisk huh… I wonder how many more human world legends are real… But, if you're trying to use a soul type attack on me – too many have tried and failed.'

It was clear Liska hadn't expected this at all. The feeling of her shoulder being pierced through, being pinned to the ground and stood over by a man she had just looked down on… it was too much. She couldn't even maintain her scaled form anymore.

She tried to circulate her aurora to use arrays to get out of her situation, but every time she did Dyon circulated his devour skill, completely cutting off her power source. If she had been even a second late in retracting her attack, she'd be dead.

Bas looked over, completely shocked. Liska was a genius, how did she lose so quickly? But, his mind suddenly thought back to the technique Dyon had used to replenish his strength, 'He has a perfect counter to soul attacks!'

But, Ri didn't seem fazed. Her tails seemed to have an odd pure energy that blocked attacks out of her normal range, threatening Bas with their power every time they whipped out.

Ri's sword danced through the air, her style much more elegant than Dyon's. It was as though she was drawing in the air, her sword the very reincarnation of softly falling snow.

The ice lotus immediately expanded to another size, the temperature dropping again. A shimmering light of blue and gold raged through it as Ri pointed her sword forward, her hair fluttering in the strong winds along with her tails.

Dyon smiled, 'I guess it was a mistake to anger her, hm? Well, I'd say you live and you learn but – ' Dyon's thoughts froze as his eyes widened, "RI, MOVE!"

Ri's attack was taking too much focus, she had no thoughts to deviate to her surroundings. And unfortunately, that was the opening someone else took to attack!

A calm looking young man appeared from seemingly empty space. He had a flower in his long black hair and held an oil paper umbrella in his hand. It was as though he was taking a leisurely stroll instead of stepping into a raging battle.

The young man's array shattered immediately, much too hastily made to match up to Dyon right now. His lip curled in disdain as his umbrella continued to pierce forward, but Dyon was having none of it.

Dyon flashed forward again and again, feeling his legs crack and fracture under the constant pressure of pressing his celestial movement technique forward with amplification arrays.

Dyon's body immediately expanded to five meters tall, his muscles tearing and ripping under the strength of his first transformation of this level.

"AGH" Dyon grit his teeth as the black crystal coated scales on his back were pierced by an inexplicable energy. It seemed gentle, and yet so grating, calm, and yet so raging. Dyon nearly blacked out from impact.

He could only look up helplessly as the young man flashed to campaign head Akash, killing Commander Draven with a sweep of his umbrella without giving her any time to react. It was as though the young man could completely erase his presence. What Dyon hadn't realized yet was that he was the only one who could see the young man!

The demon generals were too far in the distance to do anything, still tending to the army. The appearance of the young man was too abrupt, if it wasn't for Dyon's complete focus and the habit he had of enhancing his senses with his crystal will, Ri would be dead!

The campaign heads were even more useless. They had never intended on helping Dyon in the first place, and although commander Draven's death wasn't beneficial for them in the least, they too weren't fast enough in reacting…

The last thing Dyon saw before he blacked out was the young man's cold expressionless face radiating in victory as he swooped Bas and Liska away, "Weren't you going to crush me 'just the same' when I appeared? Why are you lying on the ground now?

Ri nodded, immediately grabbing onto Dyon's hand and trying to circulate her celestial will. Because of her affinity for purity given by her faith seed and god constitution, she had already reached the 3rd level, enough for Dyon to get a grip on himself and take over.

Akash was completely disgusted with herself. She was supposed to be the campaign head of the elves and yet Dyon had done all the work so far, and all she had done was lose a prisoner. In fact, she hadn't even realized what was going on, or even why Dyon was running toward Ri until he was suddenly heavily injured and Commander Draven was no longer breathing.

How could non-innate aurora wielders, especially when matched up against someone with a higher cultivation than them who also happens to wield an innate aurora, possibly detect them? Even those with cultivations higher or comparable to the young man weren't focusing on finding a hiding entity. After all, they were only aware of the opposing universe having two innate aurora wielders… They had never seen that young man before!

Delia and Ava had been near the edge of the army, tending to the wounded foot soldiers, but with Dyon's injury, they immediately sprinted to his aid.

Dyon sat up slowly as the last of the energy was purified. Although he was worried it taking so long, he had prepared exactly for this instance. He was getting quite tired of taking months of time to recuperate, so, he had used his pill condensation technique to combine grandmaster level healing pills into their original potent form. And luckily, since healing pills were more ubiquitous than constitution awakening pills, he had formed many more than just three.

The campaign heads felt they had no reason to stay, whether Dyon survived or not wasn't something they cared about, but, a sudden voice stopped them.

"It's best you all stay and listen to me carefully. Well, that's if you want our planet to survive. Because if I'm correct, and I most likely am, there will be no negotiation this time."

The only one who seemed to react differently was Airic. Although the other campaign heads couldn't be bothered to realize the genius of Dyon's tactics, he could. "What did you learn?"

Ace's lip curled with disdain, "Was what you learned written in the ground? It doesn't seem like your eyes could have been facing anywhere else."

"You guys don't have to worry so much, I'm fine." Dyon turned his gaze toward Ri, Delia and Ava. "Do I look like the type of person to take losses so easily?"

Ace was very much correct about that point, although Dyon was healing much faster than usual, he still needed time. But, what he was about to say was wholly needed.

Suddenly, Dyon turned to Ri who was on her knees, helping to prop him up, "This isn't the best place to speak about this… I think I might need some help."

Dyon sat at the large round table along with the rest of the campaign heads, still pale and clearly so weak he had to lean on Ri. "Ri, what did you find odd about the ones they called Bas and Liska?"

Everyone seemed surprised by Dyon's question, but they quickly recovered. Although this woman was by Dyon's side all of the time, it was probably time they recognized her as the princess of the Elvin Kingdom.

Many here recognized Bas and Liska. In fact, this wasn't by any means their first encounter with them. Their level of array alchemy was so out of the realm of their understanding that many here had just assumed they were born with innate auroras. Weren't they?

This assumption seemed to be backed up as well. For example, Bas' aurora blazed red while Liska was a pale shade of blue. Didn't that deviate from the white a regular aurora should have?

However, if they had seen Ri's aurora turn blue, would they really think this? Ri's aurora hadn't even been at 100% when it changed color, it had only just passed the 30% threshold.

At first, Dyon hadn't known what this meant. He could guess that it was connected to Ri's special soul, but there was no other information he had on it. In fact, even his master's memories had nothing, which is what made him think that it was a secret related to the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect.

Ri's aurora likely started off as white because she was part Elvin. After all, Grand Elders Cormyth and Kroak, despite being Elvin, both had white auroras despite being past the 40% mark.

However, Bas and Liska likely had their own unique aurora colors from the very beginning. After all, they had no other bloodlines mixing in with their souls.

That being said, this wasn't the most important part. The fact those memories weren't in Dyon's master's memories meant yet another thing. The destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect involved beasts… and it without a doubt involved beasts who used their auroras to do something very important. Something so important that the 25th White Mother left it as a clue for Dyon.

"If they aren't innate aurora wielders, then what are they?" Evelyn spoke up, clearly not in the mood to side with anything these two had to say.

Ri laughed, "I see. Cheap, hmm? You must have had many grand battles against Bas and Liska since you know them so well, right? Why don't you regale us with the tale of how the mighty Niveus first in line genius did something other than steal from her innocent junior sisters."

Evelyn's jaw clenched shut. Whether Ri decided to bring up Delia or not, she still would have lost the exchange. When had she ever done anything like fight Bas one on one? In fact, even if she had, would she have been on the verge of winning like Ri?

Dyon was a bit surprised by Elwing's shift in demeanor. He didn't buy it, not one bit. He was planning something, or at the very least trying to get them to lower their guard. But, Dyon still very much remembered his antagonistic words and his threatening Little Black – or Zaire now, Dyon supposed.

Ri didn't seem phased by Elwing's words, it was as though she was quite used to the two-faced nature of nobles. That probably came with years of building up her alliance and whatever time she spent being shunned by the Elvin major families.

Dyon nodded. There was a reason why he could draw arrays so quickly and conceal himself so well from Dyon. His array mastery wasn't too far off from Dyon's, even with Dyon's human world experience. Although, that was also as a result of age and time spent studying. After all, of Dyon's year and three quarters in the martial world, he spent eleven months completely incapacitated.

This young man probably began learning formations as soon as his innate aurora was discovered. Without having to spend time awakening it, he could have begun as early as five years old should he have been so inclined. With him being about twenty-five now, the age of some of the older campaign heads like Voron, Vidar and Akash, his time spent studying was not to be questioned.

Dyon thought for a moment before proceeding, "From the beginning, everything felt off. They seemed overly confident for being two people with no cultivation among a crowd of hundreds of thousands. They spoke about nonsensical things. Bas even sniffed the air with his nose, it was a very poor showing honestly."

Dyon shook his head, "If you all knew more about beasts, a lot of your problems would have already been solved," Dyon said offhandedly thinking back to the scaled elephants, "Bas and Liska are Basilisks, essentially the king of serpents. Snakes have nostrils, but their most sensitive smelling is done with their tongues. It doesn't make sense for a Basilisk to use their nose to pick up something important, he was either putting on a meaningless act, or sending a signal."

Airic's eyes glowed while looking at Dyon… His thoughts toward Dyon were steadily speeding toward infatuation. 'This man is exactly what a Sapientia should be…'

"This Bas even said nonsense about him knowing that my javelin was meant to complete a purification type array and that the only reason he didn't tell Commander Draven about it was because he deserved death.

Although he was correct about the purification type array," Dyon said, thinking back to the time he had used the exact same array on the demon generals to try and wake them up, "It was only a guess. And it was a guess he only made after flying over the battle field and feeling my residual celestial will."

"Then, what did they do all of this for?" Asked Voron. Voron was actually the more reserved of himself and his brother. However, that didn't mean his battle spirit didn't blaze like a Cavositas' should watching Dyon's battle.

"All of it was an act centered around one thing: Killing Commander Draven and his men… Because they held secret they didn't want any of us to know."

"But if they held this secret, and they're all dead now, ten of which you killed by the way, why are we having this meeting?" Vidar spoke up, questioning Dyon's purpose.

"Well, even if there was no remaining information left to be told, the mere fact Bas and Liska aren't innate aurora wielders is important enough. That not only raised morale, it makes you less apprehensive in dealing with them.

They draw arrays significantly slower, the range of the sixth sense is nearly non-existent before surpassing the 50% mark, and their array alchemy stamina drains faster. That completely shifts everything."

Many nodded, that piece of information was quite important. But, it didn't change the fact they struggled with them. If they were so useless, why were they so good on the battle field?

As if reading their minds, Dyon continued, "The only reason you probably struggled with them is because the real innate aurora wielder was in the background. But, his cultivation doesn't far outstrip any of yours, which is why he chose to remain hidden, controlling everything from behind the scenes.

I didn't make use of my aurora for the entirety of the battle and neither did Ri. Because of that, what he saw was something ranging between two possibilities. It was either we had no aurora or had auroras comparable to himself. And, being the only innate aurora wielder he had ever known. in his and our universe, which do you think he assumed was more likely?"

What Dyon said was correct. When auroras and souls were of similar level, it was difficult to read each other. This was why Ri was able to automatically see through Meiying's aurora awakening, while the young man couldn't see through Dyon's and Ri's. After all, all three of them were at 100%.

"Because he assumed we had no aurora, it was a logical leap to him to also assume our souls were weak since the two usually went hand in hand. So, why would he think that his geniuses would lose to us who had no energy or soul cultivation?"

"That aside, there's the matter of why I really called you all here. Don't you find it odd that the Phantus were chosen specifically?" Dyon paused, letting it sink in for a moment.

"They are the best defenders the opposing universe have in defending Gautama Tower. There is no doubt that their scaled elephants and robust body cultivation lead to explosive defending, if that makes sense, and outrageous stamina."

Dyon nodded, "And yet, they were not only sent here, but also sent here under the supervision of 3 supposed innate aurora wielders? Even if the opposing universe had a system like ours, where attacking was unregulated and only defending was as a collective, that wouldn't make sense. Because, even if the Phantus decided to attack on their own, why would they be followed by such important people?"

"Just what point are you trying to get at? We're all aware that there's something odd going on, we just don't know what it is." Ace was beginning to get impatient, it felt like they were waiting forever.

Everyone looked at Dyon as though he was delusion. What do you mean you won? Is lying faced down, pale skinned with fractured bones, a victory now?

Dyon shrugged, "You don't understand how my devour technique works, and clearly they didn't either. If they had, they would have done whatever was necessary to kill me, unfortunately they didn't. And I was already prepared."

Dyon paused, "They for some reason went out of their way to attack the Earth tower when there were at least 3 other towers out there to test on.

The story was more rhetorical, of course. The Ragnor clan was here, the Pakal clan, although silent, was here, the Sapientia clan… No one was missing.

"You all likely have your other brothers and sisters guarding the other towers, which is fine… for now. But, how long do you think that would last? Think about how long ago you got the report that they would be attacking, and yet it took until now for them to show up?

That's the second point of this meeting: The other three towers are in danger. And it's best that even after I tell you what I have to tell you, that you all leave to protect your respective towers."

The campaign leaders nodded. Truthfully speaking, they had still made the right decision. Hind sight was always 20/20, but, how could they have possibly known a 15-year-old would show up and deal with all of their problems for them? The scaled elephants required at least the numbers they had brought to deal with. If it wasn't for Dyon, the battle would still be raging right now.

In fact, the scaled elephants were such a problem, that Dyon had order them be killed in their hibernation. Using Phantus bred animals to attack the Phantus was much too risky.

"Devour is first and foremost a defensive type technique. It acts as a shield against soul attacks. However, it also has facets of attack, and… memory absorption."

The eyes of everyone in the room widened, a sudden realization hitting them. All this time, the young man with the umbrella thought he was playing around with Dyon, when really, Dyon already had what the young man wanted to keep hidden!

"Before I absorbed the souls of the Vice Commanders, I had already seen through Bas and Liska. So, I homed in on keeping their relevant memories. In addition, when I had Liska pinned down, I took opportune times to absorb bits and pieces of her memories as well.

Because of the nature of the secrets I now know, there's little I can tell you all." Dyon raised his hand expecting the agitation that spread through the room. "Once I say it, you'll understand why.

I always felt that the gates felt much too much like a game…" Dyon voice was faint, thinking back to the first time he learned about the gates from Ri. That was his exact first impression. The gates were like an area control game where controlling certain towers gave you certain benefits and you only unlocked everything by holding all the towers.

"Sometimes I hate being right." Dyon sighed. "The gates don't just seem like one. They are one. This gate is the largest scale Ancient Game you'll ever play."

Over a year ago, Madeleine had told Dyon about the ancient games. To many in the martial world, they were simply a form of entertainment. Three enigmatic games, with admittedly odd origins, but also seemingly harmless.

However, was that true? Were they truly harmless? And why didn't they think more about the kind of power it took to lord over the rules of these games? The mere fact it was impossible to speak about the rules amongst each other should have been a cause to pause.

The worst part was that Dyon had yet to come into contact with these games without his life being on the line. In dead kings valley, if it wasn't for the stone puppet, he would have never had enough time to learn the game's rules. And now here, his most potent rival seemed to be taking advantage of the game's mechanics to pin Earth into a corner.

But, before Dyon could answer, Airic stepped in. "The ancient games have always been dominated by elves because of the Eostre family. And now its being used to deal with us in the hands of an innate aurora wielder. The deduction is quite simple. We don't have the insight necessary to compete."

Agitation and competitive spirits blazed at these words. Who were they? They were among the best geniuses this entire universe had to offer. Three of them, namely Vidar, Caedlum and Thor, had faith seeds. And yet they were being told there was something they simply wouldn't get?

"There's a solution to that, of course." Dyon interjected. "If you can awaken your auroras to larger percentages, you'll have a chance. But, for now, I've only given you this information so as not to be a hypocrite. I, for one, hate it the most when people tell me there are things I can and can't do based on the way I was born. So, I'm giving you a chance to do something.

Secondly, I'm not as selfish as the whole of you. Half of this planet belongs to my home. I was raised here too. I'm not a stranger or an alien to this place. Take this information. Learn from it. Prove that you're the so-called geniuses you claim to be."

Flames lit in the eyes of the campaign heads as they watched a hobbled Dyon be brought out under Ri's strength. And yet, despite his seemingly weak state, his back was wider than any of them had realized.

The sword wound in Liska's shoulder was very much still there. She didn't have medicines potent enough to deal with Dyon's sword will, which was exceedingly odd to them. From every angle you analyzed it, it seemed as though Dyon hadn't used anymore than a first level sword will… And yet, it was so potent?

Near by, but not bothering to do much to help the massive couple, was the young man with the oil-paper umbrella. He twirled what looked like a long silver sword in his hand, and if one looked closely, it was the very sword that had been in Liska's shoulder. It was odd, but he seemed strangely infatuated with it.

The couple looked to the young man before shaking their heads. After all, it didn't make much sense. If the goal was to conquer a tower, choosing one that was not so easy to scout out would have made it easier to keep their action covert.

"And how do I want to go about doing that?" A strange energy began dripping from the sword. It was heavy, yet free flowing – and it happened to be the very same energy Dyon was attacked with.

The young man sighed. "You're too short sighted. Can't you tell there's something strange going on? Something different from any other time we've entered the gates? Why do you think I was able to execute the plan like I did?"

Bas and Liska were silent. The mood of the young man was something they themselves, despite having spent the most time with him, had no way of gauging. In times where he berated them, it was often best to keep quiet.

"Today, something that hasn't happened to me in a long time happened." The young man's personality and focus seemed whimsical. He asked questions, then ignored them. Started on a path of explanation, before completely swerving away. Bas and Liska could only listen helplessly.

If you were to use Dyon as an example of what to expect from an innate aurora wielder, you may come out disappointed. Why? Because many of them acted exactly as this young man did.

Their minds work so quickly that they're almost on an entirely different plane of understanding. To the young man, his vague questions and statements should have been enough for the snake couple to understand what he meant. He was completely oblivious to their emotions.

"He's still too young to play with me though. And I unfortunately don't have time to wait for him to grow. Whether it be intelligence or strength, he's woefully lacking."

Bas and Liska grunted in pain as shards of stray metal embedded themselves into their skin. But, they didn't dare make any more noise than that.

"Ha. The idiot probably thinks my goal is to attack the other three strong holds and that I was using the Earth Tower as a distraction. As if I could plan something so unoriginal and bland."

Let them put all their strength into defending their 'strongholds'. By the time they look up, it'll be too late. The Epistemic Tower and all its secrets will be mine."

Dyon grunted as Ri gently lowered him to the bed. He would need a few more hours before he was in perfect shape. Although he had melded together grandmaster level pills, it seemed the energy the young man had used was quite special…

"You're such an idiot." Ri said for what must have been the millionth time. Her hands flashed with blue as she spun spatial transference arrays into existence to help Dyon take his clothes off in the least painful way.

"Hmph." Dyon tried to roll over in defiance, but the stinging pain in his torso made him change his mind. "What kind of man sneak attacks a woman. He's as good as dead."

Ri flicked Dyon's forehead, "He's too powerful for you, don't be stupid. He didn't put everything into his attack because it was only meant to divert our attention from him killing Commander Draven."

Ri giggled at Dyon's antics. She fully understood he was only pretending to take this lightly. An event like today to someone like Dyon was very much etched into his psyche. Fairness, age, background… These were all irrelevant things to him. In Dyon's mind, there shouldn't be anything in this world able to catch him off-guard, and the fact something had was grating on his nerves.

Gently pulling Dyon's clothes from him, Ri knelt on the bed and kissed Dyon's forehead, "We'll take him down together, okay? Who told him it was okay to hurt my man?"

Ri smiled, lost in her own world as she kneaded Dyon's tight muscles, trying to ignore the pain in her heart from seeing the horrid bruises on his torso.

Dyon nodded. Each God level Clan had a specific tower they usually gravitated toward protecting. The reason for this was because each tower usually had quirks and tendencies of their own, despite their overall unpredictability. As a result, many had towers they had gotten used to the oddities of, thus making them more comfortable under those conditions. For the elves, it just happened to be Lotus Tower.

In terms of the key towers themselves, there were a total of nine. Other than the Earth Tower and Gautama Tower, which were both at opposing ends of the gate, the Epistemic Tower was found directly in the middle of the two. The remaining six towers were left three to each side of that midline connecting the Earth, Gautama and Epistemic Towers.

In the end, it was an asymmetrical arrangement that resulted in four towers being closer to either side, with the Epistemic Tower being placed directly in the center of everything, oddly connecting it all.

"I would love to be part of a world where I didn't have to scheme and hide anything, but unfortunately, that's just not possible." Dyon always instinctively put up concealment arrays when he and Ri were alone, and this time was no different. "Especially when we consider the caliber of enemy we're dealing with right now…"

Ri nodded, "His movements odd, but also oddly planned. The reasons behind them seem obvious, but it also seems that it was designed that way intentionally. I don't have any idea what his motives are."

"I can't claim to know either. I only have some guesses." Dyon winced a bit as Ri's hands glided over a particularly sore spot. "What I can say is that the memories I took from the Vice Commanders and Liska had nothing to do with this gate being an Ancient Game."

Dyon shook his head, "It is. I'm about 80% sure that it is. But, that's only something I figured out learning about how they crossed the gate without losing their massive beasts."

A pensive looked appeared on Ri's face, "So… He wants us to think that his focus is to attack the other three towers by not fainting, by actually doing it. All while his goal is something else."

This was clearly a test run. And it was a test run that served two purposes. The first was to pull all of their most powerful members back to the Earth Tower. This was executed perfectly because of how painfully easy it was to scout an attack directed toward Earth Tower. After all, there was only one entrance. By making it obvious that Earth Tower was about to be attacked by the very powerful Scaled Elephants, the campaign heads would have no choice but to pull back.

The second purpose was as an actual test run. How else would they know if their method of traversing the gates worked unless they tried it? But, it was very important that this test run be to Earth Tower, or else it would slow down the timing of everything else. Completing two steps in one was most efficient.

To any outside observer, that was it. The opposing universe wanted to attack the three gates while their best defenders were away. But, anyone who thought that would have missed one important fact: The fact the innate aurora wielder had come personally.

This wouldn't have been a point worth bringing up if it had only been Bas and Liska, but, the very fact a young man who had spent so many years diligently hiding his identity would come out just for this even after watching the Phantus get decimated with no sign of stepping in? Something else was going on.

But, even that wouldn't have been enough for them to assume this was a ploy. It would have only been enough to raise an eyebrow. However, what Ri was banking on was what Dyon had taken from the memories of the Vice Commanders and Liska. Memories he still had yet to say a truthful word about.

Dyon grinned, "I can't ignore the needs of my little feu glace just because of a little pain, can I? Or else that umbrella guy wins. I can't let that happen."

Dyon rolled in the bed trying to use the endless pillows to comfort himself in Ri's absence. "From the memories, I could tell that there's something very important he's keeping them in the dark about. Actually, I don't even think he's trying to keep it all that secret, he just enjoys looking down on his subordinates."

"The key towers must all be connected somehow. After all, the main thing we know about them is the fact when all of them are controlled by a singular universe, you can change its fundamental laws."

"Also true. Lotus Tower has odd patterns, but, we've gotten used to it over time from what I understand. When I asked Akash about why we stick to specific gates, she said the other towers were different and not worth the excessive danger necessary to learn about them."

Dyon nodded, he had thought as much before as well. "From what I see, the Phantus' pride was used against them to get them to voluntarily take such a dangerous mission. After Madeleine completely embarrassed them, they felt he need for revenge and redemption. But, I think there was also a second reason they were used. And it likely has to do with their earth will affinity."

"That was just an interesting connection I thought of. I have no idea if it's true." Dyon chuckled to himself. "However, what is true is the fact that Liska's memories noted the idea that the guy she calls Alidor chose the Phantus for this attack because of their will specialties."

A sudden realization hit Ri. "That… Someone who would have an innate aurora must be extremely intelligent. But, choosing the Phantus would look like a clear lapse in judgement to anyone. Afterall, the only reason we suspected something was going on behind the scenes was because of their massive scaled elephants. Had they attacked without those scaled beasts, there wouldn't have been much to speculate about at all."

"Exactly. The choice of using the Phantus was two-fold. One, the might of the scaled elephants forced everyone back here. And second, it was to learn more about the Tower. And the only reason they would feel a need to learn more about a tower with such a stable environment – "

And yet, they were both protected by an overly complex Ancient Game that we could only get through with what essentially amounted to an ex dao formation level puppet."

The more Ri thought about what Dyon said, the more she realized how right he was. If it wasn't for the puppet, they would have died. And, other than the puppet itself, even the True Empath was such an enigmatic existence that it, in and of itself, was already a cheat.

"What I think is that someone – anyone, who has the ability to tunnel a hole between two universes, stabilize it, and have it still live on to this day, is an existence we can't fathom. And I also think that those existences aren't singular in nature."

Ri thought for a bit, "There are 10,000 universes left if we take Elwing's word at face value. Even if we assume every universe has only 5 gates like ours, you're saying there are 50,000 legacies of such a ridiculous level?"

"Probably not. I just think that if we put together the clues about how many secrets this universe holds, maybe we lucked into those legacies. I'm not saying other universes won't have legacies within theirs, but I doubt it'll be of the level of ours."

There's the fact people don't seem to like that I'm from the mortal realm. There's the fact that, according to my master's memories, the Earth expanded millions of time from its original size. And there's the weirdness surrounding the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect and their connection with the Daiyu clan.

Then compile that with the legend of the phoenixes, their wars, and Amethyst?... Something big happened in this universe. Something bigger than people are willing to talk about."

Dyon winced as Ri poked his torso to remind him how much power she held over him right now. But much to her exasperation, Dyon didn't back down. "And then, after I do that, I'll go show that Alidor bastard that I know damn well his goal is the Epistemic Tower."

Also, I won't be able to post a chapter tomorrow because poor me has a midterm at 9am (est) so I can't write the night before like I usually do. >.<

Ri stood beside Dyon, frowning as well. They were riding in a vessel pulled by Grimbold family beasts on their way to Lotus Tower. Since the gate would be stable for a few more days on their long journey, Dyon had decided it would be best to begin cultivating the Elvin Ancient family singularity techniques. But, when he flashed into his spatial ring, he immediately felt a connection he shouldn't have… A connection to Little Black!

Dyon sighed, he didn't want to get angry with his little brother and sister, but they really did something unforgivable this time. It was much too dangerous for them to be here, and the situation was much too complex for him to take them away now.

He immediately guessed that Little Black used their mental connection to enter the ring, but he was confused about how they pulled this off without him noticing. Did it have something to do with Little Lyla? 'Fuck!'

Little Lyla looked up at Dyon with watery eyes. She could tell that Dyon was really bothered by this, but she couldn't explain the way she felt about things. Sometimes she just got urges, and something was telling her she had to come no matter what.

"Big Brother, it's not Zaire's fault. I asked him to take me. I can't explain it, but you have to take me with you. There's something very important I have to help you with."

In the end, Dyon could only accept this. Even Little Lyla couldn't explain how she felt or how her abilities worked, how could he expect a tangible explanation? But, that didn't mean he didn't have a few guesses… most of which led back to the fact there was something different about the tower this time. And it was likely because someone had finally started playing the game properly…

In front of him sat three tomes, each with its own oddities and quirks, but all equally as ancient. These were, of course, the tomes of the Acacia, Mathilde, and Florence ancient families.

Dyon had already read through all three books. In fact, he had memorized them all the way through as well. The problem was deciding which one to start with. Although he had every intention of going through all three, right now what he needed was the most useful one.

There was little to say in terms of the quality of the techniques. Even just thinking about their various possible applications would have any cultivation savvy individual drooling.

The Mathilde family was a warring family, quite similar to the Grimbold family. However, there was no doubt that their manifestations… there was simply no comparing the two.

The manifestation of the Mathilde family was known as the Asura's Imperial Eye. It gave its wielder an immediate boost in combat power. This involved predicting the attacks of an opponent, seeing through their weakest points, and even executing psychic attacks that depended on one's soul strength.

From just these points alone, Dyon could think of a myriad of applications. If he used the eye to see through attacks, he could pinpoint the best areas to utilize his celestial will in order to cripple attacks. This was something he thought he would need much more experience to do effectively within real battle situations, but, it seemed this manifestation would allow him to bypass the need for experience to a fairly large extent.

Then there was the idea of predicting the movements of an opponent. This was of course not something you would be able to do directly from the start of a battle in cases where the Asura Imperial Eye wasn't cultivated to a powerful enough extent. In the beginning stages of the eye, a time period would be needed wherein the eye's wielder would have to exchange enough rounds with their opponents before the eye could see through the opponent effectively.

However, once the eye reached a certain level, and the opponent was within the range of the wielder's cultivation, then seeing through the opponent without even exchanging a single punch was very much possible.

That being said, maybe the most interesting part of the Asura Imperial Eye was its psychic attacks – attacks that directly correlated to killing intent…

Essentially, once one chose the path of the Asura Imperial Eye, you were going down another path of cultivation. A path that included killing and warring without end. A path you only took another step forward on when you killed.

'Imagine that…' Thought Dyon to himself, 'You don't only strengthen the imperial eye by increasing your own cultivation… The more you kill, the stronger it becomes too.'

Dyon was exactly right, for every person he killed, their animosity, hatred, and pain would become a part of his power. But, that wasn't all. Maybe the most enigmatic thing about the Mathilde family manifestation was its ability to steal the will of those you killed.

For every genius Dyon crushed, their future goodwill would become his. For every young master he snuffed out of existence, their destiny would become his.

That being said… Dyon still wasn't convinced that the Mathilde Manifestation was the one he should begin with. Because, believe it or not, the other two lost out in no way.

The next tome Dyon read was the Florence family singularity technique. At first, he had thought its abilities were relatively straight forward. But, the more he thought about it, the more he shivered at the possible applications.

The technique itself was simple: cloning. However, this cloning was far beyond what a normal clone would entail. This technique allowed you to create doubles of yourself with, according to Dyon's opinion, negligible handicaps.

The beginning stages of the technique were fairly tame. You had the ability to create a clone that matched up to 75% of yourself once every other day. This clone lasted a week. You could create two clones that were the equivalent of 50% of yourself a day, and these clones lasted two weeks. The last caveat was that you could create near limitless number of clones that were the equivalent of 10% of yourself. Just like the first two clone types, this was also capped by your soul power, but, because you could make hundreds at Dyon's soul strength, he didn't bother calculating the actual number.

It was clear from this alone, that the amount of soul strength needed to create clones that matched up to a larger and larger percentages of yourself, required exponentially increasing amounts of soul strength.

'It seems that this technique also allows you to supplement it went outside sources… That way, you can increase the time the clone is sustained for.'

However, that was easier said than done. The technique itself was already heaven defying. To then find spiritual items able to improve it was a tall task. But… the thought of making the perfect clone was really tempting to Dyon.

That aside, although the idea behind the manifestation was simple, the things Dyon read about how the Florence family used it opened his eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.

Ri had once said that she had never seen humanoid manifestations before, but that was because the only ones ever to exist were destroyed with the disappearance of the Florence family. This was because creating clones was only one aspect of the Florence family singularity technique. The main ability of the technique was to create multiple humanoid manifestations!

By cultivating multiple manifestation, each tailored to a different will, the Florence family was able to boost their affinity in learning different wills. Because of this, the technique was split into hundreds of variations, each meant to cultivate another aspect or quirk of a will. For example, the Florence family sword will manifestation, although Dyon didn't need it, essentially gave the same boosts to them that Dyon's Weapon's Hall gave him! The only limit to the Florence family was the talent of the wielders of the technique. Theoretically, you could master hundreds of manifestations over time and gain an affinity for every will in existence!

The only other thing that limited the Florence family was finding proper catalysts. Something that could range from killing an expert with the matching affinity, to stumbling upon an abyssal core, to absorbing blood essences to fuel the technique.

In the Florence family history, it wasn't unprecedented for their strongest elders to master tens of variations on their technique, in the end becoming masters of that many wills. However, this was hardly what made the Florence family the most impressive. They quite literally had the ability to speed up their cultivation exponentially simply by using their clones!

Clones at the 10% level didn't have the ability cultivate because they didn't retain enough talent to do so. However, clones of 50% and 75%, were very much able to do so.

Clones of the 75% level were the quickest in terms of cultivation, far outstripping those of the 50% level. As a result, they were the most efficient in terms of improving one's cultivation. After a week, the clone would be reabsorbed, and their experience would become yours. But, the most poignant point was that your cultivation would increase by the amount theirs did!

As for 50% clones, their use, according to Dyon's calculations, most efficiently lay in learning techniques and gaining experience in manipulating wills.

The only handicap, aside from the speed reduction in learning and cultivating of the clones, was the fact that what they could do, whether that be in cultivating or learning techniques, could not be related to the soul. Meaning, you couldn't use the clones to cultivate a soul type technique or cultivate your soul in general.

To Dyon, this made sense. After all, melding together improvements into your body or energy was easy. However, the soul was a much more delicate construct. In addition, the technique itself was being sustained by soul type cultivation. Therefore, it didn't make sense if you could power it with your soul while also powering up your soul.

The best part was that none of what Dyon had thought of even considered the applications the Florence Singularity technique would have in battle. Imagine having another, maybe even another two or three, minds connected perfectly with yourself in battle. The coordination would be immaculate. And what if you combined that with the Asura Imperial Eye? Staring down your opponent from multiple angles? What could possibly escape your attention in such a situation.

In addition, although you would experience the death of your clone as though you had died, you wouldn't feel the pain. As long as you could leap over the mental hurdle of the feeling of death, your clone could be the perfect exploration equipment. Which was most likely the perfect use for a 10% clone.

In the end, the technique was ultimately broken down into two portions. The first was the manifestation. The ability to create humanoid manifestations with specified affinities that then boosted the user's ability to use said wills.

The second, was the cloning ability. To essentially create clones that could speed up your body and energy cultivation, fight along side you, and learn techniques along side you as well!

However, what surprised Dyon even more, was that even with how amazing these two singularity techniques were… in the end, he knew he could still end up choosing the Acacia Family Singularity Technique.

It wasn't that the Acacia Family Singularity Technique was so much better than the other two. It was only that in consideration of Dyon's circumstances, their technique happened to be perfect for him.

When Dyon had first met Ri, she had told him that her father's manifestation was mist. At first, Dyon had attached this to Uncle Acacia because he hadn't been aware of her origins at the time.

But, something was wrong. Did Ri mean that the King had a mist type manifestation? But, according to his knowledge, King Acacia was the first of the Acacia family to awaken their original manifestation in millennia. Yet, the Acacia family technique wasn't mist… It was a manifestation they called: The Tree of Life and Death.

When Dyon told Ri about this, she too was confused. According to her knowledge, her father's manifestation was indeed mist. She hadn't been lying to Dyon at the time. However, as they thought about it, they settled on another possibility. King Acacia had the Tree of Life and Death manifestation, but, chose to use illusory type techniques to hide it, to the point where only Sinaht Sigebryht was aware of its true form. And the more Dyon read about the technique, the more he realized just why someone would want to do that.

The problem with Dyon's devour technique was that it was only a short-range stamina booster, and it only did so for his soul – completely ignoring his body's fatigue and the eventual energy cultivation fatigue he would have.

Imagine hundreds of roots spreading through the ground of a battlefield, wrapping themselves around unsuspecting victims and becoming the fuel for Dyon's continued fighting. Yet, what made Dyon shake with agitation was the fact that the original weakness of the technique was that it couldn't replenish the soul while it replenished your body and energy. Meaning, you were essentially trading your soul strength for body and energy strength. However, how could Dyon have this problem if he used Devour simultaneously? Both techniques completely and perfectly complimented each other!

The best part was that this wasn't the end of the abilities of the Tree of Life and Death. Not only did it have the ability to steal energy and stamina from people, it could do so from the surroundings as well. Meaning, even in the absence of people susceptible to the roots of this manifestation, Dyon could pull energy from the air and earth at a much quicker rate than he would be able to normally.

This also had the added effects of making the Tree of Life and Death manifestation highly sensitive to concentrations of energy. Which may very well be useful in a myriad of applications. However, there was one thing that stood out to Dyon about this ability…

Being able to take energy from the air much quicker didn't just apply for battle, it applied for cultivating as well! Meaning, if Dyon cultivated this singularity type technique, regardless of his talent for energy cultivating, he could increase his pace at absorbing energy exponentially by using the Tree! All he would have to do was lay energy stones around himself, and his rate of absorption would accelerate! Even without energy stones, his energy cultivation speed would be nearly unmatched!

'What if I used clones at the same time…' The possible combinations of these techniques were endless. It made Dyon almost not want to choose.

'Fuck it.' Dyon thought wildly. 'I'm going to learn the Florence cloning technique first, create a 75% clone, then use it to cultivate the Mathilde family singularity technique. After I create the clone, I'll use my main body to cultivate the Acacia family technique since it's more important to me.'

The clone technique was only one aspect of the Florence family technique and as such would take a shorter time to learn than the entire technique would. In terms of the second aspect, he had already decided to use the Florence family technique to increase his affinity for certain things, and he knew the perfect catalysts.

Dyon planned to drain himself of the blood essence given to him by his master and her husband. Using them as a catalyst, he'd trade off the ability to increase his body strength further in order to gain perfect affinity the wills he was lacking in… Especially celestial and demonic will. Therefore, the remaining 69% of blood essence he hadn't fully integrated, would go toward the Florence family technique. He would then rely on solely integrating the demon sage blood to body cultivate. After all, it was far more powerful than the demon qilin or celestial deer essence.

'This works out perfect. I get to keep my bodily strength at the peak of the manifestation stage and still gain the benefits of my master and her husband's affinities. Although… it will probably be painful removing the blood from myself despite it not being fully integrated…'

Ri rolled her eyes, "I knew you'd end up doing that anyway. Remember to be careful, the techniques are powerful, but there's a reason for that. They're not easy to cultivate… What do you think about the Acacia family technique?"

Dyon paused for a moment, "It's amazing. I didn't even think about it before, but this technique benefits more than just the person using it. While it can improve my stamina and healing, I can technically divert the energy I absorb as well. Meaning, I could heal our entire army if take in enough energy."

Dyon immediately knew what Ri was thinking about, so, he pulled her into his lap, holding her quietly and stroking her long blue-silver hair. "Your father is very powerful, little feu glace. It's to the point where I doubt he left because he lost his mind."

Ri nodded silently, letting Dyon comfort her. It was clear why she was bothered. They had figured out long ago that it was likely Ri's father had this exact manifestation… So how could someone so powerful, with so many abilities, just disappear? Although Dyon didn't want to say anything because it might only make it worse, it was likely King Acacia had left due to Ri's mother.

A kitsune was a supreme level beast. In fact, it was a supreme level beast so powerful that it lorded over other supreme level beasts. How could the background of Ri's mother be simple? It was likely King Acacia was fighting a difficult battle all by himself right now. And Ri wanted nothing more than to help him.

"When we find them, Ri. Because, trust me, we will. I'll put my everything into bringing them both back. I want to carry half of your burden too."

"Ah, ah, ah. I better never hear words like thank you from, ever! Okay?" Dyon playfully held his finger to Ri's lips, silencing her as she giggled lightly.

These information dump type chapters are about as close to Dyon's training arcs as you're going to get from me at this point, LMAO. I hope this was still interesting to you guys though, I really liked fleshing out the different techniques – and I especially liked how when combined, they became something entirely, and almost too, OP

Also, remember these tomes aren't only important for Dyon. He plans on allowing those talented enough in his army to practice them too. So, understanding the scope of the abilities of Dyon's army is part of the reason this was important too

I believe that I'll soon be slowing down uploads to favor my patrons a bit. I think it's time I give them something more beneficial than just chapters I give everyone for free anyway, lol

2 Chapters a day for 5$ patrons >> Equivalent of 30 additional chapters a month = 36k additional words per month in comparison to free readers

3/4 Chapters a day for 10$ patrons >> Equivalent of 60/90 additional chapters a month = 72k-108k additional words per month in comparison to free readers.

For example, if you don't join for the month of Feb, and instead don't join until March, your 5$ (or 10$), will only be worth 30 (or 60-90) additional chapters from where the free readers are currently. If you want to be caught up to where the original patrons are, you will have to pay as much as they have.

**************Almost forgot one thing. WN free readers will have the opportunity to gain bonus chapters based on their voting. I'll release the details for that later, but, be sure to help RMW rank highly if you want bonus chapters! :)

Ri watched silently as two Dyon's sat face to face. One was completely emotionless while the other grit his teeth and clenched his jaw in clear pain.

At the onset, a large flower bloomed into existence, reminiscent of the family's namesake. After a certain period of time corresponding to the quality of the clone, a time which amounted to about ten minutes for the 75% clone, and next to no time at all for a 10% one, a naked clone would appear.

However, the problem stemmed from the fact that everything the clone experienced, would be weighed unto you as well. Which meant, the pain of the singularity technique was something Dyon was feeling two-fold right now.

There was the grating and cold killing intent of the Mathilde family technique all combined with the corrosion effects of the Tree of Life and Death.

Ri wanted to say something, anything, to stop him. But, she knew it would be useless. Whether Dyon verbally agreed to letting her carry half the burden or not, his actions spoke to something different.

'No. I can't think like that.' Ri shook her head vigorously. Dyon was working hard so that he could live up to promises he made to himself, her and Madeleine. So, if Ri wanted to carry half of Dyon's burden, that meant she had to work hard enough to do so.

Cultivation was complicated… Although the singularity techniques were technically classified as body cultivation methods at the peak of the divine level, they manifested themselves as soul technique in the end. This meant that after suffering through the body cultivation portion of the technique, one had to rely on their soul talent to utilize the technique.

This was exactly the reason why Dyon was so excited about the Acacia family technique and the increase it would have on his energy cultivation talent. He didn't need to worry about whether he was talented enough or not, because he knew his soul cultivation talent was unmatched. And, because his soul cultivation talent was so great, it would boost the effectiveness of the Acacia family manifestation, thus comparatively increasing his energy cultivation talent.

However, Ri's talent didn't lie in soul cultivation. As half a beast, much of her prowess laid in the power of her body and her ability to quickly learn wills. This meant that although she could withstand the body cultivation portions of the techniques much better than Dyon could, she would still struggle with manifesting the technique in a soul form.

Only someone with an innate soul as powerful as Dyon's could even think about using all three techniques at once… To sustain a clone, the Tree of Life and Death, and the Asura's Imperial Eye at the same time would put such a strain on your soul that it would kill any normal person. This was why although Ri was worried about Dyon practicing all three techniques, she allowed it because she knew he was taking a calculated risk.

Thinking back to how much strain Dyon's own manifestations put on his body the first time he learned to use them, anyone would think Dyon was insane to even attempt this. However, something was telling Ri that the very fact Dyon survived his own manifestations, was the very reason these ancient singularity techniques might be well within his talent to master. After all, how could a humanoid manifestation so domineering and a weapon's hall literally able to manifest any weapon be simple? It might really be the case that manifesting these ancient manifestations would be easier on Dyon's soul.

'I guess my future husband is pretty amazing?' Ri smiled bitterly as she watched Dyon's handsome face twist in pain. 'Alright. Let's do this.'

Many days later, Dyon's facial features had finally calmed from their initial pain. In fact, they had also become decidedly more handsome under the tempering his body underwent with Elvin bloodlines.

Because of the nature of the techniques, their body cultivation portions were split into tiers based on what one's soul could handle. Essentially, you should only practice the body cultivation portions up to the point the manifestation would be within the realms of your soul to handle, while also keeping it within the realms of what your body could handle.

Therefore, although Dyon's soul could sustain an essence gathering level manifestation, because his body was only at the peak of the meridian formation stage, he could only cultivate up until that point.

However, that didn't mean that the techniques themselves would only be effective against those of that level. After all, they could be combined and stacked. In addition, because Dyon's soul was so much more powerful than the manifestations, he could use them nearly without bounds.

For example, the Tree of Life and Death, because it was stifled at the peak of the meridian formation stage, could normally only kill and take the power of those at that level. But, since Dyon's soul strength was way above that, he could use it more efficiently and freely. Imagine Dyon's soul like a cup and the manifestation like the water within it. Then think of the act of drinking the water as the action Dyon would like to take with the manifestation. Isn't it much easier to drink from a cup that partially filled as opposed to one filled to the brim?

So, instead of being able to take maybe one life at a time, Dyon could take tens if not hundreds of lives at once – as long as they were within the meridian formation stage that is.

The Mathilde family technique was different though. Because it opened up a new path of cultivation, essentially meaning more killing meant it became more powerful, it wasn't barred off by Dyon's body cultivation limits. Its technique was more reminiscent of awakening an aurora. In fact, because it was an eye as well, the methods were quite eerily similar.

When awakening an aurora, you would only need to make an initial connection to begin. Afterwards, you would then pile resources into it to awaken it more. The Mathilde manifestation was very much like this. You initially body cultivated to manifest the eye, but then it was sustained by the soul and the murder path.

In typical fashion, the Florence family technique was slightly different as well. In fact, it melded aspects of the Mathilde and Acacia family techniques.

For example, the strength of the clone's body was directly correlated to Dyon's body and limited as such. Therefore, Dyon's 75% clone was only worth about 75% of the strength of a peak meridian formation body. This meant it was only about as strong, body wise, as an upper mid meridian formation expert.

However, the humanoid manifestation Dyon created using his master's essence as a catalyst, were just as powerful as his soul. In fact, they had room to grow along side his soul until he reached the strength of his master. Therefore, he wouldn't have to find a replacement catalyst for his celestial and demonic will until he surpassed his master and her husband. This was perfect!

His Celestial Will, although he still needed to work on control, had finally broken through the 6th layer barrier and enter the 8th level. His demonic will had entered the 9th level, likely because the demon sage essence was also supplementing its progress along side the demon qilin manifestation. And yet, despite the increase of those two, Dyon was likely the happiest about this increase in his crystal will to the 8th level. This would allow him to be more attuned to changes in the gates… it could quite literally be the difference between life and death.

Dyon jumped off the bed silently, looking at his clone's back, 'I'll leave 0.1% of the demon sage's blood in you for you to integrate slowly for me.' Since there was no point in the clone trying to continue cultivating the Mathilde family technique with no one to kill, Dyon thought of giving him another task.

Dyon shivered, not liking the light in Ri's eyes. "Beat me up? How could I let my woman beat me? Do you have any idea how many of my friends from the mortal realm would laugh at me for something like that?"

Ri pouted, "I didn't know I was going to marry such a misogynist. Maybe when I meet these friends of yours I should beat some sense into them after I do you first."

"You're much too happy about this." Dyon looked around. They stood in a field quite a distance away from the tents. It was fairly late at night now and a moon hung in the sky of the spatial world. Dyon didn't really know how that worked, but, he assumed that the spatial world was literally exactly that: another world. It just happened to be held in another space.

Ri grinned, "I began energy cultivating after you awakened my faith seed. But, because you passed out before you could tell me about celestial will, I had to practically restart from the beginning of meridian formation stage. So, you're lucky. I'll only beat you up a little bit."

Dyon cringed when he realized how right Ri was. She had probably realized her meridians matured with the awakening of her god constitution and faith seed, but her meridians were still quite impure without celestial will. If Dyon hadn't passed out before he could pass on celestial will to her, she wouldn't have had to start tempering her meridians again from the beginning.

'Oh God, what did I get myself into.' Dyon wasn't even really all that familiar with hand to hand combat in the martial world, he only had some self-defence training from the human world. However, those techniques were tailored toward fighting against an opponent that was more powerful… Little did Dyon know he'd have to use it against a girl, let alone his own fiancée who was at least a head and half shorter than him.

Amidst Dyon's thoughts, Ri's faith seed bloomed, her blue-silver tails ripping out and into the world through the spatial transference array Dyon had equipped to the back of her sweat pants.

Dyon smiled, crouching into a ready stance. His shirtless torso flexed, his muscles twitching, knowing fully well he had to be on his A-game. Dyon was well aware that he couldn't have beaten Bas as easily as Ri did. So, if he trained with Ri like this, it would only prove to make him better.

"First act, First stage demon emperor's will: perfection." Dyon's body reddened, the wiggling of his muscles becoming more pronounced. 'Time to see how effective the Mathilde family manifestation is.'

Dyon's eyes flashed with red as he watched Ri's small fist rage toward him. And yet, from the outside, it looked very different. It was as though Dyon's eyes became to bottomless pits of endless black.

Dyon sent the back of his palm toward Ri's approaching fist, letting it flow by him as he sent his elbow toward her. He wasn't thinking about who Ri was to him right now, all he saw was an enemy.

Ri smiled to herself, impressed with Dyon's reaction, but, her tails weren't sitting idly. Two immediately collided with Dyon's incoming elbow, sending him flying backwards.

Wings burst from Dyon's back as he stabilized himself in the air, 'Her tails have almost the same effect as Celestial will… They purify attacks?'

Dyon had coated his fist with wind will, but it seemed like it was completely thwarted by Ri's tails, 'Maybe this is why my demonic will never worked on her…'

Dyon swerved in the air, narrowly dodging many of them and seeing through opening in Ri's attacks using the asura imperial eye. 'I have to get closer. Ri still doesn't have full grasp of her kitsune abilities, I'll probably have to take advantage of that.'

Massive flowers began blooming around Dyon. Some of them were immediately destroyed by Ri's onslaught, forcing Dyon to wince in pain as he felt the deaths of each one of the 10% clones.

Dyon dove downwards, rushing toward Ri to prevent her from killing off any more of his clones. "You're quite beautiful when you fight." Dyon said with a wide grin on his face.

Dyon grinned. "All's fair in love and war, no?" Dyon immediately took advantage of Ri getting lost in his soul attack, he didn't want to use the full brunt of it, so, he had no choice but to make her slip up.

Ri's palm slammed against Dyon's chest with a satisfying thud, sending him flying away. 'Wait, what?' Ri looked confused before her eyes widened, 'That wasn't his chest!'

Taking advantage of Ri's soul cultivation weakness, Dyon was able to sneak in a devour attack. It wouldn't effect her too much because he wasn't willing to hurt her, but, the small distraction was all he needed.

Ri stared at Dyon's hand, her hair blowing back viciously before the wind finally settled down. She could only sigh, "Just go ahead and tell me how you did it."

"Simple really, you forgot about my clones. The defensive arrays I drew were only distractions from the concealment arrays I also drew. I didn't want you to be alert to it, so I hid it.

Then they just snuck up behind you and held your tails just as I attacked. They're not strong enough to hold your tails for long, but, just a small delay is all I needed.

"Count past nine?" Dyon's eyes widened with a sudden realization, looking up he found Ri's tenth tail hovering above him, "That's just not fair…"

Ri smiled, "My sixth sense picked something up at the last minute so I tried to dodge it. Because you timed it so well, only one of my tails escaped. So, I pretended to be caught so you wouldn't notice. This is a draw, don't you think?"

Everything was perfect in that moment. Despite their fatigue from the days of endless training, they still felt like for that instant, it was just the two of them. No worries, no tomorrow to think of, and no wars to fight in.

Well, there's the end of that training arc… Looks like either Alidor made a move or the gates are wildin out… or…. Maybe both? 😊 I have something pretty cool planned for tomorrow's chapters. Stay tuned!

The result will be calculated at the end of the week (10:59am (est) Sunday, every week). If the goals are met, then on that very day, the bonus chapters will be added.

This way, free readers have a chance to gain bonus chapters by doing their part to help RMW. However, patreon will always be your best bet for extra chapters. 😊

Feeling the trembling Dyon sighed. He was already at half mast, but it seemed he wouldn't get the chance to do anything this time. Planting a soft kiss on Ri's lips, he set her down.

They immediately appeared inside a shaking vessel. It was meant to be a luxurious cabin pulled along by Grimbold family beasts, but right now, it couldn't have been further from that.

The roof was completely torn off, revealing a dark and still darkening sky. Endless cyclones whipped about, kicking up the dust of the grey roads and drowning out the roars of the white tigers.

Hundreds of beasts were pulling vessels were crossing what looked like plains, except for the fact there was no tall grass to be seen. Endless grey flatlands stretched out and in the far distance, you could see what looked like a massive lotus.

'That must be Lotus Tower.' Although Dyon had been prepared for the landscape, he was still a bit off put by the fact a lotus wasn't surrounded by lush greenery, but instead what smelt and looked like death.

This wasn't Dyon's first run-in with death qi. Back at Focus Academy, the pools of energy they sacrificed their students to form was laced with it. If Dyon was forced to absorb this energy, he'd end up in an even worse situation than he was back then, even with his aurora being much stronger.

"It must be Lotus Tower," said Ri from the floor of the vessel. She looked off to the distance tower, shaken by how similar it was to Ice Petal's Dance and even the present Dyon had given her for her birthday.

Although Dyon rarely referred to his wills as qi, that was what they were. When wills manifested themselves as a sword blade, or a wind cyclone, or Dyon's dripping demonic will, as some examples, they took the form of energies of their own that you could call qi.

Dyon shook his head, now wasn't the time to be thinking of gaining catalysts for the Florence family technique. He had to help make sure the casualties were kept to a minimum, especially when it came to his army.

Snapping his head to get a good look around, it seemed they weren't doing too badly. Members of the Nodin major family were being directed by Akash, their main specialty? Wind will.

Almost illusory in make, the Nodin family manifestation was actually wings made of wind. The only sign that they actually appeared was the swirling air behind them and the vicious fluttering of their long light green hair.

Much like every other major family, their tier of talent decided the power their manifestation would hold. Therefore, the weakest among them had one pair of wings, whereas the strongest had three.

'This isn't how you should do it…' Dyon's brows scrunched together. The Nodin family was trying to, for lack of a better explanation, 'untwirl' the cyclones… but that was borderline idiotic.

Trying to spin the wind in the opposite direction would just waste unnecessary energy. A fact that was being proven because it took hundreds of Nodin family members to tackle a single cyclone before they moved on to the next, 'Fuck. Don't these people read books?'

"I can't let this continue." Not wanting to overstep his bounds, Dyon began to secretly send messages to Akash. This way should could maintain her air as a commander.

The plan was simple. Cyclones, and formations of the like, were usually the most powerful above warm water. In addition, they were formed by low pressure systems. However, it was obvious that there was no water here, and yet the cyclone was still raging, therefore what was driving it was either death qi or the low pressure. In the end, Dyon decided that it was likely both.

The first to move was the Aedre family. They specialized in water will, and as such, the souls manifested as rivers – which, of course, meant that the length of the river denoted their talent.

Those that specialized in ice type wills as a branch of their techniques stepped forward, joining hands to create a gush of ice water that coated the ground. Beads of sweat poured down their faces as they pushed themselves to limit. Although they didn't lower the temperature nearly as much as Dyon had against the scaled elephants, they did their job.

Then came the Sigebryht family. Dyon had long since studied their manifestation, but this was the first time he was seeing it in action. And it was truly a sight to behold…

Akash and Zaltarish leapt to the grey ground along with their family members, spreading out their arms in unison as they began to flow a deep red.

Depending on talent, the Sigebryht could form these blood red seals over their life time and slowly learn to control more. They looked almost like complex arrays, blotting out the skies domineeringly.

Almost immediately, the grey ground changed to a healthier brown – if you looked closely, you could even see the faint hints of green as well. The Sigebryht family had sealed the death qi!

'I don't know if they can keep this up for long… The next phase needs to be executed quickly.' Dyon stood tall, his brows creased in concentration, ready to step in should it not work out.

Instead of trying to change the direction of the winds, they instead flew high into the sky to begin sending compact bursts of air into the eye of the storm.

And that was that. With the stifling of the death qi, the storm had little else to sustain itself when the cold ground and high pressure bursts of wind were taken into account. The plan and execution were quite simply perfect.

Soon, the storm was completely and cleanly eliminated. Aside from a few injured beasts and bruised foot soldiers, the problems were miniscule.

Dyon sighed in relief, settling back down into the vessel. They'd be at Lotus Tower soon, so it was unlikely to matter that he and Ri had lost their roof.

Unlike the Earth Tower, the surroundings of this area were completely barren except for defensive structures that took the form of ditches, walls, and spikes. This of course made sense, although there were a few lookout stations in the distance, the idea of keeping large amounts of people outside when there was no battle was much too dangerous.

In fact, the death qi was a lot of what dealt with the defense of the tower. The only reason the Elvin Troops made it here safely was because of the laws of the tower, or, more specifically, the laws the tower allowed you to control when you gained ownership of it.

The possessors of the Lotus Tower, although they were subject to the same dangerous storms as everyone else, also had the ability to ignore the death qi and the troubles brought along with it. Which meant that although the territory was flat, ownership of the tower itself was like an ultimate defense in and of itself.

In the end, attackers would have to spend undo energy constantly purging themselves of death qi while they attacked. All while the defenders only had to hold out for longer. The only real problem for the defenders were the storms. But, they had learned a new method of dealing with that thanks to Dyon.

Lush gardens filled the space as green grasses coated the entirety of the floor. It was more like entering a new world as opposed to entering a building.

"Tell me, Dyon. Is there a human world profession that specializes in storms?" Akash asked eagerly, hoping to pick Dyon's brain about a few things.

Dyon smiled, "There is now that I think about it. A lot of their job is about predicting storms and the weather based on patterns and data. You could say that a lot of what I know about storms is because their profession exists, yes."

Akash nodded enthusiastically, listening as Dyon spoke about the human world. But then she froze, suddenly thinking of something. "We all need to be aware that the Elves aren't the only ones who defend this tower." She said seriously.

Dyon nodded. It made sense. After all, there were so many clans and sects yet only 3 towers worth defending. It was a truly rare case that the earth tower was ever attacked, and much the same went for the Guatama Tower. Why? Because you could see attacks toward them coming from a mile away. If you didn't have all of your forces trained on the attack, it simply didn't make sense to attack at all. This was a large part of the reason the Phantus clan's attack was so surprising. Not only did they bring their beasts across the unpredictable lands of the gates, they had also decided to attack with such a small group!

The Royal God Clan and Sicarius family usually remained posted at Earth Tower unless they leveraged an attack. The Ragnor Clan took hold of Rod Tower along with the Cavositas clan. The Pakal clan held onto the Looming Tower along with the Sapientia clan. And the Elves had Lotus Tower along with the Niveus sect…

Soon, the elves sat across from the Niveus sect members in an uncomfortable silence. Oddly enough, some miscellaneous sects were also in attendance, after all, it wasn't just the god clans who participated in the campaigns.

But, maybe not so fortunately, those miscellaneous sect members were part of the big sects Dyon despised so much. Although Hashim and Lehabim didn't dare look Dyon in the eyes anymore, much to Orbis' amusement, their presence was still a stain on an already annoying situation.

Dyon had tried to see if Eli's older sister, Venus, was here. But, it seemed like she decided to forego the experience. Also, Dyon hadn't even bothered to search for Eli because he was very clear on the fact that he was much too weak to join the campaigns just yet. He was probably focused on his gardening right about now – the thought of which brought a smile to Dyon's face, much to Evelyn's irritation.

'Mocking me? We'll see how you mock me when you learn who my future husband is.' Evelyn snorted in her heart. She was a cold and calculating individual despite the warm outer appearance she displayed most of the time. To her, her virginity was only a card to play to gain power. What she lost initially would be given back to her many fold. All she needed to do was be patient. 'When he comes back, you're dead. Enjoy walking around with that hypocritical smile for now.'

Despite Evelyn's silent warning, Dyon didn't seem aware of any changes. In fact, he was quite busy quietly chatting away with Ri, letting Akash take the reigns.

"We should speak about what our tactics will be for this campaign. Who will defend. Who will attack. And when we'll do each." Akash, finally finished gathering her thoughts, began to speak.

"I thought I told you to tread lightly when it came to my little sister? Did you not take enough notes? Do you need a repeat lesson?" Dyon looked up from his conversation with Ri, staring daggers at a now flustered Evelyn.

It was no secret that the Saeclum clan, due to their soul cultivation speciality and their unique techniques, were the prime scouters for not just Rod Tower, but every tower. The fact there were no reports, and yet something was clearly happening now could only mean one thing: they hadn't reported it on purpose.

Evelyn turned an angry gaze toward Dyon. After her interaction with him, she had done her due diligence in delving into his background. As such, his run-ins with the Saeclum and Ragnor clans weren't secrets to her now.

"How fantastic. Now we can't trust our intelligence because you think you can go around being arrogant wherever you want. Didn't you think of your actions ever having consequences?" Evelyn said angrily. Although she hated Dyon to the core, her reasons for being angry, at least right now, seemed valid to her and the Niveus sect members.

Hundreds of thousands of soldiers raged toward Lotus Tower. But, it shouldn't be possible to move such large amounts of troops all together. Even without the Saeclum clan they should have detected this. And aside from that, there was no explanation for how all of them survived!

Dyon took a deep breath feeling Ri's hand slip into his. This Alidor had been planning this for a long time, Dyon had only just stepped into the mix. Although he had thwarted the first part of Alidor's plan, a true genius wouldn't crumble after one setback. It seemed a great battle was about to begin.

The rumbling of their footsteps, the clouds of grey and black dust, even the raging noise of their war drums and bestial cries were like a cacophonic prelude to a bloody battle.

Soon, they were close enough for Dyon to see two familiar figures floating above them in the skies, 'Bas and Liska…' Does that mean he's here? Why would he be here? 'No. That's not it.'

Dyon's mind was working on overdrive. The Elvin and Niveus armies were still scrambling within the tower to get ready, and even Dyon's army was caught unaware. 'What a nice game you've played Saeclum clan. I'll remember this.'

"Ri, I'm about to test out something really dangerous. I need you to remember that as long as you feel my celestial will in you, I'm alive. Alright?"

Dyon looked over to Ri. Right now, it was just the two of them in front of an army of almost a million. And yet, on their side, they may have amounted to twenty thousand. Twenty thousand who weren't even properly prepared.

The armies inside the Lotus Tower were starting to rush out, but could twenty thousand really fight against this many? Even with the advantage of the death qi?

Bas and Liska stood proudly in the air, looking down at Dyon and Ri with disdain. It was finally time for their revenge. Few in their lives had ever disrespected them as much as Dyon and Ri had, so, it was about time they died.

"Remember what I said, little feu glace. Your man won't die so easily. The demon generals will protect you. Command them well. I'll be back before you know it."

Before Ri could reach out to stop Dyon, he had already flashed away from her, his footsteps carrying him to a position right between the approaching army and the scrambling Lotus alliance.

Dyon's humanoid manifestation burst into being, looming over the approaching army with malice as Dyon's soul stage raged into the peak of the sixth stage.

A massive tree made of obsidian appeared behind Dyon's humanoid manifestation, spreading out its roots hundreds of meters outward before digging into the ground.

Dyon was in a world of his own. The approaching army continued to charge forward, their bestial natures not in the least afraid of Dyon's display of power.

Behind him, Ri watched with tears in her eyes as more and more of the Lotus alliance armies rushed out of the tower an into awkward formations. The only relatively organized army was Dyon and Ri's, and that was only because the demon generals had instinctively followed Dyon's orders and were already thinking of Ri as their commander.

Dyon grit his teeth as he spread the roots of the tree to the max, "You're supposed to be good at finding energy sources, right? WELL FIND ME A WEAK POINT! NOW!"

Blood spilled from Dyon as wounds began to open up on his body. The strain of pushing his manifestations so far was getting to him. The roots had already passed the kilometer mark!

The earth shook violently, even the sky looked like it was falling as booming thunder seemed to want to strike Dyon down for blaspheming the gate.

'Kiss my ass.' Dyon looked at the sky defiantly, not regretting his actions in the least as the ground split apart, raging toward the coming army.

Just as he had expected, the space around towers were special and had added protection. As a result, the cracks didn't even reach within half a kilometer of them, but, that didn't stop the cracks from engulfing portions of the oncoming army.

Screams that seemed to come straight from the depths of hell itself filled the battle field. Skin cracked and blistered, eyes bulged and popped, bones crumbled under their own weight… Death qi was truly menacing.

Dyon watched in the sky, panting heavily. It was impossible for him to escape these death qi surges, a wall of death qi had already surrounded him… he could only vaguely see Ri's worried expression through the endless black. Worst part was, he could tell that the game was already repairing itself, clearly prepared for cases like this – meaning he couldn't take the whole enemy army with him.

'I can't just stand still and wait.' Thought Dyon. 'I need to take advantage of this crack and hide in space…' The only way to deal with a flaw in this game was to use the flaw to his advantage.

"NO!" Ri shook violently as she watched Dyon dive down into the crack. She wanted to break down, but she suddenly felt Arios' strong hand squeeze her shoulder.

Ri looked back with tears twinkling in her eyes. A hundred demon generals. Nine hundred Elvin orphans. Each and every one with determined expressions on their faces as they watched Dyon take out half of an army of nearly a million by himself.

Aeson watched from a distance as Ri wiped her tears. He could only clench his fists in anger. Anger at himself being so useless. He felt it should be him sacrificing for Ri. And yet, Dyon did it so easily – without even a second thought. 'You have my respect…' Aeson thought quietly. Steeling himself in preparation for the battle ahead.

In the distance, Bas and Liska could only watch as half of their army disappeared. Once standing at almost a million, they had less than four hundred thousand now. How would they even explain such a loss? Could they blame it on the death qi? Many of those they lost were part of their very own beast clans!

Liska suddenly giggled, causing Bas to look toward her. "Husband, why are you so agitated. Sure, we lost many. But, isn't four hundred thousand still twenty times more than twenty thousand? We'll crush them just the same. And, if we follow Master Guatama's plan, the death qi won't even affect us anymore! What is there to be worried about."

Seeing Bas still had a worried expression, Liska gently stroked his crotch, tippy toeing to coo in his ear. "I'll even let you have me and the fox girl at the same time. Doesn't that sound like something my king would want?"

Yikes…. Welp… Let's hope Dyon isn't going to get lost in time and space like Arios did? That's all I got in terms of comfort for you guys 😊

The result will be calculated at the end of the week (10:59am (est) Sunday, every week). If the goals are met, then on that very day, the bonus chapters will be added.

This way, free readers have a chance to gain bonus chapters by doing their part to help RMW. However, ******* will always be your best bet for extra chapters. 😊

In the distance, the oncoming army was scrambling to reorganize themselves. Dyon had not only halved their numbers, he had also bought the Lotus alliance some time.

Moments later, Ri's demeanor had completely changed as she stepped out of the array. Her tears had dried and her tails rested calmly on the grey ground.

"Campaign head Akash and Evelyn. Our tactics are the best chance we have in this battle, but it's impossible to win this with tactics alone. So, Dyon implemented a plan for this specific situation.

In reality, much of their numbers were made up by the Elves. The Niveus Sect women were maybe about 30% of them. In fact, much of the reason they even chose to defend this tower was because it was the most out of the way of where the perceived 'action' would be. Normally, Rod and Looming Tower were the first to be attacked because they were much closer to Guatama and the other towers of the opposing universe. The fact Lotus Tower was being attacked before word of an attack on Rod and Looming was truly baffling.

Evelyn said nothing to Ri's words because they were true. Evelyn had no way of knowing Dyon was still alive because she didn't have the celestial will in her Ri did, all she knew was that hundreds of thousands had died in a blaze of death qi and Dyon was likely one of them. But, she hadn't even gotten an opportunity to feel happy about it because her life was now in danger.

Ri looked away. Evelyn's attitude wasn't the best, but it would have to do for now. But, an itching feeling was gripping at her heart. Whether she knew Dyon was alive or not was irrelevant… Whether she'd ever see him again was a completely different question. Ri had heard of Arios' story. What if Dyon got lost in time like he did?...

'Wait…' Ri's eyebrows shot up in a faint shock when she noticed Delia walk standing on the front lines along with the rest of the army. Ri wanted to say something, but when she noticed Delia's trembling hands being clenched so tightly that blood fell to the ground, she held back. Some decisions were left up to the individual. Ri was burying her pain by throwing all of her emotions into this coming battle, what right did she have to say Delia couldn't do the same?

In the human world, the power dynamics between people were much more balanced by intelligence than it was in the martial world. As such, wars weren't always decided by who was the bigger country or who had the larger army. In fact, it often wasn't even decided by who had the best technology. Why else would countries as large as America spend years with no clear victories against supposedly third world countries?

Although Dyon didn't study military tactics, he ingrained very specific philosophies within himself. It wasn't that human world tactics were useless or that his felt his thoughts were so far above that of veterans, it was that he knew human world tactics wouldn't take into account the nuanced differences between it and the martial world.

Dyon knew that trying to win solely based on tactics was impossible. Why else would he evenly spread his demon generals as he did? He was fully aware that without enough power, everything would crumble.

Why did his formations work so well? Because of power. Why did he crush the scaled elephants? Because of power. What was going to get the Lotus alliance out of this situation? Power.

If you want to protect your families. If you want to leave this universe and go home. If you want to move on to better and brighter things. I'm telling you that the way you think isn't enough.

Hundreds of thousands of array plates crumbled to dust as layers of peak manifestation layer formations appeared in a maze of concealment formations. Dyon's army moved in odd patterns, and yet were also symbiotic as they weaved a labyrinth of endless complexities.

Bas and Liska stood in the skies. They had been directing their reorganization and were just about to charge, but this change of events was really too shocking.

Ri slowly stood out herself, prepared to battle. The face of a handsome and fearless young man flashed in her mind as she took a deep breath, gripping her sword. 'Let me carry half.'

Dyon's plan was simple. In a situation where the numbers had them at the severe disadvantage, that was also the situation where their most powerful members would have the greatest effect.

However, at the same time, it was also when weaker members could completely destroy the morale of their allies, something that was already a scarcity in a situation like this.

Therefore, the answer was to maximise the use of your most powerful members while also minimizing the casualties suffered among your weakest members. And with that idea, the idea for this formation was conceived.

The arrays formed a complex maze with their defensive formations. This maze was then immediately covered up with concealment arrays, increasing the difficulty of breaching the formation.

However, the best part of the formation were the pockets of enemies the opposing army would find inside. Even as Ri charged forward with the demon generals, a determined looking steeling her features, the members of the Elvin Kingdom and Niveus sect were organizing themselves within the mazed formation, completely prepared for any enemy breaches.

And that was exactly the point. The most powerful members of the Lotus Alliance would fight freely, sowing discord and anarchy within the armies of the opponents, not allowing them time to form a cohesive plan for approaching the formation. Or, better yet, not allowing them too much time to analyze the formation at all.

However, maybe the most important part of this formation was the teleportation arrays Dyon drew for the vanguard. It was impossible to expect the demon generals to fight without fatigue or injury. Thus, at the center of the maze was a teleportation array connected to the hundreds of array plates Dyon spread among the demon generals and Ri.

The idea of drawing enough teleportation arrays with only a week was an impossible feat. Therefore, Dyon came up with a short cut. He drew two master level teleportation stations, then connected much simpler teleportation arrays to it. That way, the simpler teleportation arrays could use the much more robust teleportation station to support their instant teleportation to it. Therefore, whenever the vanguard tired, they could instantly retreat to the center of the maze to recover by crushing the array plate.

And thus, the Gorilla's Den formation was born. The epitome of guerrilla warfare matched with the fierceness of a gorilla. It was the perfect combination of tactics and power. One that was only meant to be used when their backs were truly against the wall…

Would they win? Ri had no idea. But, she also knew that she would give it her all. Dyon had for all intents and purposes sacrificed himself for the sake of them. She would be damned if she couldn't do at least that much.

With that last thought, Ri burst into the disarrayed beast army. Their bestial cries sounding off as her tails whipped them away and sliced through their scales.

Ri knew her soul couldn't sustain the Tree of Life and Death for long because she hadn't learned devour like Dyon. In fact, even if Dyon gave her the technique, Ri had no idea how long it would take her to learn because her soul wasn't as talented as Dyon's. It would most likely take at least half a year for her to grasp the first stage of the first act of the technique. Therefore, there was no time now. She could only reserve the Acacia family technique as a final resort. As a final burst of power to help their survival.

But, Ri put thoughts of such a situation to the back of her mind, instead focusing on hacking apart her enemies as her essence energy flowed to replenish her depleting strength.

The beast army itself seemed to be mostly made of meridian formation warriors. This made sense, after all, the most powerful members of Earth were at Rod and Looming tower, why would they invest their essence gathering experts at a seemingly weak tower? They had planned for three faith seeds. Caedlum's, Vidar's and Thor's. Ri was a complete anomaly, who would think that another faith seed was hiding within the Elvin Kingdom?

For one, Ri wasn't anywhere near as proficient with her faith seed. If she was, how would Bas ever think his bloodline could compare? In fact, how could the scaled elephants even think of attacking her? The bloodline suppression they'd experience would be akin to an ant facing the queen of all beasts. Secondly, Ri was much younger and had weaker cultivation than the other three. Although Caedlum was around her and Dyon's age, he had also been aware of his faith seed for much longer. So, Alidor decided to use numbers against Ri, focusing his essence gathering experts elsewhere.

All of these thoughts ran through Ri's head as she forged deeper and deeper into the beast army. 'I'll have to thank you for underestimating me. Just this once.'

Bas and Liska watched this scene leisurely. Although their auroras weren't powerful enough to see through Dyon's concealment, they still had the numbers on their side. Ri was much too powerful for them to attack head on, so, they'd just wait for her to tire out. Wasn't that the easiest way? Too bad they weren't aware that if Ri ever felt overwhelmed she would pull out…

But, the problem was Ri herself…. Despite her serene and murderously focused aura as she sliced her way through the subordinates of the Basilisks, her heart was shattering. Her every strike held her everything, she had no concept of biding time, she wasn't fighting smartly, and her stamina was being drained much quicker than she was aware…

All she could think of was whether or not she'd ever see Dyon again. Was he stuck hundreds of years in the past? Was he even able to get out of the spatial traps? What if Dyon's death was in the future and thus didn't affect his celestial will in the past? What if he was already dead then?...

On a planet far from Earth, Madeleine had entered a gate along with a Sapientia family main branch and the Belmont prince. But, not everything was going so well right now.

They were attacking a Tower of the opposing universe, a universe that happened to be the exact same one Dyon and Ri were currently dealing with. However, the problem was instead of facing an innate aurora genius, they were facing the geniuses of a King God Clan!

Fatigue was washing over Madeleine. Her beautiful features were coated in a sheen of sweat as her long flowing purple dress fluttered in the wind. Dyon's gift to her hovered in the air, sending onslaught after onslaught of music will at the army of approaching enemies.

Prince Belmont fought in the skies, the true picture of ferocity. His eyes were blue and red much like his younger brother, but, they were oddly much closer to purple than Elwing's had been.

Prince Belmont said nothing as raging ice and fire will combusted around him. He had never faced a King God Clan before, and the mere fact this planet had survived attacks from such a powerful god clan was enough for him to respect them. But, right now was his own time to shine. But… his opponent wasn't simple.

Long golden hair flowed in the wind as he clashed with Prince Belmont again and again. However, probably his most striking feature was the large golden eye on his forehead. He seemed to see through everything, predicting the prince's attack and thwarting them.

Maybe what was most frustrating was the odd energy Mekhi used. It was free flowing, yet enigmatic. In fact, it was an energy that Dyon would have without a doubt recognized as eerily similar to the one Alidor Gautama had attacked him with!

"You shouldn't be distracted by a woman in a situation like this. A son of a King God Clan is playing with you and you're worried about what's in your pants? Don't worry, I'll satisfy her just fine after we're done here."

Prince Belmont didn't seem to have a reaction to Mekhi's words. Yet, his response was simple. "King God Clan? You're a mere third son. Since when would I be afraid of such a thing…"

However, just as Prince Belmont was about to attack, a violent eruption coursed through the earth. And the result, was something completely unexpected… A temple was raising from the ground!

If Mekhi had been paying attention, he would have noticed the complete lack of surprise on the prince's face. If he was even the slightest bit intelligent, he would have also connected that to the fact the prince didn't seem to have been trying at all, even against him, a genius of a King God Clan. And thus, he would have figured out one very important thing… The prince knew this was coming.

She had matured a lot since the last time she had seen Dyon. Her curves were more pronounced, and her beauty was all the more exceptional. But, maybe her most drastic change was her power. Without anyone even realizing, the first in line genius they saw for nothing other than her beauty and virginity had already burst into the essence gathering stage!

The only reason she was reaching her limits while fighting such weak opponents was because she was constantly protecting her supposed 'body guards'. She didn't have the heart to let them fend for themselves, so she constantly played revitalizing tunes in the midst of her attacks. She just wasn't the type to allow others to risk their life for her.

But, things were getting bad… The temple had appeared for a few hours now and yet it wasn't allowing anyone in, but this was only making the situation worse for Madeleine and her allies. Because the more time passed… The more members of the King God Clan gathered…

Prince Belmont had disappeared from sight. Madeleine thought that something had happened to him, causing them to be separated. But, little did she know that this was a calculated move. Prince Belmont had decided that what was in the temple, was far more valuable than gaining Madeleine's favor…

Just like that, two fiancées faced armies many times their size and strength with little but themselves to rely on. And maybe the worst part? Right now, trapped in the endless darkness of a space locked area of the ancient game, Dyon watched the both of them… floating with twinkles of grey and black surrounding him.

He watched as they gasped for breath. He watched as their beautiful countenances twisted in pain. He watched as they fought with their everything.

On one side was a spatial jump to Madeleine. She fought the King God Clan, protecting her family with all of her strength. On the other side was a spatial jump to Ri. Her stamina was quickly depleting as she cut down beast after beast. All Dyon had to do was choose, and he would eliminate their burden.

Enter one, then enter the other? Impossible. He would be completely sealed off as soon as he chose. He would have to tear a hole in the game again and hope to run into such a one in a million situation again. How could it be repeatable to happen to run into spatial portals to his two fiancées?

The result will be calculated at the end of the week (10:59am (est) Sunday, every week). If the goals are met, then on that very day, the bonus chapters will be added.

This way, free readers have a chance to gain bonus chapters by doing their part to help RMW. However, ******* will always be your best bet for extra chapters. 😊

Dyon's heart pounded. He was quickly reaching the limit of his stamina. If he let up on distorting space around him for even a second, he would lose consciousness and likely be torn apart.

Without thinking much, he took out the damaged stone puppet. He had been so distracted by this decision he hadn't even stopped to think that he could make use of his puppets since he was outside the confines of the ancient game now.

But, the relief on Dyon's stamina did little to ease the endless tension he was feeling… He didn't even take notice of the drastic changes the stone puppet had undergone.

All he could see was the pain of his fiancées. He could only watch as Ri's beautiful blue silver tails became dyed in red. He could only watch as Madeleine's lips dripped in blood as she pushed her stamina beyond her breaking point. He could only watch… Too distraught to make a choice…

Alidor sat atop a scaled elephant silently as they crushed their way through a dense green forest. His sister was beside him, and about ten warriors sat behind them. But, he was completely focused. His eyes were in a perpetual state of gold as he constantly scanned their surroundings, changing the direction of the beast seemingly without rhyme or reason.

Noticing her elder brother's lack of a response, Keara sighed. "I know you're not satisfied with being an auxiliary branch family to the Uidah family, but that doesn't mean I think it's okay for you to risk your life like that."

The truth was that Alidor had been hiding his abilities as an innate aurora wielder since his birth as he secretly accumulated allies. He always used Bas and Liska as his proxies because he had no intention of revealing his plans until he was powerful enough. But, the more he studied the gates, the more his mind brightened to another possibility.

Alidor ignored his younger sister's words. "I received a report earlier that said it's likely Earth's innate aurora wielder died. This works to our advantage."

Keara, being used to her brother's antics, listened silently. Whether she could understand what he meant was one thing but asking Alidor for a full explanation was about the most difficult thing in the world.

But, in typical Alidor fashion, Keara got no explanation. Alidor simply raised his hand to his face, causing a flash of gold to appear. An instant later, it was as though he was a completely different person… a person that was the exact copy of Dyon.

Alidor didn't seem to get the joke. "I don't know whether he's alive or dead. All that matters is that he's no longer on the battlefield, so his appearance is useful to me."

A teasing expression colored Keara's features. "I heard from Bas and Liska that you insulted him. You never care enough to insult people. Did he get under your skin?" Keara playfully poked at Alidor's shoulder, a bit happy to see her brother display an emotion other than cold determination.

Although Alidor was inwardly stunned by his sister's question, he didn't show it. But, that didn't mean he didn't have a moment of self-reflection.

What Keara didn't know was that that moment wasn't the only time he acted out of character that day. Not only did he insult Dyon, he had done so twice. And that was on top of injuring Bas and Liska. Did he get angry because the first step of his plan had failed? Was it because Dyon might very well be his match? Was it because something was telling him that there was no way Dyon died so easily?

Moments of confusion for Alidor had always been rare. And moments of losing control of himself were even rarer. Ruling with fear was completely idiotic by his calculations. He'd never do something so stupid. Bas and Liska followed him willingly, not because he forced them.

Keara grinned. Alidor may have thought his face remained neutral, but Keara was quite adept at reading her elder brother. "Maybe if he's alive you should be friends."

"Don't be stupid. I attacked his woman and insulted. And even if I hadn't, I don't need friends. I need subordinates. If he's willing to do that, then he can call himself whatever he wants."

Keara giggled. "This is the most amount of words you've ever spent on a single thing, let along a single person. And plus, you attacked his woman as a distraction. Also, this is war. No one is safe just because they're a woman."

Sighing, Keara grabbed onto her elder brother's arm. Truthfully, she was much too young to be in the gates right now. She was only about twelve, but Alidor was convinced that this was the safest place for them. They had been using the gate's cultivation cap to their advantage for years now. Often, the only people Keara had to talk to were her brother or Bas and Liska.

"So, you understand what it means to not be rational? Interesting." Keara pondered a bit. "Make me a tall blond with a massive chest and plump butt, oki?" Keara giggled lightly to herself as her brother completely ignored her, instead only slightly changing her features.

The Epistemic Tower was so tall that she had no way of seeing its peak. In fact, it was almost like a black rod stabbed into the ground. The outside was completely smooth and without blemish – even to the point that Keara could see no doors, windows or openings.

But, that wasn't the most shocking thing. The forest ended not in a plain leading to the tower, but instead a sheer cliff! The ground around the Epistemic Tower was a deep depression that continued at least half a mile down.

That's right. The Epistemic Tower was in a pit with a diameter that was at least fifty kilometers. There was no opening, no obvious way to reach it… and the worst part? The spatial fluctuations were so violent that you could hear loud tearing noises rip apart the air. Seemingly innocent twinkles of silver and black appeared covered almost every inch of the pit. And it was clear to any observer that even the slightest touch from such a thing would only end in death…

A young man with bronze skin sat with massive buddha prayer beads hanging around his neck. He wore loose and baggy pants with twisted rope a foot thick wrapped around his waist and ending as a bow to his back. Dyon would have recognized these as the ceremonial ropes of sumo wrestlers in the human world, known as shimenawa.

A faint dark gold energy emanated off of him as he was carried on a throne by four bald monks. And yet, despite monk-like attire, the young man had a long head of golden hair.

Every so often on their journey, one of the throne bearers would fall victim to a fluctuation in space, having them instantly be replaced by another among the hundreds trekking through the dense forest. Yet, the changes in space seemed to have absolutely no effect on the young man as he continued to sit completely oblivious to the deaths of his men.

Over the past few months, a lot of odd occurrences had been happening at this gate. Usually, he didn't even bother attacking this weak universe.

As a King God Clan lead universe, they had many more universes to deal with than just this one. And those universes had much more glory involved in their conquering. So, why would he as a first son, come here to play? This universe was something best left to their inferior clans and sects.

But, that didn't mean he didn't pay attention to the happenings of this universe. The odd movements of the Basilisks and Phantus were especially eye-catching. In fact, it had become so obvious recently that the first son was almost sure that someone was leading him here on purpose.

The Uidah family was truly a special one. They had rules over their universe for millennia and weren't far from becoming an Emperor God Clan. Because of this, the first son decided to play this little game. After all, if this ended in their family winning this gate, wouldn't they be able to invade the last universe they need to reach an all new level?

The scale of such a clan wasn't something Dyon could imagine as of now. Where as the Royal God Clan of Earth had their most powerful experts peak at the third to fourth level of the celestial, a King God Clan so close to becoming an Emperor God Clan without a doubt had a lower dao formation expert! They were simply incomparable!

Because of the way gates were designed, especially with their cultivation caps, the sons of the Uidah King God Clan were ranked based on their cultivation. Beginning with the meridian formation stage, five sons were chosen. The first son here today, was the first son of the meridian formation stage – Kaeghan Uidah.

The simple fact was a ranked son of the essence gathering level would never waste their time on such a shit universe. In Kaeghan's view, even a peak essence gathering expert from this place was no match for him.

This was truly confusing to Kaeghan. Even within the Uidah family, there were only two faith seeds currently since the others had yet to be reincarnated into their chosen geniuses. In fact, Kaeghan wasn't one of them. Only the Essence Gathering and Saint first sons had faith seeds, much to his irritation. The idea of such a weak universe having three, even to the point of them being concentrated on the same planet, was grating of Kaeghan's nerves. So, his first thought was to steal them.

But, he wasn't stupid. A family capable of fostering a faith seed to be passed on was definitely not one the Uidah family could take lightly. It was likely that the families had sent branch families to this universe for one reason or another, and it just so happened that the offspring of the branch families manifested their faith seeds. This meant that although the Uidah family could hinder those branch family members from making their way back to their main clans, stealing the faith seeds would lead to a concerted effort for war… Much more focused and poignant than normal campaigns.

If such a high-ranking clan, or clans, decided to focus all of their best talents on the Uidah gates instead of spreading them out as they usually did… It would be trouble.

Kaeghan's head snapped toward his subordinate. In reality, it was the fifth son of the meridian formation stage, but he was little else than an ant in front of Kaeghan. "From our quadrant?..."

The fifth son nodded solemnly, a faint golden energy emanating off of him as well. "According to second daughter's information, we should be careful. They are the faith seeds of the Ragnor and Pakal clans…"

Kaeghan nodded solemnly. Because there were ten thousand remaining universes, they were split into quadrants which were made of a hundred universes each. In this quadrant, aside from the obvious Sapientia clans and the Uidah family, the other powerhouses were the Ragnor and Pakal Emperor God Clans…

Maybe if the faith seeds had been from a fellow King God Clan, it might have been worth the risk. After all, using the methods of the Uidah clan, there was always the possibility of tricking a clan of similar power. But, against clans with as much power and influence as the Ragnor and Pakal Clans? It was impossible.

In fact, the power disparity was to the point that the Uidah's information on those clans were severely outdated by several ten thousand years… There was the possibility that the range of those clans had surpassed that of an Emperor God Clan. It was much like the scope of information Earth had… If you don't have enough power, how could you afford to know such information? In fact, would knowing the information even matter to you?

Kaeghan immediately erased all thoughts of stealing their faith seeds. But, preventing them from reaching their main branches by boxing them off in this universe? Even kill them? Was no issue at all.

"Make a note, fifth son. In the future we'll be focusing on this universe a bit more. Not enough to alert anyone, but there's definitely a reason so many powerhouses are concentrated here. The Ragnor and Pakal clan didn't even bother to plant branch families in our universe, so why would they care about this one so much? There's something going on…"

Kaeghan nodded. Competition amongst sons never ended. Although he could be comfortable around fifth son because he was ranked so far below him, he still needed to be wary of third son and second daughter. Ranking directly correlated to resources, he had to ensure that he became the fifth son of the essence gathering level, and for that, he needed momentum, legacies, and power.

Kaeghan's blood boiled looking at the sleek black surface of the tower. "All signs point toward this place as what you're aiming for, right? Let's find out what you led me here for…"

Up until now, it had been half a day of Dyon relying on the celestial puppet to watch Madeleine and Ri battle. He had almost floated away from the portals many times, but he always forcefully stabilized himself. He felt the need to burn these images into his mind.

He had watched as Ri fought for hours at a time, not caring for her own wellbeing. In fact, there had been a few times that if it wasn't for the demon generals forcibly teleporting her away, she would have collapsed.

Then there was Madeleine. The temple had finally opened, but the battle raging for those who had the right to enter was just as fierce, leaving the Sapientia clan in an even tighter corner.

Dyon's heart wrenched with every cut and bruise his fiancées sustained, with every twist of pain that appeared on their beautiful faces… with every near-death experience they dodged…

At this point, patches of blood had dried over them both. Ri's blue-silver tails and armor were completely ruined. It wasn't even clear how often she had forcibly healed their breaks… Madeleine was fairing much better injury wise, but her fatigue had clearly reached its breaking point many times. If it wasn't for many of the Sapientia family using themselves as shields, it was likely her injuries would be even worse than Ri's

And yet, Dyon sat there and thought… it was even to the point where he questioned whether he should have even opened his heart up as much as he had. If he had closed it off and conformed to human world ideals, would this decision be so difficult?

But then he thought, even if he closed himself off to feelings fostering for Ri, would they really not appear? If Ri was just his friend instead of his fiancée, would the decision really be any easier?

Dyon had just spent the last more than half year of his life with Ri. They shared tears, pain, and victories. When he was in a coma, she took care of him everyday for months on end. Although she never brought it up, Dyon's heart broke thinking of all endless nights she must have spent wondering if he would ever wake up.

And then there was Madeleine, his first love. He had been attracted to her strength and beauty almost immediately. Imagine the level of will power someone had to have to believe their death was inevitable, and still remain kind and caring? And then the strength she displayed in choosing to live, in a martial world that told her there was honor in death, just so she could repay Dyon for his sacrifice.

The first thing Dyon did was take off his last wrist band, diligently crafting it to a necklace identical to Ri's before carefully placing it into a spatial ring.

Then, sitting on the shoulder of the puppet, he spread out thousands of profound stones before himself. Using the ability of the Tree of Life and Death, he proceeded to refine the stones into an easily usable form, perfect for replenishing stamina. Fruits of energy began forming on the branches of the obsidian tree, glowing in a dim gold before breaking off.

Then, the last thing he did was create two communication arrays. He poured his thoughts and feelings into both. In the end, he held both rings silently, knowing that this was the right thing to do.

Dyon's hands flashed as he coated both rings with celestial will. Circulating the Florence family technique, his winged humanoid figure appeared. Golden tattoos spread across his shirtless torso, boosting Dyon's celestial will to its peak.

"Big brother?" Little Lyla blinked, looking around confused. The dark space was something she had never experienced before. Suddenly, Little Lyla felt something was off, causing her to frown before a look of realization crossed her features.

On the battle field, Ri winced as she felt another blade slice at her tail. She was losing her stamina faster and faster with every rest session she took. What had surprised her though, was the fact none of the demon generals had even felt a need to rest. Maybe it was because they were more experienced with long, drawn out battles, or maybe their demon will made their bodies more robust in combination with their cultivation. Regardless, it was truly impressive.

Ri sighed, 'Will I really never see you again?...' Her heart ached for what seemed like the millionth time as the same thought resurfaced in her head again and again.

Suddenly, a blinding flash of light swept through the sky, appearing before Ri and not giving her a choice but to accept it slipping onto her finger.

Everyone looked stunned. Even the beast army leaped backward from Ri. The gates were too unpredictable to just ignore a random flash of light like that.

Watching such a she-devil cry in the middle of such a situation only caused everyone to pause all the more so. Even the demon generals had to surge forward to surround Ri and ensure she wouldn't be attacked in this state.

Away from that battle field, a similar scene was occurring in the midst of the Sapientia family. Tears streaked down Madeleine's cheeks as her hand lightly traced an elegant necklace that now graced her neck.

Following the directions of the little girl in his arms, Dyon absentmindedly mumbled to himself. "The Sacharro family doesn't lose. Take them for everything they have."

The result will be calculated at the end of the week (10:59am (est) Sunday, every week). If the goals are met, then on that very day, the bonus chapters will be added.

This way, free readers have a chance to gain bonus chapters by doing their part to help RMW. However, ******* will always be your best bet for extra chapters. 😊

Dyon sat silently on the shoulder of the puppet. He had finally calmed himself enough to think clearly, at least to some extent. So, he finally noticed its changes.

The stone was no longer anything of the sort. The puppet now had an obsidian sheen to it that was reminiscent of the Tree of the Life and Death. It made Dyon think that maybe he had misunderstood the makeup of the puppets. Were they connected to ancient singularity techniques?

If you thought about it, puppets that guarded the legacies of a race as powerful as the elves couldn't be simple. They had eroded to a point far past what Dyon could remedy currently, but, he'd slowly tease apart their secrets.

Every so often, Little Lyla would change their direction, but, most of the time, she played with Zaire who Dyon had brought out as well. After all, he couldn't just leave Little Black alone.

The world around them was pitched in absolute darkness. Except for the odd spatial portal, there was nothing but black. If it wasn't for the faint energy shield coming off of the puppet, they wouldn't be able to see anything. Well, that and they'd likely be torn apart by the spatial will.

'Arios likely fell into a situation like this. Maybe he ran out of stamina and couldn't protect himself anymore. That's likely why the demon sage had to save him… But, the question is, did the demon sage save him in this time, or another?'

This question was actually of utmost importance. If the demon sage saved Arios in this time, that would mean that it was the demon sage who brought them to a separate time.

'That doesn't make sense though. If the demon sage had such powerful time will, the situation with the Timeless Library would have never happened. After all, if he could just go back thousands of years on a whim, why would he have ever suffered a loss to his enemies?'

'No. There was definitely something more to this. If the demon sage wasn't the one to send Arios back, then it was this space. Which means, something, or someone here, is powerful enough to do something like that.'

Dyon smiled. This was about to get interesting. His heart had settled, and he was determined to let Madeleine and Ri carry burdens themselves. Many hours ago, he had already figured out a way to help both of them. All he had to do was enter one spatial portal, save either Madeleine or Ri, then tear a hole in the game again. With Little Lyla's help, it would only be a matter of time before he found his way to the right spatial portal…

But, he decided against it. At first, his mind was in too much turmoil to even think of that solution. However, the more he thought, the more he ran over what Madeleine and Ri told him again and again. They wanted to help him. That meant the only thing left for Dyon to do was to let them.

"Little Lyla, it's best if you go back with Zaire now. I'll bring you two back out when it's safe, okay?" Dyon's eyes trained on something that made even his spine drip in a cold sweat. It was a feeling he had never felt before… It was an insurmountable mountain.

Dyon knew before he asked Little Lyla for help that this game was built on an array, much like every other ancient game. But, what did that mean? Mulling over this thought he suddenly connected a few things.

The goal of an array is to literally manipulate the laws of a confined space. That confined space, in terms of its size, was determined by the power of the array.

Dyon had always likened arrays to writing code in the human world. Symbols were commands, thus meaning you used your aurora and soul as the ink or pixels of the words and numbers. Because of this logic, Dyon had always been able to simplify symbols to take shortcuts, something that experienced coders did all of the time. It was common knowledge amongst them that some forms of code and code language were always more efficient than others.

So, knowing this, what did it mean for Lotus Tower to have such dense sources of death qi? Or for the ancient game to be connected by so many spatial portals? Or for Arios to fall to a completely different time because of the game?

It was simple. That meant there was someone who wrote 'code' for some of the strongest representations of space, time and death Dyon had ever encountered… Or would likely ever encounter.

But, there was something else. What did it mean for someone to use an array to program changes in space, time or even death?... What did it mean for someone to be able to simulate a will to such a close extent that even Dyon, with his keen senses, mistook all of these spatial fluctuations as true space will?

It meant someone was writing the laws of the universe with their array alchemy. Someone who toyed with the concepts of reality as easily as breathing. Someone who had created the perfect representation of death before Dyon right now…

The truth was that when Dyon used his master and her husband's blood essence as a catalyst for the Florence family singularity technique, he had nearly died. The worst part was, he had almost died more than once.

Imagine taking the essence blood of creatures that were dao formation experts at their peak, and manipulating them into manifestations for yourself. Something like that wasn't easy. And yet, this death core was even worse than that!

Suddenly, Dyon thought of something. 'Abyssal Core?' If Ri had been here, she would have definitely rolled her eyes. How ridiculous was this logic? Using a name you made up to figure something out? Maybe only Dyon would risk something like this based on such flimsy logic.

Dyon knew this idea was stupid. Regardless of how many techniques he split it into, it was still himself that had to execute them. Even if he used a clone, the pain would be the same. But, that was the thing… The pain would be the same, but the death would be escaped!

Anyone who was in Dyon's mind would feel as though they were running around in a maze. In that instant, Dyon's deductions jumped around exactly like you'd expect from some with an innate aurora. Maybe even more-so considering Dyon's innate aurora was perfect.

Essentially, the idea of cores reminded Dyon that he didn't only have a single absorption and integration type technique. He had the Florence family technique to form a humanoid manifestation, but, at the same time, he had his Weapon's Hall abyssal cores.

But that was where things got odd. Sure, Dyon could absorb the abyssal cores of weapons, but there was clearly no weapon here. There was only death. But, wasn't there a weapon that existed to be the perfect amalgamation of death? What could be better to absorb this death core than a reaper's scythe?

Unfortunately, the wild ideas didn't stop… Dyon planned to experience death again and again and again… Until he fully absorbed the core. 10% clones couldn't cultivate or train soul techniques, but, being canon fodder for refining catalysts? They were perfect.

Maybe the wildest part, though, was that Dyon planned to do this for the space and time cores as well. However, he was fully aware that absorbing the death core would be much easier. Why? Because the death core was only meant to affect the area around Lotus Tower, it was meant to be a small part of the ancient game. That was why Dyon could even attempt this. But, the space and time cores connected every gate in existence, that used to exist, or would exist… It wasn't something Dyon would even want Little Lyla getting close to.

Therefore, although he had already decided to one day find those cores, today wasn't the day. Right now, he'd focus on integrating the epitome of death within himself.

Soon, he'd need to be a reaper. There were too many people who thought he was an easy target, that he was easy to deal with, that his friends and family were toys for their pleasure… As they say, 'you reap what you sow.'

In Madeleine's gate, the situation had completely flipped from earlier. Not only had Dyon's energy fruits given her a great boost, his words had relieved her heart of all burdens, giving her celestial will an unprecedented leap. The pure feeling that filled her being caused a smile as radiant as the stars in the sky to spread across her face. She had manifested her first intent!

It wasn't that the armies the Sapientia family faced didn't have essence gathering experts, it was just that the idea of someone comprehending an intent at the first essence gathering level was absolutely ridiculous.

An intent was the next level wills reached. But, the reason many didn't learn it so early was because an intent was what you needed in order to grasp saint energy. Normally, many who became saints might not even grasp an intent until they reached the peak of the essence gathering stage!

The most shocking part about intents were that they weren't just a power boost, they were a complete qualitative change. Madeleine's celestial will became like pillars of light smiting down enemies from the sky, completely erasing their attacks. And when Madeleine combined her intent with her music? The Sapientia army became nearly untouchable.

Many of the King God Clan shivered. Some even assumed someone had broken the rules of the gate and allowed a saint to enter. What other explanation could there be!?

But, Madeleine continued to play her lyre, her attacks focused and filled with purpose. Many who died by her hand couldn't even bring themselves to be angry. If such a beautiful goddess smites you, did you really deserve to live in the first place? Maybe she was right in wanting your death.

That said, the numbers disparity between the Sapientia and the opposing universe were simply too large. Although Madeleine had forced them to sustain major losses and had plenty of fruits to replenish herself, maybe there was another way…

Madeleine turned her gaze to the temple at her back. 'Maybe if we enter, there'll be another exit? The gates are odd, it's quite possible the temple is spatially connected to another place. Maybe this isn't even the only place this temple appeared?'

The temple itself was imposing. It had hundreds of massive pillars holding it up, but, what had to be the most striking was its color. A striking violet.

The ice purity path was a difficult one. In fact, it was so difficult that Ri's mother felt the need to leave behind part of her cultivation for Ri in the form of the cave's ice pool.

What Ri didn't know was that the ice purity path wasn't even the best path for her… Ri's mother was a kitsune as well, but, kitsune came in different forms. More specifically, the kitsune supreme beasts had thirteen faith seeds. And Ri's mother? Had the faith seed of the river kitsune – Kawa. However, Ri's mother had no idea that her daughter had a faith seed!

The reason was simple. Normally faith seeds were easily detectable by high ranking members of families that they originated from. However, Ri's faith seed had been in opposition with the god level constitution. If Ri had had a normal god level constitution, maybe her mother would have still sensed it. But, a top three god level constitution was already nearly comparable to the weakest faith seeds. So, Ri's mother had had no idea.

Which of the other twelve faith seeds did Ri have? Ri didn't know. But, what was clear was that Ri's affinity for ice purity was nowhere near her mother's, and yet, she had forced herself to learn all so that she could follow the same path as her mother. In the end, this was why Ri only knew four wills: wind, water, ice and sword.

Although using the term 'only' when referring to four wills seemed a bit ridiculous, for a wielder of a faith seed from a supreme beast clan, this was far too little… And it was all because Ri was trying to be someone she wasn't.

However, Dyon's words had broken a dam within her. It was as though she found an identity she didn't have to chase after. She wasn't chasing a missing father or mother, she wasn't trying to fill a void in her heart and she wasn't trying to keep a kingdom together. Right now, she was Ri. Ri Sacharro. She was herself and no one else.

Ri's hair blackened completely, fluttering in the wind wildly as her sword suddenly became sharper. Ri's tails followed suit, their blue-silver color become a jet-black.

Black-gold tattoos traces their way over her as her tails whipped out violently. Suddenly, Ri's every step seemed to take her tens of meters at a time. Her sword seemed to slice the very space, not even allowing flesh to bleed before it fell to the ground. In fact, Ri's beams of ice will no longer seemed to be of the purity path… they held nothing but a dense will for destruction. Black ice jetted out of them, piercing through everything in their path.

It suddenly became very clear to everyone why Ri's faith seed had conflicted with her god constitution… Elvin Queen's Reign was about elegance and purity, a path quite similar to celestial will. But, what Ri was displaying right now was an eerie darkness… a path that was the complete opposite.

If Ri's mother were here, she would know immediately what was going on. Ri's faith seed was one that hadn't appeared in hundreds of generations… The kitsune of the Void – Kukan.

Whenever one of his clones died, he felt everything they did. He felt their organs corrode. He felt their bones crumble to ashes. He felt their skin burn and mummify before ripping apart. And unfortunately, this was an inescapable fate for the clones.

And yet, with every death, Dyon's smile grew wider. Maybe it was a smile through gritted teeth, gritted teeth that had turned red with blood because of how tightly Dyon clenched them, but it was a smile nonetheless.

The faces of two beautiful women were all Dyon focused his thoughts on. He was sure that they were fighting hard right now, so, he could only do his part.

Behind Dyon, the black and blood red Weapon's Hall loomed, but its door was ajar as streams of death qi entered it with the death of every clone…

Dyon's humanoid manifestation was out as well, tattoos dripping in a black-grey aura etching their way onto its skin as Dyon melded more and more and the death humanoid manifestation with it like he had done with his master's manifestation and her husband's. After all, it would be a bit ridiculous to have tens of manifestations.

That being said, Dyon's soul was completely exhausted. Without anyone to use devour on, he had been sustaining hundreds of 10% clones for hours on end, and that was on top of dealing with death again and again…

But, what Dyon had yet to realize was that the fact he experienced death again and again was what truly made this death core his… His understanding of the concept was at such a level now that even without the affinity and power given by the Florence family technique and his abyssal core, he could very well learn death will to its peak now.

However, there was yet another thing that had escaped Dyon's notice. In his ring, neatly arranged among his important items, the 'ranking' tome had been glowing faintly with a black aura. When its pages flipped opened, it landed on the [dao of array alchemy] … but, the array was completely black now!

Dyon rushed through the forest, sprinting with a smile on his face. He had asked Lyla to help him stop by Ri and Madeleine's portals and it was safe to say he had little to worry about now.

In terms of the Lotus Alliance, it seemed as though the Gorilla's Den formation had been pierced through a few times, but, the vanguard had managed to hold out long enough for the formation to extend backwards.

Ri's new form had been a surprise to Dyon, but, he liked the idea of his fiancées getting stronger – something that was definitely true when he noticed Madeleine had learned her first intent.

On Madeleine's side of things, they had lasted long enough for reinforcements to come. Dyon didn't recognize the clans that supported Madeleine aside from the Sapientia clan, but it was enough for him to know they were her allies.

Because of the added support, Madeleine had decided to enter the temple – a place Dyon was sure had to be some sort of legacy. And… something was telling him that he could fully trust his Madeleine to benefit greatly.

Dyon grinned, leaping from branch to branch. His bare feet relished in the feeling of the damp wood and soft grass. But, he was constantly on guard. His eyes had not stopped shining gold since he entered this forest…

When he asked for Little Lyla for help in getting here, he had pictured coming to the Epistemic Tower. But, it was clear that Lyla had brought him to the closest portal possible, and yet, it was still this far away. So, the only explanation was that the spatial fluctuations were too fierce to form a portal any closer.

But, Dyon was much too happy to care. He was enjoying the free feeling of the wind flying past his shirtless torso and the comfort his sweat pants were giving him. Sure, his battle changpao was proper for when he was leading. But, right now, he preferred to be himself.

Suddenly thinking of something, massive flowers began blooming around Dyon. They were all a dull white color, characteristic of blooming 10% clones.

Soon, tens of Dyon's spread out, each going off to study the spatial rifts the littered the thick forest. 'I don't even want to think about how many spatial rifts I'd have to absorb to form a proper catalyst. But, that doesn't mean I can't use this to comprehend a new path for my spatial will…'

As of now, Dyon had comprehended two uses for his spatial will. The first was heavily connected to his celestial movement technique, and the second had to do with his gravity will – something he could only use when he combined his space and time will.

But, these spatial rifts were very different, and watching Ri fight had given him some inspiration. It was about time he learned an attack path for his spatial will.

Dyon could only laugh to himself when he thought of Ri. How Ri had learned spatial will when she hadn't known it before? The only explanation had to connect to her faith seed. It seemed his little feu glace had access to some interesting abilities. Especially since it didn't seem limited to just spatial will…

A serious expression flashed on Dyon's features as he became aware that the spatial distortions were becoming thicker and more frequent. 'I guess we're getting close.'

They had been forced to leave the scaled elephant in the forest, so, Alidor was carrying his sister on his back as he carefully swerved through what essentially amounted to an endless field of mines. Except these mines were among the most dangerous things in universe.

Alidor raised an eyebrow but continued calculating each of his movements. If it was just his life, he'd probably be moving much faster. But, he calculated the same problem and checked it over probably hundreds of times before making a move now. He wasn't willing to put his little sister at any risk.

It was also possible for him to use energy to stave off the spatial fluctuations like the first son had, but he wanted to maintain his peak stamina… A battle he couldn't afford to lose was coming up.

Kaeara pouted. "All of the books say to take Epistemic Tower last. If you had, none of these spatial fluctuations would even be here. So why are we going now?"

"It's because of this that we were able to bring the Scaled Elephants across to the Earth Tower side without losing them to weather or the other sporadic changes of the gate."

"I'm ignoring you. I don't like you. Hmph." Kaeara turned away, resting her cheek on Alidor's back instead of resting her chin on his shoulder.

Alidor didn't respond. He didn't like explaining things anyway. His mind worked much too quickly to slow down. It was something his sister complained a lot about, but he couldn't help it. Plus, he was too focused on making sure they didn't die now, because if who he was leaving a trail of crumbs for actually showed up, he needed to be at full strength. 'This is step one.'

Away from Alidor and his little sister, and a long time after they had that conversation, Dyon was still making his way through the forest. But, unlike Kaera, he was fully aware of what was going on.

Before Dyon had come to the gate, he was already aware of the fact the Epistemic Tower was always the last tower to be conquered. The reason for that went further than just leaving the hardest for last. After all, wouldn't it make the most sense to conquer something difficult while you have less towers to protect? If you tried to conquer a difficult tower, all while protect eight others, you'd only make it more difficult on yourself.

No. The reason the Epistemic Tower was always conquered last was because only when you controlled eight towers would you have enough control over the laws of this gate to turn off the spatial tears that littered the area. This was what make it worth it. Conquering Epistemic Tower would suddenly become manifold easier if you didn't have to worry about.

If you looked at the Epistemic Tower like a special area of a game that could only be properly accessed under the right conditions, wouldn't turning off the spatial fluctuations, despite being easier, force people to miss out on something great?

Originally, this had been Dyon's plan. When he was speaking to Ri on the day he awoke, he had already planned to do exactly what Alidor was doing now. He wanted to see what was different about the Epistemic Tower if you didn't turn off the spatial fluctuations. Why? Because weren't spatial fluctuations evidence of spatial distortion?... And weren't spatial distortions only prominent when there was a new plane to enter?

Much like the spatial pocket Dyon had just been in, or a legacy world opening, tears in space only meant one thing: there was a portal to another place. And considering how violent the fluctuations were, this place was definitely worth exploring.

But, Dyon's problem now was that he was no longer the only one who had deduced this. He was used to be the smartest person in the room, but now a worthy rival had entered… A rival who had much more experience with the gates and the cultivation world than he did…

Alidor had proved himself from the very beginning. When Dyon had read the memories of the Vice Commanders, he had experienced an emotion that was all too rare for him… He was impressed.

There was one thing that was very clear about the gates: their spatial fluctuations were connected, and as long as you didn't die, you could take advantage of it.

When you delved into the deep portions of the game like Dyon had, you gained the ability to even connect to other gates! But, on this scale here, the scale the game meant you to use… Alidor was able to use them to connect to differing areas of this gate itself!

But, the problem with that was although the idea seemed simple, it required a level of array alchemy theory Dyon just didn't have… That's why he couldn't help but be impressed.

Although Dyon's talent in array alchemy was undoubtable, even Ri had better fundamental knowledge of it than he did. This wasn't because Dyon ignored it, it was simply because he hadn't had enough time.

Alidor and Ri had spent years studying array alchemy. Ri because she was simply interested, but Alidor did it as a means to survival. If he wasn't the best, he and his sister would have long died.

The calculations Alidor used to comprehend and bend the ancient game to his will were theories of array alchemy Dyon had not a single clue about. They were in portions of his master's memory he simply hadn't had the time to delve into…

Whereas Alidor practiced an array alchemy built on solid fundamentals and traditional theories, Dyon's array alchemy was almost as wild as a university student's note taking short-hand. In fact, the truth was that Alidor had not once studied anything related to alchemy. He had dedicated all of his life to studying formations.

Dyon suddenly became aware that this was likely why he had never made heads of tails of the arrays etched into the tome… How would you understand the most complex of things without first grasping the basic fully?

Much of the arrays Dyon drew now were new and innovative ones he built on top of the old. Using teleportation relay stations or communication arrays powered by multiple people were things array alchemy didn't have normally. But, no matter how impressive that was, Dyon needed to know that the martial world wasn't to be underestimated…

Dyon's thoughts flashed back to his first interactions with Delia and his thoughts on the technology and innovation of the martial world. 'I have to remember. It's not that the martial world isn't as intelligent as those from the mortal realm. It's that they have no need to advance in areas if they can use power to replace it.'

Why would military tactics be rampant in a world where power spoke over everything? Why would they need storage bracelets when they had space will? And why would they simplify their arrays like Dyon did when they could build much more complex and intricate things without such simplification.

Dyon's wings burst from his back as he twisted in the air. He cut through the last of the thick trees to suddenly find Epistemic Tower before him.

It wasn't that Dyon's array simplification had become useless, but, if he didn't build a solid base first, his array alchemy would soon hit a bottle neck he wouldn't be able to surpass.

Dyon's goal was the same as it had always been: to leave the biggest mark on the martial world. All in hopes that his parents were looking down on him and smiling. For them, he'd make sure the Sacharro name never faded… And if that meant he had to form the perfect balance between martial world and mortal world… Then he'd do it.

Dyon's wings tucked as he dove off of the edge of the cliff without hesitation, the wind slicing past his face as he headed into an unknown adventure.

if you want something else interesting to read, I've started a new novel called 'The Grandbell Legacy'. Although, harem/smut-haters should beware. The MC begins with his harem members already set and it will take a while to flesh out all of their backstories, reasons for liking the MC, and their personalities. That said, the surrounding plot is something I'm quite proud of. I'd say it's better than RMW volume 2+, and I'm actually quite happy with how the plot of RMW has gone past volume 1 :)

(also remember that for non-patrons, I'll only be uploading 1 chapter a day from tomorrow onwards. Extra chapters can be earned by voting RMW **check past chapters for details)

Fifth son panted heavily as his energy barrier was continually bombarded with spatial tears. That being said, Kaeghan seemed completely unperturbed.

At first, Kaeghan wanted to send a few spiteful words toward his useless younger brother. After all, how could you claim to be a ranked son of the Uidan family and still be so pathetic? But, when he noticed the trail of dead bodies behind the two of them, the seriousness of the situation dawned on him. Fifth son had been acting as sole throne bearer for Kaeghan for a long while now…

Currently, Kaeghan and fifth son were the only ones left, and there was still a dense patch of about five hundred meters to go before they reached the true base of the Epistemic Tower.

Ignoring fifth son, first son continued flashing forward. But, even he reached a point where he needed to begin dodging the fluctuations. 'It gets quite dense…'

His vision was invaded with nothing but a perfect black. The tower had not a single stain or blemish, it was as though it stood separate – completely unaffected by the wear of time. 'How do I get in?'

Kaeghan stretched his hand out slowly, hoping to touch to tower and find a clue. But, a sudden sense of danger overwhelmed him, causing him to leap back.

Kaeghan's hand swept up and toward his forehead, an action he was all too used to. It was something he did to activate the Uidan's signature technique [Buddha's Eye]. But, He suddenly felt something very wet on his hand. 'Wha – '

Kaeghan's eyes widened. His hands… They were bleeding. In fact, bleeding didn't even properly describe the damage. His hand had been completely marred to a nearly unrecognizable point. The whites of his bones shone through with clear markings of a weapon running across them and he could even see his muscles twitch with every movement of shock he made.

Maybe if Kaeghan felt something, this wouldn't have been so bad. He had reached out his hand in a dumb move and made a mistake. If he coated his hand with more energy, he would have thought that he could force his way through. But… even as Kaeghan stared at his mangled and twisted hand… He felt nothing.

Fifth son shook violently watching his elder brother be so severely injured. Neither of them even knew what happened. How did this happen? If first son couldn't withstand the Epistemic Tower, how would he?

"Uh… F -first son," fifth son stumbled through his words, clearly agitated. "M-maybe we were wrong? There hasn't e-ever been records of anyone even approaching this tower without first conquering the other eight…"

"Don't you find the rules of this gate to be interesting, fifth?" Although Kaeghan spoke to his younger brother, his eyes remained trained on the Epistemic Tower, he felt an endless feeling of fascination. As a genius of the Uidah family, although you could say he worked diligently to maintain his status, much of what he had accomplished had been easy. But… This tower truly seemed to be a wrench thrown into all of that.

"In our quadrant, there are several hundred gates for our hundred universes. And yet, this is the only one with an odd number of towers, did you know that?" Kaeghan continued speaking, not too intent on waiting for answers.

"I can't claim to have information on each and every gate, that would be asinine. But, we have impeccable information on about 20% of the gates in our quadrant, and information by proxy on about another 50%." Kaeghan's eyes sparkled. "Imagine that! 70% of our quadrant's gates have an even number of towers! Except for this one!"

Does this have to do with why the Ragnor and Pakal clan would send branches here? Was it calculated for their branches to give birth to faith seeds? There's so much we don't know!"

"Big brother." Fifth son finally found a space to squeeze into Kaeghan's monologue. "Did they really come here for this gate? If they did, why would they come to a universe with such a lack of energy density? With the talents their clans give birth to, wouldn't they benefit more from our universe?"

Kaeghan thought for a bit. Fifth son did make a good point. The gate, after all, had two points of entry. Not one. Yet, they essentially handicapped their branches.

If those Ragnor and Pakal branches had grown in the Uidah universe, they'd likely be much stronger than they were now… There was too much of a massive difference in energy quality.

Plus, why would the Ragnor and Pakal clans leave a trail of crumbs for him to come here if they had went out of their way to disguise the reason behind their clans coming here in the first place. What would those massive clans want with a mere first son of the meridian formation stage?

Suddenly, first son was snapped out of his thoughts. Before, he had been hearing the gentle movement of energy as fifth son refined profound stones. But, the sound had disappeared. This wasn't something he would have noticed normally, but, the tower had put him on edge.

His eyes locked onto a handsome young man with caramel skin and short hair that shone in a combination of red golds and browns. He oddly had a little girl clinging to his back and a few injured followers behind him. 'How did they get so close without me noticing!?'

But, what truly angered Kaeghan was something completely different. Although he didn't respect fifth son, for better or worse, he was still his younger brother – a younger brother that carried the pride of the Uidah clan with his actions. A little brother that was being held so tightly by his neck that his face blued in agitation as his feet flailed.

The result will be calculated at the end of the week (10:59am (est) Sunday, every week. Aka, ps reset time). If the goals are met, then on that very day, the bonus chapters will be added.

Kaeghan stared at this young man, saying nothing for a long while before he spoke. "I advise you put my younger brother down. For someone from a no name universe, you sure have a lot of balls challenging the ranked sons of the Uidah clan when you're merely in the Meridian Formation Stage."

Alidor couldn't be bothered with fifth son anymore. His hand flashed in a gold that laced through fifth's body. Suddenly, fifth son couldn't see, hear or feel anything. It was as though all of his senses were completely cut off. In the end, he could only pass out – dropping to the ground in a pathetic heap.

The truth was that this was information Alidor purposefully leaked while sealing off all information about his own appearances. After all, why would Dyon's universe share information with the Uidah clan? In addition, the only members of the Uidah universe who witnessed Alidor's appearance was the dead Commander Draven and the loyal Bas and Liska. Alidor's identity was safe.

If Kaeghan died, the Uidah clan would sweep it under the rug and maybe send some stronger talents here to deal with Dyon. But, what Alidor needed was the right son to be interested in the tower. A son he could use to break the most taboo of rules… A son he could steal a faith seed from!

"Good." Kaeghan straightened, his large prayer beads rustling on his broad bare chest. "Purging the universe of another innate aurora will be good. Father would be pleased."

If he wanted to kill the first son smoothly, he would just need to make use of the odd energy that he had used on Dyon. However, since he wanted the first son to leave alive, using that energy was out of the question. It would reveal his identity without a doubt. So, if Alidor wanted to make the first son run, he'd have to use other means.

"You know." Kaeghan braced his wrists. "My family is quite used to putting innate aurora users in their place." Cracking his neck, he pulled the thick rope from his waist, slapping it to te ground as it instantly became an eight-foot-long rod.

Alidor immediately noticed his younger sister's shift in emotion. Gold flashed in his eyes as a silencing array manifested to hit her ears. Bypassing it, Alidor whispered words of comfort. It was something he did often, but, when it came to these old memories, he would step out of his comfort zone to do so.

Kaeghan noticed this, laughing to himself. And yet, he completely misread the situation. "Worried that I'll kill your big brother? Maybe you should have told him to think about that before he attacked a member of the Uidah family. Do I look like those flat nosed Phantus clan plebs?"

But, even as Kaeghan took a step forward, a large defensive array appeared behind Alidor, completely protecting his sister as he stepped forward – disappearing.

Bracing his large rod against himself, Kaeghan immediately stopped underestimating Alidor. His hand sped toward his forehead, trying to open his buddah's eye. But, it was too late.

'What is this nonsense. He's disappearing in space, but he isn't using spatial will?' A sudden realization hit Kaeghan, causing his eyes to widen in shock. 'He's using the spatial rifts?! How is that possible?!'

"For the sake of my sister's mental health, I'm going to do you a favor and send you on your way now. Unfortunately, as punishment for hurting my sister's feelings, you can consider your brother dead."

A flash of gold appeared at Alidor's feet. As soon as his foot connected, Keaghan was coated with an array even Dyon wouldn't know anything about. And yet, it somehow still didn't have the characteristic purple of the master level…

Alidor didn't seem too surprised by the result. All he had done was send the first son into the forest that was about 50km away from here. If he chose to come back, Alidor would already be long gone anyway. After all, the tower he wanted was right behind him.

Turning his gaze toward the seemingly peak-less tower and not even bothering to look toward the fifth son as his implanted arrays ended his life, Alidor undid the arrays on his little sister. "Alright. Time to go."

Alidor walked up to the tower, stopping at a 3-meter safe distance. Turning back, he spoke to basilisks. "It will only get more dangerous from here."

Although Alidor didn't say much, what he was really thinking was that he had no idea. He didn't know whether this was another game, whether it was a trial, or even if he really was meant to come here. Was this a suicide mission? Was he really meant to conform and follow the path everyone else did?

Alidor's disguise disappeared along with everyone else's. He had only used them as an extra measure, because as he said, he hadn't been preparing for such a weak enemy.

Maybe if anyone heard how Alidor thought of the first son, they'd be shocked. After all, Alidor was still in the meridian formation stage, and yet, he had easily dealt with the best genius a king god clan had to offer at that stage.

But, with the versatility an innate aurora gave you, especially when it came to your 6th sense and intelligence, people at the same cultivation level hardly stood a chance. Although an aurora 6th sense couldn't see through techniques like the Uidah clan's buddah's eye or the Mathilde family's Asura Imperial eye, it heightened your senses. You could see better, hear better, and technically, even feel, smell and taste better.

It was an overall boost so great that often, those with innate aurora were limited by their bodies as opposed to their senses. A prime example of this was when Dyon was stabbed through the heart by Oliver, Madeleine's elder brother.

At the time, Dyon saw Oliver's attack and had even perfectly placed an array to intercept it, but, he knew his body wouldn't react in time. The 6th sense literally gave innate aurora wielders the ability to think and sense at a speed no one could match!

Kaeara remained quiet for a long time before she gave her brother the answer she always gave. "You're always taking care of me. I don't even know how much you suffer everyday just so you can. I want to balance it out with this story."

Alidor's heart panged with a sprout of something he rarely felt. Kaeara always answered like this, but he always reacted this way. It was ridiculous, and he hated how irrational it was. But, the purity behind his little sister's thought process was something he could hardly bury.

However, our family structure was odd amongst those of the amrtial world. As two equal halves of our collective clan, The Uidah and the Gautama chose the leaders of them both based on talent.

We follow the path of the Buddah, and although there are ten powers in perfect balance, our families only managed to stumble upon one: the Buddah's eye.

Because of this, our leaders were chosen by who could master Buddah's eye to the highest level. However, there was something about our Gautama faction that gave us an advantage so large that generations would go by at a time before a member of the Uidah family would rule. And that, of course, was our soul talent.

The Gautama family, for one reason or another, had manifested probably the most innate aurora wielders in history. That being said, that didn't mean there were a lot of us. In our long history, I am but the 12th."

Alidor stopped, seemingly studying something before he continued. "However, despite the number still being small, it was still much more than clans even like the Ragnor, Sapientia and Pakal clans. And, even when an innate aurora wasn't produced, our ability to soul cultivate and our innate souls were so far above average that we still maintained an advantage.

Finally, the Uidah clan had had enough. They were tired of losing power for millennia at a time and teamed up with a clan to eliminate us… I'm not sure what clan that was, or what purpose they had in helping the Uidah, but all that matters is that they helped.

In the end, all but the two of us were wiped out. Mom and Dad sent us into the gate to hide, hoping my innate aurora would keep the two of us safe while we grew. The end."

"Big brother, you cut so much out! I'm not happy." Kaeara frowned. How was she supposed to share her brother's pain if Alidor kept cutting out the most heartbreaking parts?

Alidor only sighed, ignoring his younger sister. She didn't need to know about the details. She didn't need to have thoughts of her mother being defiled. She didn't need thoughts of her father being tortured. She didn't need thoughts of her elder brother cowering in a dark basement, holding the bundle that became her in his small arms as he watched it all happen through a crack in the ceiling.

Reaching his hand forward, Alidor drew an intricate array. And, almost magically, his hand didn't become mutilated like Kaeghan. Instead, a foggy door manifested itself 3-meters in front of the Epistemic Tower.

Watching silently as the Basilisks entered, Alidor took one more look behind him before he continued. His brows furrowed, but, he couldn't find evidence of anything out of the ordinary, so, he simply continued, the foggy door disappearing behind him.

Soon, there was absolute silence. The tower loomed and the random spatial fluctuations continued to crackle in the air…. When suddenly, a flash of gold appeared in the air, a handsome young man stepping out of it.

From what he could tell, although Alidor's array alchemy fundamentals far surpassed his, Dyon's soul strength was still stronger than Alidor's. However, that made what Alidor was doing all the more impressive.

Alidor's soul stage was currently at the lower 5th level, while Dyon's was at the peak of the 5th, only a few more soul rends from the lower 6th stage. Despite this, though, Alidor's fundamentals were so sound that he could draw arrays at the very peak of the practitioner stage with speed Dyon could only match if he were to draw mid practitioner level arrays. In regards to complete arrays that is. Dyon's speed arraying short cuts were another matter entirely.

But, that wasn't all. The quality of his arrays were to such a level that describing them in the terms of a practitioner array seemed… lacking.

When he first stepped to the stage, Elder Dior's son, Luvon, had provoked Dyon by stating that his 4th common level formation mastery far surpassed Dyon's 1st common level mastery. At the time, the members of the formation guild had assumed that with Dyon's supposed soul strength, he could only draw 1st common level arrays. It was just that he happened to be at a level of mastery that was hard to fathom in those low-level arrays.

If you take this into account, doesn't that just mean Alidor was doing the same? His innate soul wasn't even as powerful as Dyon's, having only been at the peak of the 2nd stage. And, although most assumed that this was the cap for innate souls, Dyon's perfect innate soul climbed to the 4th stage when he activated his manifestation.

And yet, Alidor's disadvantages didn't end there. While Dyon had access to a peak divine level soul cultivation technique, Alidor had no such thing. What he did have was time, patience, Gautama clan legacies and maybe the greatest teacher in existence – the creator of the gates. This wasn't to say that Alidor had ever met this creator, but… All one had to do was focus their 6th sense to suddenly realize that everything in this gate. Everything. Was an array.

Dyon was slowly starting to realize this as well. In fact, it was the very existence of the death core that made his thoughts shift into that direction.

He just couldn't imagine the level of array alchemy you'd need to reach to be able to manifest the very laws of the universe… But, Alidor had taken their teachings to heart, slowly working his way from the simplest to the more complex.

Dyon had already memorized the array Alidor had drawn. But, something was telling him that simply copying it wasn't enough – the tower was much too enigmatic for that.

The only way to even make it close to this tower was to either have a powerful mastery of array alchemy or use brute strength. And yet, Kaeghan had shown Dyon exactly why just brute strength wasn't enough. If that's all you had to offer, your entire being could end up being like Kaeghan's mangled hand.

Shifting his gaze over the trail of dead monks and the fifth son, Dyon suddenly got an idea. 'This dead guy is a member of the Uidah family? Maybe he has some important information about that family on him.'

Honestly, Dyon wasn't too worried about the Uidah family. Even if they sent someone, they could at most be at the peak of the essence gathering stage. Plus, he had just very clearly heard Alidor's backstory. Alidor had something on him, but didn't he also have something on Alidor now too?

After witnessing the first son battle, or at least try and battle Alidor, Dyon had already noted that the energy Alidor used was identical to the first son. And yet, this wasn't an energy the Phantus or Basilisks used. And even further, Alidor went out of his way to not use that energy while battling Kaeghan. So, the deduction was quite simple. This was an energy that was exclusive to a very finite amount of people. It wasn't one everyone in the Uidah universe had access to.

So, for Alidor to want to kill someone he clearly had close ties with, all while protecting a little girl that was much too young to be in the gate… The conclusion was clear for anyone who paid attention to see.

Still, Dyon wanted to know more about an enemy that would probably be coming at him for revenge. So, he took the fifth son's spatial rings before focusing back on the Epistemic Tower.

In the human world, there was a word to describe exactly what the Epistemic Tower was in the realm of physics… It was known as the perfect black body.

If you made a single misstep, not only would you not feel pain as your body was beaten and mangled to a near unrecognizable state… You wouldn't even know how you died as your existence was completely removed from the world.

This wasn't about some pseudo competition between him and Alidor, or about Dyon chasing after the answer to the Epistermic Tower's mystery, or even about having a break through in ranking.

He didn't care about Alidor's sad backstory or even his purpose behind doing all of this. Dyon had long learned that right and wrong were subjective and the world was a painting of grey, not black and white. Sympathy wasn't something he could afford to have when this Alidor was the same man who put his fiancée in danger not once, but twice.

Regardless of Alidor's reasoning, it was clear he wanted full control of this gate. What he wanted to do with it was irrelevant. He had to first pay a price for attacking Ri. And that price started and ended with this tower.

Dyon's eyes flashed and darkened as he stimulated the Mathilde family technique, trying to see if it gave him a different perspective on the tower.

For his technique to react like that made it clear to him that this wasn't a technique he was meant to see through in that way… At least not so directly.

'What if the reason I can't make heads or tails of his array is because it doesn't have any purpose other than to open up the tower… It has no purpose I've seen before. It's just a key. But, how do I make one for myself, and what does it have to do with the tower?...'

'What do I know?... That space is locked in this area, but also connected within this space. I know brute strength won't open the tower. I know the tower is a perfect absorber… perfect absorber…'

To Dyon, this last point seemed to be the most important. Was it the tower itself that emanated the characteristics of a perfect absorber? Or was it the barrier around it?

Dyon's eyes narrowed as an idea crossed his mind. 'Don't the spatial tears have the same characteristics?... All this time we've been thinking of them like spatial distortions, and yet I didn't sense any spatial will…'

This was another good point. Even Kaeghan who fought Alidor himself hadn't felt any spatial will. That could mean a few things… Either the tears themselves weren't the main source of spatial will, but were rather results of a source that came from the tower. Or, they didn't sense spatial will because it was no longer spatial will… It had evolved into something else.

Dyon's thoughts were suddenly filled with a fox of unmatched beauty. A small smile played his features. 'Ri's faith seed in its true form… It felt like this…'

If Dyon had to describe it… It felt like destruction, erasure and chaos. But, there was also a murderous intent and danger that couldn't be ignored. And yet, it had control over space that Dyon had never reached before.

If Dyon's spatial will wasn't supplemented by his time will to form gravity, or fused with his celestial movement technique, he rarely used it. It was just too weak. This made sense, of course. Spatial will might be accessible, but you couldn't expect to fold space and connect universe with something that was a will any foundation or meridian formation stage expert could use.

But, this will seemed like a step up from spatial will… It was analogous to how celestial will was above other purity paths Dyon knew of. There was simply a shift in quality that couldn't be ignored.

It was impossible for Dyon to learn this new will – a will he would soon come to learn had the name 'Void'. He didn't have the affinity to learn such a complex and high level will. The only reason he knew celestial will was because his master had pumped him with her essence.

Dyon had learned long ago that there were tiers amongst wills. There were ones almost anyone could learn. Simple and straight forward wills, most of which included common weapons and elemental wills.

However, there was a drastic up in quality as you searched for more powerful wills. These were wills that were rare, but powerful existences. Celestial will would be on the lower end of this category along with demonic will. And void and death will would likely be much higher on this ranking…

The first was to have an inborn affinity for it. By being born with a faith seed, like Ri, and tapping into it properly, learning and sensing the will would become like second nature to you. This result could also be replicated if you were in a family with a bloodline carrying an affinity for it. It just so happened Ri was both.

The last was of course the method Dyon used to gain an affinity for death will. It was to find a core the connected with the very meaning of the will to such a deep level that it could be used as a catalyst for you to learn.

And yet, while Dyon knew all of this and his eyes flashed with a light of success as he solved the puzzle of the tower… What he didn't know was that the highest echelon of wills were known as supreme laws… And he was about to run into one a lot sooner than he thought…

What Dyon meant was simple. It wasn't that the spatial tears weren't spatial will, or that it just wasn't the main source of spatial will. It was both.

There was a main source of void will was around the Epistemic Tower, and all of the spatial tears around it were just the resultant consequences. However, those 'consequences', seemed purposeful because of the fact that if connected in the right way, it was possible to bypass the void barrier around the Epistemic Tower.

Dyon chuckled to himself, 'If my little feu glace was here, this would have been a million times easier. She's probably one of the few that could use brute strength to get through this place.'

Alidor was actually quite cautious. He hadn't found evidence that Dyon was watching him, but, he still acted as though someone was. Walking around the Epistemic Tower was a complete bluff, that was necessary.

The second trick was that he drew the array with his hand, but the source of void will was in the ground. You weren't meant to write the array in the air. You were meant to do it into the ground!

With the constant shifting of the spatial tears in the air, it seemed as though that where the originated from… But, wasn't it also true that the reason for the spatial tears could be a power emitting from the ground? A power that was constantly shifting out of view?

'Nice tricks… To think you made me memorize a useless array while you drew it with your feet. No wonder it looked like nonsense. I was right about it being a key, but I was wrong about which of your limbs was drawing the key.'

This was exactly like a game. The void will was constantly shifting beneath the ground, but, it was doing so on a set pattern. When Alidor walked around the tower, he was waiting for the pattern he recognized to appear.

All Dyon had to do was take his time to analyze the grounds at specific and set times. Then, he could grow the map of just 1 pattern in his mind. Then, by drawing that pattern at the right time, he'd be able to enter!

And just like that, another half a day past before Dyon finally stood. A look of determination colored his features as he feet flashed with an elaborate array he didn't bother hiding as much as Alidor had.

The army of four hundred thousand had been cut down to half its numbers over the past few days, and Ri didn't seem like she was done yet. This was only made better by the fact the elves were stepping up as well.

Akash was without a doubt a veteran. Her double-sided spears sliced down opponents with ease as she took advantage of her essence gathering cultivation to take out weaker opponents along with her younger brother, Zaltarish.

Aeson remained silent, but his spear was fierce. He was using this battle to temper his will to an all new level. Much like the demon generals, he hadn't taken a single rest.

Delia was a source of inspiration for many of the stronger members of the nine hundred elves who watched from within the Gorilla's Den formation. She wasn't as strong, but she still tried her best. Her kill count was near non-existent and she often spent a lot of time fighting one opponent at a time, but she still tried. In fact, the demon generals held smiles on their faces because of her and Ri, so, to help, they helped facilitate Delia's 1on1 battles, stopping people from ganging up on her.

The enemies these hundred or so couldn't stop hit the wall of the Gorillas Den formation. But, the problem was that, as meridian formation warriors, the effort it took to break peak practitioner arrays was too much for most of them. And even when they managed to break through together, they'd face spatial spear grenades as the Elvin orphans hid behind their protections.

The worst part was that even when the odd warrior managed to truly enter the maze, they'd face an attack from pockets of elves and Niveus sect members that were grouped in hundreds. They stood no chance.

Bas and Liska watched all of this from the sky, gritting their teeth. They had realized that waiting for Ri to weaken was useless, especially with the hundred demon generals there. This was not going well.

When they came here, their plan was to use rules given to them by Alidor to flip the death qi against the Lotus alliance, but, for some inexplicable reason, all of the death qi was gone! How could they know that Dyon had absorbed the core? And even if they had known, they wouldn't have believed it!

Bas grit his teeth, but finally said words he should have said long ago. "We can't do this without out Essence Gathering experts. Call them here so we can end this farce. We've lost almost eight hundred thousand of our kin. Eight hundred thousand!" Bas shook violently. Promiscuous or not didn't matter. Their high population didn't mean they were okay with literal genocide.

Liska nodded silently. They knew they needed thousands of essence gathering experts. Tying down Ri was no longer the problem… Those demon generals… They were something else.

"Let them keep fighting. Don't let them have rest or time to plan something else. Call over the elite troop from the gate entrance. The ones who didn't go attack Rod or Looming tower.

We'll see how they deal with being outdone in number and strength." The anger in Bas' heart lit as he looked forward to the slaughtering of this petty alliance.

The space was circular and lit brightly by a strange golden statue that say in the middle. Sometimes it had one head, sometimes it had three, sometimes it had six, and yet still, sometimes it had hundreds. Even more odd was the fact this was true for its arms and legs too. In fact, even the facial expressions on the statue were in a perpetual state of change. Dyon just couldn't put his finger on was going on.

However, the oddities didn't end there. Below Dyon's feet was an odd dark gold fog that looked almost olive in color… An energy that was an exact match for the one Kaeghan used and Alidor attacked him with!

This was exactly how he had felt when Alidor attacked him for the first time! He just couldn't understand the strange dichotomy of the energy. It was as ever changing as the statue…

Around him were ten identical fog filled doorways. The fog was so dense that see past and into the door was impossible. But, this wasn't the most important point…

Of the ten doors, there were a pair of duplicates for each, almost as though this was expected to be a competition. And the other pairs read…

Dyon stood confused and frozen as a little girl charged at him with her fists up. To be honest, her form wasn't bad and it was clear she had training. In fact, Dyon could sense some of that weird energy coming from her, so she definitely trained in something.

Dyon raised an eyebrow. 'The handsome guy?' After a moment, Dyon finally recognized this little girl as Alidor's younger sister, but why did she have no protection?

'I guess to Alidor this is the safest place for her. There are his enemies and the spatial fluctuations outside, and inside, the trials must be too dangerous to take her…'

In the end, Alidor decided that it was unlikely anyone but Dyon would be able to enter. But, to Alidor there was also a good chance Dyon was dead, even though he wasn't sure. Then there was the fact Alidor really didn't have any other choice. According to his calculations, this lobby area, a place he had been to before, was the safest place for his little sister while the conquered the rest of the gate.

Kaeara, suddenly realizing that she might be in danger backed away slowly. She had no way of knowing how Dyon would react. What if he attacked her as an act of revenge? 'Wait, he doesn't know who my elder brother is! I just need to act natural…'

Honestly, there was nothing wrong with Kaeara's deduction. It had been a long time since her brother left with the basilisks, leaving her here. Someone so young and without concept of how difficult it was to enter the tower, wouldn't have connected Dyon's appearance with that of her brother's entrance.

What she forgot in her flurry to attack was that she had already revealed the fact she knew Dyon by calling him 'the handsome guy'. Dyon could only chuckle as Kaeara tried put on what she thought was an 'I'm acting natural face.'

Suddenly, Dyon's hand moved, causing Kaeara to leap back with fright. But, a flash of light was all that occurred as 2 children appeared before Kaeara.

Little Lyla looked from Dyon to Kaeara before seemingly understanding. She skipped over to Kaeara with a big smile on her face. "Hi! My name is Lyla!"

Dyon chuckled. "You shouldn't try to hide much from her or me. I'm already quite aware of who your elder brother is. And, although I can't promise not to kick his ass, I wouldn't lay a finger on you out of spite."

Dyon had been watching Zaire interact with Lyla recently and always had a smile on his face whenever Zaire did whatever Lyla wanted without hesitation. The only exception was when he was hungry, Zaire didn't mess around when it came to his food.

"My name is Kaeara." A bright smile spread across her face. Although she was seven years older than Little Lyla, this was the first time she had been near anyone that would classify as a child. Her brother had always been so much older than her, and there obviously weren't any other orphans hiding in the gates.

"Ah, I see. Interesting." Dyon looked around, he had to get moving soon anyway. He didn't expect Kaeara to have much useful information anyway.

"You three stay here then. Aside me from me and Alidor, it's an impossibility that anyone else enters. But, just in case." Dyon's ring flashed as a charming demon general appeared.

Her watery black eyes blinked in confusion as she looked around before she noticed Dyon. "Oo, successor. Did you finally call me to service you? It's been a while, but I'm still quite good." The beautiful demon general shifted her long white hair away from her face, touching Dyon's arm seductively.

Dyon sighed. "Faenor, you're always trying to get me killed." Suddenly, Dyon smiled deviously. "As punishment, you'll have to watch the kids."

Faenor pouted. "You're no fun. It must be because you don't like used women. I only had sex with a few other demon generals. Don't be so sexist."

Suddenly, Dyon regretted choosing Faenor. The truth was the among the elite demon generals he had with him now, Faenor was the only one with remotely passable social skills. Well, social skills that would be transferable to handling children… a thought which now seemed quite flawed with you looked at it with this limited evidence…

"Wait! At least give me another one of those fun video games before you go!" Fraenor rubbed her hands eagerly. A while ago, Dyon had used creation arrays and his expertise in PC building to create computers for the orphans.

Because of that, many of the demon generals became intrigued, so, Dyon began duplicating some of the movies and video games he had brought with him from the human world.

Usually, he only used his human world entertainment when he wanted to have a nice date with Ri or Madeleine. He didn't know what it was about he martial world, but the level of annoyance there was with taking out a beautiful girl was ridiculous. So many people felt entitled to his women. But, because of the insistence of the demon generals, he had learned a duplication array just to help entertain them.

Dyon sighed. "Alright. Alright. I quite liked this Persona 5 game, have at it." Dyon silently chuckled to himself. 'The puzzles will take you forever without a game guide. That should hold you off for quite a while.'

It felt as though he was in a bubble, completely apart from everything. The only sense that he was still him was the sound of the blood rushing through his body and the steady beating of his heart.

"It's been thousands of years since anyone followed the game of this game properly, and even longer since we've had any legitimate contestants. And yet, there are two of you today?"

"Why would I count the snakes? They wouldn't even make it past a single trial. I just teleported them away as soon as they entered. I don't like useless people."

"Mm, that little girl is quite good. You shouldn't have entered this trial. She actually has the highest compatibility I've seen with one of my abilities. Well, the True Empath ability anyway."

A hoarse laughter filled Dyon's mind. "Do you think that aurora of yours is comparable to a mere divine technique? Don't be ridiculous. They can't be compared."

Dyon could almost see the voice rolling its eyes. He wanted to think that it was ridiculous for such a powerful entity to be so petty, but he tried to hold himself back.

Dyon sighed, resigning himself to his mind being read. 'I want to take this trial in the stead of my little sister. Since you want to have fun, it shouldn't make much of a difference to you, right?'

He had thought he felt an insurmountable mountain when he faced the death core… But, this was on a completely different level. It felt as if even if he had million to even billions of years to train, he wouldn't even reach the feet of this entity.

"Ha!" The entity suddenly started laughing. "Imagine realizing you stand not a chance against me even given all the time that ever has or will be, and still answering so disrespectfully! Are you stubborn, brave or stupid?"

'Alright, oh great one. I'm stupid. If you won't let me take this trial for my little sister and won't answer my questions, would you send me to an aurora door then?'

"Don't be ridiculous. I told you that the doors are meant to provide a trial for gaining the perfect form of my powers. Why would you need it since your innate aurora is already perfect? Isn't your innate soul strength at the 4th level? Do you just like wasting time?"

"I don't. It's just that the place you're from had my will blocked from it for a long while. You just happened to break the dam and gain the full brunt of the ability that should have been spread over many. Which is why your manifestations are so ridiculous. You're pretty lucky and I guess unlucky at the same time."

"Don't bother asking honestly. Getting involved in human affairs isn't my cup of tea and I'm not trying to deal with an emotional teenage boy. I'm here for fun."

Also, if Dyon had noticed how Elder Daiyu aged… He would have been quite surprised to see that this entity could seemingly speak freely without worry. He just chose not to for reasons that were as annoying as he was.

"Alright, stop thinking about useless things boy. You're much more interesting than that other character. His mind was filled with nothing but calculations. In fact, now that I think about it, you're the only relatively sane person who's come here with one of my abilities."

"Aiyah. How is this my fault? Mortals are so weak minded! I'm just a consciousness broken off from my main body. All I do all day is float around and check on this and the other 99 towers every so often. And yet here I am after millions of years, just fine!"

"Oh please. From what I see in your memories, people from your world enjoy watching men and women batter each other half to death. And that's entertainment to them! What right do you have to look down on me?"

Dyon started ignoring the entity. He didn't know why it refused to tell him anything or why he even played this game, but there was something else weighing on Dyon's mind. Something important.

It wasn't something he thought about often, but, during his test to enter Focus Academy, his task was very simple. In fact, it was almost laughable how easy it was.

All he needed to do was have his cultivation talent tested by some odd stone. According to the attendant, a very deadpan man who happened to be the captain of the silver yacht he had been pulled by, the stone summed the average of his soul, body and energy cultivation talent.

In the end, Dyon had received a score right at the average, something that had greatly shocked those from the martial world. He had always wondered… Why were they so surprised by an average score?...

"The trials are different depending on the ability. The aurora trials are probably the most abstract. They have to do with your senses, your soul talent, and your ability to comprehend complex concepts. I can't give out perfect auroras to stupid people."

"Of course. But, if you're stupid, and you get a boost, won't you only be slightly less stupid? It works better if you're already smart. That's probably why my will chose you after it broke through the dam. Well that and it probably liked your stupidity."

"Cheat in the gate? Not really. You can use it to bring across high level experts to other universes, but if you ever released them in the gate itself, they'd die instantly. Even your dao formation experts are nothing before me. As if they could escape my rules." Clear pride reverberated in the entity's deep voice.

'It's very much related. After all, since you're the creator of the aurora, the fact people aren't practicing array alchemy makes it harder for them to realize the gates are even a game to begin with. That's less fun for you, no? Maybe if I knew the why, I could help.'

"Ai. The aurora was my ability, but the use of it was seen much more clearly by my first disciple. He created the dao of alchemy in your tome. It's really sad you don't even have a concept of the treasure you picked up."

"So disrespectful. You realize the First White Mother of the Celestial Deer Sect was my disciple as well, right? You're my grand disciple many times removed. Show some respect."

Dyon's eyes flashed with interest. The 25th White Mother was his master. And every white mother before that was the master of the latter. 'Interesting…'

"You haven't even given me my due respect, why would I help such an unfilial grand disciple. You're not even the only grand disciple in one of my Epistemic Towers right now! In fact, you're not even the only one I'm talking to right now!"

"Good. The tome is among the 33 heaven layer artifacts. Usually, these weapons and artifacts are split into their use for either energy, soul and body. But, this one is a bit special. Although it's categorized among the 11 soul layers, it has the ability to inscribe technique and spirits – ugh, you disgust me, you actually call them abyssal cores?... Actually… That doesn't sound so bad."

"Anyway. Point being, what you did was the death core was stupid. If you had used the soul tome, you could have absorbed over time leisurely instead of literally killing yourself again and again. Essentially, aside from techniques the tome itself inscribes as you master it, you can also use it to cleanse souls and absorb various useful things.

The effect it has on souls is most of the reason why its categorized as it is. As you'll find out, the first technique it inscribed isn't even soul related… Well… Not entirely anyway. It uses the soul as a medium to do something quite important. Although, now that I think about it, it's completely useless to you."

Out of everything in this martial world, you have a solid understanding of many basics. And yet, you haven't made heads or tails of anything energy cultivation related.

You wanted to start finding and making the perfect energy cultivation technique, and yet you, despite being hard working, haven't started even almost two years removed from that decision?

And you keep telling yourself you just need to mature first here and there. But the reality is you can't improve and understand what's good versus bad about energy cultivation techniques, because you can't even sense the core of what every energy cultivator needs.

Unfortunately for you, your intelligence may have broken the dam when it came to soul cultivation by allowing you to have a perfect innate aurora. And you may be able to make up your body cultivation deficiencies with your understanding of wills and by absorbing essence blood. But. The dam for energy cultivation in your mortal realm is still very much there.

The entity seemed confused by Dyon's response. He could clearly see that this was Dyon's actual reaction. He didn't show despair or apprehension. In fact, he had already thought of many possible avenues for dealing with it. Possibilities that the entity found absolutely ridiculous, but, how could Dyon have as much experience as the entity? He could only try his ideas until one worked.

After all, if his intelligence had acted as a lure to break the dam on his soul cultivation. And he catalyzed his body cultivation with the essence blood of his master. Didn't that mean there must also be a way to break the dam on energy cultivation as well? He just had to find a way…

"Your martial talent was only seen as average because your soul talent is so high, so it made up for the other two during your test. Your body cultivation talent is near non-existent and your energy cultivation is ACTUALLY non-existence. Do you not understand what having no ability to energy cultivate means?"

"Wr –. Actually, that's pretty accurate. Even with the Acacia family technique, what is having extra energy going to do for you if you don't have a means of absorbing it? At most you could reach the peak of the foundation stage without meridians."

What the entity was saying was correct, of course. The foundation stage was tempering the body itself. It was slightly different from body cultivation in the fact it didn't improve affinity. The idea of the foundation stage was to prime the body for the improvements that would come with the energy influx of the later stages.

So, body cultivation was explained in two portions. The first was the instant improvement in strength and the second was the future improvement in will affinity.

However, the first tier of energy cultivation, the foundation stage, was slightly different. Its focus was on priming the body for future energy cultivation. Its sole reason for existence was in order to give the organs, nerves, bones, etc, an opening for evolution. A qualitative evolution.

The ultimate goal of cultivation was transcending… But, body cultivation could only improve the body to the very edge of that level. It wasn't able to push you over the edge.

As such, energy cultivation fulfills that role through a different means. By tempering your organs, skin, bones and blood with essence energy, it opens up your body to being improved further later through your meridians.

Essentially, essence energy opened the door. Then, saint energy opened it further. Then celestial energy even further. The enigmatic energy even further. Until you finally reached that penultimate qualitative stage.

"Even worse," The entity continued. "Not being able to learn an intent and beyond is a severe disadvantage. You saw how powerful that Madeleine girl got after learning an intent. Even with your soul talent, that's impossible to make up for. Especially when your soul will be limited by your body's strength which will be limited by your energy cultivation.

You can't expect to be able to sustain the strength of your soul without energy cultivation. As you probably know, the soul soon undergoes a qualitative change once it breaks into the 7th stage. At that point, a strong body won't be enough anymore. You'd need the qualitative change provided by essence energy."

'I know all of this already. You know I know all of this already. Why are you so adamant about making me feel despair?' Dyon chuckled to himself. This entity was truly odd.

In fact, speaking of people with my abilities. I was clearly wrong about you. I thought you were the only sane one, but it seems like you're insane too."

'You have a solution, don't you? You have the ability to infuse everyone in existence with one of your abilities. Although, many don't have innate auroras, they still have the ability to access their own, right?

Plus, you said yourself, your will permeates through the universe. It was just that there was a block on it reaching the mortal realm. Let your grandson show you why he deserves your help, how about it?'

"Hm. Truth is, as long as you cultivate to the 9th foundation stage layer, I probably have a set of meridians laying around. It would be quite interesting to watch you absorb them. Especially considering how painful it would be."

"You need to cultivate to the peak of the foundation stage layer first because the meridians I'm referring to have already been tempered with all of the wills in existence. Meaning, it would shoot you up to 108 open meridians near immediately."

"Obviously it's trivial. Tempering your meridians with all of the wills in existence only requires sitting in a pocket of space. Not an artificial pocket, a real pocket."

"Yes, a real pocket. Legacy worlds, for example, are examples of artificial pockets. They're worlds created by experts. A real pocket of space isn't separate from the real world. It's the same, yet separate. And, the energy within it carries a stream of all the wills in existence.

The reason you can't see the top or bottom of the Epistemic Tower is because the design meant to stabilize a space exactly like that. Anyone who has ever entered the Tower under their own power has gained the right to train in it. How many temperings you can undergo is only limited by your perseverance. And, normally, if you make it to this tower, you have plenty of that."

The entity sighed. "It's such a hassle speaking with children. Yes. These are very real pockets of space. They aren't a separate space written into this world. They are this world. They're the origin of all existence and the energy that's in them …"

"There you go. The energy is known as Gama. Something I guess someone who was too lazy came up with. It's just short for amalgamation. The energy in real pockets of space is just the combination of everything we've come to know. Which obviously also includes all of the wills."

"I really have to explain everything to you, don't I? These spaces obviously have levels to them. And it's a misconception that you only need to temper your meridians once. You can temper your wills at every change of level. After all, why would it be better to temper your meridians with wills? Wouldn't you like to temper yourself with intents too?"

"Now that I think about it, any God Clan above a King God Clan has access to at least one of these spaces. It's really not that impressive… Your universe is just too weak."

"I'm glad you understand I won't just give them to you. Usually, you can choose a prize of that level by mastering one of my abilities to perfection."

Dyon sighed. 'Alright. Alright.' He didn't like being used for entertainment, not at all. But, something was telling him that there was no way that all of this was just for entertainment. If it was, why would he send out the basilisks? Why wouldn't he let him earn it for his little sister? And why would he, despite his words, spend so long explaining things to Dyon?

"Learning one of my abilities to perfection, even if you have some pieces of it, takes decades. I guess I could give you some leeway. But, you'll have to do something for me."

"You've already heard the demon sage's story. The watershed moment he was close to requires completely conquering a tower. He just happened to take an unfortunate turn. If he had just taken the last step in conquering his epistemic tower, he would have had a better time."

"Conquering universes is what unlocks later levels of the tower. If you haven't accumulated enough power outside, there's no point in you being inside. Once you have a break through outside, you can take the tower's challenge on. Simple."

"You idiot. The fact you can make it into the tower now means that there are obviously levels you can tackle without having conquered a universe. If that wasn't the case, why would I put an Epistemic Tower in an essence gathering gate?"

"You might not even survive until the time information like that becomes relevant to you…" A rare tone of solemnity laced the entities voice. It suddenly became very obvious to Dyon that this was a lot more serious than he was ready for.

'But, what about those students you mentioned. That first disciple that created the dao of array alchemy. Someone that powerful should be more than enough help, no?'

'But then, what does the Timeless Library have to do with everything? It's supposed to have the legacies of everyone who transcended, no? Wouldn't those be everyone who conquered your towers?'

"No. There was a time where my towers weren't necessary to reach that level. There was a time where resources and energy were so abundant that you could become a dao formation expert just by eating and sleeping. There was a time where there was a near infinite number of universes. There was a time where no one had to conquer universes to cultivate.

Unfortunately, forcing wars is the only way I can find those worthy my energy. I can't give you all power, no matter how much I'd like to. So, I can only force you all to fight amongst yourselves and earn it."

"Of course. This tower is all about resources. It's the training needed to transcend and it has access to my five main abilities. As such, it's protected by what you all call an ancient game.

The legacies on the outside, left by my disciples, like the dao of alchemy you picked up, are also protected by ancient games. The dead kings valley of the Elvin Kingdom was originally an award given by me to one of their ancestors. He just decided to use it in a unique way to help his lineage."

'So, your disciple was the one who put a lock on everyone's ability to discuss the rules? I guess it would have to be the creator of array alchemy who could put the whole of existence under his power.'

"Ha! Actually, that was me. Why wouldn't I be able to use something my disciple created to perfection. I created the ancient games using his concept as well."

But, now, you're telling about your enemies? Isn't that on an even larger scale? Wouldn't that make me want to cry more? You just wanted someone to vent with, hm?'

Although Dyon couldn't see it, the entity raised its eyebrow. Then he suddenly realized Dyon had no idea about the penalty for speaking of the things that transpired in the human world…

Something able to lock even the power of this entity. Something able to stop this entity from speaking about it. Something that caused even some of the largest clans in existence to move to Dyon's universe.

If Dyon had known about the penalty. He would have realized that the entity not wanting to tell him what happened in the human world because he didn't want a depressed Dyon was nothing but an excuse.

The mere fact the entity could allude to what happened without suffering the penalty Elder Daiyu had was a testament to its power… But, the fact it couldn't say anymore was a testament to the power of the person responsible for sealing Dyon's meridians.

This was exactly like when Dyon had spoken about the rules of the ancient games to Ri. Unlike everyone else, he could actually attempt to speak. It was just that Ri couldn't here him. The same was true of the entity. The hold of the seal couldn't stop him. But, even if he spoke about it, Dyon wouldn't hear. In fact, unlike the more lenient ancient games, it might kill Dyon!

"The goal of the legacies isn't to improve people, though. Think about it. Transcendent beings leave their faith seeds behind to their families. Why would they suddenly make their legacies available all in a single place? And also, why with such ridiculous rules?"

Although the Timeless Library also required forced entry, what wasn't adding up was the fact all of the transcendent beings came together to form one world? Why?

The first is draining this world of resources. You can't even imagine how much it took for the demon sage to time lock the Timeless Library to a two-thousand-year span.

"It's no coincidence that the demon sage's daughter is in the only empty universe in the world. And it's also not a coincidence that the death phoenixes fought part of their battle against Amethyst there either.

What you need to understand is that this universe has two schools of thought and that these schools of thought came about as solutions to the universes… 'heat death' as you call it.

"It's a school of thought that you'd probably describe as the anti matter equivalent from your world. In this world, everything is balanced. For every thing, there is a non-thing. For every on, there's an off. And for every existence, there's a non-existence.

The chaos path believes that the end of the universe is a ridiculous concept. It is only that everything is in a cycle, moving toward chaos. They believe that it is simply chaos' time to rule the universe, while order will take a back seat."

'So, you're telling me that they allow people to enter that Timeless Library to drive them insane and increase chaos? And that they also increase the move toward chaos by forcing those able to enter to poor massive amounts of energy into time locking it? So the Demon Sage being teleported into the future wasn't be coincidence…

But, why didn't you tell the demon sage that like you're telling me? Allowing someone as powerful as that to sow chaos should be against what you want.'

Dyon remained silent at this response. The entity was right… again. Dyon hadn't thought about it before, but dividing you conscious as the entity had wasn't exactly… healthy…

If Dyon had water in his mouth, he would have probably spit it out. This entity was truly too much. But, at least he accepted responsibility. It was him who had said he had practically been here forever when really the time had been much shorter than that. That's what he gets for exaggerating to prove a point.

'If you reach a high enough level you can create a new universe… even wills and energy wouldn't be impossible if you had a deep enough understanding… Just like the death core!'

"Quite right. The death core is an example of one of the wills my disciple managed to replicate to perfection. However, the amount of studying it takes to become a being capable of replicating everything perfectly is something you and even I can't even imagine…"

'But… Why is the array alchemy path better than the chaos path? Sure. Anarchy doesn't sound great. But, neither does forcing people to war for a chance to transcend. The world is in a perpetual state of anarchy anyway… There's no real peace…'

Chaos shouldn't rule. And neither should peace. That's what those idiots of the chaos path don't understand. The world shouldn't be alternating between chaos and peace. It should be in a balance!

"I only have one thing to ask of you before I decide whether you're truly worth helping. When the day comes that you learn about what happened to your world. When you come to understand the shackles placed on you and your people. When you realize that the death of your parents may not be everything you thought it was…

On the 17th of of March, if you guys treat RMW well with your powerstones, we can go to two chapters a day (because patrons will be sufficiently further ahead). However, RMW must be top 40 for that to go into effect

In the human world you might live to 120 years because of technology – a number that's completely meaningless in the face of martial experts.

The human world has a set class system that's almost impossible to break out of for a good 95% of the world. The places that allow you to improve yourself simply by virtue of your hard work are few and far between.

There are places in the eastern part of our world that decide your class simply by the place you were born. Imagine not being able to buy land in certain areas or attend certain schools or own certain businesses simply because your parents had no standing.

And all of this is made even worse because of how short our lives are. You feel like you spend the whole time working toward an inevitable demise. What kind of life is that?

But, in the martial world, can't everyone cultivate? Can't everyone participate in campaigns and fight their way to this tower? Can't everyone take advantage of their long lives to accumulate what they need to push forward?

There is no 'ghetto' of the martial world. And if there was, it would be the Focus Academy I started in. If you could even call that high-tech place a 'ghetto'.

I'm not claiming that the martial world is perfect. In fact, it disgusts me so much that, often times, I want to return home. But, what it does allow is the right to fight back. A right that was taken from those born in the mortal realm.'

'I hope you don't expect me to agree with that. There are rich people in the mortal realm who constantly talk down to poor people. Telling them that money doesn't make them happy. And now you sound like one of them.

To me, you're just people who've taken for granted the things you've worked for. I'd like you to go and tell a man who's only lived 70 years that living longer isn't a good thing while he's on his last breath.'

A sudden robust laughter filled Dyon's ears. "I know what you're thinking. It's even worse for me to say living longer is a bad thing, hm? Because at least some the people saying money isn't everything have experienced being poor?"

In Dyon's life in the mortal realm, he hadn't become well known just because he was a genius. It was because he spent his time creating things that benefited the entire world.

His understanding of the suffering poorer regions of the world had to deal with was as good as anyone else's. So, he didn't like listening to privileged people talk in this way.

"Nope. Because now you're not taking the trials to gain more of my power. You're doing them to earn meridians. So, you only get to gain one thing."

Outside of the cabin, the sound of a battle the scale of which couldn't be measured was taking place… Transcendent beings tore through space and bent the laws of the world themselves to their will.

His hair was an unhealthy and straw like grey color. That on top of the fact his eyes seemed unnaturally blinded – they looked like a blue-ish milk filled bowl as opposed to normal irises.

A beautiful woman dressed in white rushed over. Her features were delicate now, but there was a hint of cold that made it clear this was an expression very few people had the right to see.

He could hear the despair in her voice. It was clear she had long since given up. To her, what use was a child chosen by a granddaughter of hers? Especially a granddaughter so far removed from the main Celestial Deer bloodline?

And yet, she did her best to put on an act for her master. A man she respected with her everything. Even to the point where she hid the fact her body was mangled beyond belief.

Her legs were shattered, so she was forced to hover above the ground. The back of her dress was matted with blood and torn skin. She was even missing an entire arm having become tired of healing her limbs…

But, the old man ignored all of this. Him showing concern wouldn't help. As sad as it was, the best he could do now was pretend he was oblivious to all of this…

Blood seeped from the corner of the old man's mouth. "I guess I'll let you do it for your little sister. After all, she has the best affinity I've seen for the true empath path." The old man chuckled.

"I wonder how you'd react if you knew I was on the last legs of my life too… Hm? In a few hundred years, I won't be here anymore. And considering what my soul went through to make it back to your world, it won't last much longer than that either… I wonder. Will I see you before then?"

Sure, training was great and all. But, he still needed to get the Elves to the next universe over, and that would be a lot easier with this tower under their control.

If lotus tower gave them a death qi advantage, then Epistemic Tower was sure to give them a void qi advantage. Being able to move troops to and fro, and use void tears as literal defensive barriers, would force a drastic change in the landscape of the battles.

The numbers of patents, the jotted notes for coming and used ideas, and the details of new inventions down to their individual nuts and bolts were all jotted down.

Dyon had never made too much money from his inventions. In fact, the only reason he bothered with patents was to prevent larger corporations from making use of his ideas to make a profit. So, he lived in a regular suburban neighborhood.

Because of his age, and the laws of the United States of America, he was technically not allowed to live alone. But, to Dyon, it had been a simple matter to use his knowledge and forge guardianship documents for himself.

True Empaths had to deal with the emotions of everyone else, so, wasn't it best they learned to deal with their own first?... The problem was that, as the old man had said, this wasn't a test for Dyon's right to become a True Empath… It was a test to measure himself.

He slowly made his way over, his hand trembling as he reached for the bronze doorknob. It didn't even occur to him that he had a security system to check who it was…

Ava didn't seem to notice Dyon's confusion. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her soft chest against Dyon. "You're so mean Dyon… You leave such an impression on me just to leave for more than a year? How do you think that made me feel?"

Suddenly, Dyon couldn't move of his own will, and his voice wouldn't project either. It was like he was in a dream – a non-lucid state. He could only experience what was happening and not take action. What kind of ridiculous trial was this!

For much of their lives, they had no choice but to listen to the thoughts of others. They could only play an observing role in their own lives… There was no saying no… They could only learn to deal with and understand the emotions they felt.

And now, Dyon would have to do much the same. He would have to deal with all of Ava's emotions. How he made her feel. The things she was dealing with. And worst of all, he had to know and understand that he played a role in this. And he would have to accept it.

Maybe to Dyon it wasn't true that he had. In fact, maybe, Ava also knew that Dyon had never intentionally played with her emotions. However, rational was never something someone should ever pin to emotions…

Her heart beat quickly, her face flushing as she began to truly understand what she was doing. 'This is the man I love… He deserves my everything. And I'll give it to him.'

Dyon's heart felt like it was being torn in two. There was not a single thought of Ava's that escaped him. He wanted to use his array alchemy to cut of his circulation, much like he had with Mithrandir, but, it seemed like nothing was responding to him.

Ava's deep cleavage was like a paradise. The sweat of her skin, her clear and pure drool, even her subtle moans as her thighs writhed as though Dyon's pleasure was her own.

Suddenly, she stood, slowly stroking Dyon as she pulled him along to the table with a smile on her face. "You couldn't even find a girl a bed? You want to lean her over a table? You rogue!"

'Hmph. First you fall in love with my elder sister with me right there and now you expect me to let you fall into the hands of another woman again?! I won't accept it!'

Delia's thoughts reverberated through Dyon's mind, causing him to be at a loss for words. He could only watch as Delia defiantly let her black skirt fall to her ankles, revealing her black lace panties underneath her black stockings.

Ri was slightly shorter than Madeleine, her body being more petite as well. Madeleine's curves were much more pronounced. But, neither of these things seemed to matter as Dyon saw the turmoil in their eyes as they looked from him to each other. It seemed as though they couldn't even see what was going on between Dyon, Ava and Delia.

'I know I told you that I'd be okay with sharing the burden with more sisters, but I didn't think you'd go off and find another woman as soon. The 'we live for much longer' excuse only works if you let some ACTUAL time pass!'

'Hmph, why would you take my innocence if you already had a fiancée? If you didn't grab me like you did at dead kings valley, I could have forgotten about my feelings for you!'

The worst part was, when he looked down, he could see blood dripping down his chest from where his heart should be. It was as though for every thought he heard, there would be a literal cut to himself…

"You were quite high and mighty, looking down on me before. But, what do we have here? Four women you've screwed over? What about me, don't I count? What about her?"

Jade chuckled. "Well, let me tell you something. Did you ever think about the aftermath? Did you think about what happened to Focus Academy after you left?

The Storm family was part of a larger clan. Patia-Neva only has himself and his daughter to worry about. The Kami family is part of another larger clan. And the Sapientia family is part of a, say it with me now, 'another larger clan'.

That just leaves the Duco and Bai family, no? Yet, the Duco family didn't have any enemies they needed the backing of Focus Academy for. Only the Bai family did.

So, what do you think happened after some smart aleck boy strolled in with some greater than thou attitude? You ruined the Storm family, effectively crushing Focus Academy. And then, because the great Dyon couldn't be bothered to stop there, you also ruined the big sects by shortening their quotas. So, why would those big sects then have enough left to care about some small Focus Academy?

"God. Maybe I'm the one who should be disgusted with you and not the other way around. Did you really think you were blameless from the beginning?"

Jade's features smirked. In fact, she looked as beautiful as she had before the day her and the Eostre family were exposed. Since Dyon had no memories of her horrible state, it was likely the old man didn't bother to check on Jade's current appearance… But, maybe, that was for the best.

Dyon was already close to his break point just from listening to the thoughts of four. If you added Jade's anger and Meiying's sadness on top of that… He didn't know how much he could handle.

However, with every sentence these women spoke, it was as though their pain became Dyon's. It wasn't just the words that hurt… it was the emotion behind them that was getting to Dyon.

Suddenly Eli and his elder sister Venus suddenly materialized, crying in each other's arms. Uncle Ail wrapped his arms around them, trembling.

"Was it a secret that you and Eli were good friends? Was it a secret that you killed Baal partly for Venus? Did Elof and Ace seem like magnanimous people to you? Did you think they just accepted their losses before heading home with their tails between their legs? Or do you think they pressured the big sects into belittling and ruining the Viridi family?"

Dyon's jaw tightened, his teeth clenching together so tightly that he felt blood filling in his mouth. And yet, all this time, Ava and Delia still clung tightly to him and Madeleine and Ri never stopped looking from each other to him.

"I'd be surprised if the Viridi family is much of anything anymore. You thought you didn't see Venus here because she was a woman? How sexist of you. What if she's working away her young days to try and help a family that no longer has any backing? What if she's sold her body to try and make up for your mistakes? Even worse, what if her and her entire family have been sold to the Ragnor family to add to their slaves? Did you even think about any of this?"

The bleeding of Dyon's chest seemed to increase even further at Eli's words. Was this really what happened? Was the Viridi family sold as slaves?

Dyon's head snapped toward Little Black who was in his human form, holding onto Little Lyla's hand tightly while keeping his head lowered to the ground.

Blood seeped from Dyon's lips as he thought back to the legacy world opening… Because he was too arrogant and jumped into a situation he should have avoided entirely, the last sliver of his master's soul was forced to be used to protect him. Any chance she had had in reviving was completely erased with that one act. Dyon didn't even know if there was any of her soul left…

"Little Black I…" Dyon could only clench his teeth when he realized no sounds came from his moving lips. He could only watch as tears fell from Little Black eyes, his heart losing another piece of itself.

Dyon couldn't even bring himself to look at the materialized form of Ms. Everdeen. His mind was filled with thoughts of a burning orphanage and the corpse of a poor old woman mutilated and hanging from the tree.

Jade giggled lightly. "Are you wondering why I killed her? Are you trying to say that it isn't your fault since it was me and not Zaltarish? After all, it was Zaltarish you looked down on. Not me, right?"

Jade's laughter only grew louder. "You had the audacity to flirt with me. Then you tell me a few days later that you have a fiancée. You deserved what you got. Someone had to teach you a lesson."

Jade stopped in front of Dyon, knocking Ava and Delia away and grabbing onto his shaft much too tightly. "Maybe I should just cut it off, hm? Then you won't have to think with it so much."

Looking up into Dyon's eyes, Jade suddenly found a sliver of defiance. "What? It took the idea of losing this thing to snap you out of it? How fitting.

Mm. Did you think about how I felt? Finally finding a man that wasn't thinking about me just in terms of my looks, just to find out he had someone else? And worse yet, that for that person, he was willing to completely ignore someone like Mithrandir? That's quite frustrating, don't you think?"

Suddenly, Jade let go, moving backward toward the door with a slight smile. "Maybe this torture is too easy for you. Maybe you just don't care about us from the martial world enough. Maybe it's time you dealt with something that really hits close to home, hm?"

His father stood in a state Dyon had never seen before. His handsome face was drenched in tears as he gripped the side of the coffin, silently muttering to himself.

But, the view of the coffin itself was something Dyon couldn't bring himself to look at… Because he knew what it held… And it wasn't someone he could stand to see.

His mother was a white woman with delicate features. Her hair was a long brunette strung with the petals of flowers, adorning her in death. And yet, even in death, her face still held a rosy color that made it seem as though she could stand at any moment.

Dyon didn't need to look over for his father's deep voice to fill his ears. He couldn't help but tremble under the sound – one he hadn't heard in what seemed like a lifetime.

'I'll protect him until my time comes… He'll be strong and as stubborn as his father. But, he'll be as caring and as loving as his mother. I'll do my best to make up for my failures with you, with our son. I promise… I promise…'

To Dyon, it was as though he was experiencing his parent's death all over again. The pain of his father. The pain of his younger self. They were as palpable as they had been that day. And yet, all he could do was watch.

Dyon felt his world spinning. He looked down at his hands to suddenly notice they were shrinking. He was melding together with his younger self!

"Keep your hands up Dyon! How could you lose to such a pathetic excuse for a man? Who the fuck is Darius Storm to a Sacharro. And you lost to him!?

Dyon grunted, it was almost like the pain was being magnified. He could feel his own flesh tearing, but, at the same time, he could feel his father's heart aching because of the pain he was causing his son.

"It means being smart in your fearlessness! It means recognizing your betters! It means respecting your elders and the authority they hold! You listen to none of these things!

If you had put on all of your armor instead of just the arm guards, do you think that Storm boy would have beaten you to half an inch of your life? Do you think you were very cool staring death down in your loss? Sacharro's don't lose!"

"You've become to complacent in your intelligence. Too confident in your talent. Too satisfied with your past accomplishments. You need to remember the hunger that drives you. You need to stop doing things for your mother and me and do things for yourself. Do you understand?"

He had suddenly become even smaller. His hands wrapped around a knife and fork much too large for him as he sat at the marbled island of an elegant kitchen, watching the back of a petite woman working from the stove.

He didn't get a chance to listen to the things his mom had tried to ingrain in him from his youth, but they had never left his mind unlike like words of his father.

She always wanted him to act based on what was in his heart. He was supposed to always treat women well, complimenting them whenever he could. He was meant to help those in need whenever he could, especially when it was more than within his power to do so. These were the words of his mother…

It suddenly became very obvious to Dyon that this was a trial, yes, but, it was also a reminder… To remember the words of his parents. To remember his every action had consequences. To remember not to forget where you came from and the things you learned while you were there…

"You're quite annoying kid. You weren't supposed to figure out that I was trying to help so quickly. You were Supposed to despair over your parents' graves for another few weeks. Where is my entertainment!?"

Unfortunately, now, both you and Alidor are here. I can't exactly play favorites. Especially since I hate you both the same. You'll have to fight him for the right."

"Your True Empath trial was tailored to you specifically. The true test requires an understanding of every mindset and backstory that has or ever will exist. That's the scope of the real test, of course yours was much shorter. I just wanted to see how you'd react to extreme and heart wrenching circumstances.

"Need I remind you what your father said again? Be smart in your fearlessness. The only reason Alidor isn't in the essence gathering stage is because he's studying ways to make use of his aurora to clear to the 12th meridian formation level."

"Theoretically. His aurora has a healing character like yours does. He's just trying to see whether it can be used to cure his meridians of impurities because he isn't as lucky as you to have learned celestial will.

Point being. His strength of wills is similar to yours. His array alchemy is similar to yours as well, despite your higher soul strength, because his fundamentals are better. His body is stronger than yours because of the Gautama family techniques and special energy. And that's on top of the fact he has energy cultivation many times past you. You don't stand a chance."

'You've already made it clear that things are not what it seems. And that makes it clear that someone caused the death of my parents and forced the mortal realm into its sorry state.

So… The fact you keep asking me this question means one of two things if not both of them… It's either means there's something you aren't telling me that you know fully well will send me into a fit of rage… Or it's the fact this deeds we're talking about was done by a person or a group of people I would never assume had done it.'

I have parents who want me to look forward into the future. I have friends who are banking on me to save them. I have a mortal realm that deserves a chance to earn their place among the universes as much as anyone else does.

I won't be despaired. The demon sage lost everything he had. His wives, his children. His kingdoms were burned, his hard work shattered. And, it was all for a goal that ended up being nothing but a dead end.

I'm not the same. My wives are still here. My friends are still here. My goals are still here. Even when I lose my mind, I have things to bring me back.'

"Then what if you learn of these things after your wives are taken from you. After your friends are dead. After your goals are found to be hollow in the face of these things. What would you do then?"

'Array Alchemy is the answer to rewriting the universe as we see fit. I'm not saying that because I want to agree with you, I'm saying that because these are words I've thought myself before I even came here.

From the day I realized I could mimic wills with my arrays, to the day I created an earth constitution from thin air, to the day I saw the literal representation of death… all created by array alchemy… I realized, piece by piece, that if I become strong enough, there's nothing I can't do.

My wives die? I'll pull them out of the cycle of reincarnation. That won't work? I'll bend space and time to my will to pull them to me. My friends die? I'll do the same. My goals are hollow? I'll make new ones.

I'll be angry at first, yes. I'll lose control, probably. But I will always be able to center to myself. And once I do, it won't be in despair. It'll be in unmatched determination.'

"Yea, yea. Keep your cheesy one liners to yourself kid. Do I look like an impressionable teenage girl to you? In the end, if you can't figure out how that technique works, all of this is for naught anyway."

Dyon's mind thought back to the Elvin Tome and the first technique it had inscribed in it. The technique itself was named [Inner World: Sanctuary], but the name itself didn't sound anything like an energy cultivation technique…

The old man sighed. "You know so little… This technique isn't the best because it's the fastest or the most efficient. It's the best because it's the most practical and the most flexible."

"Partially right. Many of the Gods you've come to know are simply powerful martial experts who've spread their wills far and wide. So, what do you think happens when you step into a universe like that?.."

A sudden realization hit Dyon. If you entered the dominion of another expert – a place where they held the most will – wouldn't that be a death wish?...

"Entering the universe of an expert on that level is near impossible. This is why the universes are in an odd balance right now. There hasn't been a true universe invasion in a long time and this is also the true reason many campaign victories end with negotiations.

The defending universe doesn't want to have to deal with a full-scale attack while defending their other gates. And the attacking universe would be at a disadvantage in a universe where their wills aren't dominant.

Of course, this is less prevalent in weaker universes like yours. But, attacking the Uidan universe is nothing but a child's dream for you right now."

"Their Buddah's Eye is an interesting technique. If the aurora had a bastard child, who then went on to give birth to hundreds of generations of children, Buddah's Eye would probably be nearing a thousand generations removed."

"Not really. You're just an idiot who hasn't been using your aurora to learn wills properly. Or, more accurately, you haven't been in the right situations to do so. Actually. Both of those things are true. You're so lacking." The old man sighed.

"Your scope is too narrow. A will is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Nothing. It can't even compare to an intent, let alone a dao and beyond. And the truth is that their Buddah's Eye is only potent enough to learn that supreme law up to the will level. In fact, many won't even surpass the 3rd level watershed, let along the 6th or 9th."

'Alright. Fair enough.' Dyon chuckled. Despite the old man's odd teaching methods, he still appreciated having someone tell him things directly for once. 'So you're saying Ethereal permeation is much more useful in their universe, which would put us at even more of a disadvantage.'

"Theoretically. But, do you think it's possible to learn a new high-level will tailored to every universe you want to attack? No one can do that. There are too many universes in the world. That's why you use Gama energy to temper your meridians instead of learning every will yourself.

And that's not even to mention the fact that there are some wills, like religious wills, you quite literally can't learn unless you share a particular bloodline."

"I don't feel like telling you anything. I've never seen such a waste of talent. Imagine having the full scope of my aurora and using it like you do. That's like using a priceless artifact like a paper weight."

Imagine if artists were like you. Instead of observing the real world, they close their eyes and imagine what the world looks like before drawing it? Doesn't that sound ridiculous to you? You can't start from the abstract to create the real. You need to start from the real before you can branch out into the abstract.

The only time you used something tangible to learn a will was in the demon sage's inner world. Well, that and the death core plus your master's celestial will. Think about those moments, wasn't it much easier? Instead of meditating like an idiot."

Although Dyon's celestial and demon will had been lacking before he used his master's blood essence as a catalyst, that was only because they were much higher-level wills… On the surface, it seemed like he was learning sword and wind will much more efficiently, but that was only because of his affinity and the fact those were lower level wills!

If he had used a proper will learning method, it was likely he would have learned wind and sword will even faster than he had. He was effectively handicapping himself… It was clear he still had much to learn.

"Hmph. At least you're listening. Truthfully speaking, it's not all of your fault. Most people have to meditate much like you did. In fact, it's a testament to your intelligence that you even came this far by just relying on meditation. However, when you have an aurora, you don't have to take the slow route."

If array alchemy was created after the aurora, then it wouldn't make sense for the aurora to have had no purpose before array alchemy. Therefore, the old man must have created it for a purpose.

"At its core, the aurora is meant to increase your connection with the world around you. In enhances the way you think, the way you see, the way you feel.

The reason people think the soul is so important to learning wills, is because it is. It may not be the only important thing, but it is important. So, I took advantage of that.

I created the aurora to enhance the soul's already strong connection to the abstract. It was doubly important to do this because the aurora also needed a power source.

"I never claimed to be the first to try and create such a technique, and I won't be the last. However, Buddah's Eye is specifically tailored to learning Ethereal Permeation. It's not very useful for learning anything else.

That's why it has the secondary ability of predicting and seeing through attacks. Although, it doesn't do that as well as the Mathilde family technique either."

'Interesting… So the main purpose of the aurora is communicating with the laws of the universe. No wonder why it translated so well to being used in array alchemy…'

The room itself was quite large with massive pillars wrapping around the outside. In fact, it looked like a bit of a classroom with multiple cultivation platforms hanging around at various heights. But, maybe the most interesting thing was that in a clearing in the middle, there was an orb of floating light..

Dyon wanted to rush forward, but, something was telling him that it wouldn't be possible even if he did. The old man wanted competition… He would have to fight Alidor for the right to take the key. But, first, he had to cultivate.

It primed one's body in the foundation stage. Connected meridians in the meridian formation stage. And then filled those meridians in the essence gathering stage.

The truth was that relying solely on wills for the meridian formation stage was the best option. Using essence energy to temper the connections between meridians was a bit of a cheat. In fact, using essence energy as a replacement is often what led to clogged meridians and an inability to proceed to higher levels.

However, it seemed clogged meridians wouldn't be a problem in this room. The essence energy that warped around in the air had been filtered to such an extent that Dyon's aurora would only pick up the faintest traces of impurities. This energy was definitely pure enough to allow the opening of 99 meridians by relying on it alone.

That being said, what Dyon needed to focus on now wasn't meridian formation. In fact, if his grand teacher wasn't lying to him, he could skip having to worry about meridian formation entirely. What he needed to do now was focus all of his energy on the foundation stage.

Madeleine should be fine now because she had not only gotten reinforcements, the trials of a legacy relied on one's self. He had been slowly learning that he should trust his fiancées in situations like that.

But, Ri's situation was different. She was at a severe numbers disadvantage, their scouts weren't reliable, and it was likely the basilisks would soon call in stronger reinforcements. And yet, Dyon was very clear on the fact he would need a few weeks if not months to do what he needed to do.

His first step had to be solidifying his array alchemy foundation. Then there was meditating on the technique. And then there was the actual time it would take to cultivate – not even mentioning the time it would take to integrate the new set of meridians to himself. Even Dyon's quickest estimations required half a month to three weeks.

The problem with his foundation stemmed from how he started off. Much of his base knowledge in array alchemy didn't from his master, but rather, Focus Academy. So, one can imagine how damaging that might be.

Dyon couldn't be blamed for this, in reality. He had done this out of necessity. Had he not sped up his learning process, his life would have been in danger.

For one, he would have died in his very first encounter with Akihiko, the man who had tried to marry his Madeleine. Without his array alchemy, Akihiko's arrow would have without a doubt flown right through him, ending his life. And that was only one occurrence of his array alchemy saving his life. He even had examples of him using it to trick the higher experts of the big sects so that he could escape to the Elvin World.

For example, array calculations. He had completely ignored this theory because his simplifications were like cutting straight to the answer while array calculations were the equivalent of showing your work. But, that didn't mean they weren't highly important, especially when it came to higher level arrays.

With complex shifting array like the Elvin tome's technique, calculations became all the more necessary. This was because the array was constantly shifting in relation to itself, resulting in completely new configurations with each passing second. If one didn't 'show your work', so to speak, it was impossible to reach the resultant answer. Thus, this was Dyon's first barrier to leap over.

In addition to array calculations, there were many branching topics that related to it. These included things like array placement. This was a set of theories that optimized arrays in many ways that included the time of day they were used, the time from creation it was used, even to the areas of weapons and the body such arrays worked most effectively with.

The foundational studies of arrays even touched topics like the depth to which arrays should be drawn into array plates, how to properly prime those plates to be drawn on, and even array maintenance.

In the end, it took Dyon a bit more than a week to fully ingrain all of these things into his memories and put them into practice. It was lucky for him that much of these things were within his master's memories, or else it was have taken much longer. But, he was still frustrated with how slow he was being.

Over the past week, Dyon had spent a lot of time thinking about what his grand teacher could have meant. He had settled on one most likely possibility…

'If this technique is meant to overcome the disadvantage of attacking universes that aren't yours, it's likely that it's a way to tap into your own being to sustain your own wills without relying on the world around you.'

Because Dyon had recently learned the origins and true purpose of array alchemy, something had clicked for him. If the peak of array alchemy was meant to reconstruct the universe in its purest form.. Then what if that was what this technique was meant to do?

Inner World: Sanctuary? Creating your own internally driven world that sustained your power… A way for your wills to not have to rely on anything else but your own self.

As Dyon began to tease apart the intricacies of the complex array, something else was becoming clear: this so-called energy cultivation technique was also linked with his soul as the old man had said.

In the end, the technique still used his meridians as a focal point. In fact, it could be used as a regular energy cultivation technique if one so wished. But, that would of course be a waste.

So, Dyon immediately decided on the world building option. However, without meridians to use as a focal point, he had to first begin by slowly and diligently refining his body with essence energy.

The first stage was an overall strengthening of the body. Here, Dyon had to flood his body with essence energy, slowly allowing it to become accustomed to the energy.

Often, techniques would be separated in quality at this level. More broad and overarching techniques would simply try and fill the body with essence energy before draining and repeating.

As Dyon's impurities were removed slowly, but surely, he was in fact becoming more handsome. Without being weighed down by bad genes and the like, Dyon became the perfect version of himself.

By focusing on purifying and restructuring the bones with essence energy, you could effectively boost not only their strength, but also their flexibility.

Following this stage, was the fourth – the marrow tempering stage. This was a stage that allowed for purer blood, but also a nice priming for future body cultivation as well. Although blood essence was a short cut, self body cultivation started with bone marrow which was the source of the body's blood.

The next stage, the internal organ tempering stage, is what was responsible for the health and longevity of martial artists. In fact, this stage was so important that it took two stages to complete to perfection. Thus meaning this stage was both the 5th and 6th foundation levels.

The nervous system is arguably the most important part of the body. Being separated into two main parts – one consisting of the brain and spinal cord with the other containing their branching segments – the nervous system is essentially the central hub of the body.

In the martial world, this system is no less important. In fact, it was so important to cultivation that during the foundation stage, the 7th, 8th and 9th levels were all dedicated to priming this system.

'It seems that the nervous system is what gates the natural to the supernatural…' Dyon pondered over the complex array, slowly teasing apart its simpler parts before building toward the more complex.

When studying an array of any kind, there were layers one must take into account. These layers were like a building block to proper understanding. And, from what Dyon could tell, the building blocks of this array stemmed from the information it held about the foundation stage and its importance.

According to the array – or, more specifically, how the array was constructed – it was becoming clear that energy cultivation built on itself much like the array did.

Strengthening accustomed the body to the foreign essence energy. Flesh was strengthened to support the coming increase in bone density and strength. And the increase in bone density and strength primed the body for an increase in marrow quality all before each of the last steps could properly protect the and sustain the improvement in your internal organs.

The last step was to improve the nervous system, and when you thought of the benefits – or more accurately, the strain – that came with that, it was suddenly very clear why you had to prime the rest of the body first.

For one, many neglect the fact that with faster movement speeds, faster communication is needed. If a martial artist could move at speeds close to that of sound or even light, but couldn't think or react faster than that, what was the use of the added speed? This was part of Dyon's problem. His aurora's 6th sense was useful, but it was greatly handicapped by his movement speed and reaction time.

Secondly, muscles rely on constant signals from nerves to respond. However, there are always refractory periods with such things – meaning times where signals are redundant or can't be sent due to a cool down time.

An improved nervous system eliminates this. Instead of being limited by how many signals you can send in rapid succession, you'll instead be limited by the amount of energy you have. Something that would greatly benefit a martial artist.

Thirdly, there was the idea of limits that stemmed from this second point. The nervous system of the mortal realm often limited mortals to what their body could handle, only rarely allowing them to surpass these limits. However, the martial world was different.

In a world where will power was among the most important things you could have, wouldn't a nervous system that didn't limit you based on your body's capabilities be ideal?

With the proper priming of the nervous system, a martial artist would suddenly gain full control of those limiters, able to push them at will should they have the mental fortitude to do so.

Fourthly, there was still the concept of the autonomic nervous system. This is a segment of the nervous system that perform involuntary actions a person wouldn't have to think about. These would include the pumping of your heart, or you digestion.

If properly primed, a martial artist at the peak of the foundation stage can control these systems at will. In fact, there were many techniques that relied on increasing heart or digestive rate.

The former could greatly boost combat abilities by increasing blood circulation at the expense of some internal damage. While the latter allows martial artist to replenish themselves more efficiently. In the mortal realm, digestion was very efficient, even to the point of resulting in waste material. However, this wasn't something martial artists had to worry about. By using techniques, you could suddenly deal with hard to digest things all while gaining energy efficiently and quickly.

In the end, this was why the nervous system was tempered so thoroughly. It was so important that those connections be refined and improved that the time investment was worth it. After this priming was complete, the future energy cultivation would increase one's control over it even more.

However, maybe the most important and intriguing point that Dyon found in his study was that the nervous system was actually the main connection to the main character of energy cultivation – the meridians.

This was how everything built up from each other. Every former stage of the foundation stage all led up to the remodeling of the nervous system, all so that one could have a proper gate way into energy cultivation.

Without this gateway, even sensing your meridians was near impossible. Why? Because the improvement of the nervous system is exactly what allowed one to sense their dantian… Without absolute control of one's body in every aspect, it would be impossible to even fathom what it took to energy cultivate.

This was why when Dyon finally reached the top – when he finally hit that pinnacle – his eyes brightened as though he had entered an entirely new world.

He could feel every cell of his body breathing in the energy around him. He could see his blood flowing through his veins. He could even feel the shocks of electricity that arced through his brain with every thought. It was as though he had entered a new state of being, a state he wasn't willing to let go.

And yet, he felt empty. He felt as though there was something missing, a part of him that was locked away. The feeling of loss pained his heart… He knew there was no road to continue forward from here.

His talent in energy cultivation was so poor that even in the densest energy pool he had ever been in, it still took him this long. When you coupled that with how demanding the inner world cultivation technique was, you would be hard-pressed to be surprised.

However, Dyon was truly disappointed in himself. Had Ri or Madeleine been here instead of him, they would have finished within a day… If that. Even the normal talents from Focus Academy would have taken a week at most. That was how dense the essence energy here was.

His heart couldn't help but ache at the thought of him leaving Ri along for that long. And what about Madeleine, was she still fighting for the legacy?

Another problem was the fact that giving Alidor a month, plus even more time, to improve is aurora even further. That additional time might very well wipe out the advantage Dyon had gotten by consolidating his foundation.

'Whatever. I want to beat you at your best.' Dyon's emotions steeled. He would allow himself to worry about his wives but worrying about how powerful an opponent would be just wasn't within his personality.

The truth was that energy cultivation talent was about more than just sensing essence energy or its higher forms. It was also about having an understanding of your body and having a feel with what to do with that energy.

As such, much of the talent required in a room like this was focused on an understanding of your body and the instinct necessary to flow the energy to the correct places.

This was a talent that should have been provided by one's meridians. Even in a closed state, they acted like checkpoints for foundational cultivation… However, Dyon didn't have that.

As a result, he could only rely on his human world knowledge to fumble around with energy in his body. He had to first learn how to sense energy – a task made much easier by the room he was in. And then, he had to memorize a map of his body using the energy as an appendage.

It felt like… writing with your left hand or trying to do something you usually did with your hands, with your feet instead. Except, imagine that it was a limb that you had never had before…

And yet, none of this described the difficulty in following the inner world technique. Even with Dyon's improved basics, seeing through to the right layers of the 3D array with nearly impossible.

"Think of it like your normal human world operations except on an abstract scale. It would probably take a few weeks to integrate properly, then up to two months to heal appropriately…"

"If you're worried about your fiancée, it's likely that you shouldn't. Use your head to think instead of being so caught up in your emotions."

Lotus Tower had been close to Earth Tower, and yet it had still taken them a bit more than a week to reach it, and that was with having to deal with only one incident. And, the only reason there was only a single incident to deal with was because they had been moving from the very stable Earth Tower region.

Without Alidor, they would need to move the normal way through the gates since Alidor had never planned on sending reinforcements to begin with – he had assumed he had an accurate gauge on Ri's abilities and he thought Dyon was too weak.

This meant that those large armies would need to leave the stable space of Gautama Tower, then cut through their instability of their own tower, all before cutting through Rod and Looming Tower to reach Lotus Tower.

There was another thing Dyon had neglected. The reason why campaigns were fought in spurts was because the gates were closed off to the outside world for four months a year. Now that he thought about it, this was likely to recuperate from damage and accumulate energy. After all, the entirety of the gate was an array.

This was why the Elvin Kingdom was 'late' to the campaign and had also returned home 'early' from the previous ones. There were actual set times it was optimal to campaign.

That said, it was possible to remain in the gate during the time it was closed, it was just that it would be more dangerous – with the exception of Gautama and Earth Tower that is. Those two remained as stable pillars.

"Ai. You should finish with about two weeks to the end of the cycle… But, it is likely that those armies would have already reached your fiancée by then. So, you'd have to beat Alidor rather quickly if this is still what you want to do."

'Think about it this way. In two months, you'll be strong, right?' Dyon chuckled to himself, trying to ignore the nervous sweat creeping down his back.

Feeling something touch down on him, Dyon took in a sharp breath, trying to prepare himself… But, nothing could have made him ready for this…

Suddenly, Dyon felt like screaming. He didn't know whether he did or not. In fact, he couldn't even feel his own throat vibrate anymore. It was as though the ripping in his chest was all there was to the world.

It felt like his entire body was restructuring itself, breaking down into its smallest components before reforming… Just to break down again.

And maybe the worst part was that he couldn't hear himself scream. It made him feel as though his pain was insignificant… As though in the grand scheme of things, his feelings meant nothing…

All he could do was endure. To feel his organs being shoved apart and rearranged. He had to feel his rib cage expand and contract, bursting out of itself just to reform again – then repeat.

Maybe the most uncomfortable feeling was the invasion of his brain… The uncomfortable crawling of his skin… The feeling of having himself turned inside out…

It was as though there was no break to breathe. The meridians were forcibly attaching themselves to a system of things they had no business being a part of before.

They ripped apart Dyon's nerves, finding homes for themselves within. They pumped Dyon's body with essence energy, only amplifying his senses to everything that was going on… and yet still, there was more to come.

What happens when fully opened meridians enter and merge with the body of a boy still within the foundation stage? … Agony. Pure and untold agony.

Dyon's body began to bulge as new energies ravaged him. He felt every new will of the Gama energy the meridians had been tempered with coursing through him, but they were of no help… They were like a doorway he was barred from, only to supply him with pain when he poked and prodded.

And yet, still, Dyon couldn't hear himself scream… There was no one to hear his pitiful cries and the old man had pretended as though he had never known Dyon in the first place.

Every blob of blood felt as though it was still a part of Dyon… every bit of flesh that had been torn asunder… And still, he couldn't hear his own scream…

At Lotus Tower, a battle still raged on. It had been months since Dyon's disappearance, and Ri no longer worried as much as she had… But, she still got the sinking feeling that something major must be going on for her fiancé to still not have come back yet.

She suddenly realized that her vision was red and that she could barely feel her arms even though he sword was held out in front of her. 'What's wrong with me?...'

All of the demon generals had teleported away along with the elves and the few from the Niveus Sect. Right now, they stood as the center of a teleportation pad, distortions fluctuating around them faintly.

Akash kneeled beside Ri, wiping the blood from her forehead. It seemed that Ri had been fighting so hard that she hadn't even noticed a gash had opened up, reddening her vision.

Ri was too disoriented to understand what was going on. If Dyon had been here, he would have likely diagnosed her with a concussion. But, symptoms like that for a martial warrior would disappear within minutes.

"On the first day," Akash spoke up. "Dyon took out four hundred thousand." She said solemnly. "With the following two weeks, we managed to whittle them down to just one hundred thousand by using your tactics… But…"

"But, it's been more than two months since then and yet it doesn't seem like their numbers have gone down at all. In fact, in that time, we've only taken out an additional ten thousand…"

"What?" Ri tried to stand but stumbled. It was suddenly clear to her that she had long since lost her faith seed transformation. Why had it taken her so long to realize something like that? She was supposed to be commanding! 'Dammit!'

Over the past two months, the basilisks had been stalling for time… And it seemed like the lotus alliance was running out of time to figure out why such aggressive beasts had suddenly become so clever…

What the lotus alliance didn't know was that a massive army of essence gathering experts was headed toward their location. And Bas and Liska were certain it wasn't something they were prepared for…

He shivered thinking about what he had just gone through. There had been no time in that state… Dyon's everything had been blanketed with endless pain.

Dyon suddenly felt as though he was a spirit inside the body of a puppet he was controlling. Even when he looked down at his hands, it was as though someone else was moving them for him.

Dyon had no idea why the change was so drastic… It wasn't as though he had never gotten a massive boost in power all at once before. On the day he lost his virginity with Ri, his body's strength had jumped an entire full cultivation level – but, it was nothing like this.

His body seemed to breathe everything in through its skin, his lungs seemed to have an endless capacity for air, and even his organs seemed to have an entirely new system pulsing through it.

Dyon could suddenly even feel his soul, something that had been foreign and abstract to him. He could see the demon sage's essence within his – something he had never been able to do before. It was as though an entirely new world had been opened up to Dyon.

The coming together of his energy cultivation had directly boosted his insight into his body and soul… it felt like the epitome of perfection.

Now that Dyon knew his soul was really the accumulation of soul talent that was meant to have been spread through the mortal realm, it was suddenly very clear to him why his manifestations were so powerful. Not only was it dripping in his own arrogance, it also had abilities few other, if any, manifestations could live up to.

Dyon's head snapped back to find a young man with a flower in his long black hair. He had an oil paper umbrella in his hand and had a serious expression on his face as he stared at Dyon.

Alidor remained silent, his normal reserved expression resurfacing. Dyon hadn't said much, but it was enough for Alidor to understand quite a few things. But, the most important was that Dyon had followed him in here and had almost definitely witnessed the death of fifth son and Alidor's attempted framing.

It didn't matter too much to Alidor, considering the people he wanted to trick had been tricked… Unless. 'Did he catch up with Kaeghan? Or did he come here without doing so?'

Alidor suddenly thought of many possibilities he didn't like as well. Dyon's one sentence was like a choking point on Alidor… and the worst part was, it took Alidor the longest to figure out the most crucial point. 'My sister!'

This was a duel between innate aurora wielders… where the shortest of phrases and the most insignificant of actions suddenly become important. Alidor's mind ran just as quickly as Dyon's did… But, what would be enough to win? Who would win?

"Are you sure your sister is someone you should be worrying about right now?" Dyon's eyes subtly darted toward the key orb in the middle of the room, drawing Alidor's attention.

'This…' Alidor's eyes sharpened. He hadn't spoken to the old man for as long as Dyon did because he spent most of his time in his trial. But, for the past few days, he had been inexplicably pulled from said trials and told to recuperate.

And now, he was thrust in a room with maybe the only other man in this gate that could feasibly enter this tower under his own power… The goal of that voice was clear.

Dyon didn't seem too perturbed by Alidor's words. Instead letting his senses wander through his body as he pushed himself to get accustomed faster.

"You…!" Alidor felt as though he was losing his composure for the first time in a long time. His little sister wasn't something he was willing to play with, and yet, all Dyon was doing was spitting in his face repeatedly.

Dyon rolled his wrists and stretched his back out of habit, but, it seemed his body wasn't cracking like it usually did. It was as though he had truly been reborn.

"My younger sister is a child. She was not a warrior on the battle field like your fiancée." Alidor's features steeled. He looked at Dyon with a burning hatred in his eyes. "Today. You die."

*Since this method seems to work much better, I think we may have to stick to this one. But, that also means that there will be other incentives as well.

Meaning = if RMW is top 40 tomorrow by ps reset time, then I'll upload two chapters instead of 1. Since P*treon is far enough ahead, as long as you guys maintain top 40, I'll continue to update two a day :)

"Say whatever you need to say to make yourself feel better. But, know this well. The minute you decided to attack my fiancée, was the minute I had already decided to punish you.

I don't care what your backstory is. I don't care what your goal is. I don't care what purpose you had or have. You don't touch my family." Dyon said faintly.

The cultivation platforms seemed to have a mind of their own, immediately escaping to the extremities of the room as the two men faced each other.

It was exactly like with Madeleine… Their meridians were so pure that no one could find an accurate gauge on their cultivation… Until, it was too late.

Alidor suddenly felt as though his weight had multiplied, his knees creaking underneath the pressure. 'What is this… I've never felt or heard of this will… But I felt… He fused them?!'

Dyon's body bulged, reddening under the strain of his technique as a slow steam escaped his lips. "First act, second stage, Demon Emperor's Will: perfection."

Before this, Dyon could never have dreamed of using will fusion and his body enhancement techniques together without serious consequences. But, now it felt as easy as breathing.

His body was constantly replenishing itself. Essence energy flowed to where it was needed, acting as a magical elixir and filling Dyon with a constant calm feeling.

Suddenly, Dyon's weapon's hall manifestation blasted into existence, dripping the already dark area in a bloody red as a flash of light escaped its doors.

Dyon pointed his umbrella forward, demonic qi dripped from its tip to blacken it completely. The umbrella seemed to roar to life, lengthening as Dyon pierced toward Alidor.

His feet slammed into the ground, propelling him to the side just as a blast of dark gold will flew by him…. He could only watch as it ate through the cultivation platforms, crumbling them to dust.

Dyon was aware that Alidor couldn't move freely under the effects of his gravity will combination. So, he had anticipated that Alidor would use his arrays to make up for it… But, this will was too problematic.

It didn't seem to be a power unto itself. But, it was, rather, an amplifier. An odd vibrational energy that destroyed things from the inside out.

'No wonder why the old man said it didn't need to be high to work… The vibration is decided by the extent to which the will is learnt, but, the power behind it is decided by what technique you meld it with… This technique is the ultimate offense…'

Dyon had the sinking suspicion that if he was hit by this will, unprotected, it would rampage through him like it had before. But, this time… Alidor was serious…

Alidor wasn't blindly attacking toward Dyon. His arrays were positioning themselves to tighten Dyon into a corner. It didn't take long for Dyon to notice this at all, but, there was little he could do about it. If he kept dodging like this, he would eventually not be able to dodge anymore…

The Tree of Life and Death jetted out its obsidian roots, tearing through the ethereal energy and blasting the arrays apart as Dyon flashed forward.

Despite how it looked, Alidor was right. Dyon couldn't absorb the energy. All he could do was dampen it before it reached himself, making it easier to deal with. A supreme law was simply too much for a technique Dyon had spent barely a week learning.

Dyon's hand shot forward causing the oil paper umbrella to propel toward Alidor. 'Since you're having trouble moving, let me force you to move.'

Alidor's eye trained on the incoming umbrella. Or, at least they wanted to until massive arrays that were all too familiar began blooming behind Dyon.

Leaping backwards and continuously dodging, Alidor avoided the pillars of celestial will that threatened to remove all of his defenses from him.

Dyon's eyes sharped. 'He's not just adding wills to his arrays after the fact… He's quite literally using characteristics of the will within his arrays.'

This was a technique Dyon had yet to master. It required not only a fundamental understanding of the array itself, but, also the will. It was a rudimentary version of actually inscribing a will from scratch.

Using an array to create a will had a level of difficulty neither Dyon or Alidor could imagine… But, Alidor had grasped how to perfectly fuse his wills with his arrays much like how Dyon learned to fuse his wills themselves.

This was completely different from how Dyon usually used his wills in conjunction with his arrays. Whenever he used weapon's hell, he would form the spears first, before then coating them with wills… But, Alidor was etching his wills into the arrays themselves. The result was magnificent!

The dark gold defensive array seemed to tear through everything. Dyon's gravity was completely useless as long as it remained beneath Alidor's feet. The vibrational energy shook every technique it met to its core… shattering it from the inside out.

What Dyon didn't know was that his gravity will shouldn't have lost so easily… Space and time were already high-level wills. If you then considered the fact that gravity was their fusion, how could it lose out to ethereal permeation so easily?

The problem lied in the fact Dyon's gravity will was only at the first level since it was the fusion of space and time of the first level. Dyon simply couldn't control it at a higher output.

"Alright then." Dyon's hand flashed as a long sword appeared in it. Although he was disappointed that his demonic umbrella had no effect, he needed to get serious. Ri likely needed him right now.

"I learned something quite interesting from those spatial tears." Dyon said faintly – his sword twinkling with a silver light. "Watch carefully, or else you won't know how you died…"

Dyon suddenly vanished. With his increase in cultivation, his celestial movement technique, which had been stalled, had finally broken through to the peak of the first act. His speed was quite simply nothing like it had been before.

A tear that could only be described as the crumbling of space tore toward Alidor. It sparkled the air as though it was a harmless breeze catching the rays of delicate sunlight, and yet, the killing intent Alidor felt from it was like nothing he had ever experienced…

Alidor threw his umbrella into the air, causing it to unravel and bob gently. His hands clapped together, a blinding light radiating from them.

Alidor's eye being golden was just not enough to describe it… It was as though his entire being had become encased in gold, leaving even the balls of his eyes to look like the precious metal.

The arms battled against the wave of sword and space qi as Dyon watched. Although it seemed like he was winning, it was very much clear to him that the arms coming from Alidor's back seemed endless. And… It didn't look like that was the end of it.

At this moment, Alidor really did seem like a buddha. Sitting on an array, his hand suddenly reached up toward his floating umbrella. "Ethereal Rain. Buddha's Tears."

It was as though Alidor's projections wanted to slap Dyon down from his pedestal and end all chance of victory. But, Dyon kept dodging, his celestial movement technique working in overdrive as ripples of space tore through his every step.

Dyon's sword slashed outward, sending spatial tear after spatial tear into the sea of dark gold arms, but the ethereal permeation seemed to end all thoughts of Dyon cutting through. 'Dammit.'

The hands slammed into Dyon, sending him blasting against the wall. They shattered through all of his attempts at forming defensive arrays and the Tree of Life and Death simply couldn't keep up…

It was silent and almost comfortable at first, and yet, even as the Alidor's own Buddha's rage technique crumbled under them, Dyon was crumbling too…

Staring at what looked like Dyon's corpse, Alidor landed. He didn't seem happy or content with his victory… All he could think about was his little sister and what must have happened to her.

Alidor couldn't believe his eyes as he watched Dyon leisurely walk out of the hole in the wall, stretching his limbs as dried blood flaked off of him.

"That's quite some technique… Unfortunately, I don't know if I can ever feel pain the same way anymore… And maybe just as unfortunately, you didn't output enough for it to be useful to me…"

If Alidor knew that Dyon meant that he was trying to use the Florence family technique to absorb the onslaught of attacks as a catalyst to form an ethereal permeation humanoid… Who knows how he would have reacted.

To think someone would allow themselves to get mutilated just for that. And yet, Dyon's wounds were healing at a visible speed… The combination of his aurora and energy cultivation was just too much.

There, Dyon stood, matted with tattoos that looked like ancient inscription patterns. And yet, his most striking feature was the ten foot tall staff that he held in his hand… Well, that was until that 'staff' materialized a blade of fogging darkness… A blade that curved menacingly in the air… The blade of the reaper himself… The blade of a scythe.

Dyon's scythe made Alidor's buddha's rage feel as though it was never there to begin with – slicing through them with an eerie ease. Alidor simply stood no chance.

Not only was his energy cultivation lower than Dyon's, his stamina was entirely too low and his ethereal permeation seemed to have no answer for Dyon's death will.

Death qi was like erosion incarnate. Techniques, energy, wills… All of them seemed to wither before it and disappear. There was no purification like celestial will… There was no shattering like ethereal permeation… There was only an inevitable end to a short beginning.

"You have one chance to live." Dyon said faintly. His voice seemed layered with the depths of hell itself, booming and eroding even the air as he spoke.

"You become my servant and I'll allow your sister to keep her elder brother. There's a price to pay for attacking my fiancée. And this is it."

Struggling with the last bit of his strength, Alidor nodded his head. If it meant not allowing his sister to despair, lowering his head was something he was more than willing to do.

Dyon nodded as his scythe disappeared into his weapon's pagoda. "You'll have to accept this array. Know that should you ever have thoughts of erasing it, it will kill you. Should you have thoughts of betraying me, it will kill you. There is no out unless I remove it myself. Your soul strength is not as powerful as mine and even if your fundementals are good, you have no way of dealing with my death qi."

Taking inspiration from Alidor, Dyon inscribed his array with the will of death itself. In reality, the method behind the array was no different than the one he had used to bind the 14 Elvin sub families. However, this time, with the help of death qi, the punishment had an entirely new level of severity.

After he was done, Dyon released Alidor, washing him over with celestial will to remove the residue of death qi before he walked over to the key.

Looking at his hand, a simple tracking array appeared with the name Alexandria Acacia on it. 'I think I'll take credit for this, hm? The demon sage's first true victory.'

Content, Dyon grabbed the key before walking back to Alidor. But, as he did so, he suddenly felt information stream into his brain… Information about the Epistemic Tower and a road map spatial tears.

'This…' Dyon chuckled to himself. He had known that the Epistemic Tower held a map of the gate… But, as the only Epistemic Tower in the entire universe, it was connected to every gate in this quadrant… Quite simply put: Having a road map of spatial tears here meant having an untold advantage over attacking the other gates.

It was suddenly very clear to Dyon that he and everyone else had been thinking on too small of a scale. Or, rather, the scale the old man was thinking on simply far outdid everyone else…

'To transcend means conquering an entire quadrant and reaching the top of the Epistemic Tower… Sounds… fun?' Dyon chuckled bitterly. This wouldn't be easy at all…

However, he had taken a good first step. Or, rather, the secret of this universe had taken the first step for him, making this step much easier.

The Epistemic Tower was never meant to be a part of such a weak universe. The old man had never designed it like that. How ridiculous was it for the most important gate of a quadrant to be attached to such a backwater place? It would have been simply too convenient if that was the case…

But, wasn't it true that the Celestial Deer Sect was once a main force of this universe? That the Daiyu clan was once a main sect of this universe? That the demon qilins, although Dyon hadn't heard a word from them since accepting Little Black's father's essence, had also once been in this universe…?

It was clear that this universe wasn't weak when the gates were established. In fact, with so many peak dao formation experts at its disposal, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was once among the very best the universe had to offer…

To put things into perspective, there was only one cultivation rank separating a dao formation expert from transcendence. It was the cultivation rank the demon sage had been. A rank of untold power and destruction and the epitome of what someone could hope to be in this realm… The rank of the half-step transcendent expert.

Just how many would have had the right to fight in the Epistemic Tower when it was at its pinnacle? How many universes would be strong enough to fight the likes of the Celestial Deer Sect and clans on its level?...

And on top of that, the fabric of reality was vast… Even a clan as powerful as the Uidah could only claim to understand a small percentage of the universes in its quadrant.

Whether intentionally by design, or coincidentally… Everyone had forgotten about the Epistemic Tower – even to the point of playing the game entirely incorrect.

But, one thing was still true. The other Epistemic Towers were still very much connected to this one… And the competition was still raging on.

Dyon winced, his eye lids twitching as he began to feel some of the lingering effects of his death qi. 'My own will shouldn't hurt me… Should it?'

The truth was that Dyon had felt his own organs eroding under that special state, although at a much slower pace that what Alidor was feeling.

He had wisped celestial qi through his body to remove it, but, he was still feeling some of the past damage. And, the trouble was that it was healing much more slowly than his other wounds usually did.

'How ironic…' Dyon sighed, sitting in front of the meditating Alidor. It seemed as though he too was trying to get out the last of Dyon's death qi. It was clear that Dyon's previous celestial will hadn't been enough.

It seemed a lot of powerful wills had draw backs… demonic will made you more susceptible to losing your mind in anger and loss, and it seemed that death will was almost masochistic…

Dyon had been worried about this at the beginning, which is why he hadn't used it immediately to take out Alidor. Well, that and he wanted to get used to his practically all new body. But, this really wasn't convenient…

The only good thing was that Dyon had a fairly good counter. His celestial will would benefit him greatly. The only problem was that his celestial will wasn't as powerful as his death qi. He still needed to boost it to the 9th level before that…

"I'm sure you know the answer to that question. So, why do you ask? The only benefit to being under you is that I shouldn't have to explain so much." Alidor's eyes remained closed and his face showed no sign of a shift in emotion.

"I have you so I don't have to do any guessing. You used more words to explain why you shouldn't have to answer than it would have taken to answer."

Alidor's brow twitched. He wasn't used to being refuted so easily. "I have no power in the Uidah verse as a whole. In terms of this gate, it's easy to manipulate things behind the scenes."

Dyon nodded. After hearing Alidor's backstory, one thing had become clear to him: Alidor wasn't working from the shadows to fake out their universe… He was working in the shadows out of necessity to avoid scrutiny from his own universe.

In the end, it was likely the basilisks were the only clan he could actually command without worry. The other clans had to be manipulated covertly.

The Phantus was a perfect example of this. Alidor had made use of the fact that they were ashamed of their loss to Madeleine to prod them into a fool's errand. Not only had they helped Alidor test his theories, they had plotted the perfect distraction for Alidor.

The truth of the matter was that although the Epistemic Tower was usually accepted as the last tower to be conquered, that didn't mean that it wasn't monitored by the universes.

Because Epistemic Tower was monitored, any movement toward it was usually detected. The only way to get by this was to either somehow directly teleport into it, yet out of the range of the scouts, or, get rid of the scouts entirely.

But, without the Epistemic Tower key, all of Alidor's teleportations relied on his strict and grueling calculations. And, these calculations became so convoluted and complex when entering the domain of the Epistemic Tower, due to the excessive amounts of spatial fluctuations, that the best option was to get rid of the scouts.

So, Alidor hatched a distraction plan. After studying the Saeclum clan, he came to understand that their clan, although they benefited Dyon's universe as a whole, actually belonged to a single entity: The Ragnor clan.

All Alidor had to do was devise a sufficient reason for the Ragnor clan to selfishly pull their auxiliary clan away, thus allowing Alidor free reign on the Epistemic Tower without anyone becoming suspicious to is ulterior motives.

Because the Saeclum clan was pulled away, it also left the other Towers highly susceptible to sneak attacks. As such, Lotus Tower, and likely Rod Tower, were taken completely unawares.

However, Alidor never had any intentions of taking Rod or Looming Tower, he was fully aware of how powerful their protectors were. Even Lotus Tower would have only been a plus… The true plan was to take hold of Epistemic Tower.

Alidor's brows twitched for what seemed like the millionth time. "You know my backstory. Why would stealing a faith seed from a clan I share a lineage with alert them of anything?"

A sudden realization his Dyon. Although the Gautama and Uidah families had separate names, there was a reason why they were two sides of the same clan once. They had both originated from the same bloodline and had intermarried so often that there were little differences to be had in them. It was just that the main lineage of the Gautama family had better soul talent, thus resulting in their innate aurora users.

But, the point was that while it was taboo to steal the faith seed of a family and have it enter another. And while it was true that every family with a faith seed had fail safes against it… What would happen if a faith seed was stolen but remained with this same family?... How would the Uidah detect anything if the faith seed technically never left the family?...

"Interesting. So, while you didn't know what benefits the Epistemic key would give you, what you did know was that being around the tower itself would give you enough of a power boost to be able to take out the first son of the essence gathering layer. But, unfortunately for you, you ended up with the first son of the meridian formation layer."

Alidor nodded. What Dyon said was true. Although the calculations for teleporting from outside to inside the range of the Epistemic Tower were too complicated. The variables were significantly lessened if you were just talking about teleporting within the range of the Epistemic Tower itself. As such, Alidor could make use of the spatial tears to greatly nerf the essence gathering first son, kill him and then take his faith seed as his own.

Because he didn't have a tracking array, his actions remained completely covert. So, he could have bided his time, growing stronger with each passing day.

"Why would being at the peak of the essence gathering stage be enough for that?" Dyon felt he knew the answer, but, he asked anyway. He was enjoying the exasperated feeling Alidor had whenever he was forced to answer. It was clear Alidor wasn't used to this.

"Haven't you noticed the vast difference in quality between your universe and others? The only reason you're not constantly fighting against peak essence gathering experts is that the Uidah universe doesn't deem you worthy of their best. If it wasn't for your special cases, meaning those of you with faith seeds, they wouldn't send essence gathering experts here at all.

It is likely that you, as someone with previously no cultivation, had the ability to leap up and fight experts at even the peak of the meridian formation realm. However, I'm telling you right now that that's only possible in this universe. If a competent meridian formation expert from the Uidah could lose to some with no cultivation, they would have been killed off long ago because of their uselessness."

Dyon nodded. This was indeed true. Back at Focus Academy, most only learned a single will. In fact, the only people Dyon had ever seen use more than two were among the best geniuses he knew. These were people like the Elvin campaign leaders, Chenglei, and even the God clan geniuses.

Alidor remained silent for a while before speaking. "Point being. The quality of my peak essence gathering cultivation outweighs many from your universe. Even to the point of being tied down by army after army of meridian formation experts."

"I can control the movements of the basilisks easily. However, the other clans have their own goals. The only reason I was able to convince them to attack was by provoking them before sending out an army of thousands to attack Lotus Tower. In all honestly, they have no idea I exist."

Dyon pondered on this point a bit before he suddenly realized something… If Alidor had no control over the other clans, and the basilisks called for reinforcements in retaliations… Didn't that mean that Dyon had to fight? There was no getting around it. He couldn't just tell Alidor to stop it…

It had been a day since the lotus alliance finally realized they were being played, but, another army was already approaching them… And, it was clear that this army was much more powerful.

Ri stood, stumbling under the pressure of her own weight before Akash caught her shoulder. "Princess. You're not in any condition to be fighting right now. It's best you don't…"

Ri shook her head. "I'll be fine. This is the last stretch. After we beat them, it not like they can call for even more reinforcements, right? After all, there isn't that much time left in this campaign. They need to save time to head back to their gate entrance." Despite the weakness of her words, the determination firing in Ri's eyes was undoubtable. It was clear that she had no apprehensions about their victory.

Rolling the ring Dyon had given her on her finger, Ri took out two of the final remaining fruits before swallowing them. She closed her eyes, relishing in the warm feeling they gave her as they slowly replenished her tired body.

She couldn't remember how many she had used, but, it was clear that there was no more left to be had.. The truth was Dyon had made a ridiculous amount, but, he hadn't anticipated being gone for so long, or even that this battle would have lasted for just as long. And yet, here they were, about to fight again.

More than two months of continuous fighting with only a single day of rest… It was a miracle that they had even lasted so long. But, everyone knew that there was only one man to thank for that… Him and his tactics.

That said, there was someone else to thank too. Someone who had become the backbone of morale the lotus alliance needed with their backs against the wall. Someone who happened to be that man's fiancée … Ri Sacharro.

The truth was that they were very much used to battles that lasted for months at a time. Things like teleportation pads for rest and energy supplying fruits were completely foreign to them.

It wasn't that the demon sage didn't care for their wellbeing, but, he was equally as tough on himself. How could one complain as a general when you saw your head commander fighting just as hard as you? Especially when he took more upon himself than even they did?

As the chosen geniuses of the demon sage, they were also privy to some of his techniques. So, although it wasn't as complete as Dyon's version, each had their own understanding of Demon Emperor's Will. Add this to the fact that their bodies were already stronger than normal due to their mastery over demonic will, and their stamina was simply unquestionable.

Aeson stood in a corner, blood dripping down his arm as he tightened his grip on his spear. He hadn't said anything in weeks, but the fire in his eyes was just the same. However, the disgust he held for himself was stronger than ever. Even after he had promised himself to put his life on the line for Ri, he had still been forced to retreat before her. His heart steeled because he knew he had to be better.

Actually, it seemed that quite a few people were feeling unsatisfied with themselves. Delia, for instance, had fought to the best of her abilities – but, she was fully aware of the fact that had it not been for the demon generals, her impact would have been all the more minimal.

"We sent a small group from the big sects to skirt around the battle field to check on the situation. It was a bit difficult since the land is so flat, but they managed to get us some information."

"Their number amount isn't so much, only about a thousand. But, although our scouts couldn't be sure, they're definitely more powerful. The big sects don't have anyone who is able to read cultivation levels much past the lower levels of meridian formation… So, in reality, the approaching army could be anything from upper meridian formation experts to even essence gathering."

The brows of those listening creased. Although Akash had been lenient in her assessment, everyone here could tell that it was likely the approaching army was made of essence gathering experts. After all, what would have been the point of calling for more meridian formation experts? Especially when it was only a thousand. That wouldn't make any sense.

Now the lotus alliance had more problems to deal with. Over the past few months, they had reduced the number of the enemy to the extreme. However, with the coming reinforcements, this wasn't entirely a good thing… Why? Because that meant all of the remaining experts on the enemy side were ones strong enough to survive an onslaught of demon generals, Ri and the best the Niveus and Elves had to offer.

Because of this, the coming reinforcement of essence gathering experts was about to merge with the best meridian formation experts the basilisks had to offer…

"Do we have any idea what we're dealing with aside from power? Like information on their wills or techniques like we had for the Phantus clan?" Ri wanted to see if there were any possible counter measures. Dyon still had many tactics they had yet to put into practice. Maybe there was still a way…

A complicated expression surfaced on Akash's features as though she was struggling with something. But, her silence only served to increase the tension at the center of maze.

Akash took a deep breath. "I've studied a lot of old accounts of past campaigns to try and prepare myself. And… Although I haven't met clans with these descriptions personally, from what I see there is only one most likely answer…"

This was their fearless commander. To Ri and the demon generals, Akash was an unknown. They hadn't been the ones to fight along side her in past campaigns. But, the Elves and the women of the Niveus sect were different.

To them, Akash was fearless. She was a woman who put her life on the line for her comrades with every step she took on the battle field. She had no qualms about being a commander on the front lines.

And yet… This same fearless Akash was hesitant to introduce just the name of a clan. This same Akash was visibly trembling as her jaw clenched tightly.

'Don't tell me?' Evelyn's white eyes flashed with something imperceptible as she seemingly understood exactly who Akash was referring to. And, if she was right… They were in trouble. Real trouble. This wasn't a clan they could defeat without real power. What was a maze of peak practitioner defenses to an army of genius essence gathering experts?...

"King God Clan?" Ri bit her lip. With the limited information they had, much of what they knew was speculation or based on outdated information. The fact the opposing universe had a King God Clan was known to them, but only in so far as what they garnered from the other planets of their universe.

The Uidah King God Clan saw their universe as more of a training ground for their meridian formation geniuses. In fact, Earth was looked down on even more so than the other planets of their universe. So much so that the Uidah clan hadn't had a documented instance of coming here in decades.

The best explanation they had was that the faith seeds of the Ragnor and Pakal God clans had finally become widespread enough to make Earth a worthy training location again. After all, Caedlum and Thor had only just recently activated their faith seeds. And Vidar hadn't had access to his faith seed for much longer. In the grand scheme, this was only Vidar's third campaign and Thor and Caedlum's second. It would make sense if the Uidah clan only recently caught wind of it.

However, this didn't explain why the Uidah clan was attacking them in specific. The lotus tower was very much known to be the weakest and since Ri had only just recently revealed her faith seed, it was much too early for them to be attacking for her.

But, imagining for an instant that they really had come for Ri – if, for example, they had come for the other three faith seed wielders, but had caught wind of Ri and decided to direct some attention toward her – why then had it taken them so long? Ri had been fighting for months now. She had been fighting for so long that this campaign cycle was very nearly over. And yet, they were coming now?

Akash shook her head. She was embarrassed that she let her emotions get the best of her. She was supposed to be the leader of the Elvin race. They were meant to be proud. What was a King God Clan to the ancient elves? Absolutely nothing. 'Get yourself together Akash. You're supposed to lead.'

Biting her inner lips, Akash's grey skin flexed as she steeled her features. "The Uidah clan, from the old accounts I've read, have a grasp on a very mysterious will that gives them ridiculous offensive capabilities.

The good news is that this will is rare even amongst them. Only those who've been labeled as Vice Commanders would have access to the will. In their hierarchy, it is impossible to move up without having first understood this will. They place a very deep importance on it.

Another important part is that their commanders are known for making odd movements in battle that sometimes seems absolutely ridiculous, but usually end up working in their favor. I'm not entirely sure on how that works, but my best guess would be their second technique of note. Something they call buddha's eye, I believe."

If Dyon had been there, he would have agreed immediately. The old man had once told him that the buddha's eye could perform partial functions of the aurora – but, he had also said that it mimicked the Asura's imperial eye's ability to read attacks as well.

It was clear that they were using their ability to see through attack patterns to take advantage of the battle field. It was much like how innate aurora wielders could use their 6th sense to gain a view of the battle no others had.

"The rest will have to do with the logistics of battle an army of essence gathering experts… Fighting an army with the ability to fly is… Troublesome."

The problem was that even Akash didn't know how right she was. Because of the difference in purity of essence energy in the Uidah universe, it was likely that not only could they fly – an ability of all essence gathering experts – it was also a strong possibility that they could fly for much longer with much better stamina.

It was at moments like these that the elves wished they had their peak essence gathering geniuses here. There was a reason why Akash could lead while only being at the second essence gathering level… The simple fact was that this gate simply wasn't worth fighting at if you were any higher. Much like First Prince Belmont, even the Elvin geniuses went to other gates, hoping to become powerful enough to one day come back and conquer this gate.

Unfortunately, unlike the Sapientia and Royal God Clan, the Elvin Kingdom was in decline and couldn't afford to ship their geniuses back and forth between planets easily as it was a truly pricey affair. As such, only Elvin geniuses of this gate had come back to attempt to help in stabilizing the kingdom.

If those peak essence gathering geniuses had fought at Earth's gate, it is true that the Uidah universe would have retaliated by giving them competition on their level. However, the resources of Earth simply couldn't compare to that of other planets and gates.

In other places, ranking well gave them access to cultivation materials that were near non-existences on Earth… And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that due to the expansion of earth to millions of times its original size, the energy here was even more diluted than on other planets.

In fact, the only reason the elves didn't send their geniuses even earlier in their cultivation was because without sufficient power, ranking well enough to earn the necessary resources was a near impossibility.

"Commander Akash, we still have some lower essence gathering experts in the Fletcher and Nodin family, no? With good archery and the Nodin family's flight, we can counter that.

I can fight in the skies if I use my arrays. But, I can't draw footholds as quickly as Dyon can, so, it's best I stay on the ground. If we can force them to see aerial combat as a disadvantage for them, it would be best.

It is likely that the maze is useless now, but, I don't think we should forget about it entirely. If we can distract the essence gathering experts from it and leave the meridian formation experts to their own devices, then the maze will still be a good advantage for us." Ri spoke quickly as she tried analyzing all of the information she had.

Akash nodded in agreement. "I am most used to commanding the Elvin armies. As of now, we still have about eighteen thousand with about two thousand either dead or too injured to battle. Among them, we still have a few tens of essence gathering experts who've been forming the core of our defenses within the maze.

Ri quickly nodded. "It seemed we've run out of time. I'll leave the communication up to you Akash. Also, I hope the Niveus sect will help to the best of their abilities as well."

Outside the maze, Bas and Liska were watching the approaching army. But, unlike what one would expect, their expressions contained no joy or triumph.

Bas was silent for a while before he replied, "Something is wrong. We may have deviated from his plan, but, he always expects us to in some form or fashion. In fact, he usually reads our mistakes before we even make them and anticipates how we'll respond to them. That's just the kind of person he is.

But, this is definitely outside the scope of his expectations… The Uidah King God Clan being here isn't good for any of us… They've figured something out."

"But, the person he wanted to lure should have gone to the Epistemic Tower, not here. The Uidah clan suddenly becoming interested in this gate would only be worth it if Alidor lured the right person… But, if he somehow miscalculated and they become interested without the payoff… This could have all been for naught." Bas grit hit teeth. "There are just too many variables this time! Even someone as smart as smart as him can't account for all of this."

First there had been Dyon wiping out the scaled elephants much too easily. Then there had been the exposing of Bas and Liska as just regular aurora wielders, which severely lessened their pressure on the battle field. After that, there was the discovery of Ri's faith seed – and even further, there was RI's faith seed's true awakening – all of which came together to make this battle far more difficult than it should have been.

Suddenly, the arrays below Bas and Liska began to vibrate violently before they shattered completely, sending them falling from the sky and into the path of the oncoming army.

"Since when did beasts have the right to stand above the Uidah King God Clan?" The sneer of a woman with long golden hair caused Bas' voice to be caught in his throat.

Oddly enough, she was dressed identically to her elder brother, Kaeghan. Even as a woman, she wore no shirt, instead opting to cover her ample chest with her large prayer beads and golden hair. However, Bas didn't dare stare or even gulp.

They husband wife pair landed heavily on the ground before bowing deeply, not showing even a hint of dissatisfaction. "We apologize, second daughter, we were rude. Please forgive us." Bas kept his head lowered respectfully.

"Kneel and report." Silvyr didn't spare the basilisks a second glance as she looked off into the distance. What was confusing her was the fact that lotus tower was nowhere in sight, but, this was clearly the correct location. So, what was going on?

'Concealment array?' An eye opened on Silvyr's forehead as she listened to Bas' report of the past events. 'Teleportation too?... Interesting.'

The truth was that as a high-ranking daughter of the meridian formation Uidah geniuses, she had the right to lead their essence gathering experts into battle. But, it had confused her when her elder brother had told her to come and campaign here, especially with such a power group. And, that was especially true because first son had always been wary of second daughter taking his place in the hierarchy. So, for him to tell her about this had been suspicious to say the least…

However, it really did seem like something odd was going on. Not only was there really an innate aurora expert here, he was clearly powerful enough to make up for a numbers' disadvantage that had start as 40:1. That in and of itself was ridiculous.

That being said, what first son knew, and second daughter wouldn't find out for a long while, was that second daughter was here to test a theory…

In first son's estimation, 'Dyon', or Alidor in disguise, had only defeated him so easily because of the Epistemic Tower spatial tears. So, he thought to himself 'what would happen if we met on a relatively neutral battle field?'

Second daughter smirked to herself as her buddha's eye seemed to peer through everything. It was time for the lotus alliance to learn the true prowess of the Uidah sons and daughters.

To Silvyr, her universe didn't have an innate aurora expert. Alidor's existence was assumed to have been wiped out with the destruction of the Gautama family. So, to her, this was the first time she was going to witness the prowess of an innate aurora wielder first hand.

The Uidah family had an inborn disdain for those like Alidor and Dyon – mostly due to their history with the Gautama family. As such, Silvyr was very much looking forward to this. What she didn't know was that Dyon wasn't here…

"This can be quite fun if we do this right…" Silvyr looked off into the distance of the arranging Lotus Alliance. It seemed that they had come out of their maze and were set to fight.

Her attention wondered through the forming lining, trying to see where this mysterious innate aurora user was. But, nothing stood out to her immediately, leaving her a bit disappointed.

Among the opposing army, only those hundred left a pressure Silvyr couldn't ignore. Suddenly, a seemingly simple mission had multiplied in difficulty twice… First by the knowledge of this innate aurora wielder, and secondly by this odd squad of white haired devils…

'Wait.' Silvyr's eyes picked up on something else. Somehow, this core of devils she was worried about were submitting to a woman? 'Blue-silver hair… Relatively petite… Common level sword?... Elvin? Who?'

Bas and Liska looked at each other oddly, did that matter? But, they still answered. "He should have died the very first day of our attack. He fell into a death qi trap along with half of our army."

Despite how much she disdained her elder brother for maintaining a position higher than hers, she still had to maintain the loftiness of the Uidah family. So, letting Bas and Liska know that the only reason she was sure Dyon was alive was because he elder brother had failed to kill him… Didn't exactly work in her favor.

What Silvyr didn't know was that the run in her brother had had with 'Dyon', was actually Alidor. However, how could she ever make such a guess? To her, there was no reason for anyone to have a need to disguise themselves as Dyon. Alidor had only done so as a safety measure. It allowed him to use his innate aurora freely, while also protecting his identity.

But, in order to deduce something like that, Silvyr would have to know that a) there was a surviving member of the Gautama family and that b) they also had an innate aurora. That's would be the best explanation for why someone would impersonate a Dyon in particular.

Looking over her commanders, she smiled a smile that wasn't a smile. Silvyr couldn't remember the last time she had genuinely been happy about something, but, destroying enemies on the battle field was about as close as she'd get.

"There are a little over hundred enemies of any real note," Silvyr began. "That being said, they're only of the lower level of the essence gathering. You as my vice commanders have been handpicked. I won't accept any losses to an inferior universe."

"AI!" The Vice Commanders slammed both of their fists to their chest in an odd salute. But, the sound that caused reverberated through the battle field, sending rings of ethereal permeation crashing through the air and causing even the meridian formation basilisks to cough up blood.

Ri's eyes narrowed at this display. Even she was forced to circulate her celestial qi to remain unaffected. But, the rest of the army wasn't doing so well… Even the outer layers of the maze were threatening to collapse. 'They're trying to destroy our morale…'

This showing had proven one thing: The Uidah army vice commanders weren't simply lower essence gathering experts… It was likely that they surpassed such a level, entering into the mid essence gathering stages. However, that wasn't the only problem…

After the meridian formation stage, strength was no longer only denoted by your cultivation stage. Because of the nature of energy cultivation, essence gathering experts of the same level could be of drastically different power levels.

Why? Because not everyone had the same foundation. In the foundation stage, quality was separated by how thoroughly your technique could spread essence energy throughout yourself. However, in the meridian formation stage, quality was determined by how many meridians you managed to open before stepping into the essence gathering stage…

The minimum requirement for forcing entry into the essence gathering stage was establishing yourself at the peak of the 6th stage, or 54 opened meridians. However, experts who did that were known as 7th grade essence gathering experts… and they were the lowest of the low. If you managed to reach the peak of the 7th stage, or opened 63 meridians, you would be known as a 6th grade essence gathering expert. And so on until the 1st grade, or 108 opened meridians

But, therein lied a problem. Ri had no idea what grade of essence gathering experts the demon generals were… But, she did know that many of the elves were only of the 5th grade… Only the peak geniuses of the major families would be of the 4th grade and even that was a massive leap in power. Every grade was like a completely new level. A 4th grade essence gathering expert of the 1st stage could toy with a 5th grade essence gathering expert even if they were separated by two or even three stages!

From what Dyon had told Ri about their origins, it was very likely that they were strong… But, it was hard to put in perspective the strength of the demon generals because these were only the surviving members of the demon sage's army.

According to Dyon, all of the demon generals that headed armies in higher level gates had been killed for their threat. But, the remaining demon generals were the much younger ones that had yet to grow to that level of strength. On top of that, they were demon generals the demon sage had accumulated near the end of his life, because many of the demon generals that had been there during his prime, and before he entered the Timeless Library, had been dead before he even returned…

So, the question was… Did these demon generals match up to the demon generals the demon sage had in his prime?... Or… Were they lesser versions? The answer to that question could quite literally decide the fate of the lotus alliance.

Ri winced as she felt a drastic drop in her stamina. But, she knew she had to push herself to the limit or else she wouldn't be of much use on the battle field.

Without her faith seed, she was still powerful, but only when compared to lower meridian formation warriors… If she didn't use her faith seed in combination with her god level constitution, it was impossible for her to fight against enemies as strong as these.

Silvyr's eyes flashed, not having expected the lotus alliance to initiate the attack. But, soon, a smile spread across her face as she leisurely climbed back onto her throne. "Let them feel despair. Then…" Silvyr's light laughter sent shivers down the spine of her army as she absentmindedly groped her chest. "We'll make them turn against each other."

Away from that battle field, Dyon had brought Alidor out to the first floor of the Epistemic Tower. It seemed he could will himself to different levels, but, there was also a cap. Much like what the old man had said, Dyon would need to have sufficient success outside of the tower to earn higher levels within the Epistemic Tower.

"Big Brother!" Kaeara ran over to Alidor, happy to see him again. But, when she saw how weak he looked, she snapped an unhappy gaze toward Dyon. "What did you do to my big brother? You bully!"

But, before Dyon could answer, Alidor suddenly kneeled down, pulling his little sister into a tight embrace. He didn't say anything, but this was the most emotion he'd shown in a long while. Even Kaeara was confused about what was going on. She was being hugged so tightly that she couldn't even lift her arms anymore.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't expect to take so long either," Dyon patted Lyla and Zaire's heads. It seemed they had been bored for a long time too.

Fraenor smiled. Although she liked teasing Dyon, she really did appreciate this successor. They could have very well ended up with a horrible leader, but, Dyon was caring and thoughtful much of the time. He was definitely someone Fraenor found worthy of her loyalty.

Dyon thought for a bit, looking back at the two hugging siblings. "Alidor, what do you want to do? Do you want to stay here? But, if so, what about your little sister?"

Alidor looked up, wiping his face to try and hide his glistening eyes. But, he seemed unwilling to let go of his little sister. "I don't think I can leave her…"

Dyon thought for a bit. 'The basilisks are the only ones truly under Alidor's control. He simply uses them to manipulate the other parts of Uidah universe…'

"It's not complicated. It's just that I saved Bas and Liska once and they're fiercely loyal beasts despite what the legends say. They agreed to help me, and I agreed to help them rank highly."

"Yes. I have a spatial ring capable of holding living people. Aside from that, there's no real use in letting you stay here if you want to stay with your little sister. The gates would only be useful to you if you were in the Epistemic Tower."

Kaeara's large black eyes blinked as she looked up at her elder brother. She had never seen him act like this, so she was surprised into silence.

What Dyon didn't know was that as he made use of the Epistemic Tower's key to speed through the gate, a massive shadow was lurking and waiting for the opportunity to strike.

In fact, describing this shadow as massive didn't do it justice… This entity was so large that it dwarfed planets and even stars… Maybe if Dyon had had the proper perspective, he would have realized that much of the darkness of the spatial pockets weren't just darkness at all… It was the body of something unimaginable…

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out, causing the shadow to tremble with anger. "It will never be your time to prey on my grand disciple. It's best you continue to be quiet. Know your place."

A raspy voice rang out in response. "We'll see how long you'll last. You want to put your hope into another little boy? I'll tear him apart like I did the last one and make sure you watch."

The demon generals fought hard to keep the essence gathering experts in check, but, having realized how powerful the demon generals were, they had formed squads to team up against them.

Arios fought against at least ten on his own. Twin black blades that curved to ten inches graced each hand as he crouched with his every attack.

The Sicarius family was known for its assassin techniques, but, these twin blades were more of their signature than anything else. This was why Dyon had gotten the feeling that Ava's main weapon wasn't a whip – it was because she had twin blades of her own. But, if her last name was Sicarius, and she used their trademarked weapons, her identity would have been revealed much earlier than she wanted.

But, as Arios fought, it was becoming very clear to him how troublesome the Uidah clan was. If it was 1on1, he had no issues killing them – even to the point that it would be easy. However, in a group? When their goal was to whittle down the morale of the lower ranked warriors? It was nearly impossible.

The roars of Dyon's vice commanders rang through the battle field, laced with music will in their attempt to keep the fire within everyone lit. However, the problem was that there was only so much music will could do. It followed a law of diminishing return… The more it was used in quick succession, the less of an effect it would have.

So, while the meridian formation experts of the Uidah universe were finally free to attack the maze without reservation, the lotus alliance's reserve troops could only inch backward in despair… Although the numbers advantage the Uidah had was less than before, it was still about ninety thousand to eighteen thousand… And that advantage was only becoming more and more clear.

But, they continued to fight, albeit desperately. There was no other choice. This was life and death as this point… Retreating in the gates was very difficult, especially when out of the scope of the stability of the Earth Tower.

To retreat in such an unpredictable landscape was suicide. The weather had changed so often and the cyclones had raged so abruptly over the past few months, that the lotus alliance and even their enemies never got a real chance to breathe.

Ri's tails whipped wildly, her sword cutting forward and slashing through any meridian formation experts she could fight. The gold of her tail had dimmed considerably and even the black was lightening to an unhealthy grey…

Ri wasn't even able to step through the void anymore. Her speed had lessened and her attacks were only effective on lower meridian formation experts… a power level that was becoming more and more rare on this battle field.

A smirk played on her face, it was time for her plan to come into effect. "The campaign will end soon. And honestly, I'd like to head home. It's been a hard few months.

Now, crushing you before the end of the day makes no difference to me. I have plenty of time to make it back to my gate. But… I could leave now…."

Ri's brows furrowed as she continued to parry attacks. "Ugh…" Ri felt a sword slice into her shoulder for what felt like the millionth time. But, when she tried to circulate her essence to heal herself, she suddenly felt empty.

"However, there's a price. Destroy the teleportation pad within your little maze, and I'll only kill those outside, leaving you alone. Then, I'll be on my merry way." A cruel smile curled on Silvyr's features.

Bas and Liska had spent months analyzing how the Gorilla's Den formation worked and had concluded that there must be a relay station for the teleportation. So, as soon as Silvyr heard that, she had devised this plan.

By focusing on making sure the demon generals had the least amount of impact on the battle field, the meridian formation experts were lulled into a false sense of despair. In reality, the situation was much better than they thought. The mere fact the demon generals could handle ten at a time, even stalling their vice commanders, was keeping a strong hold on the potential for victory. But… Silvyr knew this… So, she decided to play a little trick.

Without Dyon's communication arrays, no one had a full scope of the battle field. It was impossible to tell what was really going on from their vantage point. But, Silvyr, with her Buddha's eye, had a clear advantage over everyone. And Ri, although she had fully awakened her aurora, simply did not have soul strength capable of making up for Dyon's absence.

Inside the maze, the big sect members looked at each other. A cold sweat had been permeating, but with this last bit of hope, shouldn't they take it?

Hashim looked at Lehabim before they both nodded. "Let's do it." They rushed to the center of the formation, but, found Delia blocking their way.

Delia hadn't gone out this time because the experts were simply far too beyond her. Without her god constitution being fully awakened, her cultivation had slowed considerably in the meridian formation stage. In fact, she was only marginally stronger than the big sect geniuses.

If it was just Hashim and Lehabim, she could stop them. But, to deal with the growing crowd? Delia couldn't help but pale even in her determination.

Outside the maze, Ri thought of immediately taking out her teleportation plate to leave and handle the anarchy she knew must have been breaking out, but, it seemed the Uidah army was more than prepared for that.

Their tactics immediately changed. Instead of taking a defensive position to block off the powerful members of the lotus alliance, they began to attack with a fervent passion, not allowing them any time to teleport back.

Within the maze, Delia backed up slowly. But, the increasing amount of big sect members was starting to weigh on her psyche. There was no way she could handle all of this.

"Get out of the way, little girl." Lehabim sneered, his red hair lighting on fire. "I hear the Niveus sect has already kicked you out and the bitch you chose to follow is dead. You no longer have any protection unless you count that useless father of yours. It's best you leave this be. At least that way we can leave you with your dignity."

But, what Delia didn't know was that Evelyn hadn't gone out to the battle this time… She had retreated into the maze and was currently hiding among her members, holding them back from interfering.

As for the elves? Akash was currently commanding them on the outside. Because she had said she was best at commanding the elves, she had taken action on that thought as well. But, now… the only person left capable of doing much of anything was Delia… What could she do?

Delia backed up slowly, her brows furrowing as an increasing amount of big sect members inched toward her. Clearly, they understood Delia could hurt them, so, none of them were willing to be the first to jump forward.

The room around them twinkled with the faint gold of defensive and concealment arrays, and yet there was nothing fantastical or alluring about the scene that was taking place.

"How could you all be so selfish! Ri, the demon generals, and the elves have been putting their lives on the line! On the front lines! While all you've been doing is huddling up in here! The only reason you've survived these attacks up until now is because of them!" Delia's voice trembled as she edged between anger and tears. She just could not understand how there could be such horrible people in the world.

People had taken away her mother for selfish reasons. They had destroyed her father as she once knew him for selfish reasons. Selfish people were all the reason Delia needed to push herself. But, she still remained naïve to her core. She still couldn't fathom how Evelyn, a big sister she had once looked up to had betrayed her. She still couldn't understand how the seemingly nurturing Matriarch of the Niveus sect had played a hand in forcing her to lower her defenses – just to trick her in the end.

Even now she would never think that Evelyn was simply ignoring this situation. Even now she couldn't understand how these people could turn on the ones who had been preserving their lives for all this time.

"Stop spewing your nonsense." Hashim pulled his black rod from his back, his dark skin rippling as he steadied himself to attack. "I owe this Dyon dick a debt of revenge. Because of him, our quotas have been decimated. Although I would have liked to pin his woman beneath me, having her die in a sea of enemies will have to be a close second."

"Enough talking. Even if she was here in front you, you wouldn't be able to do that." Lehabim sneered, jeering at Hashim. "But, this Delia girl is decent. After the army leaves, we can have our way with her, no?"

"Are you retarded? The trackers heavily penalize friendly fire within the gates. There's no need to go overboard." Hashim glared at Lehabim. But, his point had hit on the second reason no one was willing to attack just yet. No one was willing to take responsibility for the loss in ranking their sect would suffer should they be the one to attack. That's why they were trying to scare Delia away.

The truth was that intra-universe fighting was looked down upon for the anarchy it caused. As such, part of the ranking system, in order to temper the competitive spirits into the right avenues, was a penalty for such things. The reason Dyon never got penalized for attacking Evelyn was because he had yet to activate his tracker and he is the only one within this gate capable of manipulating the trackers in such a way.

Almost reading their thoughts, Delia gritted her teeth in anger. "I don't care about my ranking nor will I be scared away by the likes of you. It's either you attack, or you leave."

"If you want to die so badly, let us help you then." Lehabim's fiery red hair raged as he pulled out his saber. "Go on Hashim, teach her a lesson."

The big sects could only watch as their two geniuses bickered back and forth. The only two remaining that could possibly influence the decision were Orbis and Jessica, but they seemed to be struggling with the decision themselves. But, in the end, they too stepped forward.

"You two stop your nonsense, the four of us will attack together. This is a matter that concerns the survival of our sect." Jessica stepped forward, her wind will picking up at her feet as she planned to strike.

Delia's features steeled. It was likely that the rest wouldn't attack, after all, these four were the best the big sect had to offer – their very best seeded geniuses… The only one missing was Venus…

"Listen, Delia. We'll give you one more chance." Jessica tried to mediate once more. "I was recently promised to Oliver Sapientia in marriage, you could say we have a faint connection, no? I wouldn't like to have to hurt you."

Delia had known for a long time that Oliver had feelings for Venus, not Jessica. Even back years ago at the Legacy World Opening, he had doted on her. So, why was Oliver marrying Jessica?...

Jessica didn't even look back to Orbis, understanding quite well how he must be feeling. However, with the rise of Madeleine, Jessica had to take advantage of Oliver's concurrent rise. It was for the good of her sect and her family. Jessica could only ignore Orbis.

Seeing Delia's struggling, Jessica relaxed a bit, hoping that her words had been enough. She was a part of the Wind Blade Sect and was completely unwilling to destroy their rankings by tanking her own.

Every ranking not only effected the prestige of the individual, but also the prestige of the clan they come from. Jessica was well aware that although she must preserve her life for the sake of her clan, she also wanted to do so while minimizing the impact such an action would have.

"Tell yourself whatever you need to, to feel better. But, warriors should have integrity. And none of you have that." Delia's white hair waved wildly as she braced herself to fight against the big sect seeded geniuses.

"See what your talking got us, Jessica? Nothing but wasted time. Let's go." Lehabim launched himself forward, his saber flaming in an arc toward Delia.

Delia stepped forward, her blade clashing with Lehabim's and forcing him back. Her arm vibrated under the pressure. This wasn't the fighting style she was used to. She always danced and flowed with her sword play, but… that kind of style now would give her opponents too many chances at attacked the teleportation pad behind her.

Delia stumbled, wincing as the sharp wind cut through her skin. But, there was little time to focus on that has Hashim's rod and Orbis' hammer attacked her from both sides, intent on crushing her.

The wounds of Ri's skin and the blood the trickled from them only increased with each passing second. Even the gash in her forehead had reopened, nearly blinding her vision completely.

And yet, she continued to fight as it seemed hundreds of meridian formation basilisks wanted her head. Ri's state had made them all forget that she had once been a peerless beauty on the battlefield. All they saw was an enemy, a bloody mess that would only look better by being found at the end of their weapons.

The roots spun in the air wildly, piercing through the unsuspecting basilisks and causing shrills of agony. But, it seemed like even with their lives on the line, the basilisks didn't dare disobey the commands of Silvyr. If they let Ri teleport away, even the eradication of their entire race might not satisfy that she-devil.

But, the small influx of stamina helped Ri hold on for just that much longer. Although her soul power was quickly running out, her essence energy and bodily wellbeing were improving slowly.

Once reaching the Essence Gathering level, communicating with a hundred meters with your essence was possible. This way, you wouldn't have to use wind will as a substitution as Dyon had been.

To use this on a battle field wasn't very effective, though. For one, the reason you had to be of the essence gathering level was because sustaining such communication required enough energy. And secondly, if communicating with just one person took so much energy, imagine how much would be required to communicate with hundreds if not thousands as Dyon had with his communication arrays.

The Vice Commander immediately reacted to Silvyr's voice, training his eyes on the distant Ri. "You." The Vice Commander leaped back from his fight with the demon general, pointing toward one of his subordinates. "Go and finish her."

The expert was a middle-aged man who had been fighting amongst the Uidah for a long while now. His talent wasn't exceptional, as such he had had to slow down considerable when he was in the meridian formation stage in order to become a 4th grade essence gathering expert. Although this was a far cry from the 3rd grade levels of the Vice Commanders, it was still very much respectable… Especially in comparison to the universe he was about to fight right now.

With the death of Ri, whether the warriors within the maze had broken to her demands before or not, they would definitely break now. After that chaos was sowed successfully, Silvyr could go about destroying the outer portions of the army.

'How ridiculous.' Silvyr chuckled to herself. 'You expect me to have come all of this way just to kill a few nobodies? If I don't conquer a tower, what's my purpose here?'

The Uidah King God Clan had attacked such a lowly planet. This was already beneath them. If they somehow came back with no real fruits for their labor, wouldn't that be much too embarrassing?

So, as the seeded geniuses edged toward Delia… And the lower 4th grade essence gathering expert edged toward Ri… And the demon generals and the elves could only watch helplessly, locked into their own bloody battles… Despair loomed over the lotus alliance.

She lost count of how many wind blades she had narrowly dodged and how many times her arms had threatened to shatter under the might of the saber, rod and hammer that constantly bombarded her.

The truth was that Delia still had no idea whether her god level constitution was of the top three or of relatively normal stature… Without having awakened it fully, or even to a great enough extent, there was no real way to tell.

It seemed like she was awakening her own ferocity with every blow she parried and every strike she withstood. She thought of how much she wanted to see her dad become the man he used to be. She thought about how she wanted to bring her mother back under her very own power. She thought about how she wanted to be as mentally strong as someone she always thought of as her elder sister – Madeleine.

There were many paths to every will, each as important as the next. However, when one found the perfect path for them, the ease of progression was something to marvel at…

The Goddess' Disposition provided unmatched purity and elegance. A wielder of such a constitution would reach the epitome of grace and gentleness. They would be caring and loving, but also soothing and gentle.

Elvin Queen's Reign was slightly different. This was a path of sovereignty. A domineering and unyielding path. But, it also contained an undoubtable righteousness and fervent passion for good. A wielder of this constitution would be demanding but would have a heart as soft and delicate as the clouds.

However, Infinite Ice Hell was something completely different. It was a path of rage and endless permeation. A cold to the core mentality that refused to allow anything to escape it. This constitution allowed the ease of a path that many found unattainable within the ice wills… The path of the absolute.

Their actions had sealed her heart to emotion. The only thing Delia saw was an endless white that coated her vision… It was an endless white that she attributed to the death of her enemies. Her will was dominant and her ice was absolute.

She tried to spur on her void will and tap into a next level like Delia had, but the truth was that Ri had been fighting much harder and the stress of the battle was much tougher on her than anyone else.

Not only had she carried the worry of Dyon with her for days before he relieved her of that, she had also pushed herself far past her limits afterwards.

The demon generals were essence gathering experts and demonic will cultivators. Their bodies had access to far more stamina than Ri's did. However, much of the problem lied with the fact Ri had to fight at her best constantly to be of good use.

Although beating 6th and even 8th level meridian formation experts from their universe was very much easy to Ri, the experts of the same level from the Uidah universe were simply too much better… Ri had only just awakened to faith seed fully, she had stifled her will progression trying to follow a path that just wasn't hers, and now she had to fight enemies of much higher cultivation than herself. It was simply too taxing…

So, when Ri noticed an essence gathering expert rushing toward her with a despicable grin playing on his features, she couldn't help but laugh bitterly to herself.

Her soul strength was already tapping out after a few minutes of using the Acacia family technique, her improved stamina was dropping even faster than that, and it seemed like even lifting the sword in her hand was too much effort.

Aeson watched from afar, trying to spear his way toward Ri much like the demon generals and Arios were. But, it seemed like the Uidah army only willingly opened up space for their comrade, and soon, he was right on top of Ri.

Knowing she was finally cornered, the basilisks finally took in a deep breath, pulling back to allow the Uidah soldier to deal with the rest. If Ri tried to teleport away now, there was no way the Uidah warrior would give her time to. There was simply too much of a difference between their cultivation and their stamina.

Everything on the battle field seemed to pause… This was probably the most important turning point. If Ri died, the alliance would fold. The Elves would lose a princess. The demon generals would lose another commander. The big sects would see their central figure… gone.

Evelyn watched this scene with a slight smile playing her features. It was as though what was happening was something Ri deserved. To her, what was the need to get involved? Her hatred for Dyon had clouded everything, even when she thought he was dead.

But, suddenly something odd happened. A smile spread across Ri's face as she lifted her sword for her last stand. "Sacharro's don't lose…" She whispered to herself.

Under her constant fighting, she had been able to distract herself from the fatigue. She ignored the pain of her sliced flesh and her crushed bones. She ignored the searing pain of her heart as is pumped wildly, trying to keep her upright. She ignored the fact she hadn't even produced a single drop of sweat in days… Her body was tapped out.

And now, in this rare moment of pause and relaxation, it all hit her at once. All the pain, all the fatigue… Everything. And suddenly, she couldn't stand anymore.

The tattoos on his back glowed faintly with a golden hue as black flames slowly circulated around him, permeating such a scorching heat that even the Uidah army backed up, unwilling to get close.

Dyon's heart shook in anger as he held the fragile Ri in his arms. Her face held such a peaceful smile that one could almost forget the damage she had sustained.

Before, the battle field had only held the semblance of silence – it was a state that had still held the clanking of swords and the raging of battle… It was just much quieter than before. But, now? Everyone seemed locked in place. Even the big sect members had turned from their battle with Delia to focus on the appearance of this young man.

Dyon lowered his head, kissing Ri's forehead softly as she shifted in her sleep to lie more comfortably in his arms. "You've done enough. I'm here now… I'll handle the rest."

Silvyr's brows raised at the appearance of Dyon. She had always been quite open with her sexuality, but it had been quite a while since she had last been interested in a man.

Bas and Liska, who were still kneeling before Silvyr's throne, couldn't help but look back. But, the sight they saw sent shivers down their spine. Although Silvyr had told them that Dyon hadn't died, they had only accepted it because they didn't dare to refute the second daughter of a King God Clan. However, wasn't the evidence directly in front of them now?

"Yes…" Bas responded softly, a bit off-put by the fact it wasn't only Silvyr reacting so strongly to Dyon's appearance, but also his own wife.

Dyon's body had changed completely. There was a reason the martial world had more beauties than the mortal realm did, and that reason was energy cultivation. The purification allowed for by essence energy was so dramatic that Dyon's features had gone from comparably handsome to most others, to almost otherworldly. It was as though all shackles that had been fettered to him were removed… He was quite simply in his perfect state.

But, just that wasn't enough to make someone like Silvyr nearly lose control. She had many attractive men in her harem, and even if they weren't to the level Dyon reached now, the difference wasn't drastic enough for such a reaction… The reason lied in Dyon's power.

Silvyr had never felt such a stifling atmosphere come from a young man her age. His presence, his demonic will, his demeanor… She wanted it for herself.

However, Dyon didn't care. Looking down at the soundly sleeping Ri, he diligently circulated his wills to heal her, even including his essence energy. With his new energy cultivation, Dyon's ability to heal had reached new heights. He was no longer limited by the quality of his body, or even Ri's. But… The more time passed… The more uneasy the warriors watching began to feel… Because with each passing second, with each new injury Dyon found, with each sigh of relief that escaped Ri's soft lips, Dyon's anger only grew.

And yet, for some inexplicable reason, no one could bring themselves to move. It was as though death loomed over each one of their heads, and should they choose to? There would only be the end of their lives waiting for them.

Minutes passed before Dyon's eyes flashed a final time, completely swapping Ri's wrecked armor for soft and oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants. He had wanted to give her something comfortable to wear, but this was the most comfortable outfit he could think of.

"Hm?" Ri's blue-silver eyes blinked as she looked around, confused to find a ring of black flames around her. But, what was even more odd was the fact that no one was attacking. "What's going on?"

Suddenly, a familiar scent caused Ri's nose to twitch. In fact, the scent was so much better and much stronger than it had been before. "Dyon?"

Ri looked around excitedly before she finally realized she was in someone's arms. Looking up, she found a wincing Dyon trying to get over the fact his head had just been rammed.

"Little feu glace? Why are you crying?" Dyon looked down at Ri, his heart still weighed with a heavy feeling of guilt. He still didn't know what was true and what was fake from the old man's illusion. In fact, maybe it was only wishful thinking that made him hold on to the possibility that there were some falsehoods.

Dyon's healing of Ri suddenly reminded everyone that underneath the endless injuries and blood… There was an ethereal beauty that had been before them. Despite how almost comedic it was as the oversized sweat shirt drooped down Ri's arm as she lifted it up, her beauty could not be ignored anymore…

However, not everyone was happy about this. The middle-aged man who had been assigned to kill Ri was trembling with anger. As a warrior, having someone turn their back to you and completely ignore your existence was something he couldn't tolerate.

"If you two are done washing your necks, I think it's time you die." The man's black hair was streaked in gold, reminiscent of mixed blood Uidah clan members.

Ri was snapped back to reality due to the unwanted voice. She tried to climb out of Dyon's arms, but, suddenly found that Dyon's grip was too tight for her to do so.

When she looked up, all she found was a gentle smile. "You just lie there comfortably. In fact, you can even take a nap if you want. I got it."

A peak first grade expert hadn't appeared in this quadrant for centuries because of the decline of celestial will. Although Alidor was trying to find a new path by using his innate aurora, that was obviously not something everyone had access to.

"Okay." Ri smiled brightly, resting her head on Dyon's bare chest. His heart beat was so steady and strong that it almost lulled Ri to sleep. But, despite how tired she was, she wanted to see this through to the end.

Dyon continued gently circulating his aurora within Ri. Although he had healed all of her external injuries, there was still too many accumulated internal injuries. And that wasn't even to mention the stress her soul was under after forcefully pushing the Tree of Life and Death to her limit.

The man trembled under Dyon's gaze. He didn't understand what was going on. He couldn't feel any cultivation coming from this young man, and yet, he felt as though his life was in Dyon's hands.

"74 opened meridians. Second stage essence gathering. Lower 4th grade." Dyon deduced this almost immediately. "Why would you think you had a right to kill my wife with such pitiful cultivation?"

The brows of the surrounding warriors twitched at Dyon's provocation. Was this kid about to try and fight them with no cultivation and a woman in his arms? What kind of ridiculous concept was that?

The Uidah warrior suddenly felt as though his knees would give out on him at any moment. His will to fight was being slowly erased and it seemed as though Dyon's presence was only becoming larger and larger.

"Please! I'm sorry!" The warrior fell to his knees, shivering in fear. All he could see before him was an insurmountable mountain. There was no use in resisting. This was the king of all things.

The sovereignty path was something Dyon had long since awoken to, ever since his very first talks with Ri. However, before he could use it to its fullest extent, it was basically relegated to a seduction tool that Dyon imperceptibly leaked.

But, now? Dyon could sustain his demonic will at the peak of the ninth level and his understanding of himself had reached an entirely new level due to the True Empath trials.

A normal person might have been crushed by the mistakes of their past, having it weigh on their hearts for years to come. But, Dyon was different. Where others saw failure, he saw room for improvement. Where others saw a dead-end, he saw a path through. Where others saw despair, he saw courage and bravery.

Dyon knew he had made mistakes, but leaders make mistakes all of the time. What separates the greats is their willingness to adapt and change. Dyon's confidence in himself was unmatched. He had no doubts.

He would bring the lotus alliance out of this situation. He would bring his fiancées away. He would have his name reign supreme in the martial world.

Dyon's eyes flashed with a purple gold as a brilliant weapon's hell array appeared behind him, spinning viciously in the air. "Some things can't be forgiven…" He said faintly.

A spear laced with wind and sword will pierced forward, impaling the lowered head of the Uidah warrior. There was no time to scream or cry out in agony, there was no time to despair… there was no time to regret.

Silvyr's eyes flashed with anger at this scene. It wasn't that she cared about the death of a foot soldier, but what she did care for was the face of the Uidah family. And one of their members dying while begging for their life on their knees was not something that she wanted to see.

Dyon's soul strength immediately climbed to the peak of the 6th stage. However, this time, Dyon felt no stress. His body felt light and comfortable… This was his perfect state.

The armies were forced to retreat. Many were only of the meridian formation level… Their power simply wasn't enough to deal with the fusing of Dyon's wills. He was simply too domineering.

'What is he doing?' Silvyr's eyes narrowed. She was used to being a step ahead of her enemies. She had never used tactics in the strictest of sense, but she always had plots that often worked in her favor. Psychological manipulation, allocation of warriors, concentration of forces, these were all things the Uidah family with their buddha's eye were good at.

But, Silvyr couldn't make heads or tails of Dyon's actions. She could only watch as hundreds of meters of space opened up beneath his feet along with a steadily growing array.

Ri looked so very fragile in Dyon's arms, but the security she felt was unmatched. It was as though anything Dyon did could only lead to victory.

So, when Dyon looked up and winked at his demon generals and tens of miniature arrays sped out from him and toward them, people could only watch with baited breath.

Arios' eyes flashed as he suddenly realized Dyon's intention. 'A large array coupled with many smaller ones? I don't know what happened to you in the past few months… But, you've suddenly become a monster."

Using the same principle of a larger teleportation relay station and many smaller teleportation arrays… Dyon had arranged all of his demon generals below him.

Everyone was suddenly very much aware of how powerful an innate aurora wielder was on the battle field. To be able to completely change the landscape on a whim was something that could only be described as godly…

What the observers didn't know was that this was only made possible by Dyon's ingenuity. If he had tried to draw a separate teleportation array with coordinates and distance for everyone, he would have burned out – even with it just being a hundred.

However, to create just a single teleportation platform and many much smaller and easier to make connections to said platform, was a much less taxing task.

Their skin reddened, and their muscles and bones creaked under the pressure of the demon sage's ultimate body enhancement technique… And although they didn't have access to the perfect stages… That somehow made them look all the more dangerous.

However, maybe the oddest part about the formation was that the ten generals making up each side were so very spread out, even as far as being five meters apart. It seemed that this made no sense, if the point was to make use of a spartan like strategy, small spaces and a tight formation was better. But, Dyon ignored all of this.

His wings retracted as an array appeared below him. Sitting cross legged, Dyon held Ri in his arms as he faced an army of nearly a hundred thousand. A sad look appeared on his face when he thought about what it must have been like to fight this many without him to communicate with everyone. But, it was all over now.

"You're about to realize that I'm the most dangerous person on this battlefield." Dyon said faintly. His voice was laced with an indomitable music will and a fiery rage dripped from him.

He was angry. He was angry that he hadn't been here. Angry that he couldn't take responsibility as a commander. Angry that his fiancée had been hurt.

"If you want any chance of winning. It's best you find a way to get to me." Dyon's eyes darkened as he circulated the Mathilde family technique.

Dyon had realized something form the words of the old man. When the entity had said that the buddha's eye was a distant relative of the aurora, Dyon had initially thought that it was just an exaggerated joke. However, he then thought about it further… Didn't the aurora have another name? And wasn't that name 'mind's eye'?

If many eye techniques could be traces back from the inspiration they found with the aurora… Then didn't that mean that Dyon could use his aurora to better understand and amplify these techniques?

His irises became a solid gold with flecks of red and purple etching into them. Dyon could suddenly see everything. Whether it be directly in front of him or hundreds of meters away.

The roots suddenly became coated with a dense black fire, sweeping the writhing bodies into nothing but ashes as fruits began to fall from the Tree the hung above Dyon's head.

Massive white flowers began to bloom on the battle field as Dyon's clones began to run amok. Their goal was simple: Use devour and be reabsorbed into Dyon.

The amount of soul power the 10% clones could absorb was minimal. In fact, they could only absorb the soul power from nearly dead meridian formation warriors that Dyon had already stolen all of the essence energy from. But, the amount they absorbed still outweighed the amount Dyon used in making them…

So, it was exactly as Dyon had said. The demon generals had not moved a single inch and yet within five minutes, a thousand of the enemy meridian formation experts had already been slaughtered.

It suddenly became very obvious to everyone what the purpose of Dyon's formation was… It wasn't to set the demon generals on the approaching armies and hope they could win… The demon generals had one job and one job only: Make sure no one bothered Dyon as he vented his rage.

Bas and Liska felt their hearts being torn apart. This wasn't the Uidah experts that were dying, it was their own clansmen! Their very own brothers and sisters! They wanted to fight, but what could they do in the face of such power?

The big sect seeded geniuses couldn't even hold onto their weapons anymore. They believed that they could survive for now because they didn't know Dyon could bypass the gate's rules… But, what about when they left the gate? Would Dyon look for revenge? They had thought he was dead!

Delia looked at them silently. Something had snapped within her when she unlocked the path of the absolute, but she was very much still Delia. Soft hearted… Naïve… and much too lenient…

To him, eliminating meridian formation experts was as easy as breathing. His soul was currently at the very peak of the 6th stage, meaning the peak of the essence gathering stage. His energy cultivation was at the very peak of the meridian formation stage. And his body cultivation was also at the very peak of the meridian formation stage. They were simply no match for him…

Dyon felt no need to attack the much more difficult Uidah warriors. If they wanted to do something, they could come and deal with his demon generals, they were already itching for combat.

The elves had already retreated into the Gorilla's Den formation as instructed by Dyon. If the Uidah wanted to attack them, they would have to first go through the demon generals.

Silvyr had said and done nothing through this whole ordeal. The deaths of the basilisks meant nothing to her, she only wanted to try and find a way to win.

'Wrap around the white-haired demons and attack from the side? No… no… The gates aren't a playground, I can't just skirt around unmarked territory. To make things worse, this raging snow would make such a maneuver slow, by the time I got into position, the rest of the army would be wiped out and the much smaller group of a hundred would have an easy time intercepting us… Dammit!'

'Maybe charge at them directly, hoping to blast through? That's even more ridiculous! It took ten of us to fight one when they were unorganized. What are we supposed to do against them now that they are?! Dammit!'

Today was simply not their day. She had only brought a thousand essence gathering experts to deal with this tower because she had gotten reports that it was weak. And then, she went on to further underestimate the sheer impact an innate aurora wielder could have.

Had the Uidah army come with a hundred thousand essence gathering experts, what Dyon had done wouldn't be possible. It would take too much focus to use his Tree of Life and Death against warriors of that caliber. But, this day was different… This day was a triumph for the Lotus Alliance.

The small smile playing on her soft lips, the crystalline snow that matted her blue-silver hair, even the rosiness of her cheeks as she slowly made her way back to peak health under Dyon's gentle guidance…

'We are together in all things.' Dyon thought quietly as he watched Ri fall into a deeper and deeper sleep. 'What you started, I finished.' Leaning forward, he planted a kiss on Ri's forehead before he too headed toward Lotus Tower.

Dyon didn't even watch as the armies retreated. He slowly touched down to the ground with Ri in his arms as the demon generals returned to their normal states. Although they were a bit disappointed the Uidah hadn't attacked them, after months of fighting, maybe a break was something even they needed.

By the looks of it, it was clear this formation had been rebuilt and restructured many times. With the oddities of the gates, the cyclones and storms probably did more damage than the Uidah universe did. But, it was good that Dyon had managed to create enough array plates.

"Commander." Dyon gave Akash an apologetic smile as he noticed her injuries were quite severe as well. Her black armor was terribly torn in many places, her singular shoulder guard had disappeared, and even her eye was closed in an attempt to ward off the blood from a gash above it.

Despite that, Akash sighed, "I don't know if I have the right to be called that anymore." Looking back toward the tired and injured elves, Akash felt a dull pain in her heart. If it hadn't been for Dyon, who knows what would have happened.

Having run out of medicinal pills long ago, many had been depleting their essence energy in a feeble attempt to heal themselves for months now. However, essence energy wasn't meant to directly heal. It had healing properties in so far as it purified, cleansed and improved normal bodily functions, but it worked better to amplify healing as opposed to being a healer itself. This was why Dyon's healing worked better with his energy cultivation.

Dyon had thought that maybe the elves might have auxiliary groups from the alchemists guild be responsible for supplying additional pills. But, the problem with that was that not everyone could become a top tier alchemist at such a young age. In fact, many who were still able to enter this gate were still common level alchemists. The pills they could make would not only be a waste due to their margin of error, even completed ones wouldn't be of much help.

And as for those of the older generation who were just slow cultivators, because they were slow cultivators, their soul strength also lagged behind. This meant it was rare for any of them to even have the soul strength necessary to reach upper levels of alchemist mastery.

Dyon could only sigh. He had to slowly change his perspective on things and be more self-aware. As nice and flowery as it sounded to say that everyone should be able to succeed as he did if they persevered enough, the truth was that that was only the case if you allowed for differing amounts of time per person. Dyon couldn't expect everyone to improve as quickly as he did.

At Focus Academy, he had naively believed that simply revealing the truth of things would be a win. He had somehow believed that the martial world still had some semblance of the mortal realm. If a scandal like the sacrifice of thousands of students had been made public in Dyon's home country, then there would be hell to pay. But, Dyon had to stop applying his own philosophies to the martial world.

He couldn't rely on the power or the justice of those stronger than himself. He couldn't hope that all of the anger he brewed would only be aimed toward himself and not others. And, he had to be mindful of the connections he formed and what they meant to him.

"Don't say that commander. This campaign was already coming to a close before I got here. There's no doubt in my mind that you all would have lived to fight another day." Dyon smiled. Although his words had seemed hollow, there was still a semblance of truth to it.

They had held out for nearly four months and were still here. Had they not held out for so long, Dyon wouldn't have been able to train and gain his meridians. Even if Dyon were here from beginning to end, there's no telling whether his strength would have been able to sway the battle.

Before his advancement, he had only been comparable to Ri before she fully awakened to her faith seed. Which meant it was likely that Ri's impact on the battlefield strength wise would have been much better than Dyon's had he stayed. They didn't know it, but their contribution was equal to if not more so than Dyon's. What would have been the use of getting stronger if he came back with no one left to protect?

Akash looked Dyon in the eye. At first, she had assumed that he was just saying things to be polite. But, there was something decidedly sure and pure about his eyes that made Akash feel compelled to believe in him. Dyon just had an allure to him that made others believe in the words he spoke.

Withholding her disbelief, Akash nodded. "We should get moving. There are still a few weeks until the gates close, but this we're already in a period where attacks on the lotus tower should stop. An army coming in any later than now would be hard-pressed to return to Gautama Tower by closing."

Scanning around the area, a faint worry built up in Dyon until he noticed blood staining the grey ground where the center of the maze would have been.

Because of the nature of the maze, the top had obviously also consisted of concealment and defensive plates in order to defend against aerial attacks. This meant that the snow hadn't impacted the area. And yet, there was slowly reddening snow in a place where there should have been no fighting to begin with.

Dyon's first thought had been that maybe someone had teleported to the central station and that was the cause of the blood. However, there were no severely injured people in the area and the blood was too fresh.

But, that wasn't the deciding factor. The blood was much too spread out. An injured person wouldn't have the need to move so erratically. And, even if they did move at all, it would have been in a straight line toward lotus tower.

Noticing Dyon's expression, Akash looked toward the big sect members as well. But, her vision wasn't as good as Dyon's, so she didn't immediately catch that something was amiss. With the sense boost that an innate aurora brought, along with Dyon's newly formed body and energy cultivation, not many around his cultivation level could match his vision.

"Is something wrong, Dyon?" Zaltarish walked up to help prop up his stumbling sister. Akash had been trying to pretend as though she was perfectly fine, but Zaltarish could tell that she was barely holding it together.

Noticing Akash's weaknesses, Dyon turned back to the pile of energy fruits behind him. He had piled a lot from killing the basilisks but had never had a need for them. "Commander, we should distribute these fruits. They're excellent for healing and should give us enough strength to make it back to the gates."

Zaltarish looked at Dyon in confusion. He had no idea what Dyon was talking about. The elves hadn't been in the maze at the time Delia was fighting. They had only retreated after Dyon appeared.

A flash of realization crossed Zaltarish's features. "The female leader of the King God Clan did say at one point that if the warriors in the maze stopped us from teleporting back, that she'd leave and let them go."

Dyon's jaw tightened. So that was why they were in such a horrible situation. It wasn't just the army pressuring them into not being able to teleport, it was also the faint pressure of internal tension. It seems he would have to be even more careful when dealing with the Uidah in the future. They had the first semblance of tactics Dyon had seen in the martial world.

"I have something to deal with. I'll have to leave this to you, Commander." Dyon turned to walk toward the big sect members as they nursed their wounds.

Seemingly have finally pieced something together, Akash's features flashed with worry. "Dyon, wait. You should hold back until we leave the gate. There's a massive penalty for infighting. They've likely been punished severely already."

Dyon shook his head, "It's deeper than that." His steps flashed as he immediately appeared among the big sect seeded geniuses as they nursed their wounds.

Jessica, Orbis, Hashim and Lehabim all looked mortified by Dyon's appearance. He had been hundreds of meters away and yet he had somehow appeared directly before them as though he wasn't holding a woman in his arms at all.

"Where's Delia." A faint rage was building up in Dyon's heart. He didn't need much more evidence to know they had fought with Delia. But, he needed to make sure Delia was safe first before he acted.

"I don't need your bullshit stuttering. I need an answer. If you have time to regret your actions now, you should have regretted them then." Dyon's eyes were lit with black flames. He was having trouble holding himself back from attacking. If it was up to him, they'd be dead already.

Anger rose in the hearts of the seeded geniuses. They were lauded and praised when they were at home. In fact, there was once a time where they saw Dyon as nothing more than an ant. And yet here, they were nothing – relegated to nothing but foot soldiers.

"You!" Lehabim's red hair trembled as he grit his teeth. The members of the flame blade sect were essentially watching as he was being emasculated, how could he face them in the future?

"AGH!" Lehabim screamed out in agony, watching in horror as his favored arm fell to the ground. He almost couldn't believe that it was once his.

Hashim bit back his remarks. He had wanted to explode like Lehabim had, but seeing the consequences, he threw all thoughts of retaliation out the window.

Their pride was being stomped on and shattered. Dyon had no sympathy or remorse for such pathetic characters. He almost felt that it was beneath himself to even kill them at all.

Orbis finally spoke up. Lehabim was in too much pain. Hashim was trembling in anger at having his pride crushed. And Jessica was much too scared. It was up to him, it seemed.

"What happened here?" Dyon didn't express thanks. All he needed to know was that Delia was alive. But, now, there had to be a punishment. And depending on their answer, that punishment might very well be death.

"Kill us if you must. But, we did what we had to, to survive." Orbis wasn't in the mood to beg for anything. He had found out the love of his life was promised to another man. He didn't have the will to do much of anything anymore.

The only reason he had even fought with the other seeded geniuses before was in order to help make sure Jessica survived. But, now? In the face of Dyon? There was nothing he could do to stop him from killing Jessica. There was just no point. Maybe dying with Jessica was his best-case scenario.

Dyon looked toward the round Orbis. He didn't have much of an impression of him because neither Orbis nor Jessica participated in fighting Dyon at the Legacy World Opening. However, he didn't have sympathy for such a pathetic mind state either.

"Did you think that saying that would make you justified? Vindicated? Righteous? Is this the way of your world? You have no principles. You have no real goals. You have no ambition. Any semblance of anything you have is nothing but a façade because you're willing to throw it away whenever you come up against an insurmountable mountain. You all deserve death and I'll bring it to you."

Dyon twitched, ready to end the four of their lives where they kneeled. However, Jessica suddenly thought of something that made her kowtow. "Wait! Please! You can't kill us! I'm the fiancée of Oliver. I am the wife of your brother in law!"

Dyon hesitated. Before this, he was worried about the consequences of his actions. He wanted to change and not act so impulsively, but this was a lot harder than he thought…

If he killed Jessica, and Oliver really did love her, then that would put a huge strain on Oliver's relationship with Madeleine… Something that was already fragile to begin with.

Dyon had no idea that Oliver's true feelings were for Venus. How would he have known something like that? He had barely interacted with Oliver at all. In fact, he had never even interacted with Madeleine's parents. But, what kind of stress would this action put on them?...

However, Dyon only put the thought of killing them away for the moment. He had something else to ask them that was as important to him as Delia.

"What happened to the Viridi family?" Dyon's eyes scanned the reactions of seeded geniuses. But, his words only caused them to tremble all the more so… Because they were not only aware of Dyon's connection to the Viridi family… Much of the reason the Viridi family was punished was because of them.

"Speak." Dyon was running out of patience. He had to go and help Delia. He was sure that she wouldn't leave the battlefield unless it was severe. Any time wasted here only made her situation worse.

"I – I can tell you. But, you have to know that Orbis and I had nothing to do with it!" Jessica trembled from her kneeling position, hoping that Dyon would believe her.

Jessica nodded. It was clear if she tried to negotiate with Dyon any more, it would only end badly for her and maybe Orbis as well. Although she didn't share Orbis' feelings for her, she could still appreciate his effort. It was just that Oliver was a better option for her future. This wasn't a mentality that Dyon could respect, but, to Jessica, this was just reality.

"A-after you escaped, there was still Madeleine and Ava who remained. So, they of course did their best to protect the Viridi family members who were at Focus Academy. Venus, and I believe her brother's name was Eli…" Jessica took a deep breath, trying to stabilize her trembling.

Dyon said nothing. He knew much of this already. It was part of the reason he had left as he did. Eli had been sent back to Focus Academy and Venus was on the yacht with Ava. There shouldn't have been much to do to them in the short term.

"However, after everything calmed down, Ava was forced to go home with her father and Madeleine was taken away by her master… They must have thought that there was no reason for a God Clan to come back to deal with such a small family… But.."

"Shut up!" Boomed Hashim, he couldn't take it anymore. "Don't pretend as though your sects were completely blameless! It was all of our masters who insisted on trying to gain our quotas back by giving the Ragnor God Clan a way to save face for their failures!"

The Niveus sect members had been told by Evelyn to not interfere with anything anymore. The elves trusted that Dyon wouldn't act without rhyme or reason. And the big sect disciples were simply too weak to help their seeded geniuses…

The whites of Hashim's eyes rolled back as he passed out from the pain. But, a slap of wind will woke him up before he even had any chance to rest.

"Our masters sold the Viridi family to the Ragnor God Clan as a scape goat for the scandal in order to earn a larger quota." Orbis spoke out for Jessica, seeing that she was clearly not

"Before I kill you. I want you both to know that your sects are gone and dead now. This isn't a matter of if. It's a matter of when. Die knowing there's nothing you can do about it."

They finally knew what it felt like to have your lives toyed with. They knew their sects were as good as done now. With Dyon's power, even their patriarchs were no match for him… How could 7th and 6th grade essence gathering experts do anything to a man who ended a war by himself?...

And the worst part was that if Dyon ever decided that Orbis and Jessica played a part in Eli and Venus being thrown into slavery… They were dead…

Moments later, Dyon walked into Lotus Tower with Ri still sleeping in his arms. It didn't take him long to spot a bloodied Delia, breathing heavily even in meditation.

The anger that Dyon had tried to temper raised in his heart again. Ever since he had come to this martial world, the cruelty of its people and rules had been grating on him. And maybe the worst part was that he was beginning to realize as he matured, that maybe the mortal realm wasn't so different. Maybe his anger had clouded his judgement into making him think that the mortal realm was somehow some utopia in comparison when that was really far from the case.

The only difference between the mortal and martial realm is that the people here had power. And what Dyon was beginning to realize was that power doesn't change people, it just makes them more of what they already were.

If the mortal realm suddenly gained the ability to extend their lives by hundreds of time, or the ability to grow strong enough to take your destiny into your own hands, would the outcome really be much different from what Dyon was witnessing here?

The martial realm was a place where no one hesitated to turn on their own comrades – comrades that had quite literally just been putting their lives on the line for you – just for a small chance as survival.

Were the big sect geniuses truly stupid enough to believe that Silvyr would let them go should they follow her orders? Dyon doubted it… No one is that stupid.

They simply latched onto their last fading hope. They latched onto the easy way out. They didn't want to fight against a mountain they deemed unclimbable.

Dyon was slightly started by the cold blue in Delia's eyes. It was odd. Her hair was no longer white, but her eyes still permeated with a dense ice that made even Dyon uncomfortable.

"Delia? Is something wrong?" Dyon felt silly asking this question. Of course something was wrong, she was littered with injuries and had lost far too much blood. But, he still felt that there was something off…

"I – " Delia seemed confused herself. She felt that something in her had changed, but she didn't know what it was. It had to have something to do with her god level constitution, but, she hadn't had any constitution awakening pills. So, she had no concept of what could be different.

Dyon shook his head, "It's alright. We can figure it out later. What's most important is that you recover." After shifting a bit awkwardly because he wasn't willing to let go of Ri, Dyon managed to take some energy fruits he had stored in his ring and gently lay them in Delia's lap with wind will.

A small smile graced Delia's lips in that instant. The thought of someone who had become as powerful as Dyon still seeming like a scared child when it came to not wanting Ri to feel uncomfortable, or how he was still so thoughtful to her in that same instant, it made her realize that the world she had been hating all this time still had some good people in it.

After nibbling on a few fruits, Delia felt much better. Although not fully healed, with her essence energy replenished, it would only be a matter of time and rest.

However, Dyon didn't leave her. He instead chose to sit cross-legged and speak with Delia. It wasn't that he wanted to romance Delia in any way. If he was being honest with himself, he simply didn't have feelings of that nature for her. But, he owed it to both Delia and Ava to figure out whether or not the illusions of the old man were true or not.

Someone might think that there was no use in doubting the illusions anymore now that it was confirmed that something really had happened to the Viridi family. However, Dyon remember quite clearly that during the trial, Jade wasn't sure what happened to the Viridi family either. She spoke in maybes, and not absolutes.

Maybe the old man just made a good guess. And maybe, he specifically went with guesses that he knew would hit the deepest parts of Dyon's feelings. If that was the case, maybe Delia had never seen him as more than a friend at all.

As Dyon spoke with Delia, he learned a lot. He learned about her troubles with her father. He learned more about the Clyte God Clan and how they had taken her mother from her. He learned about what Madeleine's relationship meant to Delia, and how in a lot of ways, Madeleine was more like the mother she hadn't seen in more than a decade rather than just a big sister.

Seeing Delia open up, Dyon did the same. He had never really felt as though he had issues sharing about his parents. In fact, he had told Madeleine about his parents on their very first date together. Although it was something that pained him, he had always felt that it was a story he should tell with a smile on his face.

The truth of the matter was how he felt inside about it wasn't smile worthy. In fact, it was something that still hurt him very deeply. If not, the trial wouldn't have been much of a trial for him at all. But, sometimes finding strength is pain is better than ignoring it all together. And maybe thanks to that, Dyon had gained a good friend in Delia.

Far away in a completely separate gate, the battle for an otherworldly legacy had ended and while thousands were disappointed, there was one beauty in particular that was quite content.

Her already pristine body was reaching a next level of evolution as her every cell seemed to be being flooded with this new and untold energy.

The curve of her features, the softness of her skin, even the small smile that graced her lips were only becoming more impeccable with each passing instant.

For some inexplicable reason, her glasses burst to ashes. If anyone of the Sapientia family had saw this, the level of shock would have been unmatched.

The spectacles of the Sapientia family were not made of normal material… In fact, they were tempered and forged within the peak most levels of Gama energy found in the peak most levels of the Sapientia family.

While Madeleine clothes burning away made perfect sense, for material tempered by such a high form of energy to burst under these flames?... Just what were they?

Not many knew or understood the Sapientia family. In many ways, they were the most powerful of clans in existence, and yet, they didn't make moves to conquer much of anything… But, they held a strong presence everywhere.

In Dyon's universe alone, they had a God Clan on every planet for five total. In fact, the truth of other universes may not be so different. Maybe the most surprising part was that many of its branches were limited by the God Clan title, but were only labeled as such, because they never made any move to conquer even the planets they lived on, let alone any entire universes or quadrants.

Maybe this was why powerful clans allowed them to maintain such a powerful hold on information, communication and economy. However, no one in the martial world was that naïve. To believe that a group of powerful experts would never become greedy and want more was nothing but the wish of a fool. The reason why the existence of the Sapientia God Clans were allowed was because of one major thing: they had no unity… Or… They did a very good job of pretending they didn't.

As Libro had once told Dyon long ago, the Sapientia God Clan was the only clan that allowed entry of non-Sapientia born people. Because of this, there was little loyalty or leadership among even the highest echelons of the Sapientia. It really did seem like they only existed for the pursuit of knowledge.

They were archeologists and historians, they were merchant and peddlers, they were professors and cultivators… But, as Airic Sapientia had lamented, they weren't conquerors. In fact, the Sapientia, who would have been the foremost leaders in tactics should the martial world have made rampant use of them, didn't actually have any books on such things at all.

In fact, this was very deliberate. The Sapientia family went out of its way to remain as unantagonistic and as disjointed and ununited as possible.

There was no unity, and yet Sapientia family members were clearly marked with golden eyes? There was no unity and the Sapientia family all had the very same glasses? There was no unity and yet the Sapientia family insisted on those who joined changing their last names and publishing their works under the Sapientia family name?

The Sapientia family had contributed too much and were far too useful and docile to be done away with. Normal cultivators didn't have time to refine their techniques as much as they would like to. They didn't have the time to explore and find better energy stone mines and sources. They didn't have the time to document or even care about history.

Although some families could do these things on their own scale, no one could do it to the scale that the Sapientia did. So, they continued to exist… Keeping everything within their scope and foreplanning…

However, now something outside their scope of understanding had occurred. Their Sapientia glasses had completely burst and a genius that had already been near the heights of everything, had reached an entirely new height.

In the end, it wasn't Madeleine's power that won. In fact, although she had thought she stood a chance against the two of them, she quite simply didn't.

The third daughter of the Uidah was already of the mid levels of the essence gathering level and she was a lower 2nd Grade expert! Her use of Ethereal permeation was nothing like the fighters Dyon had faced.

With years of training, she had managed to learn to perfectly fuse her Ethereal Permeation with her weapon of choice – an elegantly made fan. Her use of wind will and an odd blade type will when coupled with ethereal permeation was enough to match even Madeleine's first level intent!

If Dyon had known this, he would have been quite shocked. He had yet to meet a single other person with the ability to fuse wills like he could, and yet here was a genius doing so with a will of the supreme law level.

But, maybe the most shocking thing was that Prince Belmont might have been even more impressive than the third daughter of the Uidah essence gatherers…

Some might not see why that's impressive. As a first prince of the Royal God Clan, why wouldn't he be able to match up to someone who was only the third best of King God Clan?...

Not only was Prince Belmont from a vastly inferior universe with vastly inferior resources and energy density… He was also four cultivation levels lower than the third daughter…

Prince Belmont was somehow able to completely dominate the third daughter of the Uidah, with vastly inferior cultivation despite being from an inferior universe. And maybe the worst part for third daughter? He was younger than her too.

Before the battle had even really began, Madeleine was completely outmatched. Due to no fault of her own, she also held her own age disadvantage. Madeleine had only just recently turned seventeen during this campaign, and yet third daughter was well into her twenties, and most likely already thirty plus years of age. And although Prince Belmont was only in his lower twenties, age disparity meant even more the younger you were because those were the years cultivation progressed the quickest.

As Madeleine's master had once said, cultivation drastically slows down even at the peak meridian formation levels. A genius could sweep through the foundation stage and the beginning of the meridian formation stages almost in their sleep. However, things began to change soon after that, and the first drastic change was with the essence gathering level.

One could go from charging through meridian formation levels every few weeks to months, to taking years to fill even a single meridian with essence energy. This only gets worse with the saint cultivation levels where experts sometimes spend decades and even upwards of a century or more on a single stage.

The truth was that Prince Belmont hadn't laid a finger on Madeleine. Having been surprised by Madeleine's power and ability to make it this far, he had been even more determined in making her his wife. In his logical view, even with his power, he needed someone powerful to stand by his side. As such, in an act of fake chivalry, he had allowed the women to fight each other first, knowing Madeleine would lose.

A normal person might have raged at this outcome. After going through all of this and putting his life on the line, the legacy still refused to join with him. However, Prince Belmont said nothing, felt nothing, and showed nothing. It was almost as though this was an outcome he had expected.

A legacy that had disappeared without a trace from the world had reappeared that day. The combination of the hottest fires in existence, with the coldest embers. This was a legacy not match by many and was the very basis of the Belmont family's lineage. And yet, it didn't go to a member of the Belmont family…

The most important bloodline of the Belmont family. The bloodline and lineage that had kept the fires of their family raging for centuries. Was now in the hands of someone else…

So, as Prince Belmont left the tower alone, leaving Madeleine to the Sapientia family to head home first. His only thoughts were to let his father know as quickly as possible. Madeleine could marry no one else but a Belmont. And that Belmont had to be him.

It didn't matter that Amethyst didn't think his talent was worthy. It didn't matter that Madeleine would likely soon be stronger than him. What mattered was that Madeleine's virginity now held the key to bringing the Belmont family to new heights.

Before, Madeleine was the only virgin with a 100% access to her god level constitution. That made her value unprecedented and unmatched since no one knew who Ri was or that she even had a faith seed.

But now, Madeleine was not only a virgin. She was a virgin with both a god constitution and one of the most powerful faith seeds in existence…

They had long since left the gates and were now stationed in a place called Arena City. The world tournament was just a few weeks away and with Earth hosting this time, there was no need to head back to the Elvin Kingdom.

Dyon had opted to stay here. Partially because he wanted to get Ri into a settled environment as quickly as possible, and partly because he wanted to be in a place where he could see Madeleine when she arrived.

Little Lyla and Zaire were chatting and playing on the edge of the bed. It was funny to Dyon because he imagined the scene was quite similar while Ri was waiting for him to wake up. And it was maybe even funnier because he had no idea what children like them talked about for so long. They seemed to never leave each other's side. But, that made Dyon happy – as though he had a real family again.

That said, right now Dyon was focused on something entirely different. He had jumped forward in cultivation far too quickly and needed time to meditate on his changes. Although the awkward feeling he had had subsided since his fight with Arios, he still felt like there were more things about his body he needed to come to understand better.

The good news was that there was no need to consolidate his foundation. Although the set of meridians the old man had given him were no different from anyone else's, they had been tempered to perfection in terms of meridian formation standards. If Dyon tried to temper anymore with meridian formation level Gama energy, it would be a waste. And, he wasn't yet strong enough to handle essence gathering level Gama energy.

'First, we understand ourselves. Then, we wait for Ri to wake up. And then," Dyon's eyes flashed with the black flames of his anger, "They pay."

Confusion filled her senses as she tried to her eyes to no real avail. Her vision was blurry, but she could feel a cushioned softness around her, but her face was on something hard, yet springy.

Ri trailed her hand along what she lay on, trying to figure out why her fingers kept dipping in and out hard trenches. Finally, her hand reached high enough that it fell into something wet, causing her to startle fully awake.

Ri's blue-silver eyes blinked, finally clearing enough to realize she was lying on Dyon's bare chest. The truth was that Dyon hadn't been anywhere near Ri when he climbed into bed to sleep, but, in typical Ri fashion, she had ended up draped all over him. It was like she could track Dyon down even in her sleep.

"Yea, I'm here." Dyon smiled, holding onto Ri's little waist. She was still wearing a baggy sweat shirt and pants, and Dyon had to admit she looked quite adorable right now.

Not willing to let go of Dyon, Ri laid there for a long time, half mounted. "Tell me what happened…" Ri had wanted to stay awake until the end, but it was clear she was just too tired to make it.

Ri pulled up from her tight hold on Dyon neck, propping herself up to stare at his face. However, even as she scanned him, it was Dyon that couldn't help but be lost in her beauty. It had been almost two weeks now since they arrive at Arena City and aside from some periodic rolling, Ri had been completely incapacitated… Dyon had almost forgotten how captivating her eyes were.

Tilting his head up, Dyon kissed Ri, relishing in the softness of her lips. "Forget me. Why are my fiancées so beautiful?" Dyon grinned, sliding his hands under Ri's sweat shirt to trail his fingers over her soft skin.

Ri pouted. She wanted to know what Dyon had experienced, but he was too busy teasing her. And the problem was that she was heating up far quicker than usual.

"Dyon… I feel hot." Ri didn't know what was going on. She had liked sex before, sure. But, she had never held her breath in anticipation of it as much as she did now.

Dyon hesitated. Although Ri was awake, he wasn't sure if she had fully recovered yet. If you take into account his new energy cultivation, he felt like starting would open a dam he wouldn't be able to easily close. It was as though energy cultivation allowed the potency of Dyon's demonic bloodlines to increase manifold, finally permeating throughout his body as they should have before.

A low growl escaped from Ri as her soft tongue tangled with Dyon. Their clothes burst to non-existence, even severely reddening Dyon's torso in the process as she inadvertently tapped into her void will.

The heat she felt in her chest at the sensation of hands running over her and her hair made her feel as though she could explode at any instant. By the time her hands finally made it down to Dyon's member, she didn't even pause at its increased size. The sounds she was making didn't even sound human anymore.

A look of defiance flamed into Ri's blue-silver eyes as they formed into slits, her canine's lengthening ever slightly as she began her attack on Dyon.

Ri's hands ran along his shaft, her thumb rubbing into tip as her other hand gently rubbed his balls. Dyon felt as though he would explode at any moment, and that was even before Ri tilted her head up, biting his lip to pull him down into a deep kiss.

All this time, despite Dyon's words, Ri had been in control. He hadn't even been able to think straight for long enough to realize he hadn't made use of any dual cultivation techniques to conquer Ri.

But, there was little he could do. Something had seemingly snapped in Ri and her bestial aura was affecting even Dyon. It was as though Ri had manifested her own sovereign will and it was completely dominating right now.

Dyon grunted as his shaft convulsed. But, before he could finish, Ri's hands suddenly stopped, shifting her hips to slide Dyon's tip along her wet slit.

Dyon couldn't help but chuckle to himself as Ri poked fun at him. She seemed really proud of herself. Dyon hadn't even been that quick on the day the lost his virginity. But, embarrassment wasn't a word Dyon knew the definition of. Now shamelessness… He knew a thing or two about that.

Suddenly, the room started to twinkle with a faint celestial light. The flames of Dyon's aurora blazed with a purple-gold right along with it.

"You can have round one." Dyon pushed himself up, grinning widely as he watched Ri's soft skin and supple breasts redden. Ri's breath quickened, but her lip twitched as though she was trying to pretend like Dyon's slowly accumulating will was having no effect on her.

Ri's feet curled upward as her ass shook involuntarily at the completely new stimulation. She came immediately, unable to stop herself from going limp and trembling in pleasure.

Dyon leaned over top of her, moving her hair out of the way to kiss her ear. "I hope you didn't think that was all." Dyon's hand trailed along Ri's soft back before he grabbed a handful of her plump ass. "It's a king's job to service his queen."

Ri's face buried itself into the bed's pillows, her knees propping her ass up as Dyon had his way with her. She didn't know how much time passed, or even how often she climaxed. But, what she did know was that she wanted more and more.

By the time Dyon stopped, it was already evening. An entire day and all Ri had to show for it were wobbly legs and a smile that was so self-satisfied that it could light any night sky.

When Ri finally came to her senses, Dyon was snoring lightly. She watched him silently for a long while before the dull ache between her legs made her giggle to herself. "You must have been trying to break me, king."

Ri rolled her eyes. Dyon never seemed to sleep to deeply and that was something that worried Ri, honestly. Even during his coma, he was constantly muttering calculations and deductions. In fact, being in a coma might have been the only time Dyon got any real semblance of rest.

"You mean like memories from a person who lived thousands of years? You must have gotten that position from her memories too." Ri's eyes glimmered when she remembered the feeling of being pinned down beneath Dyon. There was a submissive feeling to it her beast side couldn't help but gravitate toward.

"Eh – " Dyon didn't know how to respond. Could he say that that was a position quite commonly used in the human world? How would he explain how he knew about it? 'Well… This is awkward.'

Dyon sighed. "Fine, fine. You win. I'm a pervert." Suddenly, Dyon grinned. "But, now this means there are only two left in this world who can deal with that and for now, the job is solely yours."

Ri smiled lightly, resting her hand on Dyon's chest, "I don't think I mind that too much. Even though today seemed excessive, if I didn't lose consciousness, I feel like I would have still wanted more."

A serious expression colored Dyon's features. "I saw you awaken your faith seed completely. Or, I guess, what seemed like a complete version… I'm not entirely sure on how faith seeds work exactly, I'm sorry I can't be of much help."

Ri shook her head, "I don't need to know everything now, we can slowly figure it out together. But, didn't the Celestial Deer Sect use to be extremely powerful? Wouldn't they have faith seeds then? So, why doesn't your master have memories on it?"

Dyon pondered a bit, "I know for a fact that the Celestial Deer Sect has at least one faith seed tied to their lineage. The First White Mother transcended, so it's likely she left behind her faith seed. However, I don't have access to the rest of the Celestial Deer Sect's history because my master locked it away. It's likely her memories on faith seeds were locked away too, then."

Dyon nodded as he answered. He told Ri about his experience in the Epistemic Tower and what it meant for them in future. He also told her about how the old man was technically his grand teacher many times removed, and how one of his disciples had been the first white mother. With that information alone, it was perfectly reasonable to assume that she had a faith seed. In fact, it was the only conclusion.

After thinking for a while, a sudden thought flashed in Ri's mind. "Wait. Since the Epistemic Tower is one of a hundred of them, it does the same job as every other Epistemic Tower, no?

Since it connects every gate in this quadrant, doesn't that mean we can use your ring to directly bring the elves back to our universe by using the gates as a spatial jump point?"

"I don't think we'd have any problems finding Universe Chaos should it be within this quadrant. In fact, it's a near guarantee that Universe Chaos is within this quadrant because the old man confirmed for me the story Prince Belmont told. Amethyst fought the dark, ice and fire phoenix clans through Chaos and this universe. For it to be like that, Chaos must be relatively close.

In fact, there could lie a dormant gate to Chaos within our universe itself. After all, it's the only uninhabited universe in existence. For it to remain as such, the entrance to it is either hidden or ignored. There's also the possibility that it's too dangerous to enter, however, from my understanding, its no more dangerous than it was for me to take Epistemic Tower. If it was out of my scope of abilities, grand teacher and the demon generals would have told me.

If we go and reboot a dormant gate, people will be made aware. This is why the tracking and ranking systems work so effectively even across dimensions. There's someone or some organization powerful enough to keep tabs on these things and it's important that we don't alert them unless we're strong enough to do so. And, the obvious problem, is that we aren't strong enough to do so.

If the elves and us go as is to plant a flag in a completely new universe, we'd be asking for trouble. For one, we have no idea how many gates Chaos has. But, it could be very possible for us to have to split our already small population into even smaller groups.

Secondly, remember this universe used to be extremely powerful, which means its likely that the gate to Chaos might even be a peak dao formation gate or maybe even the peak-most half step to transcendence gate. Even though it's possible to change the threshold of cultivation of a gate if you control all of its towers, remember that the dangers associated are set to match the cultivation thresholds. The dangers of an essence gathering gate would be nothing compared to even a saint gate, let alone a celestial gate or higher.

Thirdly, although it's possible to teleport directly into chaos and completely bypass the gate problems and potentially avoid being detected, there is still another aspect of danger we're missing. It might be okay for a small group to go, but, an entire population of people entering a dangerous area sounds like a formula for genocide…

Remember, there's a reason the elves left that universe in the first place. My best guess right now would have to be that they predicted the fight amongst the phoenixes, however, that can't be the full story."

"Exactly. There shouldn't be a large difference between the Elvin Kingdom of old and the phoenixes. And yet, they still chose to evacuate. And maybe the worst part was that the family heads of the ancient god clans had chosen to stay behind, letting the younger generation and lesser families go instead."

"Your father is likely not in the universe anymore. In fact, it's likely that he's gone for your mother. Have you thought about how powerful the kitsune are?..."

Ri blinked. "Supreme levels beasts… In fact, higher level supreme level beasts. They're likely past a King God Clan level to begin with. An Emperor God Clan, maybe?"

Dyon nodded before a spatial ring appeared in his hand. It was a ring from he took from the dead 5th son, the young man from the Uidah clan that Alidor killed.

"According to information I got from this, the only Emperor God Clans in this quadrant are the Ragnor and Pakal. Aside from that, the Sapientia God Clans are really spread out and of various power levels, then there was the Uidah clan who were only a single universe conquered away from becoming an Emperor God Clan.

Ri's brows furrowed at Dyon's words. The Kitsune weren't from the quadrant at all? Were they maybe a small clan that didn't do much conquering? Or were they really from an entirely separate universe?...

Your father is thousands of years old. And I would assume that your mother is at least hundreds of years old if not thousands herself. And yet, you're only 15, just like me."

Dyon continued, knowing Ri might have been confused, "Once you think about it for long enough you'll notice something really important is missing… It's a massive loop in all of our understanding actually…

Because you're only 15, that means your parents have been in this very universe within the last 15 years. You've met your mom and your dad, enough to even know their face and enough to even know their faces within the Elvin Kingdom itself.

"But… What does that mean?" Ri settled back down after her realization. As much as she wanted to believe that her parents had to be in this very universe, something wasn't adding up. Plus, they didn't know enough to conclude something like that. At most they could know for sure that Ri's parents didn't leave by normal means.

A sad smile surfaced on Dyon's features. He didn't like seeing Ri in such a sad state, but these were things they had to talk about together. He was a hypocrite when it came to his loved ones. A lot of the time he wanted to carry all of the load and keep things buried inside, by he hated the idea of his friends, or his women especially, having to do so. His decision just months earlier to trust Ri and Madeleine to fight on their own was something that still tore him apart to this very moment.

He knew Ri was safe now, because she lay by his side. In fact, he knew Madeleine was safe too because on his way back, he used Little Lyla's help to find a spatial tear to her. However, he still hated having to find Ri in such an injured state and although Madeleine wasn't hurt when he found her, when he got a good look at the legacy world she was in, he had some pretty troubling guesses as to what her winning could mean…

For one, if your parents are no longer in this universe, they didn't leave by the gates. No one within the last ten years has conquered a gate, so therefore the cultivation of your parents would be too high to enter one.

So, with that understanding, we've eliminated one possibility, but there are others. If we assume that your parents aren't here, then that means that there's some other, novel way, to travel between universes."

Dyon nodded. Ri was right. If people could travel between universes just like that, then what would the gates be there for? And, when you think about the fact that the gates were created by the old man – a person who had transcended and wielded unprecedented power – one would be hard-pressed to justify the existence of such an item. And it became even more unlikely when you considered how weak this universe is… But… There was something nagging at Dyon's mind.

"You mean how it is my mother got here, right?" This was something Ri had begun pondering as soon as Dyon mentioned the problem with her parents leaving this universe. Because, if there was a problem with them leaving, then there was obviously the vice verse problem…

We don't know how old your mother was when she came here, so we have no approximation of cultivation. That means she could very well have used normal means to enter."

"The problem with that would be that there are no Kitsune here… Not that we know of anyway. So, if the Kitsune had come here, why aren't they here now?"

"True. There's also something interesting about those questions. Remember when I told you that my master has seals on her memory? And that those seals most likely lock away pieces of information about the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect?"

"Well, one of the things that we're included in her memory was the oddity of the color of your aurora. This was something I found odd for a long time, in fact it was the main reason it took me so long to figure out you had conflicting constitutions…"

The characteristic gold color an aurora gets denotes an innate wielder. A white color denotes humanoid species such as the elves and humans. But, beasts have aurora matching their species and species type… Bas' aurora was a blazing red. Liska's was a pale silver. And yours is a striking blue."

"It's still too early to conclude that because my master alluded to the Celestial Deer Sect being in conflict with the qilin and dragons because of her husband and Little Black…

But, if it was true, it would make sense for a number of reasons. For one, the elves had an alliance with the sect, which means that if the Kitsune were involved, that would likely be how your parents met.

Secondly, if the Kitsune were in an alliance with the Celestial Deer Sect, it would also explain their disappearance from this universe. If a big war happened, and their side lost, it would be unlikely for them to have survived… Their state could very well be similar to the Celestial Deer Sect. However… There's a problem with that assumption."

Dyon laughed, "That's a possibility. Because of the martial world, whenever a woman disappears and she's from a strong clan, I automatically think they must have stolen her to marry her off for political gain."

Ri sighed, "But that's just the sad truth… It happens too often… If you hadn't helped the Elves so much, and I suddenly revealed my talent, even the Grand Elders might have used that as an opportunity to try and sell me off for their benefit…"

"But, the truth is that my mother did leave before my father did… If it's not for the assumed reason, then what reason could there be?" Although Ri didn't want to think it, she got a nagging feeling in her heart that made her uncomfortable. 'Did my parents leave because they didn't want to be with me anymore?'

"I know what you're thinking… Well, at least I think I do. But, you've told me too many great memories you have of your mother for me to believe that she left you just because. I'm looking forward to meeting the beautiful Japanese woman that birthed my little feu glace." Dyon smiled, pushing himself up from the bed and kneeling beside Ri.

Dyon shook his head as his eyes scanned Ri's body. He felt like he had never just paused to appreciate it because whenever Ri was in the nude, she was usually pouncing on him – something he couldn't complain about, if he was being honest.

Moonlight trickled in on Ri's soft, jade-like skin as she blushed under Dyon's gaze. It wasn't as though he had never seen her in the state, but this was the first time he was staring so intently. It made her heart skip a few beats.

Her hips were wide and giving, curving to the size of her plump ass to perfection. In fact, Ri's body hadn't changed even one bit since the first time Dyon met her… Even then, when her looks were supposedly average, she had not only made Dyon fall for her, the sway of her hips, the form of her shape, the tone of her body, had all mesmerized Dyon to no end.

Dyon felt as though he couldn't stop smiling when he looked into them. He had completely forgotten that they had been speaking about an important topic just before this.

Seeing Dyon's gaze and the flex of his toned muscles underneath the soft moon light, Ri felt a faint wetness begin to coat her treasured place. She suddenly felt though the heat she thought had subsided was building up again.

Dyon seemed to notice that the reddening of Ri's skin was no longer due to embarrassment, which made him chuckle to himself lightly as his gaze shifted to her delicate pink folds. Raising his thumb to it, he gently stroked the small patch of hair causing Ri to shift her hips in annoyance as though to say, 'touch it directly you idiot.'

But, Dyon smirked to himself as he didn't comply. "Let me give you a massage," He reached for Ri's hips, turning her over as he began to gently press into her toned back. His celestial will and aurora trickled in, pouring through Ri's body and causing her to sigh in comfort.

As Ri's breathing became deep and relaxed, Dyon worked his way through her body. Double and Triple checking her injuries were healed to perfection as he enjoyed the softness of her skin.

A sudden realization came over Dyon. He had never thought about it deeply before, but many of the things he had seen in the human world – whether that be cultures, religions and the like – often had representations in the martial world.

When Ri had fixed the conflict in her constitutions, it wasn't just that she had become a beauty worthy of rivaling Madeleine, it was also that she had gained faint Japanese characteristics – or more accurately, what Dyon deemed characteristically Japanese features – reminiscent of someone who shared half of their genes with a parent of that origin.

"The Japanese are a race of people from the mortal realm. One of their legends includes myths about the kitsune. What's interesting is that the way they look is quite similar to how I assume your mother would. And, someone half Japanese from the mortal realm would look a lot like you, too. Although I doubt they'd be as beautiful," Dyon said teasingly.

Ri giggled lightly. Dyon never seemed serious enough when it came to these things. "So, that must mean that the wills of the martial world heavily influence the mortal world, no?"

Dyon nodded. "That's the best explanation. To share a culture, religion and even some of the same facial features, my best guess would be that although the mortal realm can't cultivate, it can still be effected by the laws of the martial realm."

This made sense to Dyon. After all, Ri had once told him that part of the reason campaigns were fought was to spread your will. By doing so, your will thus became more powerful. So, if the Kitsune had been here, or were powerful enough elsewhere to have their wills trickle into other universes, then it made sense for a portion of the mortal realm to be affected.

Dyon chuckled to himself, "At this point, I wonder if us mortals ever truly came up with anything on our own. I wonder what were our ideas, and what was just influence from something high above our station."

"Well, you'll always have your technology. And technically, since you keep finding truth behind the religions and legends so many believe, doesn't that mean you're all technically right?"

A thoughtful expression appeared on Dyon's features, "All technically right, huh? Well, that's one way to think about it," Dyon smiled, "Actually, that's quite a nice way to put it…"

"That said," Ri giggled to herself, "If you find a martial clan who are more expert at the use of computers than you are, I think it would be about time to give up."

Dyon's hands continued to glide along Ri's back as he laughed. That would indeed be heart breaking. If that was the case, would mortals have ever really done anything on their own? If even their best accomplishments were just thanks to trickle of will from powerful beings, that would be kind of sad.

"But, you never finished your thought, Dyon…" Ri's back tensed a bit under Dyon's fingers, causing him to slow his pace. "If not for the reasons I thought, why would my mother leave, then?"

If the Kitsune were here before the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect, then it likely means your mother didn't leave for typical reasons.

If Elder Daiyu's reaction is to be trusted, the Daiyu clan doesn't have any dao formation experts remaining. This means that there shouldn't be anyone among the Celestial Deer Sect's enemies that we know of, that could rival the combination of your mother and father… Which means the reason they left likely doesn't have to do with threats from this universe either…

But, there's just too much guess work involved. I have no way of knowing if the Elder Daiyu was lying or not, and I have no way of knowing if the Daiyu are even the only clan we have to worry about. If I remember correctly, my master said the Daiyu clan was just one of their enemies, and if you take into account how powerful a Kitsune-Celestial Deer Sect alliance would be, then the idea of just one clan taking them down sounds absolutely ridiculous."

The words that Elder Daiyu left just didn't sit well with him. Even with the knowledge he gained from his grand teacher, the way Elder Daiyu said it was as though knowledge of what happened would make Dyon shift his allegiances from where they were… As though it would make him sympathize with the Daiyu?

If Dyon knew that Elder Daiyu had lost centuries of his life, life he had previously gained by having tempered his body with enigmatic energy of the dao formation stage, he would have felt even more strongly about this unsettling feeling. Why would Elder Daiyu risk saying something with such a heavy penalty unless it was just that important to him?... So important he couldn't control his emotions even in the face of aging that much?...

The world was painted in greys… Was it really a certainty that Dyon just happened to become the successor of a clan that also happened to be in the right?... Would he feel the same way had he become the disciple of a Daiyu clan member instead?...

Sure, he hated the Daiyu not just because of the Celestial Deer Sect, but also because of what they had almost helped happen to Madeleine. If it wasn't for the Daiyu, Kami Akihiko would have never had the technique necessary to take Madeleine's talent and Dyon would have never had to fall out with the Kami God Clan, almost die, or risk his life at all.

However, how could Dyon know whether or not the Celestial Deer Sect had ever done something horrible in their long history? Was he meant to believe that in its many millennia of existence, no one of the Celestial Deer Sect had ever done something comparably horrible? … He would be naïve in thinking so…

That said, Dyon did have a cheat he could use to figure this all out… He just wasn't willing to use it… Little Lyla was much too young to have to be involved in such things.

Although Dyon didn't know about the treaty, even if he did it wouldn't matter. Little Lyla wasn't born at the time and is therefore not bound by it. The reason the old man couldn't tell Dyon, even though he had the power to surpass the treaty because he was of comparable strength to its creator, was because there was still a connection between him and the treaty. Meaning, even if the treaty wouldn't affect him, it would affect Dyon by proxy of the old man's connection to it.

However, Little Lyla wouldn't have this problem… She wasn't tethered to the connection and although the treaty could bind the words spoken, it couldn't bind thoughts. If it did, wouldn't Madeleine's master or Elder Daiyu die every time they thought of the treaty?

This ultimately meant that all Little Lyla had to do was be present during a questioning… But, was it worth it?... To Dyon, the answer was no.

Suddenly feeling a thick and heated rod slap onto her cheeks as rough and strong hands continued to massage her back, Ri's heat started steadily climbing again.

Dyon grinned, sliding his hands down to Ri's ass to press its soft flesh into and around his cock. "Sure, if you can call an entire day 'a few rounds'."

"Well, okay. I'll give you two choices. I could go back to helping you heal and get comfortable with your new faith seed awakening. Or, I could show you how I won those 'few rounds' again."

Dyon couldn't help but gulp at the sight, but the sensation of Ri's delicate juices coating him ever so slightly made him want to thrust forward all at once.

They had woken up relatively late in that morning and Ri wanted to get moving. She had never been to Arena City before, and more importantly, had yet to be on a real date with Dyon.

Dyon had told her that Uncle Acacia had come to see her and took Little Lyla and Zaire back with him. Also, Delia had insisted on going off to train on her own before the world tournament, so right now, it was just the two of them. Everyone else was either elsewhere in Arena City, or had gone back to the Elvin Kingdom to recuperate.

But, because Ri had said she was sore this morning, Dyon had used that as an excuse to use his aurora to heal her. But, in typical perverted fashion, he had almost gotten too handsy.

For one, the Ragnor family was the only God Clan that made excessive use of slaves. Although this was odd to Dyon, when he thought back to Red and Blue and their scarred features, his heart couldn't help but tremble in anger at the thought of the Ragnor clan mutilating Eli, Uncle Ail and Venus.

However, there was another important point. The Ragnor Clan always seemed to be making odd moves. The more than a year Dyon had spent away from this world had almost made him forget that, but now, it was once again in full display.

They had asked the Elvin Kingdom for nothing but transcendent stones for passage into this universe. They started a war with the Pakal for a seemingly not so useful technique. They forgave large portions of the Storm family, despite them having defected and left a stain on their family. And yet, maybe the least covert oddity was their slavery trade.

It wasn't that the martial world was on a moral high-horse, abstaining from oppressive slavery. But… The Ragnor God Clan was probably the only instance of such a relatively powerful clan dabbling in such things.

The God Clans were situated near the center of the martial world, which was essentially a large continent of the side of the world opposite to the mortal world.

Each God Clan had a piece of territory surrounding the large natural moat of the Royal God Clan. Currently, they were in Arena city – coined as such for the massive Chaos Arenas they housed.

Madeleine had told Dyon about these a long time ago. They were built by the Cavositas God Clan and were essentially places where warriors could fight for money, prestige, and a chance to join the Cavositas Clan should they want to.

So, it went without saying that Arena City was in the territory of the Cavositas. But, the reason Dyon had settled here was twofold. For one, this was where the world tournament would be taken place. Because of their love of battles, the Cavositas also had the best facilities to host such an event. The second reason was that this was the easiest place to not be detected while investigating where the Viridi family were.

The Cavositas were not shy about their ties with the Ragnor family, so it was likely that some of the Cavositas facilities were used to help the Ragnor's businesses. Also, with the influx of people coming to Arena City for the tournament, Dyon's poking around would be less noticeable.

It wasn't that he wanted to hide the fact he was here, and he wasn't scared of even the top elders of the Ragnor because of his puppets. But, if the Ragnor knew what he was looking for, it might make the situation worse for the Viridi, and that wasn't something Dyon wanted to see.

Leaping up after Ri, Dyon playfully tickled her shapely waist as she sent her mind into her spatial ring, seemingly looking for something to wear.

Through her giggling, Ri slapped Dyon's hands away, "What do you think? Sweat pants date? How romantic it is for you to be taking me to a bloody arena."

Leaning back onto the bed, Dyon shook his head. He could tell Ri wanted to wear something else. After all, she had been fighting for months on end – it was very likely she wanted something as far removed from that as possible. "I'll be doing the fighting, if necessary. In fact, I'll dress up for you too. I'm sure considering how popular the Chaos Arenas are, there's good places for entertainment seating."

Just a few months back, she had never thought she'd feel so good just by Dyon letting the Elves know that she was his. So, her heart fluttered at the thought of him doing so with the entire martial world.

Although she was now told that she had become exceedingly beautiful, a small part of her was still attached to that old Ri. Sometimes she even wondered if she would trust Dyon's love for her had he not made it clear that he wanted her even before seeing her true appearance. However, even with those thoughts, Dyon always seemed to settle her doubts… In fact, it was so easy for him that something Ri thought he was the true empath and not Little Lyla.

Strong arms lifted Ri up, causing her to gasp in surprise. "Pervert." Ri giggled as she noticed Dyon swing her into bridal position. But, his hand had conveniently wrapped around to rest on her breast.

In the martial world, there was an odd mix of modern and what seemed like ancient clothing. There were qipaos, changpaos and kimonos – even including ancient clothing from non-eastern mortal realm cultures – and yet there were also a lot like Delia who wore clothes that would make them nearly indistinguishable from the current mortal realm population.

In the end, Dyon chalked this up to the leaking of wills influencing the mortal realm again. After all, it made little sense to think was the vice versa. Why would the martial world take stock in trends of the mortal realm – a place many of them despised? Even Delia had labeled him a commoner when they first met.

So, to please Ri, Dyon wore dark jeans and a white turtle neck sweater, and long black coat the reached to his knees. It was suffice to say that Dyon didn't like having to dress like this, the whole concept was ridiculous to him. But, he couldn't very well wear sweat pants when Ri was shining so brightly.

Ri was only wearing a minimalistic, thin strap blue dress that stopped just barely above her knees and a white knitted poncho. However, the dress clung tightly to her curves, making Dyon's gaze heat up.

Dyon didn't even manage to regain his senses until they had walked out of the door. Ri's long blue-silver hair, the purity of her eyes and the perfection of her curves was almost too much. Couple that with the fact her delicate and soft shoulder were exposed as the poncho slipped down and Dyon felt like staying in again.

Getting a good look around, Arena City was definitely much larger that the Elvin City. Even the 'inn' they had been in was only called as such because of odd disconnect between mortal and martial world language. In fact, the supposed 'inn' would be known as a hotel in the mortal realm. It had more than ten stories and the room Dyon and Ri had been in was a suite on the top floor.

Not knowing which direction to head in, Dyon's eyes flashed in a purple gold as he searched for a dense center of fighting spirit and martial experts. Not long after, his eyes trained on the tallest pagoda he had ever seen.

It was entirely black, and the tiles looked sharp enough to cut even the strongest of experts. In fact, the tower was so tall that Dyon could see its peak even while looking past the inn they had been staying in.

During their walk, Ri seemed oblivious to the gazes she was receiving. She was too transfixed on Dyon. The way they laughed and talked with each other seemed so natural that even this small interaction made Ri's heart warm.

"What do you mean Uncle Acacia was acting weird?" Ri asked playfully. She found it funny that Dyon was teasing her uncle but was also very happy that Dyon was getting along with her family.

"The entire time I spent with him was odd. He was shifty – always looking around as though someone was going to sneak up on him. Even when he took Zaire and Little Lyla away, he propped them up on his shoulders and flashed away at top speed even though he could have just walked."

After a bit of pondering, Ri responded with a shrug, "I'm not sure. All I know is that their relationship wasn't a secret to the older elves, or else it wouldn't have been so easy to sell me as his daughter."

"Hm, but if she's too powerful, and the elders know about her, it may have been odd to them that you were allowed to stay with Uncle Acacia for so long. Then again, you disappeared from the public eye a lot."

But, it always seemed as though the love he showed me was about more than just my being his niece. Of course, he loved me for that, and he highly respects my dad. After all, that's his big brother. But…"

Ri smiled, wrapping her arms around Dyon's, "You read my mind too well. He loves her, but he never talks about her. Yet, at the same time, it's almost like a fantasy world of his and I'm a character in his dream.

There was a neat and orderly line filled with what looked like fairly rich individuals. Well, more than seemed. The entrance fee was in saint stones – something Dyon was fully aware no one on the level of what Focus Academy had been on, or even those on the level of the big sects, could afford.

Unfortunately, Dyon didn't know much about the hierarchy of clans, especially those between the levels of the big sects and the God Clans. He was absolutely certain that there had to be those bridging the gap. After all, the most powerful experts of the God Clans were of the Celestial realm, and yet the big sects only had essence gathering experts to follow. Logic dictated that there was an in between and it was likely that much of these people were of that in between.

A tired young man with heavy bags under his eyes stood at a podium-like structure next to the entrance. Without even looking up, he began his same monotone speech.

"Welcome to Chaos tour. Payment is based on cultivation level as well as the level of access you want. If you are powerful you pay less, no negotiations."

The business plan of Chaos Arena was simple. Although they had many fighters prepped, they also like an audience participation element as well. Therefore, it was more benefit to them should the experts be powerful, thus why they lowered the cost for more powerful individuals.

That said, observers were well within their rights to turn down challenges and just enjoy the show, should they choose. After all, Chaos Arena doubled as an entertainment center for the martial world.

"VIP areas are accessible only to notable officials of the martial continent, or members of the God Clans. Please be aware of this and avoid such areas should you not have the background to do so, or else Chaos Area security will be forced to take action.

Lastly, there are special rules in place due to the coming world tournament. We have many more tourists, and even powerful clans coming from the other four planets. It is best to be cautious and patient when you see a new face. This is not only for your benefit, but for the good and peace of Chaos Arena.

Dyon sighed. 10 saint stones was an exorbitant price to others, but it meant nothing to him. That said, he didn't feel like paying more just because his cultivation was too pure for the Chaos Arena employee to sense.

You have to remember… To many of the martial continent, surpassing even the ninth level of meridian formation was impossible… So, for Dyon to release his cultivation to the extreme like this, all people felt was the pressure of an essence gathering expert.

And not just a normal essence gathering expert. The density of Dyon's essence energy was comparable to a 7th grade expert at the peak of their essence gathering cultivation. In fact, it was ever purer and denser than that.

When that was couple with Dyon's youth, the young man couldn't help but shiver. He didn't even dare to look at Ri despite how beautiful she was.

When the young man had said payment was based on cultivation level, he had neglected to highlight how cultivation level was tied with age. If an old man with one foot in the grave had stepped up with Dyon's level of cultivation, he would have had to pay the full 10 stones. However, Dyon was a talent. And what more could the Chaos Arena want?

Ri, of course, said this in jest. She was fully aware of the grueling process Dyon went though to earn his meridians. In fact, many might not have even remained sane after experiencing something like that. And yet, here was Dyon, smiling as brightly as ever and only seemingly only caring about the others around him. It wasn't lost on Ri how well Dyon treated her and how thoughtful he was.

Ri blushed adorably at Dyon's innuendo, her canines shining through slightly, through her smile. "Pervert." Changing the subject, Ri continued. "Are you sure we should go to the VIP area?"

Ri's eyes twinkled with a sudden realization, she couldn't help but giggle to herself. She really had forgotten something quite important. But, that was more so because she was used to completely hiding her identity.

"Who could be more of an affirmed God Clan member than the Princess of the Elvin Kingdom? Plus, her husband is quite dashing, so of course he also deserves a seat."

Scanning the Elevator Lobby, Dyon saw quite a few. Each seemed to have its own floor cap, and Dyon assumed that only the elevators able to reach the top floor would lead to the VIP areas.

From what he knew about the Chaos Arenas, there were many fighting stages. However, that was only when the fights had little investment attached to them. It would essentially be like a free for all, where even ten or more battles could be taking place at once.

It was also likely that with the world tournament happening, the Cavositas God Clan would put some special events in place. This would mean that maybe the free for all would only be appetizers for some lucrative main events.

With a smile, Dyon and Ri walked to an elevator at the far end of large lobby. It, unsurprisingly, had the fewest people hovering around it, waiting for the receptionist to let them in.

"Why can't we go in! I'll have you know my father is a reputable official in the Royal God Clan Bank. I have no need to be a member of the main clan to go in! I've been here before!"

A young man's face burned in a rage as he bared down on a deadpan young lady. She didn't seem too impressed by his display. After years of dealing with the most prestigious clans and young masters and mistresses there were, the idea of dealing with the son of a mere banker didn't seem all that daunting to her.

"I've already explained. Unless you are among the top 100 cumulative rankers, or a plus one of them, you won't be allowed in to the VIP area for the foreseeable future. The only exception is if you happen to have the cultivation of a saint, which you clearly don't. If you don't want to have to deal with our security, it's best that you leave."

The young man trembled, but it seemed to be more in embarrassment than anything else. He had promised his friends to bring them to the VIP area. In fact, he had even brought a young last he was trying to win over. And yet now, here he was, being embarrassed by some no-name.

Dyon and Ri remained silent, waiting for their turn. Although Ri had wanted to pull back after she heard the requirements, Dyon simply winked at her causing her to look at him in confusion.

The cumulative rankings took into account not just Earth, but the other four planets as well. Which meant, unless you were in the top 20 in you universe, it was unlikely that you'd make the cumulative rankings.

The truth was that Dyon had no idea what their rankings were. In fact, he hadn't even gotten a chance to ask Ri how the rankings worked. But, he wanted to use this opportunity to see if he could catch a glance at the list. He was interested in knowing if he or Ri had done enough.

Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, the young man turned back to leave, unwilling to have to deal with the Cavositas family. Although the security would be low ranking members of their family, they would still be a lot more powerful than he or his friends could handle.

His fists and jaw clenched as he walked away, heading toward another elevator. Well, that was until he noticed Dyon and Ri standing nearby behind him, chatting away happily.

Although his eyes sparkled when he saw Ri, much to the anger of the woman he had had been trying to woo, what he was really focused on was Dyon.

At first, he thought that maybe Dyon was from another planet. That would explain why he had never seen him before. But, he sensed no cultivation from Dyon. So, even if he was from another universe, there was no way he'd be in the top 100.

Seeing an opportunity to relieve some of his frustration, the young man sneered. "Didn't you hear what the receptionist said? If I can't get in, what made you think it was your turn?"

The young man puffed out his chest, seemingly trying to seem superior to impress not only his date, but hopefully pull Ri into his friend group as well.

"Don't worry young lady. Although I'm not allowed to enter the VIP areas now, there are other high-level areas that haven't been closed off to me. I can bring you to the sub-VIP layers."

Dyon said nothing, instead looking at Ri's reaction with amusement playing his features. She was his little feu glace for a reason, this young man was digging out his own grave.

The young man could only watch with a stunned look on his face as Dyon's shoulder just barely brushed past his. He hesitated, a look of embarrassment reddening his features as he went to reach out.

The young man's knees buckled as he almost lost his balance. He didn't understand what was going on. Why did he feel as though the young man in front of him was unfathomable?

However, he didn't get a chance to think of it any more. Dyon treated him as though he was just passing over a bug he didn't feel like going out of his way to crush.

Reaching the podium, Dyon noticed a faint look of interest on the receptionist's face. She rarely saw men as handsome as Dyon, but that wasn't what captured her. There seemed to be something deeper about him. A fact that wasn't lost on someone like her who dealt with a lot of fakes everyday.

Dyon smiled, pretending not to notice that small interaction. Ri probably wouldn't normally be so territorial, but it seemed a lot of things had subtly shifted with the full awakening of her faith seed. A female beast would definitely be a lot more protective.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, the receptionist began her introduction, "As you probably heard, we aren't allowing non-saint experts in unless you've reached the top 100 of the cumulative rankings. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Ri blinked, noticing what Dyon had done. With her awakened aurora, and Dyon not particularly trying to hide it from her, she had noticed him shift his tracker from himself to her while changing the name back to Alexandria Acacia.

The receptionist tilted her head in confusion. Who wouldn't be aware of something to outstanding? Being among the top 100 was a great honor and something families would be pining over. Was it really possible for not one, but two people to be unaware of such a thing?

That said, she had no way of knowing that Ri had spent the last few weeks sleeping and that Dyon had been accompanying her. Ri couldn't check, and Dyon wasn't in a mind state to care.

However, the receptionist suddenly remembered a commotion that had happened after the end of the most recent campaign. There had been a few new names, but maybe the most shocking was that the largest leap in ranking history had occurred. And the worst part? No one had ever heard of them.

That's right… It hadn't been one person with a record-breaking leap… The record had been broken by again and again and then yet again. More than ten people had had unprecedented leaps, and many of them were unknowns. On top of that, it seemed that many of them were from this very universe and two of them had names no one had ever heard of.

Ri brought her hand to her hair, lightly sweeping it behind her ear to reveal a pointed ear that may not have been as long as some other elves but was definitely much more pointed than it would be for a human.

Looking back, Dyon raised an eyebrow as he noticed the young man that had been annoying them before hand had fallen to his knees. 'What's wrong with this guy?'

"W-What's y-your name?" The normally calm receptionist seemed to have lost all semblance of her once cool personality. She couldn't help but shift her gaze away from Ri, staring at a screen on the podium she stood behind.

Dyon's eyes turn a gold flecked with red and purple for an instant as he scanned through the podium and at the list the receptionist was looking down, quickly memorizing it.

The eyes of the receptionist widened at Dyon's form of address. 'He gave the princess of the Elvin Kingdom a pet name? Who is he? Could he be?...'

"I-I'm sorry to ask this, but I need to use your tracker as confirmation or else I won't be able to open the elevator door for you and your…"

Ri had long since stopped calling Dyon her fiancé. In the Martial World, there weren't as many legal bindings on husband and wife and usually only consummation was necessary. However, even that was more socially constructed than concrete fact. As long as two accepted each other, that was enough.

With how many planets and universes there were, it was impossible to maintain a singular and uniform system. Knowing this, Dyon had accepted and stepped into the role happily.

Suddenly, with Ri's words, the lobby quietened significantly. People had already been paying attention due to the yelling young man, but with Ri's reveal as the Elvin Princess, many finally got to put a face to her legend.

She hadn't appeared in more than decade, but here she was. And she had no only appeared by herself, but with a young man of near unmatched aura… A young man she called her husband.

But, all thought of Dyon was completely erased when eyes finally landed on Ri. The room suddenly lost a collective breath and the hearts of many skipped…

Many never thought they'd ever see a beauty to rival Madeleine. And yet, in just the past few days, they had seen four others. And now, Ri made the fifth. The five beauties of the universe had suddenly becoming a domineering six…

If Ri was in the top 100, that would already be hard enough to accept. But her rank? It just didn't make any sense. And for her to reach that rank after just a single campaign?... It was unprecedented.

Stories of this past campaign had been spreading like wild fire. In fact, the receptionist even knew the name of the young man, or what his name should be – Dyon Sacharro. But, his name wasn't on the list! Only Ri's was!

Dyon didn't seem to mind the receptionist's scrutiny of him. Only a few people knew what name he campaigned under and only Ri knew what he had done to earn the rank he sat at now.

"I want to know what rank you are." Ri said seriously. She was well aware that whatever rank she had was due to Dyon siphoning away his deeds to her. She didn't like that.

No one knew more than Madeleine and Ri how important stamping his name down on the Martial was to Dyon. It was Dyon's goal to leave the biggest impact in memory of his parents.

Ri didn't have a goal like that, she only wanted to find her father and mother to complete her family. Something like rank didn't matter to her. And yet, Dyon had still done what he did.

Dyon wiggled his arm out of Ri's grasp to wrap his hand around her slim and curved waist, "I've changed my perspective on a lot of things," Dyon said softly.

"Even before this campaign started, I decided to campaign under the name Demon Sage, not to hide myself away, but to repay a man that gave up a lot for me. I owe a lot of people a lot of things, and although I won't take the demon sage as my master, I still feel the need to repay him by taking up his name.

Demon Sage wasn't his original name. It was a title he gave himself in self-mockery. He was a man who wanted to do good but ended up sacrificing almost everyone important to himself to do so.

I don't take up the Demon Sage title to follow in his footsteps. It's as a thank you for the reminder he gives me. A reminder that I'm still trying my best to remember everyday.

I want to save all those dear to me, but I have to do it the right way. I have to be reflective on the consequences of my actions, and aware that maybe a win for me, isn't necessarily a win for everyone else."

"However, at the same time, I also don't want the people who I care for to get lost in the nonsense of it all. The points I siphoned to you is nothing more or less than what you deserve.

You spent months fighting with no rest. Slaying tens of thousands of basilisks on your own despite your disparity in cultivation. I only gave you the points you didn't have a tracker to count for you."

Ri blinked, "Top 30?" Suddenly Ri lightly pounded Dyon's chest with her small fists. "You liar! You said you didn't give me any more than what I earned!"

What Ri had forgotten was how much the battle with the Phantus clan had swung things for degree of difficulty. Not only were the Scaled Elephants ranked highly in difficult beasts to kill, Ri had played a key part in taking down eleven of them simultaneously.

Then, with barely over a hundred other allies, Ri had survived the onslaught on hundreds of thousands of basilisks. In that span of time, those hundred had cut down the nearly four hundred thousand basilisks to a mere ninety thousand. And, Ri herself? She had been responsible for the death of at least twenty thousand. Because of the focus the army placed on the demon generals, Ri usually had much more freedom to maneuver. But, that wasn't even the most potent point. With Ri's void will, dealing with large numbers was vastly easier for than others.

So, when Dyon had come back to save her, those tens of thousands of basilisks he had taken out were all slid under Ri's name. With the additional boost provided by causing the retreat of the Uidah King God Clan, Ri might have gotten a slight boost, but not large enough for a drastic rank change.

In the end, Dyon had stuck to his word. He really did only give Ri was she earned. However, to avoid having to do this on a later date, he used the configuration of his own tracker, to make on for Ri as well.

Thinking of something, Ri stopped hitting Dyon, "Wait. If I'm top 30, what about you? You know what, forget you, what about Big Sister Madeleine, I don't care about you anymore you liar."

Every year, for every new campaign, some would retire and give up their high spots, allowing the young to slide upwards. Thus resulting in a natural cycle that balanced accumulated merit, and new merit.

Even if you ignored Dyon's actions afterward, he had been directly responsible for the death of four hundred thousand enemy warriors in a single sweeping action. He had been the main reason the lotus alliance even survived for so to begin with.

The tension in the Chaos Arena VIP area was palpable. With the prestige of entire planets on their backs, the top 100 cumulative rankers were almost in no mood whatsoever to be enjoying entertainment. That said, there were always exceptions to rules, because despite the thick layer of apprehension, the room itself still remained quite lively.

Planet Naiad. Planet Mino. Planet Nix. Planet Deimos. Planet Earth. They were all approaching a once in a century tournament and each was confident in their own victory.

That said, Dyon and Ri didn't seem to particularly care. They smiled as though nothing was happening and chatted with each other lightly even as they walked to past the elevator door and to the entrance to find yet another receptionist.

However, this receptionist seemed far past the norm. It was suffice to say that he wouldn't be cowering in the face of Ri's name. If he really was the only representation the Chaos Arena had here, and they were allowing saint level experts up, there was no more needed to be said about his power.

Completely ignoring Dyon's presence, the receptionist nodded toward Ri before stepping into the already opened doors and into an elegant lounging area, expecting Dyon and Ri to follow him.

Although Ri wasn't very happy about Dyon's treatment, Dyon himself didn't mind. It wasn't as though he was trying to keep his identity as the demon sage secret, it was only that he hadn't known until just recently what his rank was. He had only temporally transferred his tracker into Ri in order to duplicate one for her.

However, it was better this way. He'd be able to separate who was truly dangerous and who wasn't much easier. If you weren't intelligent enough to understand that he was more than what met the eye, you wouldn't be worth his time.

The lobby area was interestingly designed. Surprisingly, the room was almost like a sheer cliff. The entire center of Chaos Arena was hollow, peering down to the Arenas below. The surrounding space was filled with circular tables and a combination of semi-circular and near circular couches. Since it was just the two of them, meaning Ri and Dyon, it would likely make the most sense for them to sit as a small table with a semi-circular couch.

Although Dyon's mind was thinking about trivial things like that as he followed the receptionist while chatting with Ri, to everyone who was already inside the VIP area, their gazes immediately focused on their approaching figures, quietening down slightly.

For the first time, a flash of emotion appeared on the face of the receptionist. He had noticed Ri and Dyon's intimate interactions, but it wasn't odd for powerful women to use handsome men to sate their own desires. So, the receptionist had just assumed that Dyon doubled as a sex-friend and a fighter. After all, the goal of today's special events was to pit the rankers head to head without actually spoiling the outcome of the coming tournament.

"I see." The receptionist said, quickly recovering. He sent a second look toward Dyon, trying to see what it is he had missed. But, he sensed nothing coming from either Ri or Dyon. For Ri, her ranking made up for what the receptionist assumed was a lack of cultivation. But, Dyon had no such fallback.

A robust laugh came from the corner of room. "Imagine a man having to rely on his wife to do things. If you marry your fighters so easily, beautiful miss, why not let me be your fighter too!"

A large man with tanned skin sat on a couch much too small for him to fit properly. He was surrounded by others with tanned skin as well. Dyon immediately realized that they weren't from Earth, but there was something distinctly Middle Eastern about them.

Dyon's eyes faintly glanced over the large man. He was probably three meters tall and his waist was seemingly a meter thick to its own. But, he was worthless. Dyon barely spared him a glance before he scanned the rest at the table.

Disregarding all those that weren't worth his time, Dyon immediately picked out six troublesome characters. But, the problem was, everywhere his eyes shifted, he began to pick out more and more. And yet, there was one striking thing that caught him off guard… They were the only ones from Earth here.

Seeing Dyon disregard, a rage built up in the heart of the large man. But, what was most interesting was the reaction of a beauty that shared the section with the Middle Eastern lookalikes.

Her beauty was breathtaking. Her skin was a healthy and shining bronze. Her hair was a jet and straight black, and yet her eyes were a cool dark blue. Her features were sharp and her nose was pointed, but her traditional dress style seemed to be what took her already outstanding features to a new level.

She looked like an Egyptian Queen. Wearing a linen dress embroidered with rich gold and jewels, and yet maintaining a minimalistic and conservative smile.

In fact, there were three other beauties of that level in this very room. And each and every one received a glance of pure nonchalance. However, when Dyon turned to reassure Ri that her didn't mind such ridiculous words, the twinkle in his eye was clear. He had sights for no one else besides his fiancées. He had grown, or at least, he was trying his best to pretend he had and hoping that if he willed it enough, it would become the truth.

Dyon chuckled, "It's okay old man. I got it. You couldn't start until you had a representing member of Earth, right? Unfortunately, many of our members are still recuperating. So, they'll have to settle for me, no?" Dyon's hand domineeringly slid to Ri's waist before he brushed by the receptionist.

The truth was, Alidor's plan of attack had worked even better than he thought. Because of his provocation to Kaeghan, the first son of the Uidah King God Clan, the Uidah had joined the attack on Earth. It wasn't just Lotus Tower that had an influx of essence gathering experts sent to them.

Couple all of that with the fact that Prince Belmont had just fought through a legacy world, and Madeleine was MIA, and the members of Earth were truly having a poor showing. Inside, Dyon was a bit worried about whether Madeleine had received the legacy in time to leave the gates before they closed, but he reassured himself by hoping that the avatar Amethyst had left behind would help Madeleine circumvent the gate's lock down.

All of this said, it was in the best interest of Earth's best that they rest as much as possible for the world tournament in the coming weeks. However, that was just fine for Dyon.

With a ranking list consisting of only one hundred people, Ri's ranking of 27 was nearly unprecedented. And what was even more surprising? Everyone here could tell that she wasn't even sixteen years of age yet. It really put things into perspective. Even if her husband was weaker than Ri, or so they thought, he was also just as young, being only a few months older than Ri. So, logically speaking, for him to be her husband, it was likely that his talent surpassed much of theirs as well.

At least, that was what the intelligent warriors immediately picked up on. As for the more block-headed large man, all he saw was Ri's ranking and how he should have chosen his words better than he had.

The truth was that although he wasn't within the top 100, he was still within the top 30 his planet had to offer. It was just that he barely missed out. So, when he saw a teenage boy like Dyon looking down on him and completely ignoring his provocation, a rage built up in his heart.

However, Dyon seemed completely oblivious to his aura even as he passed by and led Ri to an open table where he intimately laid his arm out for Ri to rest her head on.

It was at this moment that many noticed Ri's level of beauty. Because of the receptionist's questioning, Ri had been partially hidden, and thus no one got a good look at her until Dyon led her past.

A sudden look of realization crossed the faces of the four beauties, 'No wonder…' They thought. But, that just lit a competitive spirit within them. They had no real interest in Dyon despite how attractive he was. To them, a young man not able to be in the top 100 rankings wasn't worth their time. But, for a beauty that rivaled them to appear like she had, and yet be ranked so highly despite being younger than them, that was definitely something to take note of.

Seeing that Dyon had taken hold of his job from him, the receptionist shook his head and began to speak, "Now that we have a representative for each Planet, we can begin."

The truth was that the receptionist had been told that no one from Earth had planned to come. He had only waited this long to give the semblance that this hadn't been a planned absence. But, with someone so highly ranked having come, this saved Earth from a lot of embarrassment. Ri wasn't the most highly ranked they had, but she also wasn't too lowly ranked either. It was perfect.

The truth was that there was no way the other injured Earth rankers could heal as quickly as Ri. After all, Ri's husband was one of the most skilled array alchemists on the planet, and even in the universe. With his constant care, it was no wonder Ri recovered so much faster.

"The premise of today's battles is simple. The crowd below is currently watching miscellaneous fights between people you all likely look down upon. However, we of the Chaos Arena are in business of entertainment.

Keep in mind that there is no obligation to battle today. In fact, we have plenty of fights lined up that you will find of interest regardless of what you feel about the current happenings.

Treat today as a friendly way to get a pulse on your competition. If you don't want to fight. Don't." The receptionist turned to walk out of the doorway, but, before he closed it, he smirked. "That said, I think you're all a lot more competitive than that."

With that, the door locked and the room shifted. Everything began to tilt and slope downward, continuing until the arena and noises below suddenly came into full effect.

The loud blaring of the masses, the sound of the cries of agony and breaking bones and flesh – even the smell of blood suddenly invaded all of their senses.

They were only 5 stories up, which made Dyon think what the rest of the building's height was used for. He definitely remembered it being much taller than the inn he and Ri had stayed in, and the inn was ten stories.

Shaking his head, Dyon looked down at the table in front of him, suddenly remembering he hadn't eaten in weeks. He had spent all of his team constantly healing Ri, and because of his new energy cultivation, he hadn't particularly felt it. But, he was missing the human aspect of savouring food.

Dyon grinned when he noticed the food mechanisms were near identical to Heaven's Wine. It dawned on him that even if he didn't have Iaachus' badge, he could essentially use his array alchemy to force the table to give him whatever food he wanted for free. But, he found it much funnier to know that somewhere, Iaachus' tab was steadily growing. In fact, he wondered if he'd meet Iaachus again soon. He found it odd that someone as powerful as him wasn't at the gates. Or at least, Dyon hadn't seen him. It was quite possible that maybe Iaachus campaigned on another planet.

It didn't take long for Dyon and Ri's table to be filled with food. But, it was clear to everyone that only Dyon was eating. To the elite warriors, eating was almost something reserved for the inferior masses. If you felt hungry enough to eat, it meant you were either lazy with your cultivation, or you were weak to begin with.

However, the more intelligent noticed something different about Dyon's eating, causing their eyes to sharpen and look at him in an entirely different light. His digestion was perfect.

That only meant one thing: his foundation stage cultivation had reached a realm of perfection only allowed by a peak level technique. And yet, they felt no cultivation coming from him. They had no idea what that could mean.

Of course, Dyon had done this on purpose. He wanted to see who would notice how much finetuned control he had over his body. Those who noticed would earn the right to be on his radar.

Suddenly, the beautiful middle eastern lady dressed like an Egyptian queen thought of something, "Uta. Go and probe him." She said through essence communication.

The large young man didn't need any more prompting. He didn't know he was being used, but even if he did know, the commands of this young woman weren't commands he could ignore.

Dyon snorted playfully when he noticed who was coming over, but he didn't care too much. In fact, Dyon was still scanning the area for any Ragnor Clan slaves he could find. As of now, Dyon could see among the twenty or so arenas below, at least five of them involved slaves fighting in one way or another. Some even had two slaves fighting each other. And when they weren't fighting, they were cleaning up after the mess of completely battles.

"Fuck off." Ri wasn't happy. They hadn't bothered anyone since they'd come, and yet here was this oversized bear of a man come with clear bad intentions.

The young man hesitated at Ri's anger. He had been prepared to deal with Dyon, but Ri was someone even he didn't want to provoke. But, he knew it was too late to back down now, so he focused on Dyon, hoping his allies would help him should it come down to a fight with Ri.

Seeing Dyon ignoring him, the young man took this as a sign of weakness. "The weak have no place here. I'd like your seat, so it's best you fuck off."

"Worst yet," Dyon continued, ignoring his question, "You say I'm hiding behind a woman, but you're taking orders from one right now. In fact, you're hoping to use her as a shield to protect you from my wife's anger. You're quite the manly man, aren't you?"

The young man grit his teeth. But, he calmed himself and smiled instead, ignoring the snickering of the surrounding rankers, "It seems that you won this beauty over with nothing but flowery words considering that sharp tongue of yours. She's young, after all. A pretty face and some poetry was probably all it took. She'll discard you when she realizes there's more she should want in a man."

A red gold dripped from him as his eyes trained on the arena below him, landing on a young boy scarred and bloodied almost beyond recognition. He stumbled into the arena, gripping a short sword as he faced off against another young boy. However, they both shared one thing: the distinctive scar that ran from one side of their face to the other, slanting down their features diagonally…

Ri didn't know who Dyon was looking at specifically, but she had a pretty good idea. So, she remained silent. This was something that Dyon would want to handle alone. But, it was clear he was having trouble controlling himself right now.

His demonic will was leaking so potently that the rankers completely forgot about questioning Dyon's credentials and immediately put him on a list of people to watch. A young man, still many weeks from his sixteenth birthday, having already reached the peak level of a will as rare as demonic will? And the fact his path was so domineering? Dyon couldn't be ignored anymore.

Dyon's breathing was erratic. He was aware that he was being much too emotional to act rationally, but the idea that this was his fault was weighing on him heavily right now. He had to fix this. He had to.

Suddenly, Dyon felt a soft hand slip into his causing him to look down to find Ri looking up at him with a worried smile. "It's okay." She said softly.

Uta suddenly became aware of how far back he had stumbled due to Dyon's abrupt actions. And even then, what made it worse was that he hadn't begun to breathe again until Dyon calmed down. Why was he feeling so much pressure from someone with no cultivation? It didn't make sense.

'Was calling him pathetic all it took?' Some wondered about this. What was with the drastic change in personality? Something else must have happened. But, there were just too many fights going on at once for any of them to have any idea what had set Dyon off.

"You said you wanted to fight, right?" Dyon took off his long coat, handing it to Ri before he took off his turtle neck as well, revealing his striking tattoos and rippling torso. The beauties couldn't help but allow flashes of interest to sparkle their eyes, much to Ri's displeasure. But, Dyon leaned forward and kissed her forehead, easily appeasing her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the warmup rounds are over and done with. We know none of you care about the endings of these petty fights, so, how about we move on to the main events?

Planet Deimos, highly lauded for its domineering cultivators, have brought along with it two God Clans and a single Royal God Clan, prepared to fight with our warriors to name the best of the best of our younger generation.

And his opponent? One of our very own. The husband to an unprecedented genius. The prince consort of the Elvin Kingdom. A man who is a genius in his own right. The slayer of Scaled Elephants. The warder of King God Clans. Dyon Sacharro!"

"Big brother? Isn't that brother in law?" Pertinacis Sapientia sat next to Oliver Sapientia, Jessica Knoton, some big sect elders as well as his mother, and a Sapientia God Clan member.

Pertinacis' mother looked at him curiously, "Brother in law? Are you telling me this boy is Madeleine's fiancé? But, they just introduced him as the prince consort of the Elvin Kingdom."

The Sapientia elder turned a questioning gaze toward her son. Although she was an elder of an upper branch, her cultivation was still within the meridian formation realm. Elder ranks in the Sapientia family had less to do with power, and more about research contribution, especially in the lower branches. This only changed once you reached main branches on the level of a God Clan.

In the end, this was why she had married Madeleine's father to be his second wife. He was handsome, and she wanted a child. Because he was from a lower branch, that just made the entire process even easier. With her desire sated, she could once again focus on her research.

However, hearing that Madeleine had promised herself to this young man she had never heard of – and not only her, at that, but also the princess of the Elvin Kingdom – it made her extremely curious.

"Our first in line genius has no fiancé. It's best you drop this nonsense." The elder spoke curtly, cutting off the conversation immediately. He was only here to scout Pertinacis at the recommendation of his mother. Normally he would ignore such a request, but knowing that Pertinacis was Madeleine's younger brother, and the fact that they had almost let Madeleine's talent fall through, he decided on taking this chance.

As a thank you, Pertinacis' mother had brought them to the Chaos Arena, something the elder was quite interested in studying the philosophy of. But, hearing what he thought of as slander to their first in line genius, didn't make him happy.

Hearing the elder's words, Pertinacis said nothing more. To this very day, Pertinacis was still logical to a fault. Before, he had wanted Dyon to prove that he was strong enough for his sister first, taking a calculating approach as opposed to Oliver's more emotional one. But, to Pertinacis, it was impossible for Dyon to be strong enough now.

However, the idea of his being the fiancée to the princess of the Elvin Kingdom was new information for him to add to his calculations. The Elvin Kingdom was no weaker, in theory, than the Sapientia God Clan, and yet he was clearly already accepted by them. So, were the Sapientia only being stubborn? Wasn't the princess to the Elvin Kingdom, what Madeleine was to the Sapientia?

Oliver and Jessica though, had many complex emotions running through their minds. To them, it was no coincidence that Dyon had come down as soon as they had seen a familiar bloodied figure… Pertinacis didn't spend much time interacting with the outside world. But, Jessica and Oliver knew exactly what that bloodied figure meant to Dyon. And, if Dyon had gotten as powerful as they knew… Things were about to get stirred up.

Dyon was oblivious to all of this. All he could see was Eli's tired figure being dragged to a side tunnel. He had probably gotten so used to tuning out the arena's announcements that he hadn't even heard Dyon's name, but that just made the pang of guilt in Dyon's heart grow even more.

Uta said nothing. He had no words left. He could only crouch into a fighting stance, trying to steady the wild beating of his heart as he stared into the black flames crackling in Dyon's eyes.

Was there a need for any more speaking? He announcer had already introduced him, why was he wasting him? 'Wasn't I pathetic? Didn't Ri choose wrong? Weren't you sent to probe me? Fight then."

The members of Planet Deimos watched this silently. They were quite familiar with the Geb family techniques, and this was merely a first step. In fact, it was the weakest stone Uta could forge for himself. Everyone immediately realized that this was not in Uta's personality at all. He was one who wanted to crush his opponents with his ultimate strength from the beginning, and yet he was holding back?

A faint snicker came from her side, "Look at that, Eboni. Your Geb family is always biting off more than they can chew and now he's regretting it."

The girl who spoke also came from Planet Deimos. But, she was of the Horus God Clan. With the Horus family finding their roots in the sky, and the Geb family finding their roots in the earth, clashes between these families were quite frequent. They only maintained the semblance of comradery in order to not be picked apart by the other planets.

That said, they all shared the same disdain for Planet Earth. Despite the best efforts of the receptionist, any person who thought for even an instant would immediately realize that Earth's geniuses were avoiding confrontation. After all, Chaos Arena was owned by a God Clan. How could they not know that they were here?

And yet, Dyon and Ri had shown up. If they somehow now lost to a person who wasn't even listed on the rankings despite using one of their best, it would be truly embarrassing for Planet Deimos. But, when they saw Dyon's demeanor, it was suddenly becoming a more and more real possibility that a loss was inevitable.

"Ode, if you spent less time being jealous about not being among this universe's beauties, maybe you'd be as powerful as I am." Eboni replied lightly, taking a sip of spiritual wine as she trained her gaze to the arena below.

Ode's brows twitched. In reality, she was quite attractive in her own right. Long silver hair, striking eyes and a loose white gown that somehow still clung to her figure. And yet, she fell just shy of the other beauties.

However, what pissed Ode off was that Eboni should know quite well that their hatred had nothing to do with such a petty jealousy. It was rooted very deeply in the history of their families and even permeated throughout this generation. And yet Eboni continued to make such remarks because she knew it would get to Ode.

On Planet Deimos, there were many powerful clans. However, within the last hundred years, three had risen to prominence. The Geb. The Horus. But, none more powerful than the Aumen.

The young man was of normal stature, being about 1.9 meters tall. But, he seemed to glow with his every movement. His skin constantly gave off a heat that made it hard to sit anywhere near him, and his hair seemed to be a bed of gold flames, constantly flickering in the air.

Dyon's words sent a roar through the crowd. They couldn't see Uta's subtle movements or slight trembling. All they saw was a warrior prepared to fight, and another arrogantly approaching him with no semblance of technique.

"This is a young man Madeleine fell for?" Pertinacis' mother raised an eyebrow. Although Madeleine wasn't close with her, she still saw Madeleine as her step-daughter. So, seeing how arrogant this young man was with seemingly no proof to back up his bold statements, she felt as though Madeleine had made a poor decision in her young age. She could only begin to lean with the claims of the main branch elder even more so.

Pertinacis said nothing. He was faintly aware that he was the same age as Dyon, and yet, he hadn't done anything comparable to what Dyon had accomplished. But, was Dyon really comparable to a top 30 Planet Deimos ranker? Even if Uta wasn't in the cumulative rankings, being the top 30 of a planet was a big deal. Especially when Dyon's name was nowhere to be found in Earth's top 30.

The beating of Uta's heart quickened. When he looked down at Dyon's blackened and flaming eyes, it was almost as though he was the one a meter shorter. He felt like an ant, like his life didn't matter – he even wanted to kneel down, but his knees seemed locked into place.

He flailed out his arms, trying to make use of his earth gauntlets while scrambling to harden them even further. "Geb's Gauntlets, stage two!"

Dyon seemed oblivious to the massive stone arm heading for his head. He was pissed off about a lot of things right now and this Uta character was just going to have to be his vent.

Dyon's center of gravity dropped, his legs spreading as his right arm tightened itself against his torso. His muscles rippled and bulged, reddening under the strain of being pushed so far. "Demon Emperor's Will," Dyon said faintly, "Act 1, Stage 1. Perfection."

There was no noise. Even Uta's swinging fist seemed like a feather fluttering in wind. A fist that could crush almost any meridian formation expert. A fist of a top 30 ranker. A fist that was reduced to nothing.

Dyon's arm finally released all his built-up tension, his fist flying forward and cutting through the air like a meteor through the atmosphere.

And yet, Dyon didn't let him go as his feet flashed forward once again, immediately appearing next to Uta's flying figure and grabbing onto his thick neck.

The sickening sound of Uta's cracking spine reverberated through the quiet arena. Dyon had stopped his momentum so abruptly that Uta's neck had nearly disconnected from his body.

Ri watched Dyon win quietly from the VIP area. She was well aware of Dyon's strength and could see through Uta completely. Maybe the only bit of surprise was that Dyon had showed Uta mercy – if you could call crippling someone an act of mercy.

Dyon stood there silently for a while, trying to calm his nerves before he blanketed the area with his 6th sense to find out just how far away Eli was.

Turning his gaze toward a row of sub-VIP seats, Dyon's gaze landed on Oliver, Pertinacis and the Sapientia and big sect members that were with them. However, that was all. He only spared them a glance. He didn't have a good impression of Madeleine's family, and while he wouldn't go out of his way to punish them, he wouldn't go out of his way to greet them either.

This act seemed to snap the Sapientia elders out of their surprised. Under normal circumstances, a glance like that wouldn't have meant much. But, now knowing that Dyon had a deep relationship with Madeleine, they found it nothing short of rude to disregard them as he had.

"Powerful or not, this is unacceptable." Pertinacis' mother didn't seem pleased. It was clear she had no context for the relationship between Dyon and the Sapientia family, but it seemed like even if she had, she wouldn't care. She had completely forgotten her disregard for Dyon just moments ago.

Suddenly, Dyon's arm cocked backward before he launched Uta's unconscious body into the VIP area 5 stories above, having him land perfectly at the feet of Planet Deimos' table.

The loud booming of the receptionist awoke the crowd. Replays of Dyon's victory rewinded and played forward again and again as Dyon made his way to the side tunnel.

Eboni's beautiful face twitched with anger as she saw one of her own lying face down before her. Maybe the worst part was that Dyon's wind will had deposited him gently, as though that was meant to be an act of mercy on his part. Eboni wanted nothing more than to rip Dyon to shreds and make him bow at her feet.

"Planet Deimos, hm? When your ranker loses to a no name, are we meant to still take you seriously?" A warrior of Planet Nix chuckled amongst his peers, "Even his supposed wife is a joke."

The young man had skin as dark as the night, but his eyes had a sharp hazel to them that was only a few shades from gold. Everything about him and his surrounding clan members made them seem like panthers prowling in the night. It was as though the light had no affect on their darkness.

Ri's blue-silver eyes flashed with anger. But, she didn't get a chance to say anything as the warrior continued. "Oh? Did I make you mad? I'm only speaking the truth. You're supposedly an Elvin Princess and yet even your own planet didn't know about you until a few weeks ago? Makes me think about how real your rank really is."

"We're here to compete, are we not?" Ri's blue-silver eyes shifted as her pupils morphed into slits and her canines elongated. "Let's compete then. I'm tired of people who only talk big just to lose in epic fashion."

There was a pregnant pause as Ri's words. Her purity had all but disappeared as a feral beast took her place. If it wasn't for the fact she still wore her dress, many would have forgotten that she was once the very definition of elegance.

However, no one felt the impact of Ri's shift as much as the warriors of Planet Mino. Their beast blood roared to life under Ri's suppression. It was the very first time they felt their bloodlines being challenged.

That said, if you looked closely, some seemed completely unperturbed… If Dyon had been here, he would have taken note of this immediately. To shrug off the suppression of a Kitsune could only mean one thing… You too were a supreme beast. The problem? This universe hadn't had any records of supreme beasts in centuries…

Her brown skin was soft and delicate. Her black hair was a jet black that still shimmered healthily under the arena's lights. And she wore what Dyon would recognize as a traditional sari dress. It was long and flowing and was made of a rich blue that complimented her eyes.

It was clear that the Nix warrior hadn't expected Ri to react the way she had. Judging by her interactions with Dyon, she seemed like a calm and gentle person – but to reveal this bestial side like she had… It made the Nix warriors think to themselves again: maybe she really is that powerful.

However, the young man didn't allow himself to show his surprise. "What a joke. Compete? If your husband's prowess means anything at all, it would be a waste of our time.

He's a follower of the demonic path, and yet he allows his woman to calm him instead of losing himself in the power. He's nothing short of weak and pathetic and beating a lowly ranker of a lowly planet hardly changes any of that."

Let me tell you very clearly, princess. The reason why I know your husband is weak is the very reason I know you're weak. The Nuru were born in darkness. Our hearts have been charred black and our wills have been tempered in the night. Your will means nothing before me and your supposed beauty is nothing before the young mistress of our planet."

The dark aura that fogged around her began to form ethereal tails, whipping wildly behind her. At this sight, the eyes of Saru Shruti narrowed as she thought a singular thing. 'Kitsune.'

"Let me tell you something, then." Ri replied faintly. "Chike Nuru. Barely top 100. Clearly willing to throw away his life for a woman who will never care for him. And idiot who somehow thinks my will is as simple as just darkness."

Ri had no movement techniques. However, did she really need them at this level? With her void will, a small space like this was nothing to her.

She had been the picture of absolute elegance until now, not speaking a word. But, with Ri's attack, her demeanor suddenly changed that of an underworld queen.

Her hair was done in a tight and delicately crafted bun, embroidered with gold jewels. Her dress was form-fitting, clinging its dense black to her immaculate curves. But, the most striking part about her was the pitch-black array being etched into the air at the wave of her small hand.

Ri barely had time to react. Her sole focus had been on Chike, not expecting that someone would use the guise of consent to excuse a sneak attack. If that had been the true reason, why had she waited until she knew Chike was clearly outmatched to act? It was a clear ploy.

It was the first time in the history of world tournaments that there had been such unity displayed among a universe. In fact, if one payed close attention, you would realize that something unprecedented had happened…

A member of the Nix planet stood abruptly, sending a stream of silver will toward Ri that made her feel as though her every move was slowed by half her normal speed.

An anger built up in her heart as she thought of how many people were attacking her right now. What was the goal here? To provoke her into a disadvantage situation?

In the background, Eboni had still been brooding over her clan's defeat and she wanted nothing more than to pay Dyon back. But, he wasn't here. So, when she saw that Ri was slowed considerably, she smirked to herself and flicked a finger toward Ri's twisting figure.

The moment Ri broke out of the time will, she tried to maneuver herself away from the array's blast, but suddenly found that her feet were stuck to the ground!

The beauty smiled to herself lightly, knowing Ri could no longer dodge. "This is the price for attacking my people. Your beauty? I could take it away. But, I don't think that's enough. Instead, you'll never again be able to perform your wifely duties."

"Ugh," Ri's feet were still rooted to the ground, surrounded by a tough crystal earth will that she couldn't accumulate enough energy to break. It was at that time she finally realized that what the beauty had drawn wasn't an array, it was a seal.

Ri suddenly felt empty. Tears fell from her eyes as she raised a small hand to her belly, suddenly feeling a dense shadow looming over what should have been filled with vibrance and hope. It took but a moment for Ri to understand exactly what she meant by never being able to perform wifely duties.

"Serves you right," Sneered Chike, trying to wash over his previous panic with pointed remarks as he strolled to Ri's side. "Don't worry. This only makes it more convenient for when I bend you over and fuck you. At least then I won't have to worry about birthing inferior children from a beast."

"Do you think that you've done something great?" Tau Aumen spoke nonchalantly, staring off into the distance as the golden flames of his hair crackled.

"Young master Aumen, what do you mean?" Eboni asked in confusion. She had just restored the dignity of her clan and trampled over the future hope of her enemies. What could be more fulfilling than that?

"Poke?" Eboni's confusion only deepened. But, she didn't get much of a chance to think about it because the doors of the VIP area opened to reveal a smiling Dyon. Clearly, he had accomplished something important to him. However… That smile didn't last long.

Black, crystal coated scales tore through his skin for the first time in months. His body immediately expanded to over five meters tall. In but an instant, before anyone could react, Chike's head was being crushed in Dyon's one hand.

Chike wiggled and struggled, thrashing about wildly as he tried to turn his head toward his queen to ask for help. But, the situation was entirely different now.

A receptionist couldn't tell the difference, but the genius rankers of this universe could. They had seen enough meridian formation and essence gathering experts to know the difference, and Dyon was without a doubt a meridian formation expert.

Eboni suddenly understood exactly what Tau meant. Whether their upper most rankers could match Dyon was irrelevant. If she met Dyon in the tournament, she would only have herself to rely on. 'This…'

But, he paused as he suddenly felt a small hand touch his enlarged arm. What he saw only made his heart break. It was clear in an instant that no amount of rampaging or revenge would be the solution to this.

His soul was being torn apart so slowly that it felt as though every portion of his body was being broken down and grinded into the finest of pieces.

The members of Planet Nix wanted to move forward, but their queen stopped them with a wave of her hand. A small smile played her features, as though this was exactly what she had wanted to happen. Everything was but a puppet on her strings and she was a master.

Soon, he couldn't even scream anymore. Yet, Dyon constantly used his aurora to maintain his nerves, making sure that to the very end, he was fully aware of every bone snapping. Of every bit of flesh tearing. Of every bit of his life being drained away from him.

In the end, he was nothing but a lifeless carcass that barely represented what he used to be and Dyon now knew everything that had transpired.

Dyon shrunk down, striking Ri's footholds away with Celestial will as he picked her up. "Hey, hey. Don't cry," Dyon's voice was so gentle that the warriors of the surrounding four planets had almost forgotten the murderous intent he had just once held.

The truth was that Ri wanted to be angry. She wanted to tear through everything in her path and make them pay for taking something so precious away from her. But, the seal wasn't allowing her to accumulate any strength and the emotional pain wasn't letting her think straight.

"I find this soul technique of yours quite interesting. I want it." The queen of the Nix spoke softly as though she had absolutely nothing to do with the current events. Although she hadn't been sure at first, it was clear that Dyon had used a soul type technique to kill her subject.

On Planet Nix, there were three clans united as one. Each with their own specialities. The truth was that this 'queen' of theirs, was only called as such because she was among the six beauties of the universe. In reality, she was no queen. She was Ulu Lebna, a member of the Lebna God Clan – a clan having a strong branch specializing in seals, but mostly being known for the soul and spirit techniques.

"Here are the facts. Your wife is quite rude and needed to be punished. You were quite rude and needed to be punished. And now, you've killed a member of our clans outside of an arena, so let me tell you one more fact. I can kill your wife with a wave of my hand.

Bow down and kowtow until I'm satisfied. Then, you'll be a servant of the Nuru and Lebna God Clans under the banner of the Jafari Royal God Clan. Although my husband is not here today, I'm sure he would take a liking to your ex-wife as a toy.

The truth was that this had been her goal all along and she decided to sacrifice Chike to achieve it. The moment Dyon walked in, everyone was checking for his energy cultivation level. But, Ulu was different. The first thing she checked when it came to anyone was the soul cultivation level.

Dyon had learned long ago that checking someone's soul level was a breach of etiquette, however, when he felt Ulu check his, he hadn't bothered with it. Reason being, her soul wasn't powerful enough to read his level accurately. Dyon was someone with the soul of a peak essence gathering expert at full throttle. Even when he didn't complete his soul by unleashing his manifestation, he was still a mid level essence gathering expert.

However, from very long ago, Dyon had had the habit of hiding his soul power. When he fought Saeclum and killed him at the Legacy World Opening, it was that strategy that had saved his life. The problem was, that since Dyon never checked the soul strength of others due to etiquette, he had no concept of what an average soul strength would be for someone his age…

So, when Ulu scanned his soul and saw a 15-year-old with the soul strength of a peak meridian formation warrior, she had immediately decided to draw in Dyon's talent to their side and make him serve them.

Ulu had originally wanted to use a slave seal on Dyon. But, she knew that her soul simply wasn't powerful enough to force any kind of soul technique onto Dyon. Which meant… She needed to find a way to force him, and Ri provided the perfect opportunity.

Eboni finally couldn't hold in her laughter anymore. She bent over, trying to maintain her former elegance as her cheeks reddened, "You heard the queen, go on and kowtow. In fact, take this useless one with you." A crystal pillar appeared below the unconscious Uta, sending his large body flying toward Dyon who was still lovingly caring for Ri.

Before, they had been apprehensive about Dyon's retaliation. Many hadn't made the connection between Dyon and a mysteriously named Demon Sage that had an unprecedented rank. However, when Dyon made his First-Grade cultivation clear, they began to remember something very important… Although no one knew who the Demon Sage was, he still had a clear affiliation… Planet Earth. Elvin Kingdom.

Previously, people had assumed that the Demon Sage was one of the peak essence gathering elves that had left to campaign elsewhere. After all, a 15-year-old? Having that rank? It didn't make sense. But now, none of that mattered. Ulu had made it clear that Ri's life was in the palm of her hands. If Dyon didn't want his love to die, retaliation wasn't an option.

That said, there was yet another reason Ulu decided on provoking Planet Earth like this. The name Demon Sage meant something completely different to the more powerful planets… And if she was right…

Dyon didn't even glance at the flying body. His eyes flashed with gold as a brilliant defensive array appeared in the air, stopping all of Uta's momentum in an instant and crushing even more of his bones.

Many months ago, on a far off and neutral asteroid, an auction of unprecedented importance had taken place. The headlining item? An Earth Constitution Pill named: Queen Fairy.

The God and Royal God Clans were in an uproar. The idea of a ready made, fully awakened bodily constitution was a concept that was so rare that an all-out war nearly broke out. However, there was another reason this pill made a mark the likes of which few had ever seen…

The study of alchemy had stalled in this universe for many years. Although the Sapientia did their due diligence in researching, there weren't many expert alchemists among them. In the end, much of their 'findings' were only cheap theories that no one had the skill to put into use. But, this pill was an opportunity to shift all of that. If they could study it and reverse engineer it, then maybe the universe would have the rebirth of alchemy they were looking for. This was even more important because they were only steadily becoming weaker and weaker… Alchemy was the best way to make up for the lack of energy density in the universe!

In the end, the pill had been won by the Sapientia family for further research. Unfortunately for the other God Clans, the Sapientia family was just too rich. Maybe the most important reason, though, was their nonconfrontational style. For the sake of avoiding war, the families could only allow the Sapientia to win.

However, that was only until the name Demon Sage came up once again… And this time, on the ranking list. No one knew what that meant. Could the Demon Sage they had been looking for really be so young as to be on that list? Or maybe he was just weak enough to have a low enough cultivation to be? But, neither made much sense… Or, rather, people chose to believe that it didn't make sense. It had to be a coincidence. No one could be so talented, they thought. And on the other hand, no one could be so great at alchemy, yet have such poor cultivation.

Unfortunately, Dyon was oblivious to all of this. When he had sent in the pill through the Elvin Guilds anonymously, he, much like what Prince Belmont had said during his visit to the Elvin Kingdom, already knew that there were other Earth Constitution giving items… However, what Dyon hadn't taken into account was that while Prince Belmont's phoenix feathers were irredeemable, the Queen Fairy Pill could be made in an unlimited quantity…

She felt like it was her fault. And worst yet, although she had been burying a deep apprehension at the idea of meeting Madeleine, this was the first time all of those thoughts were completely casted away. If she couldn't birth Dyon's children, at least there was someone who could.

She had jumped into the fight herself, and she felt like she should have won. She had the obligation to win. How could she feel worthy of Dyon if she lost?

"The queen didn't give you a grace period. Slaves don't deserve such a thing." A member of the Nuru clan sneered in anger. It had been his brother that Dyon just killed and since he couldn't take his rage out on the queen, especially considering who her husband was, it would have to be Dyon.

If I wanted your woman to strip naked and hang from the ceiling – she would. If I wanted you to cut your own manhood off and eat it raw – you would.

Maybe months ago, Dyon would be helpless in this situation. Forced to watch Ri be disrespected and being enslaved himself. However, he hadn't spent month refining his array fundamentals to give up so easily in the face of a challenge.

"Ah," the Nuru warrior made his way to their side, "To suck the cock of a Nuru warrior should be your honor. Release the bitch and back away, she's got work to do."

Dyon looked up to find a truly disgusting sight. The anger he had buried in order to tend to Ri resurfaced causing dense black flames to color his eyes.

"Ah, ah, ah. None of that. I mean, unless you want her to die." The Nuru Warrior sneered tapping his limp cock. "Hey, this isn't going to harden itself. It's hard enough for me already knowing I'm dealing with nothing but a beast. You're going to have to put some effort in."

"Stop speaking nonsense. You heard my queen. Leave the woman here, I'll take good ca – " The eyes of the Nuru warrior widened as he suddenly felt something warm and wet cut off his words.

"You dare!" Ulu's rage peaked at this. He actually dared to kill yet another of their members even with the death and torture of his woman looming over his head?!

"HAHAHAHAHA! I've never met such an idiot!" Eboni couldn't get enough of it. It was as though this was movie and she had bought front row tickets.

Ulu's eyes steeled. "Since you wanted it this way and couldn't accept a simple punishment. You can watch helplessly as your woman writhes in pain."

"Innate Aurora…" Saru Shruti's eyes narrowed. There were just too many surprises between this couple. This Dyon that they had looked down on had too much to him that they couldn't fathom.

He wafted a comfortable feeling into Ri until her eyes closed into a deep sleep. Then, barely caring for the exposure of his ring, he drew a concealment array around Ri before sending her in.

"You did all of this just to try and pull me to your side?" Dyon didn't seem to be talking to anyone in particular as he glanced at Uta's unconscious figure. It was clear he was about to die at any moment, and yet Planet Deimos' warriors weren't making any effort to help him.

It made sense that Ulu was confused. She had no idea that the technique she had been coveting from Dyon could absorb memories. Right now, Dyon had a full understanding of what Ulu had wanted to do. Unfortunately for her, Dyon's skill with arrays had increased far too much. But, all he had done for now was sever Ulu's ability to control the seal by cutting it off from the outside world.

Seals were the antithesis of arrays. While arrays wrote in universal laws, the goal of a seal was to erase those laws. That's why the Sigebryht family could seal away the death qi to stop the cyclones, they had locked away the will by writing an anti will.

The reason Dyon hadn't been able to understand seals before was because he was essentially used to doing math questions without showing his work. He could cut through the calculations to reach the answer but hadn't understood properly until he solidified his fundamentals.

Understanding seals, without first fully understanding arrays, was like trying to understand integrals, without first understanding how derivatives worked.

"I want you to know that the only reason I'm not killing you all today, is because this is a fight for my wife. However, you still deserve a punishment, don't you think?"

Ulu remained silent. She couldn't understand where Dyon's confidence was coming from. Did he think she was as easy to deal with as the Nuru brothers? One was barely in the top 100 and the other wasn't even on the list.

"You must think you're very powerful, hm?" Ulu smiled. If no one had seen her malicious deeds just moments before, all they would have seen was an otherworldly beauty. But, now, that smile had a venom no one could ignore.

"The dead one said something about stripping my woman naked and hanging her from the ceiling, right? I wonder what you'd look like hanging from the ceiling like that. I'm sure you man servants would love that." Dyon's face remained expressionless as he shifted his gaze to the ceiling. But, his words caused a palpable anger to grow within the Nix Warriors.

Their most elite warriors had remained with Ulu's husband, thinking that only Ulu was necessary. It was now their job to protect the dignity of their queen. And yet, here was this fifteen-year-old boy saying whatever he pleased.

The Nix warriors tried to charge toward Dyon, but purple gold defensive formation formed, stacking again and again. It was complete overkill. Each was of the peak master level and the heaven's chimes that rang through the air shook even Chaos Tower itself.

Eboni trembled at this sight. Was this really the man she thought she could beat? She wasn't that much more powerful than Ulu. In fact, their ranks were so close that strength couldn't be decided from it at all. And yet, she was nothing in front of Dyon.

It was suddenly very clear to everyone that Dyon hadn't been even remotely trying when he fought Uta. He hadn't used any energy cultivation. But, even worse, he hadn't even used his utmost strength – his soul!

For the first time that night, Tau Aumen and Saru Shruti smiled. They were both thinking the same thing. They wanted nothing more than to fight Dyon and see how they measured up.

If Delia had been there, she would have immediately recognized her mortal enemies – the Clyte God Clan… Or now, more accurately, the Clyte Royal God Clan. And maybe, had Dyon paid more attention, he would have noticed that among their allies included those who were boring holes into his back… The Kami God Clan.

"Unlike my wife," Dyon said faintly, "There's no one in this universe that will be able to help you after this. Never think of enjoying sex again. Never think of conceiving. You will never have a child in this lifetime."

Despite the hand clamped over her throat. Despite the stretching of her spine. Despite the burning of her lungs as she begged for air. The only thing she saw was that dense black. All she could think of was death.

Dyon's fingers paused as he looked over to the receptionist. He had known from the very beginning that this man was powerful, or else they wouldn't have allowed him to guard this area.

The receptionist cleared his throat, "Fighting must be done in the arena. This is not a sanctioned match and thus only increases the tension between planets. If the match isn't organized, it shouldn't happen."

The eyes of the surrounding warriors flashed in realization. Did such a powerful warrior not have the backing of his own planet? What was going on?

The receptionist cleared his throat again, "As the Nix Planet missuses said, your wife attacked first. For breaking the rules, it was a suitable punishment."

"Mm. Unfortunately, your threats mean nothing to me." Dyon's hand pierced forward, stopping Ulu mid-laugh. "Enjoy." Dyon said faintly, anchoring down the death array directly into Ulu's womb. "Know that there is not a single expert in this universe that can help you now."

Ulu strained her neck to stare down at Dyon's fingers. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Did he really not care about the threat of a saint level expert? Why had it ended up like this?

A dull pain throbbed just below Ulu's belly button. Dyon's fingers hadn't pierced her skin, and yet it somehow felt much worse than if he had.

The receptionist trembled in anger. As a man talented enough to become a saint level expert, he too had once ranked highly on the cumulative rankings. He didn't see himself as any inferior than these so-called geniuses, and yet Dyon had disregarded his existence completely. How could he stand for this?

Taking a deep breath, the receptionist calmed himself. The truth was that he had made a move to stop Ri from attacking initially, but, the young master of the Cavositas God Clan had told him to stop, seemingly knowing that Ri would be ganged up on. And yet, that very same young master had told him stop the proceedings now. The goal was clear: use this moral high ground to teach Dyon a lesson. But… Dyon's next words were completely unexpected.

"What are you so mad about?" A light smile played Dyon's features as he turned to walk to he and Ri's sitting area to pick up his turtle neck and jacket. "I let her go like you wanted me to, didn't I?"

The receptionist watched this silently. After he heard Dyon's response to the situation, he understood exactly how Dyon wanted to end this. If he wanted the moral high-ground, he had to be able to prove that Dyon had done something. But, could he?

There was a reason why Dyon had said there wasn't a single person in this universe who could help Ulu. He was confident that his array alchemy had touched an unreachable level for those here. Even his soul strength was nearing the best this universe had to offer. Even a peak saint expert might not have a soul strength at the peak of the 6th stage.

In order to help Ulu, you'd not only need to have a soul strength above the 6th stage, you'd also have to be a grandmaster array alchemist. And even then, you'd need to find a way to counter a death infused array. And that was all after detecting and seeing through the concealment array Dyon placed around it.

Dyon leisurely put on his clothes as the Planet Nix warriors tended to Ulu. The truth was that Dyon could have infused enough death within his array to make it act as a slave seal as he had for Alidor. But, he chose not to for very specific reasons.

For one, if Ulu couldn't plot against him, then Ri would never have a proper rematch against her. Dyon saw first hand how broken Ri was after this loss. She felt as though it was her duty to win, and yet she had failed. Dyon didn't want to do this for her, so he had to Ulu the ability to act against him and by proxy, act against Ri. It would be easy to just tell Ri that it wasn't her fault so many had attacked her at once. But, he knew Ri didn't need flowery words. She needed goals and motivation.

The second reason would be the evidence. Something like infertility would never be able to be directly tied to Dyon. But, suddenly having to follow Dyon's every word? That would give the receptionist the exact thing he was looking for to justify his attack.

Sure, Ulu would always know that Dyon was the culprit. But, the important part was that Dyon was working in the same greys as the receptionist. Because Dyon couldn't prove that the receptionist was being biased, despite how obvious it was, Dyon lost the moral high ground. And, because the receptionist couldn't detect Dyon's array, no matter how obvious it was that Dyon had planted one, he would lose moral high ground if he chose to attack Dyon.

This was a man of the saint stage, and almost fittingly, he was about a head taller than Dyon. He had black hair and eyes matching that of the Cavositas clan and despite his clear older age, he had a vibrant youth to him that made it feel as though he had hundreds of years left to live.

The receptionist tilted his head, a clever glint lighting his eyes as though he had seen through Dyon. "One is very important to you. And the other, is quite important to me."

"Well. I'd assume to be a saint means having better things to do than being a door man for children and harassing a meridian formation expert, no?"

The brow of the receptionist twitched at Dyon's subtle dig. But, he kept his composure. "Mm. One would think… But, saint energy itself it quite interesting."

"Please enlighten me, elder." A polite smile pasted itself onto Dyon's features. He was quite interested in finding out just what this man thinks he knows. He mentions two disappearances, and yet now he wants to speak on the prowess of a saint? How did this connect?

What it means to be a saint is to have mastered an intent. What it means to have mastered an intent is to have a view of the world few others have. Too many are quick to ignore the namesakes of the nine intent stages for overly simplified numberings, but those names mean something."

What the receptionist said was true. Often, the levels of intent were broken into stages of one to nine, when, in reality, each had their own name. And, in fact, that name gave insight into how to master or come to understand that will to that level. In addition, the name also often gave clues as to the scope the intent would reach.

When Madeleine improved her celestial will to a celestial intent, it was because she had received a calming reassurance at a moment where her connection with her surroundings was deep enough to take the next step. This connection was provided by her essence gathering cultivation, while the peace of mind had been given to her by Dyon's message of reassurance and encouragement.

All of these culminated in Madeleine reaching a state of one with mind, thus stepping into an all new level of power that only a rare few could match at the essence gathering level. In fact, the only reason the third daughter of the Uidah King God Clan had beaten Madeleine so easily was because Madeleine had spent weeks fighting and protecting her fellow clansmen. Couple that with the fact that she had higher cultivation than Madeleine, and the ability to fuse wills, and Madeleine simply did not stand a chance.

"Like I said. Two are missing. And there's little you can hide from a saint expert. You may have released the planet Nix queen, however, you've taken something from us that you should be giving back, don't you think?"

He was using his explanation as a saint to show Dyon that he wasn't just making a guess. The connection that saints gained with their surroundings far surpassed that of essence gathering experts and without a doubt surpassed meridian formation experts.

The truth was that the reason it had taken Dyon so long to come back, even to the point that Ri ended up being taken advantage of, was because he was doing his due diligence in saving Eli.

Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find any others of the Viridi family. But, it was likely that Eli knew where the rest were and could thus direct Dyon.

The problem was that Eli had passed out due to blood loss and was thrown into a cage filled with other warriors – seemingly with their only hope being death. Dyon had wanted to save them all, but that simply was not realistic. The movement of one slave might fly under the radar, but all of them? It was too much to maneuver. It would have to be a plan saved for another day.

However, Dyon had exercised the utmost caution. He used a clone to replace himself so that he never disappeared from view and used the best concealment array he had in his disposal. But, therein lied a problem, even as Dyon saved the unconscious Eli.

Even though the saint didn't have any specialization in array alchemy, what he did have was a soul comparable to Dyon. This meant that his sensitivity to Dyon's concealment array, even if it was a peak master level array, would be there. And the worst problem was, to avoid detection, Dyon hadn't used his peak most array because that would require releasing his manifestation. Therefore, he had only used a mid-level master array.

The receptionist was a mid-level saint. This was simply the scale of a God Clan. They could afford to use warriors so powerful as doormen because mid-level saints simply weren't powerful enough to be elders. And, considering how old the receptionist was already, he was unlikely to ever reach that level.

That aside, despite the receptionist's cultivation, his soul strength still rested at the lower essence gathering level… But, that was enough to catch that something was off when faced with Dyon's concealment array. And now, he was acting on his hunch.

"I believe one you're speaking of is my wife. But, where she is has nothing to do with you. The second, the one who is important to you, I have no idea about. Because, I don't know what you're talking about." Dyon smiled calmly because the saint's words had already revealed his own lack of understanding.

When the receptionist had said there were two missing things, one of which was important to him, Dyon had been confused. But, when he made the connection between the receptionist's soul strength and the possibility of it being enough to see through his mid-level master array, things clicked. The receptionist didn't know that Ri had been put into a spatial ring. He thought that Ri was still in this very room, hidden by Dyon.

Essentially, the receptionist was threatening Dyon. He was saying that because he was a saint, he could use his intent mastery, and the connection it gave him to the environment, to see through Dyon's array and find Ri. And, because he could do that, Dyon should give back the prisoner he took and accept punishment.

However, Dyon found this all very funny because the receptionist couldn't be more wrong. Not only was Ri in no danger whatsoever, even if she was in the room under the influence of a concealment formation right now, Dyon still wouldn't be scared of this so-called saint level expert because he had two trump cards he had yet to use.

The brows of the receptionist furrowed at Dyon's response. He didn't know who he was talking about? Was this kid really willing to put his wife's life at risk on his gamble?

The truth was that the receptionist had no idea whether Dyon took a prisoner or not. What he did know was that Dyon had acted weirdly right before his fight, and his eyes were seemingly trained on one of the fighting stages.

Then, after confirmation from his young master, he found out that there were indeed some Dyon cared about that had been sold into slavery. Couple that with the fact that there was only one exit from the arena, and Dyon would have been in perfect position to save someone.

But, what the receptionist could not understand was where Dyon's confidence came from. After all, how could he know that Dyon held a ring that couldn't even be properly scaled amongst treasures? To him, both Eli and Ri were floating around in this room somewhere, he just couldn't detect it properly.

Looking past the receptionist, Dyon's eyes landed on the Planet Nix warriors. They had lifted up their deadpan queen to sit her in a chair. But, it was clear that a fire was being slowly lit in her eyes. 'Good. Get angry. I want my little feu glace to beat you at your best.'

With that last thought, Dyon turned back to scan over the rest of the planets, his eyes faintly lingering on Eboni which caused her to involuntarily shiver.

"Despite what mistakes my fellow kinsmen have made, I hope you don't assume that I'll allow you to seek revenge as easily as you did against the Nix."

With Tau's words, Eboni seemed to have gained her fire back, staring back at Dyon arrogantly. But, anger could only build up within her as she noticed Dyon completely ignoring her gaze. She felt insignificant... Weak. Dyon had not a care even for her beauty.

"And I hope you don't assume that the reason she hasn't died is because of you." Dyon's emotions showed no signs of fluctuation. He meant his every word. Eboni was only alive because he was leaving her for RI. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Ode sneered, "You're so arrogant. Did you think a handsome face meant strength? Our young master is in the top 10 for a reason. Don't assume that beating Ulu makes you anything significant in his eyes."

The receptionist had disappeared in a puff of embarrassment. Although he tried to follow Dyon, he had lost him. It was clear Dyon had used another concealment array, a much more powerful one. However, this only made the receptionist surer that he had been correct. But, that led to another problem… Just how powerful was Dyon's array alchemy to be able to hide from a saint expert?...

The Nix warriors were still tending to their queen. In reality, she was hurt at all. The grip on her throat had long since healed, and the robustness of a martial body made the effects of 'hanging' she had suffered severely below what a normal human would suffer. The only real wound was her pride. "I'll kill them!" She shrieked, grinding her teeth in anger.

When had the Nix ever been disrespected like this? They were three clans united under a single banner. They should have been much more powerful that the norm. They had the Nuru family and their dark arts. They had the Jafari family and their robust time control. And they had the Lebna, Ulu's clan, which specialized in the soul – specifically sealing. They were meant to be perfect! And yet, even in under a united banner, some no name had done this to them?!

Ulu breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. She had to accept that Dyon wasn't a no name. If she was right, this teenage boy was an unprecedented array alchemy expert coveted by the whole of the universe. But, this wasn't something she could disseminate to the public. If others knew, it would only increase competition for the Nix.

However, there was something good about Dyon being the demon sage. This meant that Ulu could stop worrying about his ranking… Because she was almost certain Dyon had cheated now!

Ulu shook her head. "Not yet. King and the elites of Nix are off on a mission right now and will join us on this planet soon. However, if we tell my husband what has occurred too soon, given his hot head, he'll act without thinking and kill our pawn.

We need to first wait until just before the tournament begins, that way King won't be tempted to act before the fact. Then, we'll inform him of the importance of this pawn. After we do that, we can explain how he's disrespected the Nix and me.

This child has no concept of the true strength of the warriors in the top 10. He thinks that just because he can manipulate arrays and forge points for himself that he's among them? No. The top 10 of the cumulative rankings are nothing short of gods." Ulu's eyes sparkled as she thought of her husband before a dense anger formed in her eyes as she touched her belly. "Or maybe I should say top 11 considering you're a fraud.

Ulu sneered in disgust as she thought back to Dyon's rank. At first, she had been scared of this new ranker. But, when she met Dyon, and connected his ability to the array alchemist, everything made sense. Dyon hadn't earned his rank. He cheated. Manipulating the rankings to manufacture his results.

Hours later, Dyon was in an entirely new inn. In order to avoid being annoyed, he had moved. He doubted that the Cavositas would do anything out in the open, or else it would mean losing moral high-ground with the elves.

The truth was the despite the disappearance of the Elvin King, his power was still a looming influence. After all, 10 years was a blink of an eye to a celestial expert. And this was even more true for an elf. Assuming that he would never show up again was something many weren't willing to risk on. So, openly killing the man he'd know as his son-in-law was not a good idea.

This was the kind of unknown the elves wanted to continue to foster. To the upper-echelons of the elves, their king had disappeared without a trace or even a word of goodbye. But, to the upper-echelons of earth and the other planets, the Elvin King was gone, but the elves were aware of why and that he'd be back. This was a subtle, but very important lie.

That said, the elves still had other celestial experts to maintain God Clan rank, including the Grand Elders and Head Sigebryht. In fact, Head Sigebryht was still known as a genius to many. And, no one forgot Uncle Acacia in all of this. He had been exposed as a peak level saint with the attack of the Daiyu on the Elvin Kingdom. It was suddenly clear to everyone that maybe his talent wasn't too inferior to his brother.

After treating Eli, Dyon let him sleep. In fact, he went as far as forging a coma-inducing pill set to allow Eli to wake up once his body was healed and his fatigue was gone. After what must have been years of a poor diet and no rest, Eli needed this rest the most.

Flashing into his spatial ring, Dyon walked toward the collection of tents he had created for the demon generals and let Eli rest in his. Afterwards, he let the demon know about Eli and that they should explain things to him should he wake up without Dyon's knowledge.

Arios had gone to see his father with Ava after the gate closed, so, he wasn't here. But, there were thousands of other demon generals to help out. Often times, Dyon felt bad about having them stay here, but, there was really no other place for them. In addition, they seemed to enjoy spending their days in relaxation and cultivation.

Many of them had even once been trapped within a gate during its recovery time. Compared to days like that, the demon generals saw this place as a paradise.

Looking down at Ri's sleeping figure, he couldn't help but feel saddened. To Ri, Eboni and Ulu were people she should have been able to beat. But, the martial world didn't have a place for fairness. In fact, in all this time, even as Ri tossed and turned in her sleep, clearly agitated, she had never once said anything about fairness. To her, victory should have been a foregone conclusion.

At first, Dyon blamed himself. He didn't expect words as simple as 'Sacharro's don't lose' to have such a profound effect on Ri. But, he had to check himself after that.

Ri was a person who had started raising an army as barely a teenager with the goal of taking over the Elvin Kingdom in her father's stead. She was a person that spent her entire life forcing herself down a path of wills that was never her forte. She was a person that loved array alchemy and studied it just for her fascination, despite having weak soul talent.

Ri was competitive to her very core. She did things because she wanted to and followed through with them to the end. Her hate of losing may have had something to do with Dyon, but it was definitely not the entire reason.

Alexandria Acacia. She had goals of her own. A purpose she wanted to achieve. Whether that be being worthy of standing by Dyon's side, or finding her parents, each was important to her and each required her to win. Then win again. And then win yet again.

In a lot of ways, Ri was still that little girl who lost her parents. Still that little girl that lost her best friend. Still that little girl who was training day and night to rebuild the things she had lost.

And now, Dyon was yet another thing she wanted to hold onto to. No matter what Dyon said or did, Ri still felt like she had to earn his love. It was just that this loss had caused all of these emotions to surface.

But, even thinking of all of this, nothing hit Dyon as much as when he heard Ri said something that made him tremble. Something that made him think back to his trials with the old man…

"I'm happy you have big sister Madeleine. I'm truly happy this time." Ri mumbled in her sleep, an uncomfortable sweat coating her delicate features. "I can't be jealous anymore. I'm too useless to be jealous."

Ri was someone who had spent much of her life being made fun of for her looks. Then, when she fell for someone, she found out that this same man who looked past the way she looked, had a fiancée who was a matchless beauty.

To make things worse, Dyon hadn't met Ri with Madeleine by his side. He had met Ri after having been separated from Madeleine for more than a year. No matter how competitive or confident Ri was, how could she help but not think she was only a temporary replacement? How could someone who had to deal with people constantly disappearing from her life not worry that the first man she had ever loved leaving too?

With all of these feelings mounting and the meeting with Madeleine looming, Ri was trying her best to hide how she truly felt from Dyon, struggling to be the woman Dyon couldn't find flaw in. And then, things instantly got worse…

Dyon had gone and disappeared, falling into a crack permeating with death qi and seemingly dying. Despite his words of promise before those events, how could Ri put stock into his survival? Yet another person, gone.

Ri wasn't willing to believe it or think about it, so she buried those feeling, throwing herself into the battle until a ray of hope came in the form of Dyon's spatial ring.

But then, Dyon didn't show up for months. Ri didn't know how he was fairing, if he was safe, or what he was doing. She was completely cut off and in a constantly troubling emotional state as she fought for endless days in a row.

In the end, Dyon came back, but even then, it was like a dream to her. She didn't even fully realize Dyon was really back until she woke up in the hotel room.

However, even when she was finally back in Dyon's arm, it was time for her to pretend again. Pretend as though she hadn't been bothered by the past few months. Pretend as though these new shifts in her body weren't confusing and scaring to her. Pretend as though she wasn't scared about meeting Madeleine.

The truth was she didn't know how she felt. She had known Dyon had a fiancée from the very beginning and had already promised herself to him. She had decided right from the moment she gave her virginity to Dyon, that even if she had to spend the rest of her life in a jealous state, it was worth it if she could be with this man. But, that didn't stop her from feeling the fear that was building up.

How would she feel about having to share Dyon with someone else? How would she feel seeing Dyon worry over someone else like he did her? How would she feel when Dyon looked at Madeleine in a way that, up until now, had been reserved for her? She just didn't know.

So, when all of these feelings mounted, and she finally wanted to take out some frustration, everything had come crashing down. She had lost. She felt useless. And worse yet? Even till now she thought she had forever lost her ability to birth Dyon's child.

"Ri?" Dyon say on the edge of the bed, lightly gripping Ri's small hand. This wasn't something he could help her with, but what he could do was be here for her.

Dyon wanted to say that he would never leave Ri. That he loved her as much as he loved Madeleine and that he couldn't live without either of them. But, words just weren't enough.

Ri might have heard that her parents loved her millions of times, and yet hadn't they left as well? To Ri, that was what people did… As long as they had enough reason to, they would leave. Even if they had no intention to now, they might still do it later.

"Ri, stop that. I only need some time to undo it. Soon, you'll be my health little feu glace, okay?" Dyon gently wiped the tears from Ri's cheek, "Then, we can train together. We still have weeks until the tournament. You have all of this built up cultivation you haven't tapped into yet. How could you not have improved after months of fighting, right?"

Ri nodded slowly. Despite her cultivation not having progressed in months, after that much time fighting, she was bound to be ready for quite a few consecutive breakthroughs. A beast could cultivate by almost solely eating a sleeping, right now, that was exactly what Ri needed. Much like muscle training where strength only grew after muscles tore and rebuilt themselves, Ri's cultivation had been theoretically 'torn', but, she had yet to rebuild it.

Ri was quiet and frail. It was clear the seal was still not allowing her to gather her strength and she needed Dyon's help to do something as simple as changing her clothes. Although Dyon was trying to help, the fact she needed it for something so easy only made Ri even more frustrated with herself.

Despite seeing Ri's flawless naked body in front of him, Dyon couldn't think about anything other than how he could fix this as his eyes flashed with gold to cover Ri in a comfortable set of sweats.

"Nope." Dyon shook his head, causing Ri to struggle to give him a look of confusion. "You're my woman. I'm not allowing this. Come here, I'm telling you a story."

Dyon held Ri tightly against himself. He was so large, and she seemed so small, that he nearly engulfed her as he rested his chin on her head.

Ri felt safe in Dyon's arms, especially when she felt his hand rest on her belly protectively, streaming in his aurora and celestial will as he began to speak.

"Can you imagine what it would feel like, to love someone with your everything. To have your whole world be their smile. And yet having their smile never be the one you once knew?

How would you feel if the eyes I look at you with, suddenly became the very same eyes I looked at everyone with? If the gaze I gave you was as nonchalant as the gaze I gave to any other stranger?

"To me, and you, that hopefully feels like a distant dream. Something that would never happen," Dyon slid his chin down from the top or Ri's head to rest his cheek against hers, silently enjoying the sound of her breathing slowly calming as he streamed more celestial will into her.

In the human world, there's a story of a woman who was once diagnosed with acute amnesia. Because of this, she could never again form new memories that lasted through a night of sleep. She was forever stuck, having lost the last few years of her life, while never being able to forge a new life for herself." Dyon tightened his grip on Ri's small figure as though he too was scared she'd disappear.

She would walk around her house, seeing pictures of a man she thought of as nothing more than a stranger. His voice was new to her. His smile was foreign. Even his jokes no longer made her laugh the same way.

The man she had once loved had to watch her no longer look at him with the same eyes. No longer smile at him the same way. He had to watch any progress he made be completely washed away with a single night of rest."

Ri trembled. That sounded absolutely horrible. Not only would this man never again feel like warmth of the woman he loved, he had to live knowing that she'd forever feel empty… As though something was missing that she'd never be able to replace.

"Eventually, the woman one day reached a breaking point. She could no longer stand being in a house with a stranger, so, she made him leave. Casting him out of her life entirely. And the worst part? The next day, she didn't remember what she had done. She went on not knowing what she was missing."

Despite having the past few years of her memory erased, the woman remembered her childhood and teenage years very well. And in that period of her life, she loved going to a café that was nearby.

So, everyday, without fail, she left to go to this café. Sometimes it was in the morning. Sometimes it was in the afternoon. And sometimes it was in the evening. But, without fail, everyday, she would go.

Without the pressure of him being her husband looming over her, the woman was a lot more relaxed. Without knowing it, this woman spoke with this man everyday. And everyday, she would fall in love with him again.

The man proved everyday, again and again, that he was perfect for her. And every night, she would fall asleep thinking of him, hoping that she would remember who he was tomorrow. But, without fail, she would forget him every morning."

"This was how they spent the rest of their lives. The woman never recovered from her disease. She never woke up remembering the man that had loved her with his everything. And yet, because of this disease, she died not even ten years later, leaving the man alone to live the rest of his life.

On the man's death bed, he wrote into his will to publish a book, and in that book, he wrote about what he had said the day he vowed to spend his life with this woman.

On the day of their wedding, before her family and friends, and before his own as well, he had sworn to remind her why she loved him each and everyday till death do them part.

Even if I have to deal with you kicking me out of our house. Even if I have to deal with sitting in a café for hours waiting to catch a glimpse of your smile. Even if I have to make you fall in love with me again everyday for the rest of your life. I'll do it."

Dyon's hand made a final movement of Ri's belly pulling out a dense blackness and crushing it in his hand before turning Ri around to face him.

Dyon sat cross-legged with the bed's headboard to his back. Ri's knees rested on his calves as she faced him. But, her head was lowered with her forehead rested gently on Dyon's chest, seemingly trying to stop crying.

"Little feu glace," Dyon smiled, pulling in Ri tightly, "If you have things you're worried about, don't bury them. The same way you want to help me carry my burden, I want to help you."

"Mm," Ri nodded, wiping her tears away on her sleeve before touching her belly, "It all seems so silly now…" She said softly, "How'd you do it?"

Seeing that Ri was back to her normal self, Dyon felt much better as he began to explain. Ri had always loved array alchemy, in fact, that was basically how they first met. It had been too long since they had a talk about it.

Ri nodded, "The Celestial Deer Sect and the Elves were in an alliance, so your master should have known about the Sigebyrht and their manifestation. Might be another clue."

In terms of the seal placed on you, though, I may have been worried if it was put in place by an elder of the Lebna God Clan that woman is from, but Ulu, I think her name was, isn't a match for experts on that level.

Also, her seal was meant to counter and lock away your yin and the life qi tied to it, but Ulu wasn't skilled enough to use life will's opposite. Instead, she used darkness will as a substitute for death will which weakened the seal from what it could be at its peak level."

Ri pondered on that a bit before thinking of something, "If seals are making use of wills to form their counters, how is that any different from an array?"

"Remember during our first talk about arrays? And how we spoke about how lower level arrays simulate wills, while higher level arrays become them?"

Ri nodded, "So low level seals simulate high level ones by simply being arrays that counter something. They're still fundamentally arrays but have elements of seals."

"Exactly. A true seal requires minimal adjustments and can do a wide range of things. From what I can see, the Sigebryht family manifestation is a high-level seal. When they stopped the death qi from fueling the cyclones, they didn't have to understand life qi. All they had to do was lock onto a target, analyze, and output their seal.

However, a low-level seal, while they may still use seal-like elements such as targeting and analysis, they need to manufacture their seals from scratch."

"Yea. Although my master's memories have locked the information, the Celestial Deer Sect's library still has information on seals I looked at after treating Eli and while you were unconscious."

That was also how Dyon got his hands on the Unique Type Manifestation technique despite it not being in his master's memories. The 25th White Mother had purposefully not destroyed the books within the disarrayed library, even though she locked her memories, because she wanted Dyon to find her trail of clues. Clues she wanted him to learn slowly, and not all at once, because he was too weak to know everything now.

These two steps are really flexible if you have access to a high-level sealing legacy, like the Sigebryht do. But, it seems Ulu didn't have that, or more accurately, the Lebna sealing legacy works differently from the Sigebryht's."

For one, Planet Nix is probably the most united planet in this universe. Here, the Royal God Clan exists, but it's fairly handsoff – even to the point where the Ragnor and the Pakal constantly war with each other and the Belmont never step in.

Honestly speaking, Dyon was a bit apprehensive about this tidbit – even to the point where he was worried that he had given Ulu enough clues to assume that his technique absorbed memories.

In the heat of the moment, Dyon hadn't had the time to sift through all of Chike's memories. All he had time to do was check on exactly what happened while he was gone and find a motive.

Unfortunately, after he did that, he asked Ulu if she had really done all of this just to pull him to her side. Ulu had immediately responded with 'how did you know that?', which was a logical ask considering the circumstances. If Ulu thought deeply enough about it, she might be able to connect Dyon's devour technique, to how he knew something he shouldn't have.

And if Ulu knew that Dyon now had memories of a Nix warrior, and Dyon's speculations about Chike's memories were right… Then, there was more trouble than just the Nix revenge to worry about.

Taking a deep breath, Dyon continued, "From the memories, Planet Nix has no history with the Lebna, Nuru or Jafari dating more than hundred years before now."

Dyon sighed, "Exactly right. No one has conquered a gate in millennia. So if their history in the universe is so short, where did they come from?"

"There's also… If they weren't here a hundred years ago, then what happened to the warriors that represented Nix at the last world tournament?"

Dyon shook his head, he had no idea. It was likely the upper-echelons of the God Clans knew, and that would include the Elvin Elders as well. But, that wasn't the main issue. Who the other clan was, was irrelevant.

In fact, it was likely that the God Clans of Earth were already aware that there was a change but couldn't be bothered to care about the changed political landscape of another planet.

For the world tournament, each Planet sent their best representatives. In the end, for Planet Naiad, Nix, Deimos and Mino, they each sent two God Clans and one Royal God clan. If they had been hosting, they would have likely sent more, but, the expense of interplanetary travel didn't allow that to be worth it.

The interesting part was that although each planet had their own Sapientia God Clan, none of them had brought any members. It was likely that the planet's assumed the Sapientia would afford the expense themselves.

However, that aside, there was another thing of note. Something that Dyon had no clue about because Chike and the members of Planet Nix, also did not know –

The members of Planet Mino, including Saru Shruti of the Shruti Royal God Clan, had also not been here just a hundred years ago. And now? They were suddenly very interested in Ri's origins.

After a pause, Ri asked a question that had been grating on her, "Do you think how those clans appeared without a gate conquering being noted, is the same way my parents left too?"

"I thought of that possibility as well. If we pay enough attention, we might find some clues. I think I should have a good relationship with at least one set of in-laws." Dyon laughed to himself bitterly.

Dyon pouted in disagreement, "The first time I met Madeleine's father, he was part of a group of people trying to kick me out of their school. The second time was after he tried to end my and Madeleine's relationship – according to Madeleine, Oliver had acted on his own, but I still never got an apology for that, despite the sword through my chest.

I guess I've never had any interactions with Madeleine's mother, but if I'm to take what Madeleine says about her seriously, her goals are always in lock-step with her father's. The only time they even remotely disagreed was when Madeleine seemed to be on her death bed.

"It seems Uncle might have his own in-laws to deal with soon," Ri said teasingly, "He might not be in a good enough mood to deal with your antics anymore."

In the past, this was universe was the best in the quadrant. It had peak dao formation experts, and I'm not certain, but it's like that that also included half-step transcendents. This is why the Epistemic Tower was originally placed right here, in a bridge between this universe, and the next one over.

With the Ragnor and then the Pakal. But now Planet Nix. And even before that there was likely the Kitsune who came too. Too many clans much too powerful to be here are coming here."

"Dyon," Ri said softly, "We should probably talk about when it is you was to enter the Epistemic Tower to start training toward Transcendents."

Dyon shook his head, "When WE go, it'll be all of us. The old man said he had a limited supply of resources, but he never said I wasn't allowed to let other in with me. If that was the case, then Alidor wouldn't have been able to bring in his sister."

"Mm. That's true. But, that was only because they weren't talented enough. My fiancées are the most talented women in this universe, grand teacher will of course accept you two. You have a faith seed and a God level constitution, and I have a feeling that Madeleine just got a faith seed of her own."

With Dyon's words, Ri finally sighed in relief. She had been worried that she would be separated from Dyon, but there had been a reason for that. Dyon's ultimate goal was to make his name spread far and wide and the best way to do that was with the help of the Epistemic Tower. If he went in, there was no telling when he'd be able to come out.

"I want to take you, Madeleine, Little Lyla, Little Black, the demon generals and likely Alidor and his little sister with me. I also have a few others in mind… Like Caedlum Pakal. And Thor Ragnor."

"It's not that I trust him, or that I'm putting any stock or hope in him. It's only that he'll be useful. This will essentially be a quadrant vs quadrant battle, and our universe is lacking in talent. Also, unless his soul strength becomes stronger than mine, he'll never break his slave seal without my say so."

At the moment, Dyon had no intention on ever letting Alidor surpass him. When Dyon completed his soul, his strength was at the peak 6th stage. In fact, he was mere days away from breaking through and having his incomplete soul be at the lower 6th stage, while his completed soul would be able to enter the lower 7th stage! A saint level soul!

"It will be dangerous, though, Ri." Dyon's face steeled. "The Epistemic Tower isn't just about the trials to receive the greatest techniques of that old man, it's also a competition. And it's a competition that involves everyone who was talented enough to forge their way into the Tower.

Maybe the worst part is that this quadrant, according to grand teacher, is likely among the minority when it comes to accumulated knowledge on the Epistemic Tower. No one here remembers the importance the Epistemic Tower is meant to have, but that doesn't mean other places have forgotten."

"The Epistemic Tower in our quadrant was ignored because our universe became too weak to bother with." Dyon continued, "Eventually, the cultivation cap of the gate fell so far that many forgot entirely.

With all of the once powerful clans gone, new ones had to build up to the power of the former. But, the information that the destroyed powerful clans had, weren't available to the weaker. Which meant that even though this quadrant now has clans that are as powerful as the Celestial Deer Sect used to be, they have no idea about the Epistemic Tower because that information was never passed to them."

"Are you saying that those powerful clans are converging to look for something… But, they don't know what they're looking for is the Epistemic Tower?"

Taking a deep breath, Dyon answered, "That's likely at least a part of the truth. The fact that the Pakal and Ragnor clan geniuses essentially ignore the Epistemic Tower is evidence that they don't know of it. But, there are a few reasons why that might not be all there is to it…

For one, there's the human world. If the reason the clans were converging had nothing to do with the seal placed on my home, I would be very surprised. In fact, maybe the only thing I'm certain about is the fact that seal has something to do with it.

Secondly, there's the expansion of Earth by thousands of times its original size. That seems far too out of place and random to be by coincidence. Scientifically speaking, there's no non-martial world related laws I can use to explain that… At least, none that I can use that don't include the Earth becoming uninhabitable.

Then there's the Daiyu Clan. They were, for all intents and purposes, a powerful clan from back then. By right, they should have information on the Epistemic Tower. And yet, it doesn't seem to be their focus at all. As though there's something more important…"

"Maybe that's because they haven't birthed anyone who is capable of conquering the tower? Remember how Chenglei seemed stifled by their lack of resources and he didn't seem to have the talent to open the tower either. And from what it seems, he's now the best genius they have…"

"That's a possibility. They might be ignoring the tower because they know they can't open it. Maybe they're making all of these moves to find another way to open it? After all, if they went to the tower without a plan and failed, they'd only draw attention to it. Something they likely don't want."

Dyon had been lucky in terms of the way he approached the tower. Unlike Alidor, he hadn't had the ability to teleport throughout the gate at the time, so, he would have had to travel there manually had he not fallen into the spatial tear.

But, if he had done that, his movements would have been noticed by scouting personnel at some point. Even if the Ragnor had pulled away the Saeclum clan, the Uidah universe had their own scouts too…

In a way, Dyon almost dying was a blessing in disguise. However, the problem was that the Uidah still found out because of Alidor's seeking out faith seed.

"Also, I don't believe that Chenglei is so weak…" Dyon thought back to his fight with Chenglei and he wondered if he would have won had it not been for devour. "When we fought, Chenglei had reset his cultivation. Which means that we were essentially on an even playing field and it still took everything I had.

As of right now, I believe I've left him far behind. The Daiyu don't have the means to even awaken his god constitution fully, let alone temper his meridians with Gama. But, I can't underestimate his talent… I had access to so many wills, I had such a powerful soul, and my body cultivation was doing well, and yet it still took a perfectly tailored technique to win. Next time I meet him, I'll still need to be careful… because this time, I have to kill him."

After a moment of silence, an evil grin appeared on Dyon's face as his hands creeped up Ri's night gown to find two soft bundles of flesh before kneading them gently.

With that, Dyon began to meditate with Ri. Because Ri was only half a beast, her intuition when it came to choosing paths and the legacies that were ingrained into her, wasn't as intuitive as it was for Little Black. This meant that she needed to analyze her body slowly to fully understand it.

So, that was what they did. Facing each other, they held hands to mold their auroras and peak out their 6th sense. Then, the began to slowly tease apart the legacies of the Kitsune. And more specifically, the legacy of the void kitsune… Kukan.

Powerful masters of the five planets converged on a single building, ready to hold their own conference. After all, the other four planets would never send their best and brightest without protection.

However, interestingly enough, this wasn't going to be a meeting about just the World Tournament. Maybe just as importantly, another event was taking place to take advantage of the rare convening of the planets' elites.

This would be the first meeting of its kind. Spurred on by the appearance of a never before seen phenomena, the array alchemists of the universe would meet for the first time…

Before, the Guild Headquarters had been but a figure head, only stepping in when rules were broken. However, something significant enough had happened for them to finally make a move on this scale. It was time for a change, and that change revolved around one person.

When Dyon had first met his master and she led him to the corpse of her and her husband, the most striking thing about the demon qilin was the tattoos etched into his horns. They were dark and dense and seemed to hold laws unfathomable to Dyon at the time, and even now.

The legacies of a supreme beast clan were personal and highly guarded. Even in death, it was impossible for Dyon to study the etchings of his master's husband because he didn't have a key to understanding them. However, Ri was her own key, and because she trusted Dyon with her everything, she didn't second guess having him help her navigate.

That said, what was required of Ri and Dyon was an essential perfect union between their minds – to the point where who was who would become nothing but a blurred line.

Had they tried this just hours ago, things may not have worked out so well. Although Dyon and RI had melded their auroras before, it was always for the sake of powering their array alchemy to a greater height. However, the purpose of this was much different.

In order for Dyon to help Ri, he needed a full understanding of exactly what they were trying to delve into. And for that to happen, he needed to essentially be in Ri's shoes and observe things from her perspective. The melding of their auroras in a situation like this wasn't for power, but, for better and intimate control.

If it had been earlier in the day, before Ri and Dyon had spoken about everything weighing on their minds, it would be likely that Ri would still be barred off from Dyon. Because of that, their auroras wouldn't have melded perfectly and the process would have been more detrimental than anything else.

But, now? Dyon could feel everything Ri could feel, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief. All of his worries were gone, and it seemed the relationship between he and Ri had reached a new level.

The cleansing pills he had once condensed from the Celestial Deer Sect were potent enough to erase even a peak celestial expert's cultivation. However, even if he didn't have one of those now, it would be overkill to use it anyway. Right now, he could without a doubt make a pill capable of erasing the cultivation of a peak essence gathering expert.

Taking Ri's legacies into account, or, the ones she had the power to see through right now, the Void affinity Kitsune had their own special paths to take. To Dyon, it was truly fascinating, although completely useless to him.

Over the course of history, it had always been difficult to reach the peak 12th stage of meridian formation. In fact, the peak of the 12th stage had always been reserved for those peak geniuses and was known as the perfect foundation.

However, the difficulty never stopped top tier clans from trying to find ways to circumvent those difficulties and forge new paths of cultivation.

One such example of this would be the celestial deer sect. Using their purity path, they were able to cleanse the impurities of energy to make the path toward perfection easier. Because of the nature of celestial will, it ended up being the most effective at this approach, but, that didn't mean others didn't try the same as well.

Fire path users tried to burn away impurities. Water path users tried to heal their way to perfection. And so on and so forth. The only issue with these paths that tried to copy what the Celestial Deer's did was that none of them were as good at purification when compared to celestial will. In fact, despite not being as domineering as a supreme will, celestial will likely boasted the best purification among all wills in existence except for one.

That said, purification wasn't the only path. Actually, that made sense. To say that the Celestial Deer were the only in existence to find a way to reach perfection would be ridiculous. If they had been, who would have ever challenged their role as a peak level clan? Their reign would have lasted indefinitely despite who their enemies turned out to be.

So, understanding this now, Dyon was quite intrigued with the solution the kitsune managed to forge for themselves. Or, more accurately, the solution the Void affinity Kitsune forged.

The first thing Dyon had to wrap his head around was that void will was a supreme law. It was domineering and all encompassing. And quite frankly, quite scary when he thought about it.

Knowing this, it would dawn on anyone why Void Kitsune were so rare. And worst yet, for Ri to have been born with the Void faith seed? Nature almost couldn't allow such an imbalance of power.

So… What happens when you apply a concept like that to the energy containers of the universe? What happens when your meridians become able to absorb energy without end?

The Void Kitsune completely did away with the purification system of normal energy cultivation. In fact, it could be argued that they did away with the normal meridian formation system entirely. If it wasn't for the meridians being the perfect framework for their system, it would belikely that it wouldn't be of use to them at all.

She no longer had a need for the stock meridian formation system. Instead of tempering and opening her meridians, she would slowly flood each one with void will. She didn't need Gama energy, not did she need to bother with any other wills. In fact, if she used those other wills, it would be as a detriment to her instead of a help.

The general idea was to use Ri's meridians as scaffolding to contain miniature voids within each one. This framework of voids would then act as beds to absorb energy in later levels of cultivation and completely ignored the need to purify meridian paths. In fact, the end of the cultivation technique called for a severing of all meridian paths lest the voids combine and lose stability.

For one, each of Ri's meridians would now hold almost five times the normal level of energy. In fact, the truth of the matter was that as Ri became more powerful and her void will became an intent, and then continued on into a dao, this number would only multiply further. This meant that when Ri entered the essence gathering stage and began accumulating energy, she'd have access to more than practically any other expert of the same level.

Secondly, and maybe most scary, this method didn't slow her cultivation despite needing more energy to move on in levels. Ri's meridians would basically act as miniature blackholes, sucking up energy greedily and at a pace a normal expert couldn't compare to unless they used supplementary techniques like Dyon's Tree of Life and Death.

Thirdly, Ri's stamina would be exhaustive. Something like fighting for months as she had before would be hundreds of times easier because her meridians would essentially absorb energy from the atmosphere without her having to do much of anything.

In the end, the only drawback of this technique was that usually Kitsune wouldn't be able to sustain all 108 voids and reach perfection. The amount you reached, heavily depended on your talent. However, even this wasn't a problem for Ri because she wasn't a normal Void affinity kitsune… She was THE Void affinity Kitsune. The Kitsune that started down this lineage in the first place. The faith seeded void Kitsune: Kukan.

Aside from this, the only problem was Ri's foundation stage cultivation. Because of the strain of literally accumulating black holes within yourself, Ri's foundation stage needed to be as solid as just about any in existence. So, she had to restart.

"I can create an environment about a third as effective as the one Epistemic Tower for you. I just need to set up a few arrays and use the Acacia Family technique to purify and process essence gathering energy into an easily digestible form. With your talent, you'll probably reach the peak of the foundation stage by day three." Dyon smiled, already having finished preparing Ri's cleansing pill.

Nodding, Ri bit back her thanks. Having just been one with Dyon's mind, she already knew exactly how he'd respond to her trying to say thank you. Instead, she prepared herself to work hard so that she could stand by his side proudly.

However, she couldn't help but smile even as she took the pill to wash away her cultivation. When she had been in Dyon's mind, she had found unequivocal proof that he loved her just the same as Madeleine. There was no need for her to be troubled anymore and she threw herself in cultivating.

He needed more time to feel ready to move on to the essence gathering level, because he still felt like something was missing… As though there was a piece he hadn't fully grasped yet. After all, he had only spent just a few weeks with any real concept of what energy cultivating meant at all.

Although he had spent a month cultivating to the peak of the foundation stage, before leaping to the peak of the meridian formation stage, he hadn't truly opened the door to energy cultivation until he got his meridians. But, even then, he hadn't had any time to study himself and what that door truly meant… He had gone from fighting Alidor, to fighting a war, to taking care of Ri. He hadn't had the time.

But, now, his main focus was reaching the lower 6th soul stage. He had been stalled at the peak of the 5th for too long and it was about time he proceeded forward.

The truth was that he had a feeling he would need to forge grandmaster level arrays soon, and he wouldn't be able to do that unless his soul reach saint level through his manifestation's boost.

There were too many odd occurrences going on, and with his identity as the demon sage apparently becoming a looming problem he hadn't though it would become, he needed a solution for it.

Dyon's skinned reddened under the strain, but his face was completely serene. He had been quite serious when he said he didn't feel pain the same way anymore. It wasn't that he didn't know that he was in pain, or that he didn't know that it hurt, it was more so that his pain tolerance had increased to astronomical levels.

After having his body sheared apart and reformed just to be sheared apart again, it was hard for anything to compare… Even if that comparison was the tearing of your soul.

Meridians were an organ system, but, not an organ that was simple to replace. For example, transplanting a heart might be difficult, but it was still an acute process and confined to a small work area. However, the circulatory system as a whole is different. One can't expect to be able to switch in a completely new set of veins and arteries for a person.

That would require creating new infinitesimally small connected between the bronchioles of the lungs, and the ciliary bodies of the brain and digestive system. It would even require replacement of the small vesicles that brought resources to and from something as sensitive as your eyes.

In a way, meridians were exactly like the circulatory system. On the surface, they were like veins and arteries, but they also had the job of feeding energy to the smallest crevasses of the body. The only way to do this properly was to reconstruct Dyon's entire body piece by piece.

That said, although the process had been painful, it had the added benefit of allowing Dyon to better focus on his soul cultivation. Without being distracted by pain as much as before, he could diligently work on deconstructing his soul to its finest pieces and reforming it into stronger and stronger wholes.

Dyon had made a mistake. He had thought that since his soul was still within the essence gathering realm, he wouldn't have to deal with any break through phenomena. But, he failed to properly understand how his soul worked.

When Dyon called upon his manifestation, he wasn't using a technique like Chenglei had. It was his actual soul going toward completion… Which meant, that the reason breaking through to the sixth stage had taken so long, was because he was never really breaking through to the sixth stage… This whole time, he had been knocking down the barrier toward a saint level soul!

Seeing Ri's meditating figure surrounded by an array that worked to lock in a dense air of energy, Dyon sent her into the ring, not wanting her to cultivate without protection, before he too dove into the ring after hiding it in some floor boards.

In energy cultivation, the first three stages were reserved for essence energy. All of the foundation stage, the meridian formation stage and the essence gathering stage only differed, in terms of energy, by the density you were accepting into yourself.

For energy cultivation, as long as you mastered an intent, you would learn to sense and accumulate saint energy. But… There was no such restriction for the soul.

Many ignored this because of the rarity of a soul cultivator. In many cases, if not nearly all, energy cultivation surpasses one's soul strength. Therefore, to many, the only way to sense saint energy is to first learn an intent…

For the truly talented, if one's soul talent reaches unprecedented levels and crosses into the level of a saint, then this very same person will learn the way of the saint.

Even Dyon's grand teacher had never heard of this. There had never been anyone in the history of the martial world to reach the level of a saint soul without first becoming a saint because there had never before been anyone in history with as much accumulated soul talent as Dyon.

As Dyon had learned from his grand teacher, his soul talent wasn't just his own… It was the accumulated soul talent for billions of people over thousands of years. With the seal of the human world in place, no one had had the ability to cultivate at all until Dyon broke through the soul seal… And now he was an anomaly of the world… A meridian formation expert who would sense saint energy…

Energy slowly accumulated and improved in density over time because the body couldn't take high densities of energy all at once. There was a reason you needed to temper your body before you could temper your meridians all before you could fill them with energy… Without this steady progression, the body would never be ready for saint energy. In fact, attempting to fill yourself with saint energy before you were ready only meant death…

There was a reason why Dyon had warned Madeleine to never try and cultivate with the dao stones. There was a reason why he, himself, had never tried to cultivate with them either, let alone the celestial or saint stones. There was only death that awaited those who tried to skip into levels they weren't ready for…

But, what could Dyon do now? He had stumbled into something no one in the history of the world had dealt with before and he only had himself to rely on…

His fiancée was cultivating. His demon generals were of no help in an unprecedented situation like this. His grand teacher didn't have unlimited reach…

So, he could only stand there in horror as his roar of relief slowly became that of pain… A level of pain he thought he would never experience again…

Normal occurrences usually involved over-tempering meridians that could result in scarring or sheering, and maybe even them completely bursting apart. There had also been documented occurrences of people dying by trying to absorb higher level energies too soon, but that type of cultivation deviation would normally have to be fixed by an expert of that level taking the energy, all while the person in question stopped absorbing it.

But, how could Dyon stop absorbing saint energy right now? It just wasn't possible. This was a break through, and as such, his soul wouldn't be satisfied until it was filled to the brim. The only saving grace was that this universe had such a poor concentration of saint energy that Dyon had some time to think before he completely blasted apart.

'Okay, think think think.' Dyon stood oddly like a statue, all of his muscle tightened to their peak degree. He couldn't move even an inch and he felt as though he was becoming a slowly inflated balloon. The worst part was that his soul was still threatening to become too powerful for his body to handle, and although the bulge wasn't obvious now, he could feel his soul pushing against the barriers of his body.

Dyon didn't even have time to think about the benefits of something like this, although he was sure there would be. After all, if he was dead, how would he enjoy anything?

The first thing Dyon remembered was a seemingly useless piece of conversation he had had with the old man. He remembered very clearly that his grand teacher had said that he would never be able to sense saint energy because his body would never be able to withstand mastering an intent unless he reached the essence gathering stage. Something that was obviously impossible for him at the time because he had had a seal on his energy cultivation.

For one, the old man had no idea that sensing saint energy would be possible for Dyon as soon as his soul broke into the saint stages. That meant that this had never happened before – or else Dyon had no doubt that the old man would have known. And, if the old man had known, he would have without a doubt told Dyon and warned him, because he should have been aware that Dyon was only a single small leap from reaching a saint soul.

Although this information was seemingly damning, to Dyon, it was really important. That let him know that there was no need to waste time looking for solutions that others had come up with, because no one in history had dealt with what he was dealing with right now.

Then his thoughts shifted to Gama. That was an amalgamation of wills and energy if Dyon remembered correctly. The old man spoke about how Gama was split into levels, but each level was the same in that they held every will in existence in combination with a comparable level of energy.

This was the mind of an innate aurora wielder. The way they thought of and connected things reached levels a normal person couldn't hope to reach, and Dyon's mind only seemed to be thinking even faster with his life on the line.

In orthodox cultivation, you had to temper your meridians with wills to open them up to accept energy. However, it was also commonly understood that the more wills you used, the more powerful you were. This was why the best of clans didn't bother with tempering with wills one by one, but instead used Gama energy to floor the meridians with every will.

However, how did those things connect? Why did using more wills allow for more energy acceptance? Couldn't you just understand a single will incredibly well and then use that to open your meridians to their fullest extent? What was it about wills and their connection with meridians that made you more powerful if you used more? And how did that connect with energy?

Then Dyon thought of something else. His aurora. He used a form of energy to draw arrays to then change the laws of his surrounding, right? But, what kind of energy was that? What exactly was his aurora and what was it made of? It was clearly not a normal flame. And yet, at the same time, it was its own eye.

The aurora, or mind's eye, seemed to contain a flame. That flame was of course the special energy that was used to either draw arrays or produce an alchemic flame. At the same time, that flame was among the best for manipulating energies. This was why Dyon was so good at dual cultivating. His ability to manipulate energy flows within others was unprecedented. How ironic…

His ability to control energies within himself was completely useless to him right now! The problem wasn't energy control. It was the fact that the energy itself was too pure for him to handle. It's flow into himself wasn't something he could stop, but that didn't mean that he had lost control of the energy itself. It was only that his soul was massive hole at the bottom of a lake, the saint energy was the water in that lake.

The aurora flame within his mind's eye had its power dictated by his soul. At the same time, the power that the flame gained from the soul was used to power the eye and decide things like his 6th sense and the like.

In energy cultivation, it was simple. You reached a certain accumulation of energy, and as a result, you would reach a new stage. Each meridian could hold a finite amount of energy, however, that amount changed depending on a person's body composition. For example, one of the main defining characteristics of what divided, normal, earth, heaven, God and Faith seed level bodies, was the size of their meridians.

Dyon knew that each time he cultivated his soul, he had to tear it apart before building it up. In the end, this was a lot like normal muscle training from the human world. That said, when muscles built themselves back up in thicker and larger sections, they didn't do so with nothing. There was a reason why proper diet and rest was needed for muscles to grow. Why? Because they needed energy.

'That means that when my soul is reforming, it's using energy too. And this time, it needs a higher quality level of energy, which is why its absorbing saint energy. Great… Now I know why it's killing me. I just need to know how to stop it.' Dyon could help but roll his eyes and berate his own self with his personal brand of sarcasm.

That said, this was still an important thing to understand. Dyon's soul was undergoing a new transformation and thus needed this energy. This meant that some possible solutions had to be ignored.

For one, Dyon immediately crossed off the Florence Family technique from his list of solutions. At first, he had thought that maybe if wills were technically forms of energy too, then the Florence family technique would be able to absorb saint energy.

However, therein lied a problem with that solution. If he took away the energy his soul needed to properly mend itself, then he'd be left with a broken soul. His array alchemy would suffer, and he might die anyway. He couldn't afford that.

The truth was that every single thing Dyon had thought of had brought him to this solution. This solution was unorthodox and convoluted. The fact he had even thought up to this point with the pain he was in currently was a miracle unto itself.

The first thing Dyon had crossed of his list was the use of a saint expert to take the energy away from him. The truth was that there were a thousand demon generals with lower saint level cultivation in this very world. Although Dyon couldn't move right now, if he sent a signal large enough, they would converge on his location. In fact, considering the commotion being caused by his break through and the vibrating of the world, it was likely that they were already headed here.

However, not even five seconds had passed since Dyon began thinking. If it had been any more time than that, he would have likely already died despite the low density of saint energy.

That aside, the main problem with that first solution was that this wasn't cultivation deviation. His soul needed this saint energy to mend itself properly to the next level. Which mean no matter how much saint energy his demon generals diverted from him, only more saint energy would flood in to replace it.

The second solution that Dyon had shot down was using his Florence family technique to create a saint energy humanoid. And the reason was for the same reason. No matter how much he absorbed, his soul would only need more.

And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that the technique wasn't meant to absorb that kind of energy, although it would theoretically be possible.

So, after all of this, Dyon knew that the only solutions were to either somehow break his soul into a state where it was no longer on the verge of a break through. Or, to find a way for his body to be able to withstand saint energy.

Knowing those were his only two options, Dyon immediately chose to ignore the first. He refused to ruin his soul in such a way, especially since it would likely result in either death or a death-like state. If he was going to die, it would be while trying to reach perfection.

In energy cultivation, in order to reach the essence gathering level, you had to first reach the level of a 7th grade expert – or a lower 6th stage. But, to reach the saint level, you had to be at least a 6th grade expert – or a lower 7th stage expert.

That gave Dyon a ray of hope to grasp on. He didn't have to reach the peak level of essence gathering to withstand saint energy. He just needed to be the equivalent of whatever a lower 6th grade peak essence gathering expert was.

Dyon was already a peak first grade peak meridian formation expert, the distance he had to travel was shorter. Now, the question was how to travel that distance.

Just as Dyon was thinking this, flashes of figures began appearing before him. He couldn't move his head, but those he could see were his demon generals.

"Successor, why do I sense saint energy around you? You should be able to …" Faenor asked nervously. She would normally be teasing Dyon about being naked right now, but this situation seemed far too serious for that.

The inner world of the ring seemed to be crumbling under the strain. Something wanted to come in, but it wasn't being allowed. It suddenly dawned on Dyon that maybe coming into the ring was a bad idea, it was too important for him to allow it to break.

Although he couldn't move, he remembered that he had given Ri partial ownership of the ring. Something she had needed when he was in a coma for four months.

Dyon hadn't given Ri ownership of the ring containing his celestial level puppets. If the situation called for it, he would have to first stabilize himself before he could call out for them.

Dyon had obviously never experienced a saint level event. But, if his manifestations appearance was any useful gauge, then he would need space… And a lot of it.

Dyon had the utmost confidence in his demon generals. The saints of Earth couldn't possibly be a match for them. Although Ri didn't know what grade experts they were, Dyon was fully aware.

No demon general was below a peak second grade expert. And the best among them? The ones surrounding Dyon now? Were at least mid first grade experts.

With their sudden appearance in the air, the demon generals immediately followed, standing in the air with their long white hair flapping dangerously in the wind. Their previously cheery demeanor had completely changed. Dyon was a leader they put their trust in and his protection was their top priority.

It was early morning on the third day from Dyon and Ri's stint in the Chaos Arena. Ri had tore through Dyon's expectations and had already reached the second level of the meridian formation stage. But, she still had a long way to go to reach the peak – at least another week or two.

"Sorry, Ri. Give me some space, I don't want you to get hurt. Keep away all those pesky people who want to catch a peak at your husband's naked figure."

The trembling of the earth and the shaking of the skies had caught the attention of the citizens of Arena City. But, maybe the most interested were those gathering experts of the planets. Why?... Because they could very clearly sense that someone was breaking into the saint realms. And yet, this was among the most powerful they had ever felt…. Who needed this much saint energy to break into the next level?

In normal circumstances, the break through into the saint stage would only require enough saint energy to fill a single meridian. The more talented you were, the more meridians you could fill in that one go. However, there was a cap at the peak of the first stage, or the equivalent of nine filled meridians.

But… This amount of saint energy was far more than was necessary to fill nine meridians… Even if this person had a faith seed. It was just too much.

That said, there was a group of people even more interested than the norm. The array alchemists of the planets who had converged days ago were still having a heated debate on how to deal with this demon sage. And tensions were only rising because it was clear to them that this demon sage had ignored their invite. However, when they felt the blanket of soul pressure cover the city, they couldn't help but shiver. This soul… It was too powerful…

Their celestial cultivation bloomed as they blanketed the city to see just what was going on. Which of their planets was birthing such a genius? And since they were only just breaking into the saint realm… Didn't that mean that they should be on the rankings?... Was it? The demon sage?!

Dyon stood as stiff as a statue, taking deep breaths as he continued to suppress his breakthrough. Giving Ri's figure one last wink, he steeled himself and roared into skies.

The Tree of Life and Death bloomed into existence, its branches spreading so far and wide that the vortex forming in the skies was nearly swallowed by it.

Dyon's rings flashed as pile after pile of saint stones appeared around him. He wasn't satisfied until he had thousands laying across the roof of the hotel.

The truth was that they could all tell that Dyon's cultivation hadn't even stepped into the essence gathering realm yet. And, another thing that was clear was that he wasn't circulating an energy cultivation technique. This all meant that whatever was pulling saint energy to Dyon, had nothing to do with a cultivation deviation. It was a phenomenon that none of them had seen before, and it was likely that even the successor hadn't planned for this.

Dyon's break through was sending waves through the entire city and there were very few who weren't doing their utmost to find out just what was going on.

Breakthroughs into the saint realm were rare enough. But, a break through done out in the open? No one could understand how this cultivator hadn't been prepared for this. And considering how powerful the breakthrough was, it didn't seem like this was the type of cultivator to make such mistakes.

In a normal setting, a breakthrough into the saint realm would not only be highly guarded, but it would also involve copious amounts of array formations in an attempt to temper the impact and reduce the amount who sensed it. Why? Because breakthroughs were an incredibly sensitive time period…

For one, he had seen the boost in his soul as separate from himself, instead of the part of him that it was. So, instead of being aware that he was breaking into the saint stage, he assumed that he was still in the essence gathering soul stages. This couldn't be blamed on Dyon. Afterall, a perfect innate aurora was the stuff of legends. And a soul talent mighty enough to allow a 15, soon to be 16, year old to host a saint soul was too fanciful even for fiction. To anyone else, the thought of hosting anything even remotely similar to sainthood should take hundreds of years. And, that number was still counted in decade amounts even for the best of geniuses.

Then there was the fact that Dyon simply hadn't been aware of what it took for his soul to mend itself. To say his energy cultivation talent was poor before he met his grand teacher would have been an understatement… The more accurate comment would be that his energy cultivation was completely non-existent – even to the point where he himself couldn't tell that he had no meridians to speak of.

So, knowing that, how would Dyon have sensed the essence energy his soul was taking in to mend itself? He didn't know his soul needed energy because he couldn't sense it. There was no way for him to grasp exactly what was going on. But, now that the seal on his energy cultivation was gone, it was suddenly very clear to him exactly what happened when his soul reached a new stage…

Another roar tore through Dyon's throat as patches of his skin burst apart. Streaks of blood dripped down Dyon's torso as his body seemed to expand to another size. However… This didn't seem to be a tear associated with his soul burst from him. Just what was going on?

The first to arrive on the scene were members of the Cavositas God Clan. Chaos Arena was a mere few hundred meters from this 'inn' because Dyon had felt it was best to get Eli and RI treated as quickly as possible. But, it seemed that that decision had come back to bite him.

The tiles of the inn's roof shattered and burst, flinging off into the air and down toward shrieking civilians. Dyon tried his best to aim his surge of energy upward, but there was only so much control to be had in a situation like this.

In the air, the receptionist stood behind the young masters that had dictated his actions just a few days ago… Ace and his elder brother Voron Cavositas. But, they weren't alone. Vidar and Elof Ragnor were both there as well. It was clear that the four of them had coordinated to conspire again Dyon and Ri, and although they had failed, it seemed that they had just found a new opportunity.

From their appearances, it was clear that they were still very much hobbled from the campaign, but not so much that they wouldn't be in peak health within the few weeks left to the tournament.

Although Voron could tell that this person was likely Dyon, especially by Ri's nervous nearby figure, he couldn't wrap his head around just what was going on. Was this truly cultivation deviation? But, what kind of deviation called for such a large influx of saint energy? At most the saint energy Dyon had foolishly absorbed would have already killed him, there was no need for nature to practically act as a funnel for Dyon.

The receptionist, Livy, thought much the same thing. He couldn't bring himself to believe anything close to what the truth was. Just a few days ago he had been lecturing Dyon on what a saint was. There was no way that Dyon would now be becoming a saint. It didn't make sense.

Elof and Ace couldn't help but snicker at the Livy's response. They had assumed much the same thing, they had no clue that the receptionist had only said this to make himself feel better. But, Voron and Vidar knew different. So, they took their next step with caution.

"Bring a few more saint level experts, Livy. We're going to detain him for causing a public disturbance. His immaturity and quite frankly irresponsible cultivation is causing casualties among our citizens and we can't allow that."

A devious grin spread on Livy's features as he disappeared in a flash. He hadn't been paying attention to why his young master seemed to think more saints were needed. But, if he had, he would have noticed ten white haired experts bearing down on Arena City…

Dyon's demon generals had immediately picked up on the appearance of the Cavositas and Ragnor clansmen, but, they had ignored them. Their top priority was to stay centered around Dyon, lest others take this opportunity to do him harm.

The dark clouds continued to roll in the skies, still viciously spinning around Dyon's location. Mass earthquakes tore through the city, shaking the very foundation of everything that had been built. Even the Belmont family natural moat in the distance began to roll as waves threatened to cause large scale tsunamis to topple everything in existence.

The truth was that no one had a clue about how much the soul impacted strength. Because in 100% of cases, until Dyon's anomaly, soul strength was lower than energy or body cultivation, the soul always acted as a supplementary powerup.

The Saeclum clan, the auxiliary clan of the Ragnor God Clan, used their soul as a power source for divination because of its innate connection with the world – a connection seen much easier with the soul as opposed to the body. They also used it to attack, but this attack took time and was very susceptible to damaging the user if you misjudged who you were facing. This was why Dyon had the habit of hiding his soul strength from very long ago.

But then, there were clans like the Elvin Kingdom families, or the Celestial Deer Sect, that made use manifestations. In fact, manifestations might be rare in this universe, mostly because it was a technique kept for top flight clans and sects in the past, but in other universes, having a manifestation was a must.

However, the question still remained… Just how much more powerful did you soul make you? Why was it that Dyon's soul had been able to reach the peak of the essence gathering stages, or the 6th stage, and yet he could only fight on par with peak meridian formation experts at that time?

To many, the answer to this was that the soul was weak. In fact, many saw the soul's most useful function as a basis for learning wills and mastering formations and alchemy. But, although these things were important, was that really all there was to a soul? Why was it that despite Dyon's soul being so powerful, he was still so restricted in his ability?

These were answers even Dyon himself didn't know. And his grand teacher likely didn't know as well… After all, just what was the use in using the soul in any other way? No one had the talent Dyon did to make it worth it… He was blazing an unknown path and that path was already trying to kill him.

Members of the Niveus Sect appeared with Evelyn and a very old lady. She stood at maybe five feet tall and was hunched over while tightly gripping a white oak cane. Despite her age, Evelyn didn't help her at all as they walked through the skies, it seemed the old lady was still brimming with youth.

A flash of anger appeared on the old woman's features, "So he's the one who disrespected the Niveus Sect? Good. Let his cultivation run awry. Also, find that little wench. Ungrateful child." The sinister flash disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, leaving behind an unassuming old lady.

In the distance, a very familiar face stood. A girl with long brunette hair and red ruby eyes stood along side many other women with the same features. However, it seemed like many of them had misshapen noses, due in thanks to the techniques they practiced.

This girl was known to Dyon as simply Ipsum. But, she was a member of the Ipsum auxiliary clan for the Ragnor and had been among the eleven that fought Dyon at the Focus Academy Legacy World Opening. That said, she held a burning hatred for Dyon that couldn't be compared to the others… On that day, she had lost the love of her life and her future husband to be. And in her eyes, it was all Dyon's fault.

"Big Sister, he has to die." Ipsum trembled, staring daggers at Dyon's familiar face. Although she got a sick pleasure in watching his features twist in pain and his skin and bones crack under pressure, this wasn't enough to her.

"Little Rose, there's nothing to worry about." Rose's big sister wrapped her arms around her little sister. She was a genius of their clan and had long since mastered their technique to perfection, so, her nose was in a perfect state. "Even if he should survive this, his death is all but assured."

Rose nodded, tears brimming at the edge of her eyes as she remembered the death of Saeclum. Ivan Saeclum. Once a genius, but now nothing but a corpse in the ground. But, his and Rose's revenge was soon to come.

Iris Ipsum. She hadn't interacted with Dyon in the gates because she had been away on Planet Naiad like many other peak essence gathering geniuses – including many elves. Planet Naiad was home to the Clyte Royal God Clan and the Kami God Clan. Their relationship with Earth was the strongest which was why the Kami had many branch families here, and also how Head Patia-Neva, Delia's father, had come here from his home – Planet Naiad.

But, this wasn't going to be a homecoming for Dyon's wife… No. Iris Ipsum wanted nothing more than to tear Dyon apart for hurting her little sister. And her rank within the top 20, gave her the cache to dare to.

The vortex of clouds only spun faster and faster as time went on. But, maybe what was more ridiculous was that Dyon had taken out even more saint stones! No one understood what he was doing, it was as though he was purposefully trying to make the situation worse.

Eboni chuckled to herself, "He can't possibly be this much of an idiot, can he? Cultivation deviation for something so stupid as absorbing saint energy too early? And look at him, absorbing even more as though that would help."

For one, they could immediately tell that this influx of saint energy wasn't for energy cultivation. The feel was completely different. Secondly, although their souls hadn't been powerful enough to accurately gauge Dyon's soul strength when he fully released it at the Chaos Arena, when Dyon had done that, they felt a pressure like nothing they had ever felt from someone so close to them an age… A pressure that seemed only a sliver away from a break-through just like this one…

Ulu stood in the skies along with her members of Planet Nix, quite nervous. If Dyon died, would she really have to be barren for the rest of her life? Her whole plot rested on his survival and her making use of him as her slave. No matter how much she liked watching Dyon suffer, she was smart enough to know that he was more useful to her alive than not.

But then, she calmed herself. She could always use the guise of Dyon making her barren to save him, and then use the fact that he's the only one that can cure her as the excuse for why she did so. In that case, others might even help her enslave him, making everything all the easier on her.

While everyone was speculating about just what was going on, there was a group of high-level soul specialists that were pulling their hair out watching the current events. Although others might not be aware of what was going on, they were. In fact, there was one among them that had undergone this exact thing, albeit at a much older age.

The Head of the Guild Headquarters. First Stage Celestial Expert. And the only Grandmaster Alchemist in this entire universe. Connery Sapientia.

He wasn't born of a Royal God Clan or even a God Clan. In fact, the clan he was born into was an unknown and he hadn't had a name until he named himself at twelve years old. However, what he did have was a soul talent that was among the best in this universe and the luck to have stumbled into a legacy world with a peak heaven soul cultivation technique…

Later in his life, he joined the Sapientia. By allowing them to make use of his talent, he gained near unlimited resources to improve and strengthen himself. As such, he had worked his way to being the head of not only the guild headquarters, but also the Earth branch of the Sapientia God Clan.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Connery Sapientia was a man with mostly bold black hair, but, streaking of grey had begun adding color to his features. He was tall, almost 2.5 meters tall in fact, and wore long dark red robes. In his whole life, he had never seen such a scene, and it only made it worse that he knew exactly what was happening.

"H- Head Sapientia. We've gotten news that first-in-line genius Madeleine Sapientia will be arriving by the teleportation station at the Sapientia Main Branch soon. We can't wait here or else we'll be late."

Connery completely ignored this. He was the Head of the clan, he had no real obligation to attend the welcoming of a genius. He had already shifted his schedule once around this. It wasn't his fault that Madeleine was late and didn't arrive on the predetermined date.

Seeing the Head's eyes remained trained on Dyon's figure, the surrounding Sapientia elders could only sigh. Whenever their leader got engrossed in something, it was unlikely that he was forget it until he fully satisfied.

Connery waved his hand, "Let Ester handle the greeting. Madeleine doesn't care for such things." Not thinking twice about pushing the responsibility onto Madeleine's master.

The faces of the elders couldn't help but twist at this statement. This was the same Connery Sapientia that had run Madeleine away from the main branch because of her loss in talent, and now he was treating her as though he knew her like the back of his hand. There was something inherently off about his demeanor.

From a young age, Connery had had it ingrained within him that only talent mattered. He had only been able to work his way up because his talent had been so overwhelming, so, when Madeleine had ceased being useful, he had tossed her away just as easily. But, he also didn't think twice about accepting her back with open arms. That was just the kind of person he was. Since he had been treated like a tool, that was just how he saw the world.

A demonic aura was dripping from Dyon. The color was such a rich red and gold that it was too real and mercurial to label a simple aura anymore.

That was right… Dyon solution was something he had never been able to do before. Without the ability to energy cultivate, Dyon had no control over such energies and they were thus of little use to him. But, now? With his energy cultivation fully restored? Dyon had thought of a crazy idea.

You could use saint energy to energy cultivate. You could use saint energy to soul cultivate. So… Why not use saint energy to body cultivate?

Before unlocking his potential to energy cultivate, Dyon had relied on spiritual fruit to body cultivate. The reason why was simple. Spiritual fruit were naturally occurring, pure forms of energy that were already processed. In comparison, energy stones were rawer. They required talent to both purify and guide, whereas spiritual fruit needed no such thing.

This was a large part of why higher ranking clans and universes had an easier time raising fine warriors. With enough money, cultivation could essentially be supplemented by using these spiritual fruits as opposed to the conventional and much more difficult to use, energy stones. That said, as Dyon's bill at Heaven's Wine would attest, this method was very expensive and very few could afford to do so.

As such, to many spiritual fruits, whether that be due to a lack of talent or lack of resources, were the best option. However, they were only the best option given those conditions. If one had sufficient talent and money, spiritual fruits were best used as supplements to cultivation while energy stones would be the main course.

Although this may seem counter-intuitive, the reasoning is sound. Spiritual fruits came into being by utilizing the very energy veins that energy stones themselves were mined from. As such, they were processed versions of energy, and although that made them easier to digest, it also made them less potent and efficient.

In fact, this was seen on an even larger scale with intent fruits. These fruits were the very reason Focus Academy students were very willing to risk their lives in the Elvin forest, but, as Dyon's master would attest to: they hindered future will development despite helping in the short term. Although this wasn't the case with other fruits, the truth was that there was always a point where the short-cut provided by spiritual fruits could no longer match up to that provided by the very reason for their existence in the first place.

So, when Dyon thought of how much his demon sage essence blood had stalled, and how even saint fruits were no longer of help to his improvement, he came up with this solution. If saint fruits were of no help, what about saint energy?

Dyon had a goal. He knew his body would be on the verge of collapsing if he pushed the essence blood integration too far, but, his pain tolerance had reached new heights. All he had to do was continue enough for his soul to comfortably break to the next stage.

Knowing that a 6th grade peak essence gather expert could withstand saint energy gave Dyon a bench mark. However, it was likely that this bench mark wouldn't be enough. Why? Because the amount of saint energy a 6th grade expert would need to reach the saint stage was far less than the amount of saint energy Dyon's soul was threatening to absorb.

However, what Dyon did have working in his favor was that his energy cultivation was much more robust than a 6th grade expert considering he was a peak 1st grade expert. Even now, it was likely that Dyon could fight with and defeat a mere 6th grade expert, even if they were well into their essence gathering cultivation. This meant that the fact Dyon's body still couldn't withstand saint energy meant he was absorbing an amount that far surpassed the wildest dreams of a 6th grade expert.

This was when Dyon got the faint inkling that maybe it wasn't just energy cultivation that had graded experts. Maybe the soul did too. And it was likely that those grades depended on innate soul strength… Which meant, Dyon requirement for saint energy would be the peak-most among soul cultivators… Just how strong did his body need to be to accept that?

Dyon had no idea, so, everyone around him could only watch in awe as he continued to tear through saint stone after saint stone, his body reddening far more than a normal shade of blush or fatigue… It was as though he was becoming a true demon.

Dyon's demon sage essence burst into 7% integration. His body bulked to another size before collapsing in on itself and shrinking. The strain his bones and muscles were undergoing was unprecedented, and yet he kept pushing himself.

His aurora raged, utilizing its keen energy controlling abilities to ram into the massive clumps of demon sage blood Dyon hid deeply within him.

The blood began to turn from its crimson red to a dense gold. It was so thick and viscous that it was like a melted metal. In fact, it felt just about as hot as such a thing to.

Dyon's body felt as though it was searing itself from the inside out. Even with the brand new reconstructing of his body, the demon sage's blood was just too domineering and seemed set on reconstructing Dyon yet again.

Dyon's veins popped and reformed, his body's red-gold aura growing to a next level of sheen. Dyon had finally torn through the meridian formation cap on his body cultivation and had stepped into the essence gathering realm.

The red clouds above responded in anger, growing to another size and spinning even more viciously as Dyon continued to strain and hold back his soul from breaking through to the next level.

His body glowed, healing itself in what seemed like an instant. Dyon's cultivation break-through had gifted him with a new level of tolerance, but it didn't last long as his skin burst at its seams again. The lower essence gathering level just wasn't enough for his soul.

Seeing Dyon's breakthrough, the crowd got a new surprise – even Eboni and Ode stopped laughing. Just what was happening? Why was he surviving? In fact, why did it seem like he was improving? This wasn't how cultivation deviation was supposed to go. Dyon was supposed to be struggling with controlling the energy he wasn't ready to withstand, not using it to improve to he point where he could withstand it.

However, Livy Cavositas, the receptionist, wasn't planning on waiting for an answer. He immediately appeared in the sky with about five other saint level experts, intent on taking Dyon out.

Sneering, Livy's eye glanced over Ri who wasn't even paying attention to him, but rather focused on Dyon. His lip twitched in agitation, 'We'll see how long you can ignore me, then.'

Suddenly, Livy's voice boomed through the commotion, "This disturbance is intolerable in civilized society. To protect the peace and safety of Arena City's civilians, this criminal will be detained and imprisoned."

Hearing this, many recovered from their surprise and laughed happily at Dyon's misfortune. The Cavositas family seemed intent on disrupting Dyon's breakthrough and had even sent saint level experts! Even the slightest mistake in such a sensitive situation by Dyon would only mean his death, and that was exactly what too many seemed to want.

Seeing the Cavositas family acting to do what essentially would amount to killing Dyon, Connery Sapientia frowned. He didn't know who this child was, but he was very much interested in him. And, it was likely that since he didn't know who Dyon was, that he didn't have a God Clan backing him – which made him think that there was a good chance that he could get him to join the Sapientia family.

But, just as Connery was going to move, one of his elders called out to him. "Head Sapientia, there's someone who would like to talk to you about this boy."

"Mm." The elder nodded toward the Sapientia branch elder that had been in attendance at Chaos Arena, and Pertinacis' mother happened to be next to him as well.

Connery's eyes flashed with surprised. He didn't really pay attention to the relationships between people too much. In fact, he had seen Madeleine's parents on maybe a single occasion, let alone her step-mother. But, maybe the more interesting part was this boy's relationship with Madeleine. Wasn't this a good thing? He could easily use Madeleine to have him become a Sapientia, no? So, what was the problem?

"My son, Pertinacis, and his half elder brother, and Madeleine's full brother, Oliver, informed me that Madeleine has already accepted this boy as her fiancé." Bowing her head, she continued, "That is all I know."

His thoughts flashed back to a conversation he had had with Ester Sapientia, Madeleine's master, about a fiancé. "Dyon Sacharro?" Connery's facial features steeled. This situation wasn't as good as he had hoped.

In his ideal world, he could just hand Madeleine to Dyon. No one else knew what was happening, but he knew very well. This kind of talent was just good for this universe. It was unprecedented in any universe. What bullshit prince or young master, even with a faith seed, could compare? But, that wasn't the issue. Dyon was from a very taboo place… And his existence was too dangerous to tie to their futures so easily.

It wasn't that he wanted to help out a love story, he could care less about such a thing. What he wanted was to use Dyon to improve himself and the position of the Sapientia. The point while Dyon still hadn't become a powerhouse was the best opportunity to do that, and yet everything was ruined by his origins.

'How is he cultivating right now?' Connery thought to himself. 'Does he realize that this shouldn't be possible? How much does he know? What will they think when they find out about his existence? Do they already know? Since he's stepped out of the human world, is the treaty even still in effect? Just what is going on?'

The people who knew of the history of this universe were limited. Very limited. In fact, those who knew weren't decided just by age, but specifically, who had been present. With the Sapientia family's wide range, they of course knew what had transpired and their elder experts were thus tethered to the treaty.

However, the Elves had clearly known not a thing about what had transpired. Although they had been surprised by where Dyon was from, they hadn't reacted violently to it. They had only been caught off guard. But, then they had become very happy about the fact Dyon had no real connection to the human martial world, because that meant he would have no qualms about representing them.

Just what was going? Even if Dyon had all the information about who knew and who didn't, he wouldn't be able to guess how they connected… Until he reached a sufficient level to be able to unlock his master's memories… A level he was slowly but steadily approaching.

Connery was silent for a long while. He wasn't willing to give up on a talent like Dyon so easily, after all, his philosophy heralded talent over everything. But, the weight of the danger Dyon presented was too looming and too vast. How could he be comfortable with allowing their, now, most valuable genius to be tied to Dyon? He would rather she never marry at all.

In fact, Prince Belmont had approached the Sapientia with a very good offer that Connery had been thinking of accepting. The truth was that he was planning on completely ignoring this offer in favor of Dyon after witnessing his talent, but, the prospect of being allowed to write an in-depth history on the Belmont and investigate their tombs – tombs known to be highly connected with the past peak supreme beast, Amethyst – was too good to give up knowing the cons of siding with Dyon.

"Do nothing. We'll watch." Connery couldn't make a decision. The tombs of the Belmont family would put him in good standing with the Sapientia branches of other and more powerful universes, but Dyon's knowledge and power would also do much of the same. In fact, it could be argued that a fifteen year old with soul power that was just about to break through to match his own, would vastly outweigh whatever the Belmont tombs could provide.

There was also the fact that with Dyon's talent, it wouldn't even be two decades before he was the most powerful existence in this universe. This was a simple fact Connery couldn't ignore. He worked based on facts and logic. When new facts were presented, he formed new logical analyses. Something like Dyon becoming the most powerful person here in less than twenty years was something only Connery would ever think – but, he had no doubt that he was correct.

But… The problem was even if he became the most powerful person from this universe… Those that want to chain his people aren't from this universe… And they're much more powerful than what Dyon could match even with hundreds of years.

Ri looked up into the skies, pissed off at Livy's accusations. He made it sound as though Dyon was doing this on purpose. Wasn't it very clear that he couldn't control what was happening?

Dyon, however, couldn't be bothered with Livy's words. He had to focus his entire being on the task at hand. Not only did he need to divert part of his attention to suppressing his soul from breaking through too early, he also needed to body cultivate with the rest of the attention he had. This was slowing down the process, but there was little he could do. He couldn't even divert anymore attention to create clowns because he was already using the Acacia family technique to speed up his energy absorbing. There was just too much on his plate to worry about a busybody receptionist.

Thadius' voice was booming. He hadn't bothered to hide his words at all. In fact, what he had said was so shocking that people didn't even harp on the fact Dyon was a supposed successor of something.

Livy's face twisted in anger. He understood being looked down upon in the Cavositas God Clan, after all, it was a God Clan. But, who was this person? And what right did they have to look down on him?

Thadius casted a lustful gaze back toward the curvaceous demon general who had spoken. "That depends, River. Will you warm my bed tonight if I perform well?"

Thadius cringed at this rebuttal while Ronica chuckled before wrapping her delicate arms around Ri's shoulders. "Don't worry Little Ri. Even though Thadius is pretty weak, this is no problem."

Ri giggled lightly at the interaction between the demon generals. They were always like this. They seemed like a cross between siblings and lovers – Ri couldn't tell which was more accurate. It seemed as though every demon general had experienced something with the other. They were a close nit family that Dyon and Ri tried their best to ingratiate themselves into. Dyon because he was meant to be their leader, and Ri because she saw it as her duty as Dyon's wife. This was essentially her husband's kingdom, so she had to know his subjects.

Livy stood in the skies trembling at this sight, but, many took this differently. Just who were these people that looked down on the Cavositas so easily? And why were they following a kid who was supposed to have no backing? Just what was going on?

Those who had been at the last campaign in Earth's Gate recognized the white hair as symbols of Dyon's vice commanders, but those had obviously been essence gathering experts. Did he have even more powerful ones he had chosen not to use?

In the distance, Voron, Ace, Elof and Vidar were among those who recognized the demon generals. But, that didn't mean they were worried. After all, why would they think that Dyon would have experts powerful enough to deal with Livy and the other saints under him.

All the while, Dyon remained focused on his task at hand. Oblivious to the red and gold rolling clouds, the continuously cracking roof and the viciously whipping winds. The atmosphere was becoming so dangerous that those with low cultivation have been immediately evacuated out of the area.

Dyon's body buffed to a new level. His torso seemed to be bursting with muscles that no one had ever seen before and they were so vascularized that everyone around could see the pumping of Dyon's blood as it slowly became a more and more solid gold.

Dyon roared into the skies, cutting through all of the discussion that had been taking place. His music will had inadvertently torn through the intent barrier, shaking the entire city itself.

In that instant, he wanted nothing more than to express his pain and that had melded his mind perfectly with his music will. As such, Dyon had stepped into a state of one with mind seamlessly, sending shock waves through those in attendance.

Vidar Ragnor's voice snapped Livy out of his surprise. After all, how could he not be? What kind of concept was a fifteen year with an intent? No one had information on Madeleine having mastered an intent yet, but, wasn't Dyon still another year younger than her? And hadn't he only been in the martial world for just under two years? This didn't make any sense.

How could they know that Dyon had unprecedented soul talent? This not only allowed his array alchemy to reach levels unreachable for those his age, it also allowed him a deeper connection with the things around him, making it possible to learn wills even quicker than the average person.

Livy waved his hand, causing the saints behind him to fan out and prepare their attack. But, this was the moment that Thadius finally stopped messing around …

His eyes reddened, seemingly dripping in blood as his body slowly expanded. He was silent as a trident appeared in his large hand and he stepped into the skies.

"You have a lot of nerve, thinking of attacking the successor with his protectors here." Thadius spoke faintly, but his voice had become such a deep and reverberating base that it seemed to replace the rolling thunder in the skies.

"A saint…" Livy trembled. He was a saint himself, but he was only of the first stage. And those he had brought with him, didn't even have 9 meridians filled with saint energy. But this Thadius… He was a monster. An unfathomable beast they couldn't see the peak of.

"Come on." Thadius took a step forward, grinning a smile that looked like it came from the depths of hell. "Don't back down now. Attack. Let me feel your so-called power."

They struggled but their faces remained firmly planted. Demonic will wasn't an attack on the physical, it was an attack on the psyche. And yet, the pressure was so strong that Livy and the Cavositas saints felt their bones collapsing in on themselves.

The Ragnor and Cavositas brothers had no idea what to do. Should they call more to attack? But, that would require involving God Clan Elders… How embarrassing would it be to personally call out elders to deal with a teenage boy? Who were these people and why were they so powerful?

"River dearest! I did good, right?" Thadius' domineering demeanor completely disappeared, instead being replaced what looked like an obedient stay-at-home husband.

He had already stopped pouring his demonic intent into the saints, but they seemed to still be incapacitated. He didn't deem them worthy of anymore of his effort, so he dropped back down to the roof, taking his place as Dyon's protector as the clouds in the sky continued to roll.

Not many had a real concept of what had just happened. It had been so quick that aside from the words Thadius spoke, few sensed anything else. But… There were two celestial experts in the crowd. One being Connery Sapientia, and the other was the Matriarch of the Niveus Sect. And the both of them were stunned about the same exact thing…

This level of intent mastery was unprecedented for a saint in this universe. Even many of the celestial experts were capped at the second level of an intent, one with heart, let alone the fourth level of one with soul.

The difficulty in progressing in intents reached all new levels when compared to wills. It was true that to sense saint energy, mastering an intent was necessary, but not many ever went past this level in this universe – it was just too hard. Why? If Dyon had a guess, it would likely be because of lack of natural resources that allowed in-depth analysis of wills and intents such as abyssal cores, something this universe seemed to be severely lacking in. Couple that with their overall weak soul cultivation and meditating on wills and intents had that added level of difficulty.

The only exceptions were those born with affinities provided by God constitutions and faith seeds, and even heaven and earth constitutions to a smaller degree. However, lower ranking constitutions only allowed advantages in lesser wills, and was usually limited to just one or two. Luckier experts, like Madeleine, gained affinity in a general path.

For example, Madeleine was very good at any and everything related to purity and yin energy. As such, her level of progression in celestial will rivaled Dyon even after he utilized the Florence family technique to form a celestial deer humanoid manifestation.

Delia was another example of a path generalization. Because of her Infinite Ice Hell constitution, she gained access to the absolute path. Such powerful and rare path affinities were what warranted the ranking of Delia and Madeleine's constitutions.

In addition to this, there were constitutions that only allowed affinity in single wills, but these wills were so domineering and wide ranging, in terms of their abilities, that it made the narrowed scope negligible. Ri was an example of this with her Void affinity.

But, that wasn't all. Because of a supreme law's versatility, Ri even had the ability to use it in her energy cultivation to reach levels of power a normal expert would normally never be able to. It would be impossible for Dyon to use the Void Kitsune's energy cultivation techniques because he simply didn't have the affinity necessary.

However, in cases where experts didn't have these affinities, or in cases where those affinities had reached their max capacity – meaning they could no longer help progression without supplementary materials – those experts had no choice but to stall at those lower levels. Even Celestial experts were stranded at low level intents…

Celestial energy didn't have an intent level requirement, instead, it required mastery of a rudimentary domain, or an aura. The problem was that these auras couldn't be said to be more powerful than upper levels of intents. Instead, they were quite comparable… Which meant that an aura might not give a celestial expert an advantage over a high level intent, depending on the level of the aura, of course.

But, this was a scary proposition, especially for the Matriarch who had just been on her high horse. She wasn't afraid of fighting the demon generals, because while her aura wouldn't give her advantage, celestial energy definitely would – however, what if she had to fight all ten of them? What if this Dyon had more saints of this level? Was that even possible? How could a boy have such powerful subordinates?

Even Dyon had underestimated the demon generals. Or, more accurately, he had overestimated the level this universe. He hadn't put into proper perspective just how important cultivation grades were and just how domineering even single level differences between intents were… This was no longer the world or wills… It was very likely that out there, somewhere in a universe much more powerful than this one, there existed a lower level saint that could toy with these so-called celestial experts. And judging by how Thadius was itching for the Matriarch to attack, having sensed her animosity, it was likely he too wanted to try his luck.

It seemed as though he was laughing at the Cavositas, which only made the observers angrier, but in reality, he was laughing at his own inadequate view of things.

He overestimated when he shouldn't. He underestimated when he shouldn't. Maybe the only thing he got right was his morality. But even then, that led to its own set of problems.

He had once thought that his demon generals would lose out to the sheer number of saints the God Clans had. What he failed to realize was that one demon general was already worth ten thousand regular saints.

Dyon's skin began to glow so brightly that many averted their eyes. The gold that coursed through his veins had reached an unprecedented level. In fact, the improvement in his body was so domineering that his skin was sheering apart and yet healing instantly to the visible eye.

Suddenly, silence permeated everything. The thunder stopped rumbling the skies, the earthquakes stopped cracking the roads, and the rolling tides had calmed.

However, Dyon's skin continued to glow brightly – and, if you looked closely at the Tree of Life and Death that still hung in the air, crystal veins were cracking their way through its originally obsidian body, contrasting the shined black with a holy clarity.

Dyon's wings tore out from his back, sending vicious hurricane force winds out from them as they arched menacingly in their pure white and deathly black.

And then, Dyon's weapon's pagoda appeared. It had become a structure that dwarfed even Arena City's Chaos Arena. Dripping in a red tinted black, it gave off a demonic presence that caused those around to shiver inadvertently.

The surrounding experts stood in silence. They knew exactly what these structures were, and yet they couldn't bring themselves to believe it. Could any one person sustain so many manifestations? And why were they all so powerful? Just what was going on?

The Florence family technique bloomed into action causing a pure white lily to appear at the feet of Dyon's humanoid manifestation. Tattoos of gold, representing Dyon's celestial deer humanoid, tore through its skin, radiating out a purity that few could match. But then, Tattoos of black etched in red intermingled with this gold, creating a staunch dichotomy of light and darkness… Only for that balance to be completely overtaken by overbearing greys and blacks. Dyon's death humanoid manifestation seemed to overpower the golds and reds, leaving anyone watching with only thoughts of an inevitable end.

'He needs to die…' It wasn't clear who thought this first, but the answer was too many. With today's events, Dyon only garnered more enemies…

But, his soul didn't care. It seemed to be venting for having been suppressed for so long and finally pushed even the Mathilde family technique into existence.

The peak-most flaming circle of Dyon's manifestation's six, glowed faintly as the eye slowly changed… Flecks of red and purple colored it as it looked to see through everything.

The Tree of Life and Death shone viciously, its crystal veins solidifying and cracking through the obsidian, creating a tree that seemed like it was on the brink of another break through.

Dyon's weapon's pagoda and humanoid manifestation tore through the skies, increasing to heights that Dyon had never fathomed them being before.

The right, just above his shining white wing, housed the figure of his black flames. A domineering fire that even Dyon had yet to fully understand.

But, the left, just above his black wing, a new image had appeared. A pure white flame flickered, cascading a crystalline light over Dyon's usually pitch-black wing.

Minutes passed as Dyon continued to be baptized in saint energy. It seemed as though his soul could absorb a seemingly endless supply, but no matter how much people wanted to attack him now, they were weary of his demon generals. The only people who could say that they stood a 100% chance of beating them would be the grand elders and heads of the Royal God Clans. And yet, what Royal God Clan would lower themselves to interrupt the cultivation of a child?

His skin glowed and his muscles rippled in such perfect proportion that had Ri not been in the same daze as everyone else, she would have definitely rushed over to cover him up.

His wings as doubled from their previous two, giving him two pairs and multiplying the tattoo etchings on his back. Even their slight movement threatened to send everything flying into the distance.

Even Dyon himself was surprised as he looked down at his hands as though they weren't his. He was wondering just how powerful he had become. He had never been able to make full use of his soul strength. Even when his soul had been at the peak of the essence gathering stage, he hadn't been able to output power comparable to someone with peak essence gathering energy cultivation. He could never tell why, but this had to be a problem with the techniques available to the soul. And it was up to Dyon to figure out a way to make true use of his saint soul.

It didn't escape her notice how much larger a certain member had become, likely due to Dyon's integration of the demon sage essence, so she couldn't help but mutter to herself for Dyon's ears only. "If that thing becomes any bigger, you can forget getting it anywhere near me."

Dyon grinned, his eyes flashing a purple gold as sweatpants materialized for him. Gripping onto Ri's hand, Dyon turned to his demon generals and smiled. "Thank you."

Thadius waved his hand and clasped Dyon's shoulder, "Thanks is unnecessary successor. Look at that, you're almost as tall as me." Thadius' robust laughter filled the quiet atmosphere as the clouds dispersed.

It was true, Dyon had grown again from his 1.9-meter height to just over 2 meters. In fact, had he not supressed the growth in his height, he would have likely shot to at least 2.5 meters tall. But, he didn't like the idea of reaching the height of those giants.

"Alright. Let's go." Dyon didn't bother addressing the crowd. What would he do such a thing for? He only planned to compensate the hotel's owner and treat the injured before finding a new place to get used to his power.

The first thing Dyon noticed about this man was his golden eyes and crystal framed glasses. In fact, those crystal frames were tinted in a shade of green, much like Madeleine's had been tinted in purple before they were destroyed.

"Yes?" Dyon turned back to fully face the man that landed just a few meters from him with a host of elders that seemed to also be from the Sapientia family. It didn't escape his notice that this man seemed quite interested in the fact he was also holding Ri's hand.

"Should I call you Dyon Sacharro or should I call you demon sage?" A sly and clever smile spread across Connery's features. He had decided to test this boy's limits. It seemed as though he was trying to keep his demon sage identity a secret. And yet, Dyon's response through him completely off-guard.

"Wife?" Connery turned his head toward Pertinacis' mother. Had this Dyon and Madeleine already consummated a marriage he wasn't aware of? If that was the case, this was a problem.

The reason why Dyon couldn't hack in and directly change scoring was because the arrays provided for tracking were past his level of understanding. In fact, they were still past his level of understanding and there was a very simple reason for this. The relay arrays used for the rankings weren't put in place by this current universe system… They had been in place long ago and created by the Celestial Deer Sect of old. Much like the teleportation arrays between planets had been as well. Unless Dyon surpassed those olden masters, something even he was far from doing, he would never be able to manipulate the rankings.

But, that didn't stop those with little understanding of true array alchemy to think otherwise. So, when Ulu snorted and said, "Must be nice to be an array alchemist and manipulate the rankings at will." Everyone immediately agreed. To them, it was much simpler to accept this than to accept that a fifteen-year-old boy really was their better. People took to what they could understand… It seemed they had completely forgotten about the display of domineering power Dyon had just presented them…

Hearing the murmuring accusations, Ri shook in anger. She knew very well what Dyon had done to earn his ranking. In fact, the elves and the Niveus sect had witnessed no small portion of it. And yet, they still slandered him for it.

"Considering how easily his wife lost to us, he probably manipulated her ranking too," Eboni sneered, relishing in the opportunity to take jabs at Dyon and Ri whenever she could.

And yet, through all of this, Dyon couldn't be bothered. Anyone with half a brain, even if they believe he manipulated his ranking, wouldn't use that as an excuse to look down on him. Because they'd know that thought of disdain might very well be the last thought Dyon allowed them to have.

"Yes. Wife. Madeleine Sacharro." Dyon's face remained neutral. He wasn't trying to antagonize anyone, he was simply asking a question that required a yes or no answer.

Pertinacis' mother scrunched her brows. "When did my step daughter become your wife?! I don't remember attending any ceremony of the sort or accepting such a union."

"Step-daughter? You must be Pertinacis' mother, then. Nice to meet you." Dyon smiled faintly before turning his attention back to Connery who seemed to be studying him.

It seemed that both Connery and Dyon were probing each other. But, those who were witnessing this couldn't understand why the Head of the Sapientia family main branch was accepting this. This wasn't another head probing him, it was a child!

Dyon's response was quick and showed no hesitation. And yet, his words were sharp and to the point. It made it clear that he didn't like the Sapientia family and it wasn't up to him to convince them that he was worthy, but rather up to them to convince him that they were worthy.

Connery was intelligent and immediately picked up on this. Despite the outrage of his elders at Dyon's disrespect, Connery was completely neutral. Antagonistic words weren't something he would easily fall for. He was just quite interested in the fact that although he was half a meter taller than Dyon, it somehow felt that they were eye level with one another…

"It would be advisable for you to be clear on the fact that it isn't me who has to do anything. Your response dictates my actions." Dyon responded firmly, unperturbed by Connery treating him as though he was a child. If this Connery character wanted to underestimate him, it would only lead to his death.

Dyon had the power to wipe the entire Sapientia family from existence in this universe, should he choose to do so. In fact, even without using his puppets, if he used the Epistemic Tower key, he could take anyone he wished far away without the say so of any of these so-called experts. So, he meant what he said.

Connery was becoming decidedly less amused the more he interacted with Dyon. He was still an expert who had worked his way up from practically nothing, who was this child to threaten him about anything?

The elders of the Sapientia family looked down on Dyon with disdain, "Nothing but a foul-mouthed boy, Head Sapientia. Is there really a need to make a choice anymore?"

"For the Sapientia family, choose your actions wisely. The outcome will be the same whether you support my and Madeleine's relationship or not, the only difference will be whether your family survives the end or not." Dyon said faintly.

Webnovel doesn't allow me to properly rearrange them, but these chapters are super important. Since it's my mistake, consider these as an extra 3

Seeing Dyon's figure nonchalantly turn his back on the Head of God Clan – and not only that, but also the Head of the Guild Headquarters – sent the Sapientia elders into a fit of rage. Unfortunately, it wasn't only them that were angry. The Heads of notable Guilds around the universe that had been meeting to discuss the demon sage also couldn't understand the actions of this young man.

"Unfortunately, child. Leaving here isn't so simple a task." Connery Sapientia spoke faintly, maintaining his superior air. He felt that he had an obligation to maintain his demeanor as Dyon's elder, or else he would come off like a joke.

Dyon had already turned away and couldn't be bothered with these people anymore. He had things to do, namely helping Ri finish her training and also saving the Viridi family. Although he could use force to settle the second matter, Dyon was still apprehensive about being the aggressor in this situation. He had too many enemies and he didn't want to give the more troublesome characters a reason to begin to act against him.

Looking toward Thadius and the other nine demon generals, Dyon smiled – choosing to silently thank them this time. No matter how they felt, the truth was that they had known Dyon for less than a year. For them to be so loyal was something that Dyon was grateful for.

What Dyon didn't know was that to them, he wasn't just the successor to their old master. Dyon had saved them from millennia of and suffering and had given them the opportunity to take hold of their own minds again instead of remaining brainless zombies. They followed him so whole-heartedly because they could see the good in Dyon.

When Dyon had saved them, he hadn't known that the demon generals would ever be of benefit to him, or that they were even demon generals to begin with. He had just seen people who needed his help, so he saved them. They would always remember that.

After an initial surprise, Voron turned to Ace to confirm something. Slowly, but surely, their smiles widened as their gazes once again focused on Dyon's figure.

Connery turned his calm gaze toward Voron who was immediately taken aback and struggled to regain his composure. 'Were these the same eyes he used to look at Dyon? Why wasn't Dyon effected?'

Despite the tranquility of Connery's features, it was clear that a rage was being stoked. If Voron didn't have a very good reason for calling to him, it was likely that the Cavositas God Clan would have to suffer the loss of one of its geniuses.

Struggling to piece together his next words, Voron turned his focus to Dyon, "I remember that you just recently put in a order for pill servants, no? It just so happens that we have a family of former alchemists who would meet your requirements to perfection."

Connery's brows subtly twitched. Just what was this boy getting at? Why was he bringing up such a thing now? The use of pill servants wasn't exactly a topic to be spoken about in the open. In fact, it was very close to a taboo. So, why?

But, when Connery's senses caught a flaring of rage from a very familiar figure, he suddenly put two and two together. Did this family of former alchemists have something to do with this Dyon child? It certain seemed so…

The conversation itself seemed complete out of place, and yet for those intelligent enough, it was also pointed and deliberate. There was a purpose to this and it just might be what they need to catch Dyon unawares.

The term seemed innocent. Maybe it was simply the act of being an assistant to an alchemist? Tending to gardens, securing materials and fetching items?

With the low level of alchemy available in this universe, usually research had to be done to move forward. In the human world, when research was conducted, there were codes of ethics to follow as guidelines. Animals were placed on an evolutionary scale for how closely related they were to humans, and the closer you were, the more justification a scientist had to provide for their usage in an experiment. In fact, in the human world, before potentially dangerous products were brought anywhere near a human, it would often go through extensive animal testing…

However, the martial world had no such morality. Weak humans and slaves were seen as no different from animals. What was the need for the extra safety steps and codes of ethics, if human lives meant nothing to these people?

Pill servants were nothing more than lab rats. They were endlessly force-fed pills and monitored for their reactions. Their meals consisted of little more than appetite supressing pills. They lived in cages, barred from light for ridiculous lengths of time – with no option to bath themselves, no option to relieve themselves, and no option to live a normal life.

Their veins were flooded with a substance akin to rubbing alcohol. Their stomachs were pumped and emptied. And then they were sown back up before the process was repeated all over again until their deaths.

Seeing that Connery had picked up on his cues, Voron breathed a sigh of relief as the faint veil of pressure was lifted off of him. Then, he turned to Vidar, signaling for him to take over. After all, the slave trade was a Ragnor family business, not a Cavositas one.

"It's quite simple, Guild Head." Vidar continued while ignoring his sneering younger brother, Elof, "About two years ago there was a family who had the audacity to sacrifice the lives of young experts in their charge all for the sake of a depraved power. When their allies found out about this, they were both shocked and appalled. So, they completely renounced them and their actions.

Luckily, at the time, my brother and his friend, Ace, were there. As you know, our family has been punishing those who should be punished for hundreds of years. In fact, you can think of us as the criminal justice system of the martial world." Vidar's words only seemed to grate on Dyon more and more. It was as though he was right next to him, whispering into his ear.

"As such, we took it upon ourselves to punish this despicable family. They've already been working as pill servants for a good long while, as a matter of fact. Only a single one of them seemed to be too useless to even do that properly, so, he was sent to fight in the Chaos Arena. At least this way, they can be of proper use to society instead of the bottom feeding leeches they once were."

Connery nodded in agreement, almost a bit too enthusiastically. "I'll gladly take these pill servants off your hands, then. In fact, I don't mind signing a contract for them here and now."

Vidar shook his head, "Don't be ridiculous, Head Sapientia. With the work your family does, how could we make you pay for such a thing? Won't your research benefit us all in the end?" Vidar's ring flashed as a few sets of ten plates appeared in his hand.

Each slave was assigned one of these. They were essentially a brand to not only track their existence, but to also kill on a whim. The scars that ran across their face was only a guise of their marks. The true marks were embedded within the scars. The scars themselves were more of a psychological chain and ball. The slaves would wake up everyday knowing that they had a scar that would never heal. They were slaves for life… They'd never escape.

When Voron had told him earlier today that these might come in handy, he almost hadn't believed him. But, it seemed like it really would. Whether Dyon truly cared about this family or not was already on full display, and having the opportunity to play with a such an arrogant boy, in Vidar's eyes, was the greatest of pleasures.

The truth was that the Viridi family had been being used as pill servants in Arena City for months. Although the Cavositas weren't array alchemy specialists, that didn't mean that members of their and other families nearby, weren't interested in the craft. As such, many cities had guilds of their own.

As for Eli, he had been a truly odd case. Pills seemed to not be effective on him, no matter how many he took. In fact, most of his deterioration in health had been due to watching helplessly as his family was ruthlessly used and abused.

Seeing how pathetic Eli was, the guild elders had tossed him away to the streets. But, he kept coming back, refusing to leave his family. In the end, Eli had been dragged down to the chaos arena to die.

No one understood how he had survived so long. His cultivation couldn't even be considered to be at the middle of the foundation stages. There was no reason why he should have survived so long without proper food and water. And yet… He had.

Connery watched Dyon's back silently, his face maintaining a calm and ever so slightly mocking smile. He wanted to see how this Dyon would react to this situation.

Ri and the demon generals had immediately picked up on Dyon's anger. Although the demon generals didn't know as much about the situation as Ri did, it was clear to them that this family was important to Dyon and that Dyon was struggling to reign in his temper.

The irony of demonic will was that while it strengthened your body and allowed you to manipulate the emotions of others, it also slowly took away your ability to control your own. And in cases where the anger hit so close to home, Dyon had to try his best to not crush Ri's small hand even as he held onto it tightly.

Even as flames of dense black danced in his eyes under the disdaining gazes of those who watched around him, and gentler and forgiving flame of white began gently trickle across Dyon's bronzed skin – skin so perfect it looked as though it had been cut out of crystal.

Ri and the demon generals were the first to feel this white flame, in fact, they recognized it from Dyon's humanoid manifestation. It had been the ability housed in one of the six black-gold flaming circles. And yet, they couldn't place just what it was… Much like they couldn't understand the black flames.

But, what they did know is that Dyon's once unstable emotions, seemed to reset themselves. Dyon's anger all but vanished, replaced with a calm and calculating gaze as he loosened his grip on Ri's small hand.

Dyon could only smile at Ri's white lie. His body's strength was at a completely new level, and Ri had reset her cultivation. How could she not have felt anything? But, Dyon appreciated her all the more in that instance.

"I'm not really a fan of your politically correct talk. Manipulating the facts, and fabricating tales is hardly something to care about. Those who are intelligent enough know that the Ragnor have no moral ground to stand on, in fact, they're actually quite disgusting. And those who are intelligent enough know that the only reason you're so willing to freely admit you do something so immoral is because you can't get over the fact a child, as you call me, isn't afraid of you."

Dyon's words seemed to sound like they were said in jest. In fact, despite his words about political correctness, it seemed like he himself was maintaining the boundaries of cordiality. And yet, if you focused on the actual words being said, it was clear that he was making no such attempt.

"So, under the guise of those things. I asked in you if you would like to play a game. Let's find out who really is the most intelligent. Ah, I think I'll start actually." Dyon said with a smile, still not allowing Connery to speak. He had his demon generals around him, even if Connery decided to forget all thoughts of face and attack Dyon, he would definitely be stalled for long enough for Dyon to pull out at least one of his puppets.

"When I came here, you already knew who the demon sage was. Interesting. Even more interesting is the fact that you seemed intent on exposing me as him. That's fine, in all honesty, but you've made quite a few mistakes in that assessment.

The second assumption is that I'm somehow so gullible and pliable that I'd be perfectly alright with allowing myself to be manipulated so easily.

Your Sapientia family can't protect me. Your family's research is outdated in this universe and nothing compared to my master. And quite frankly, I hate the thought of being used. In fact, I may very well rather die than do such a thing."

Ri couldn't help but feel her heart tingle at Dyon's command of the situation. It always seemed like when Dyon had his back against the wall, he would come out stronger.

Just before, when he had felt that overwhelming amount of anger, it wasn't that he hadn't already thought of a solution to the problem – it was that he was struggling with not choosing the path of destruction and just ending them all. Dyon had to be more careful with his actions, and he knew that.

Killing members of the Sapientia family might be fine for now, but what were the ripple effects? How many in this universe would be affected by such a thing? The Sapientia family were the back bones of progression, how could Dyon feel okay with cutting that off unless the circumstances were extreme?

And what about the Ragnor family? Dyon now knew very clearly that they were a member of the three most powerful clans in the quadrant. And he also knew that they came to this universe for a purpose, a purpose they had yet to fulfill. If Dyon wiped them from this universe before they could fulfill the mission their main clan had set for them, wouldn't that bring the ire of clan much too powerful for Dyon to handle down upon him?

He had to be cautious and reel in his anger. But, that didn't mean he couldn't make them pay. Those who had to die would die, but it would be in moderation. Those who didn't die? They'd be humiliated until they wished they would.

No one knew whether to laugh, or if they should take such a statement seriously. Connery Sapientia was a man known for having had the best soul talent among humans in the past at least ten thousand years. He had snatched the head position at a young age himself, but even then, he was already hundreds of years old. Then, he had reigned nearly unmatched for millennia. Who was this boy who thought it was so easy to challenge him?

Hearing laughter begin to spread through the crowd, Dyon couldn't help but start laughing himself. In fact, he laughed so hard that his own outburst stopped that of others.

Wiping tears from his eyes, Dyon settled himself down. "Sorry. I just find it funny that people who have no idea about what it means to be an array alchemist are making judgements about who should and shouldn't win.

These are the same experts that pissed their pants and formed a meeting over a pill I created on a whim. In fact, just a few days ago, an entire planet was willing to use underhanded schemes just to pull me to their side. And yet you're laughing about my ability to beat this guy? Don't you think that makes you all look ridiculous?

Suddenly, Dyon's demeanor completely changed from his carefree attitude. "It's best you all shut your mouths and watch. That's all you're good for."

No matter how apprehensive Dyon was about the effects of his actions, once he made a decision, it wasn't in his nature to second guess it. If it happened to be a mistake, then he would learn from it and make a better move in the future. But, right now? Crushing Connery's pride and saving the Viridi family could be done in one fell swoop, and Dyon was going to grasp the opportunity.

Connery immediately picked up on Dyon's intentions. The Guild Headquarters not only had dominion over every guild in this universe, it also set rules and regulations. But, even more directly, didn't Vidar just give the Viridi family over as a gift to the guild headquarters? Then wasn't it a simple matter of heading the guild headquarters to gain ownership of their family?

When Dyon was still in the Elvin Kingdom, he had challenged both the formation and alchemy guild heads. Then, it had been a simple matter for him to win. But, more importantly, it opened him up to the idea of guild wars.

In the martial world, things were no different. Array Alchemy was a study of the universes laws, but as one might expect, that also came with it a myriad of interpretations, factions and diverging thoughts. As such, it had become customary for experts to pit their philosophies against one another. By putting their guilds on the line, this meant that over time, the more powerful philosophies would win out.

Weaker branches of array alchemy would give way to stronger ones as time passed and stronger guilds heads replaced them. It was a simple cycle of survival of the fittest.

However, the very thought that this was prevalent in array alchemy culture raised some questions… If it was truly survival of the fittest, then how had array alchemy split into two factions to begin with? Why was it that formation guilds and alchemy guilds were kept separate? In fact, even weapon's guilds and beast taming guilds had once been one in the same – together under the array alchemy umbrella. But, over time, logic would dictate that the separation of disciplines made the guilds stronger… But, was that really the case?

When Dyon had fought against elder Cormyth, he had seen a solution to a problem Elder Cormyth couldn't have dreamed of seeing through. In fact, the solution that Dyon came up with was for the equivalent of a half-step grandmaster, something Dyon was definitely not at the time. And yet, he had been able to do it – and the reason why was because he had a great understanding of both formations and alchemy.

In today's times, to form the Queen Fairy Constitution Pill, it would have taken a saint level soul and a half-step to grandmaster level of alchemy. However, Dyon completed it with a lower essence gathering level soul – a soul in just the 5th stage – and an array alchemy mastery of just the lower master level.

It would be clear to anyone that array alchemy was superior. So, the question remained… How then had array alchemy been ostracized? Dyon didn't know the answer. But, that question loomed another over his head. If he forced Connery into this match, would it be safe to use his knowledge of array alchemy? Should he force himself to answer the question with just one discipline?

After his talks with his grand teacher, Dyon now had a good understanding of why array alchemy was being forcefully overwritten, although he didn't now how it had been done.

Those of the Chaos path, who sought total anarchy, wouldn't prescribe to array alchemy. In fact, they would do their best to erase it from existence if they could.

But, the problem was that the old man's will was too strong and array alchemy had become too important to daily life. It was medicine and innovation, and often times it provided solutions to problems other things just couldn't fix. So, not only did everyone have access to an aurora, those talented enough had every incentive to use it. And, unless those of the Chaos path conquered every universe in existence, there would be no way to regulate its usage. As such, if in the end, one day their was birthed an array alchemist with enough talent to rewrite the universes themselves and solve the issue of heat death, then those of the Chaos path would only be able to watch as they lost…

That said, there was a solution to their plight. What if they made it so that no one could ever reach the peak of array alchemy? What if they tore the very essence of array alchemy apart such that no one ever grasped the full picture? Wouldn't that then eliminate their worry?... Instead of policing everyone themselves, they could have people police themselves.

Unfortunately, this worked all too well. Array alchemy was so difficult to grasp as a whole, that it really did make it seem as though it was meant to be split into easier to digest portions. Eventually, even those with the talent to pursue array alchemy in its truest form were born into societies where they were encouraged to focus on one. And maybe most depressingly, many simply didn't have the insight to notice that there were heights you would simply never reach unless you combined the two…

So, Dyon had a decision to make. Was this Connery Sapientia part of the conspiracy to actively separate alchemy and formations? Or not? As the head of the most lofty position related to array alchemy, if he wasn't actively involved, then who would be?

Suddenly, Dyon's thoughts were cut off by Connery, "I would love to, child. Unfortunately, to challenge the head of the guild headquarters, you must be the head of a noted guild yourself. After all, I can't exactly accept frivolous challenges, now can I?"

"Well, the only other requirement is that you be of at least master level in one of the main guild branches. That being either formations, alchemy, weapons, etc.

There's also the matter of price." Connery Sapientia's eyes flashed sinisterly. "Since you're clearly challenging for the sake of people you deem to have lives worthy of saving, I'd say an equivalent price would be your own life. Don't you think?"

Connery silently sneered to himself. He didn't think that Dyon was already a guild head, but he knew that with Dyon's soul strength, the matter of conquering a guild might not be too difficult at all. And as for becoming a master level expert, although in Connery's experience, a person's array or alchemy expertise lagged behind their actual soul strength, since he had sensed Dyon's soul break into the saint stage, it was likely to Connery that Dyon was already a master level expert – as crazy as that sounded to him.

The first was a stalling tactic. Because of the guild conference they were holding, no guilds would be available for Dyon to challenge in the near future because all of their guild heads were here. Although Dyon could technically just call them out now, even Dyon wouldn't know who was a head and who wasn't, thus making challenging and holding people to challenges difficult.

With this added time, Connery would slowly torture and kill the Viridi family to display them on the day of their competition. Regardless of how talented Dyon was, he was still a child. And, Connery had already made note of how easily he lost control over his emotions. If Connery showed Dyon such a scene before their competition, then Dyon wouldn't be able to properly focus.

The second plot was to make Dyon bet his life. Connery had no intention of killing Dyon, he was simply too powerful. But, if he took Dyon as a slave, then crippled his energy cultivation, then Dyon would never become strong enough to retaliate, all while being forced to use his soul talent for Connery's bidding. After all, everyone knew that soul strength hardly translated to combat strength, right?... At least to Connery, that is.

Secondly, Dyon's soul talent and innate aurora were too overwhelming for his array alchemy to ever lag behind his soul strength. So, while Connery thought he was a mere master level expert, Dyon already understood enough to draw grandmaster level arrays right now. The only thing that had held him back was his soul power – something that was obviously no longer holding him back.

Noticing Dyon's smirk, Connery was a bit off put. Just what was so funny? But, his thoughts were immediately cut off as Dyon's ring flashed to reveal two new rings on his fingers… One denoting the Elvin Formation Guild… And the other? The Elvin Alchemy Guild.

The last thing Dyon took out was his master level badge. He had earned this the very same day he challenged their guilds. And now? It was coming in handy.

In the last two years, he had grown taller. Although he was lanky and clearly malnourished, he was barely a half centimeter shorter than Dyon. In fact, he had been taller than Dyon just a few hours ago if you thought about it.

Seeing this boy appear, Oliver, who was off in the distance and had come with Pertinacis and his step mom, immediately felt an ache in his heart. He recognized who this boy was, and could see the pain his had gone through.

Noticing everyone's eyes on him, Eli's hand shot to his face, trying to cover a scar he knew had to be there. This scar had been his shame for the past two years and although he had ignored it previously because he had been worried about Dyon's wellbeing, he couldn't help but feel self-conscious about it now.

Connery's brows creased at the appearance of this young man. It wasn't that he cared who Eli was, it was more so that he had no idea where he came from.

If Eli had always been there, then this was a problem. Why? Because Connery, despite his expertise, had no idea. He had even awakened his aurora to 48%, there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to see through Dyon's concealment array, or so he believed.

And, even if Eli had teleported here, and Dyon had for some reason chosen to conceal the array for some reason or another, that didn't change the fact Connery still couldn't see through the concealment.

'This boy…' A serious expression grew on Connery's features. If he had known that Dyon hadn't done this to show off, but rather to hide the special nature of his ring, then maybe Connery would be spitting up blood now.

"Dyon?" Eli looked downward shyly after giving Ri a small smile. He had some impression of Ri after they ran toward Dyon together. He was happy in his heart that his big brother had found such a beauty as a wife again. "What's going on?"

Dyon's heart ached when he saw how self-conscious Eli was about his scar. Still, Dyon didn't make a move to remove Eli's hand from his face, instead, he released Ri's hand and clasped both hands on Eli's shoulders.

Eli shook his head furiously, "This wasn't your fault. Don't think that way. You did the right thing… Those students shouldn't have had to die without anyone know who was responsible."

Dyon sighed. No matter what Eli said, he just didn't feel right about it. If he had waited until he was powerful enough, then called the big sect's out on their horrible deeds, wouldn't the result have been better. In fact, didn't he have the power to wipe the big sects out alone right now? He didn't need his puppets or his demon generals. Those low level 6th grade essence gathering experts were nothing but fodder to Dyon right now.

"This wouldn't be the Elvin Kingdom declaring war on the Ragnor God Clan, now would it?" Vidar Ragnor immediately recognized Eli for his scar.

Ri smiled, "There's no need. It was your main clan that helped up. You're nothing but the fodder they sent to this universe. Would you still like to take credit for that?"

Vidar and Elof's lips twitched at Ri's provocation. They had thought she was simply a side character, but who would have known that he tongue would be so sharp.

"We would, of course, never start a war over a single slave. If you'd like him, take him as a sign of good will. In fact, we've already done our due diligence in marking him for you. If you'd like, we can give him a second scarring too." Vidar sneered, unwilling to lose this war of words.

Dyon's hand moved, ignoring Vidar's response to cover Eli's hand that was still on his face. "You never need to worry about something like." Dyon lightly gripped Eli's hand, nodding his head and asking Eli to trust him.

Ri smiled. She had seen Eli in full view just hours before. How could she not be aware that Dyon had long since removed any ridiculous semblance of a scar. With a wave of her hand, a dense and circular piece of ice appeared as she circulated her ice will, "Take a look, Eli."

He rushed up, nearly losing his footing on the ruined rooftop, but still gripping the sides of the ice and ignoring the cold the threatened to freeze his fingers off.

When Vidar saw this scene, his face couldn't help but twist in disgust. Although others might not know, he knew fully well how difficult it was to remove those scars.

Much like Ri had when she fought Jade, the Ragnor poured copious amounts of will into the slave brands. The more power that was used to damage something, the more power it took to heal it. And, that case was especially true when it came to purging a body part of wills. Something that Jade had learned to hard way.

Eli immediately composed himself, remembering that they had been in an odd situation before and suddenly realizing that a very tall and greying man was slowly losing his patience.

Turning his attention to Connery Sapientia, Dyon continued. "As you can see, your excuses and feigned attempts at buying time are useless." Dyon didn't hold back in his words at all, letting Connery know that he had seen through them.

"I am the leader of not one, but two guilds. I am already a master level practitioner. And since you want to make this a wager, let's make it a wager then."

Connery's eyes flashed at this. If Dyon allowed a slave seal to be put in him, that was much different than it being forced. When there were two consenting parties to a seal, only death of one person would undo its effects. Dyon was essentially wagering the rest of his life.

"It's simple, really. My only real obligation is to provide you with a grandmaster level weapon. It was you who brought up wagering my life, that was completely out of bounds. So, since you want to be so shameless, I thought I'd give you a handicap. After all, maybe if I'm worried about losing my life to you, I'll mess up and give you a chance to win." Dyon smiled lightly.

This level of arrogance was ridiculous. This was a fifteen-year-old boy challenging a grandmaster formation expert as though he himself were already leagues beyond him.

"This should be a grand event." Connery laughed, "We'll do it as a close to the first day of the world tournament. That way, even my Little Madeleine can watch you become a slave for the rest of her days. Then you can watch as she marries off to someone worthy."

Whether it be Eboni and Ode, or the Niveus Matriarch, or the young geniuses of Earth and the other planets, there wasn't a soul that believed Dyon hadn't just agreed to sign his life away.

Along with Eli, Ri and the demon generals, Dyon wasn't polite about rescuing the Viridi family. He directly headed toward where he knew they were being held – the Arena City Alchemy Guild.

"Big brother, are we really going to let him take them away?" Ace's face scrunched in disgust. He didn't care about the Viridi family. In fact, until today, he had forgotten about their existence. After the events of last year, he and Elof had branded them, but, they had ended up in Arena City – Cavositas family territory.

Although Vidar Ragnor had had the array plates, that was only because it was his idea to use that family to pressure Dyon – or, more accurately, it had been Elof, his younger brother's, idea.

But, now, the optics weren't as bad for the Ragnor family as they were for the Cavositas family. Why? Because although slave trading was a Ragnor family trade, the slaves themselves belongs to Arena City… A city run by the Cavositas. And now, Dyon was about to stroll into one of their guilds, and take their property away.

Oliver had had Venus' slavery weighing on his mind for years now. Although he was Madeleine's elder brother, his sister's power wasn't his own. In fact, even if he had Madeleine's power, that didn't guarantee the freeing of the Viridi family. After all, although the Sapientia were highly respected, they weren't known for their combat prowess. It wasn't a secret to anyone that the Sapientia avoided mass conflicts so as to maintain their neutral ground and be allowed to thrive as they had been. This meant that the Cavositas had no reason to listen to the demands of the Sapientia family.

After brushing off his brother's worried, Voron set his gaze on Dyon as everyone dispersed, "The only thing I regret about this is that we'll never get a chance to show him the difference between him and us."

Vidar stood in the air silently, listening to Voron's words. The truth was that even Vidar was too young to be among the top four of earth. It wasn't that he wasn't powerful, it was that the top experts like Iris Ipsum had had almost a decade to accumulate points for their rankings. Regardless of his faith seed, this was only Vidar's 3rd campaign, and yet, he had still managed to rank 25th, something that should have been praised among his peers.

And yet, there was Dyon. And then, there was Ri. And even worse? There was Madeleine. Each one had made it into the top 30, and each one had less campaigns than him. But now, he had come to find out that Dyon had manipulated the rankings?! There was nothing he wanted more than to tear Dyon apart. If he could change the rankings for himself and Ri, why not for Madeleine as well? It all made sense now.

What maybe made all of this worse was the fact that Thor had placed higher on the rankings than he had after his first campaign. And, so had Caedlum. Both had managed to make it into the top 50 cumulative rankings, and yet Vidar hadn't even been in the top 100 after his first campaign. Everything was coming together to reach a fever pitch, and Vidar wanting nothing more than to use Dyon as his vent.

Suddenly, Vidar was snapped out of his thoughts by his younger brother, "Big brother, we should go. Father is likely waiting for you and Thor to come as we speak."

Although Elof was vague with his words, often by his own lack of information rather than by his design, Elof knew exactly what the importance of this meeting was.

The Ragnor family had been here for exactly as long as the Elves had been. They entered as a low level clan, back when the Celestial Deer Sect were still the overlords of the quadrant. It wasn't that the Ragnor clan was weak. In fact, they weren't too far off in strength from the Celestial Deer Sect even back then. It was just that the branch they sent here was. This was why Ri's words to Vidar had hit so close to home.

This Ragnor branch was a nearly forgotten one, but, what wasn't forgotten was the importance of the mission they had been sent on – a mission that was coming closer and closer to completion.

There was a reason the groomed the Saeclum auxiliary clan to use the technique they coerced from the elves. There was a reason they took hold of the Ipsum auxiliary clan as well. And, maybe most importantly, there was a reason they warred with the Pakal God Clan for their closely guarded technique… In fact, only a few knew that part of the reason that this Ragnor branch fled to this universe was to carry along with it the Blood Sacrifice Technique they stole from the main Pakal branch.

It may have been lost on other more infantile God Clans, but the Ragnor were very clear of the shift occurring on other planets. They were very clear on the movements into and out of this universe, movements that should have been impossible. And maybe what they were most clear on was the fact that their time was coming.

Their mission would soon be complete, yes… But, It was also the time for this 'small' branch to rise up and take their place amongst the best the universes had to offer.

After finding a covert place to send the demon generals back into the ring, Dyon walked along the streets as though nothing had happened with Ri and Eli.

"Have you met Ri, Eli?" Dyon asked with a bright smile. It was as though he was a kid again, excited to show off his girlfriend. Ri found this to be quite adorable, but she was still a little shy. This was her first time meeting someone Dyon truly called friend – everyone else was either his subordinate or enemy.

However, Ri seemed to recover from this quickly, "We did meet while you were doing something reckless. You know you could have died right? What were you thinking?!"

Eli giggled as he watched Dyon awkwardly scratch the back of his head. It had been a long time since he had any time to truly relax and he felt the best he had in years. He was happy to have a friend that remember him after so long, despite the short time they had spent together.

After she finished berating Dyon for being stupid, Ri switched sides to talk to Eli. For some reason, she felt comfortable enough to wrap her arms around his in a friendly way. Maybe it was Eli's shy appearance or his innocent features, but Ri took a liking to him.

Dyon cringed at this question, trying to signal Eli with his eyes to remember the bro-code. Unfortunately, it seemed the martial world had no concept of such a thing. Seeing that Ri was taking the opportunity to get close to him, Eli's mouth began to pour out endless secrets. Well, maybe they weren't secrets, but they were definitely things he had glossed over in the past.

In the past, Dyon had already told Ri about how he met Madeleine in full detail – that would never be something he held from her. But, there were other things he… May or may not have ignored.

Ri's voice seemed to gain an octave with every new juicy piece of information. Dyon could only pretend as though he wasn't there, instead focusing his gaze on the cobbled roads and shop-lined streets.

Seeing that no one was going to help him explain, Dyon began to, "My first crush isn't even relevant. I was like five years old, that hardly counts for anything, right?"

RI's blue-silver eyes blinked as her long hair bobbed in the wind, "It counted enough for you to remember to tell my best friend Eli about it."

The truth was that Dyon had been worried about more than just his parents showing up during the trials – he had also been worried about confronting a girl he had liked back when he was in the human world. It had never developed into love, because Dyon had cut it off. But, that probably only made him feel all the guiltier. That said, it was likely because Dyon had made the emotionally unselfish decision then, that made the old man not deem it worthy to test him on.

Clara Esmond. Dyon hadn't seen her since he was about ten years old. That was when, after the death of his father, he began taking his inventing seriously. He tossed everything for the sake of making his mark on the world. Actually… Dyon had seen her again during the Focus Academy assessments, but he had done his best to avoid her entirely.

To an adult, the decisions of a ten-year-old seem petty. Dyon didn't even know what the word love meant, and it wasn't until Madeleine that his brain had a eureka moment – something that was then replicated by Ri. In fact, if it wasn't for Clara, it would have been all the more likely for Dyon to ignore his feelings for Madeleine. But, when you coupled those past feelings of guilt, with the thought of Madeleine's life being on the line, it had pushed him over the edge.

Dyon's mother, before her death, had always told him to follow his feelings and act on them before it was too late. But, it wasn't until Clara that Dyon began taking that seriously.

There was a time where Dyon ignored his mother's advice much like he had his dad's. Many saw his lopsided agreement with his mother and wrote him off as a 'momma's boy', when in reality there was a story behind that too.

Seeing Dyon struggling with his answer, and not wanting to ruin the mood, Ri tactfully changed the subject. In reality, Dyon had brought up Clara to Ri, before. It was just that it happened to be one of the things he glossed over.

"Forget the crush then, I'm not letting you off the hook." Ri playfully glared at Dyon, "What's this I hear about you flashing poor Delia? And sexually harassing Ava?"

Dyon nearly snorted out his laughter, "I'm innocent! Delia just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and I was only thanking Ava for saving me!"

"So you want to blame poor Delia for seeing what she saw? It was her home! How was she supposed to know some pervert was going to come flying in with his things hanging everywhere?"

Eli burst out into laughter. He didn't even notice when tears had started streaming down his face until Ri took out a cloth to help him wipe it was a concerned smile on her face.

Much later that day, Dyon had found a place for everyone to stay. He had wanted to be lowkey before, but since practically the whole city knew of his existence now, he decided to rent out an entire home.

Many of the Viridi were in too bad of a state to walk out under their own power, so Dyon had put them to sleep. It was likely even they hadn't been aware that they were saved.

Surprisingly, after his family was saved, Eli stopped all thoughts of crying. He immediately moved to doing everything in his power to have them rest comfortably, impressing Dyon with his knowledge of plants again.

From the day Dyon had met Eli, he had already noted his excellent gardening skills, but, he was ashamed to say that back then, he hadn't truly grasped the scale Eli worked under. But now, with Dyon's alchemy knowledge having increased manifold, it was quite shocking to see that Eli could still impress him like this. In fact, it seemed quite abnormal.

As a wielder of an innate aurora, Dyon usually picked up on things others didn't. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that often times, those small things were what set Dyon apart from those who plotted against him. So, when Dyon realized just how impressive Eli's knowledge of alchemy was despite not having an innate aurora, he immediately thought of the words Voron had said…

Voron had mentioned how Eli was seen as a useless as a pill slave. He had no reaction to the pills given to him and his deterioration in health had to do with his worry for his family as opposed to anything else.

Although the connection seemed somewhat convoluted and flimsy, Dyon immediately wanted to see if this somehow had some sort of connection with his sensitivity to plants. But, now didn't seem like the time to find out. Eli was much too focused on taking care of his family to worry about anything else.

Uncle Ail's hair was decidedly less spherical. In fact, he ironically looked as young as he was meant to now, despite the fact his skin was pale and sunken.

As for Venus, her lips were cracked, and her sandy blond hair seemed to have greyed. She looked almost nothing like the teen she should. She should have at most been a few years older than Dyon, and yet here she was struggling to hold onto her life.

The first thing Dyon had done for each and every one of the Viridi was purge their system of all pill effects. But, maybe the harder part was to remove the pill impurities.

In all of the pills Dyon had ever created, he never worried about impurities. Because of his innate aurora, his process, within reason, could be seen as the peak of perfection. But, other alchemists didn't have such a luxury and often had the effectiveness of their pills restricted by impurities. Unfortunately, these impurities were harder to deal with than even the pills themselves. The only saving grace was that the level of alchemy, and therefore the level of materials used, were all low grade – this made it easier to deal with.

After Dyon helped to the best of his abilities, he let Eli know that he should mind his rest, pointing out that there were tens of open rooms in this house for him to sleep in before leaving Eli in the large bed filled room.

On his way upstairs to where Ri was likely waiting, Dyon once again thought of Madeleine. He had been diligently checking his device, but there was still no message. That likely meant that Madeleine hadn't arrive yet, unless she for some reason ran out of dao stones again. Either way, Dyon could only wait. Regardless, in just a few weeks, he should be able to see her – a thought that brought a smile to his face.

Almost two years. In fact, the start of the world tournament would make two years exactly. Dyon didn't even care that his sixteenth birthday was coming up soon, he was more eager to see his first love. This time, she wouldn't be going anywhere without him by her side.

This Connery Sapientia character seemed intent on marrying Madeleine to someone else. 'As if,' Dyon snorted to himself, 'You won't even get as far as the ceremony planning. Let alone the actual ceremony. I'm not letting my Madeleine go through that again.'

Just as Dyon was about to go up the stairs, his ears twitched with the sound of light footsteps approaching the door of the mansion. With his improved body constitution, all of his senses had been improved wildly such that he could immediately pick up on such things.

'Maybe?' Dyon smiled. He didn't think anyone else would come and bother him but one person. After all, with the display the demon generals had put on, any enemies would be foolhardy to even attempt it unless they bothered the heads of the Royal God Clans – something ridiculously unlikely.

Dyon walked toward the door. Or, more accurately, he did something that looked half like walking and half like running. His body seemed to flash from where it stood to the door. His soul was fatigued after spending so long curing the Viridi, but he did a quick sweep anyway. It was just one person, it had to be her, right?

A bright grin spread across Dyon's face as he saw a sight he hadn't seen in years. A girl with beauty beyond words. He almost didn't take note of her now purple hair and eyes.

"Madeleine…" Dyon didn't let her respond. His arms immediately shot forward, pulling her into a tight hug and burying her head into his chest.

"Thank you." Madeleine's words were muffled with her head being held so tightly against Dyon. He didn't even have the chance to register what she said before the feeling of a cold blade stabbed into his rib cage and toward his heart. "For making this so easy."

Short and shallow breaths escaped and retreated with Dyon's pained movements. Confusion colored his features, but he couldn't divert his attention from what was going on inside of his body. Something was wrong. This wasn't a simple dagger, this was a technique.

Dyon's body continued to harden uncontrollably as Madeleine watched. She didn't seem to move an inch, as though she was waiting for something.

Sure enough, the sounds of light footsteps coming from upstairs soon caught Dyon's attention. But, he couldn't turn around to warn Ri. The next best thing was to fall. He had to let her know something was wrong in case she didn't notice.

Ri's eyes widened as she watched Dyon fall. "Who are you!" Ri didn't think twice, she didn't know who this person was. But, to be powerful enough to hurt Dyon in the time span it took for her to hear the doorbell and come to see what was going on, she had to be powerful.

But, before either had a chance to do anything, Madeleine turned away, disappearing. Even Thadius' features furrowed at this sight. He didn't specialize in sensing techniques, and he definitely didn't have an innate aurora or talented soul. He simply couldn't find this disappearing girl.

Dyon's senses continued to dull even as Thadius and Ri rushed over to him. It seemed Eli was too preoccupied to come. But, how could he be blamed for such a thing? It had only been a doorbell after all…

'Well, this isn't too good…' Dyon's brain was slowing down. The speed of thought his innate aurora gave him becoming useless. The more possible solutions he thought of, the slower the next thought came. Soon, he would be at a dead end…

Even as his organs slowed, there was one thing that was becoming clear. This wasn't meant to kill Dyon. If that was the case, then why had the dagger purposefully stopped before his heart? If Dyon's heart had been damaged, then this would have been a nearly unsalvageable situation. But, Dyon's death wasn't this person's only goal. They wanted him to suffer. Not just physically, but emotionally.

Despite Dyon's slowed thoughts, he could still think much faster than the average person. He had immediately picked up on the fact that this person seemed intent on having Ri see that they were in Madeleine's countenance before they disappeared.

Dyon never thought for even an instant that it was truly Madeleine after he felt the dagger stab into him. He wouldn't waste brain cells believing such a thing. But, that didn't make the situation any less terrible.

He knew he couldn't focus on anything other than reversing this situation. Although this person's goal wasn't to kill Dyon, that was only in the short term. Dyon had little doubt that if this technique was given enough time, he would surely die.

He could feel what was meant to be a strong and probing pain, but at the moment, it wasn't enough to cause Dyon discomfort. But, he could feel that it was steadily increasing as time went on.

The vitality that pumped through his veins now were so powerful that it was ironically becoming a detriment to him. His organs were slowly crystallizing under this odd technique, but, at the same time, his heart was relentlessly pumping. That may sound like a good thing, but in reality, that meant that the newly formed crystals were being cracked under the pressure due to its lack of elasticity. With every pump, Dyon felt as though his heart was coming closer and closer to shattering.

Ri's hands found their way to Dyon's chest and her eyes flashed with a bright blue as she swept her aurora through Dyon's body. But, what she saw was something that made her tremble.

'This has to be a will? Right?' Ri didn't know what to think. Red crystals were growing and coating Dyon's organs. No, more accurately, they were becoming Dyon's organs.

Coming to that conclusion, Ri immediately tried circulating her celestial will within Dyon, relying on her Elvin Queen's Reign constitution to boost it to the 5th level.

In reality, Ri's first action was the same action Dyon would have taken. Celestial will was an ultimate defense and had the ability to purify techniques and wills. Since Dyon was being afflicted with what was likely a combination of the two, celestial will should have helped. Unfortunately, Dyon's ability to use his own celestial will was cut off and he was slowly losing his control over his aurora.

Seeing Dyon lying on the ground, worry and surprise colored Eli's features as he rushed forward. He didn't want to disturb Ri since she was clearly pushing herself so hard, but he couldn't help but want to know what happened. He had just been with Dyon, how did things end up like this?

"Eli." Ri's voice was strained, but she had something to ask. It didn't make sense for Dyon to let his guard down so easily, it didn't even look like there had been a struggle. There were only three explanations. Either the person at the door was someone that Dyon knew and thus felt comfortable with – or, someone was disguised as them at the very least – or, this person was so far and away more powerful than Dyon that caution didn't matter. And the last possibility was that disappearing technique they used… Maybe Dyon just hadn't been aware of her presence.

"Yes, Ri?" Eli's face had paled considerably. He was very much aware that the time between breaths Dyon took were getting much too far apart. He wanted to ask if maybe Dyon's demon generals, the white-haired power houses he had seen earlier that day, might be able to help. But, the fact that Ri hadn't thought of that likely meant that they wouldn't be of much help at all.

At first Eli thought that was a ridiculous question to ask now considering the circumstances, until he finally pieced together that Ri likely thought the person who attacked Dyon was someone he knew. But, unfortunately, Eli hadn't seen the attacker. By the time he came out, 'Madeleine' was gone.

Ri had heard of the six beauties of the universe. But, in reality, it was technically only five. Dyon had changed the name to six to add her, and it was likely no one would disagree.

That said, Ri had seen many of them already. She had seen Ulu, Eboni and Saru. And, although she didn't know the name of the last girl, Ri was sure that she had seen her as well. If Dyon was able to communicate effectively, he would have known that the fourth was a beauty from the Kami God Clan, a Japanese goddess.

"I'm sorry, Ri. The only person I can think of is Madeleine. But, if it was Madeleine, then I have no doubt that this was a person in disguise. It doesn't help us much…"

Ri's hands trembled as frustration built up. Her celestial will wasn't getting anywhere and it seemed her questions weren't helping either. If she had seen the four beauties, then the fifth would have been Madeleine. But, Madeleine didn't have purple hair and eyes from what Dyon had told her. And, Madeleine also wore glasses, but this woman didn't. Why would they try and trick Dyon with a representation of someone so far from what he knew Madeleine as?

Dyon's brows furrowed when he too realized Ri's celestial will wasn't having much of an effect. Or, more accurately, he tried to, but he was losing control of his muscles and the pain was building up to a point where even Dyon was beginning to find it unbearable.

The worst part was that the wound in his rib cage wasn't healing and the only reason why blood wasn't spilling out and onto the floor was because Dyon's blood was hardening too.

"I should go and find Madeleine, right? Her celestial will is much more powerful?" Ri looked at Dyon to try and see if she could get an answer, but all she found were a pair of resolute eyes.

The truth was that Dyon was in unimaginable pain, but he had lost the ability to express it. He had thought of a solution, but he had to rely on Ri to figure it out. If she couldn't it was likely that he'd die in a few weeks.

Finding Madeleine would have been a good solution if they could guarantee her getting here within the first minute of the technique's onset, but that was clearly impossible. Setting aside how long Ri would have taken to notice her celestial will wasn't having an effect, Dyon wasn't even sure if Madeleine was on this planet at all.

His only option was to use his eyes to show Ri he hadn't lost hope. He had to show her that there was a way out, she just needed to take her time.

Dyon could blink or widen his eyes, at most, he could shift them a bit and change their focus. But, even that ability would be gone soon. And maybe an even bigger issue that Dyon hadn't thought of was that when he got rid of this crystallization, what about the gaping wound in his rib? That would likely not heal easily judging by how difficult this technique was to deal with.

Seeing Dyon's continued gaze, Ri understood that Dyon had thought of a way. And, the fact that he was letting her know meant that it should be within her abilities to think of this too.

All the while, Thadius and Eli stood off to the side. Thadius wasn't willing to re-enter the ring in case that girl was still around and Eli felt too guilty to leave – after all, his family only needed rest now.

"Does it have to do with cleansing?" Ri thought to herself. She couldn't rely on a gaze to answer complex questions, or else she may accidentally steer down the wrong path.

What Ri did know was that she likely had time. Although Dyon's organs were crystallizing, that would first have preservation characteristics before death. The main issue was Dyon's vitality. It was constantly pushing against the crystals and threatening to shatter them completely. But, the issue was that these crystals weren't a coating, they were Dyon for all intents and purposes.

'Okay, what I do know is that this requires some form of cleansing. Although my celestial will wasn't powerful enough to stop the process, it did slow it down…. Which means we're on the right path. I think I should find Madeleine, but Dyon doesn't know if she's back yet, or else he would have never asked Connery Sapientia whether or not she was…'

Then, she gripped onto Dyon's hand and melded her aurora his fading aurora. By melding their souls, Ri gained access to a ring she hadn't had ownership of before and thus took out a device she was familiar with – Dyon's communication device.

As expected though, she came back disappointed. There hadn't been any messages from Madeleine, which likely meant she wasn't even on this planet. That, or there was another reason. Either way, she wasn't reachable…

'What cleanses… What cleanses… Maybe I'm thinking about it all wrong?' Ri suddenly thought of something that might be promising. But, the sheer amount of work that it would take was daunting. Was this really her best option?... 'No, maybe it'll work if I get one of the demon generals with good soul talent to do it? Yes, maybe, maybe.'

With a faint light of hope, Ri grasped onto Dyon's rigid figure and instructed Thadius to stand guard after telling Eli it was okay to worry about his family. Then, she disappeared into the ring.

Off in another rented mansion, a meeting of the Planet Nix geniuses was taking place. Or, more accurately, it was a reunion between a husband and wife.

Ulu's beautiful figure was matted in sweat that glistened along her flawless dark skin. Moans of fiery passion struggled their way out of her full lips as she rode a large dark young man.

Maybe large wasn't enough to describe this young man. He was only 2.5-meters-tall, not too big for an expert of the martial realm, but he was broad. His chest was so thick and wide that Ulu's small hands seemed to lose themselves in his mound of muscle.

Ulu convulsed, her hips shaking wildly as she lost control of her movements – one could hardly understand how such a petite woman took the length and width of such a thick rod, and yet she did, leaving her only complaints to be voiced in moans.

However, the young man didn't seem to be intent on letting her rest. Grabbing a handful of Ulu's long black hair, the young man pulled her head back before sitting up and lightly biting her collarbone.

"Tell me, Ulu. Why are you so reserved today?" The young man's voice was deep and resounding. Ulu felt as though her chest was resonating with her husband's voice to the point where her ample chest bounced in response.

Ulu grinded back and forth on her husband's cock, taking her time in answering his question. The truth was that Ulu wasn't enjoying this sex at all. She had been faking everything since the beginning, and it was starting to weigh on her mentally. If she hadn't snuck in lubricant she forced her maids to buy from the alchemy guilds, she had no idea if she would have even been able to slide onto her husband's mass.

Dyon had taken away her ability to enjoy something she used to like very much, and the anger and feeling of helplessness was only making the experience worse.

But, if Ulu told her husband what happened, Dyon would without a doubt die. Saint soul or not, Dyon wasn't a match for those of the top ten. In many cases, they were more than a decade or even two older than him, and they had access to experience and power he didn't. As much as Ulu wanted him dead, she couldn't allow it, not yet.

Her husband was the power behind their kingdom and she was the brains. At least, that's how it would be when they were powerful enough to inherit their thrones. Ulu couldn't allow him to run wild just yet, even if it was for her. She also knew she couldn't involve the higher elders of the Nix because they were dealing with something much more important… Something that had to do with why her husband had been late arriving to begin with.

What Ulu needed now was Dyon to herself. The problem was that with the Sapientia in the way, it was likely that there were now two parties who understood how important he was. This made things more difficult, but not impossible. It was simple really, all her husband had to do was fight and beat Dyon without having the impulse to kill him.

"It's nothing King," Ulu slid off her husband's cock and bowed off to the edge of the best to place her head between his legs. "There's just something weighing on my mind."

A large hand found its way to Ulu's head, grasping a clump of hair firmly to control her movements. "There's nothing to worry about, Ulu. The mission went well. I and the few others had to go for experience, we didn't even participate and were never in any real danger." Although Ulu's husband, Zabia, said this to sooth his wife, he was a bit angered by it too. He didn't like being treated like a child.

Ulu bobbed her head up, gasping for air before she slid her tongue down his shaft, "That's not what I meant… I think I've found the demon sage. Unfortunately, others know of this too."

"Demon sage? The pill, you mean? Our elders aren't in a place to deviate their attention like this. Pulling in such an expert just isn't possible right now." Zabia said after contemplating. One thing was clear, what they were doing was even more important than the prospect of having Dyon on their side.

Zabia nodded, "I understand what you mean now. There aren't any soul techniques available, even from our universe, that would be capable of allowing him to make full use of his strength… Let alone this universe."

Ulu's delicate hands gently played with Zabia's balls, making him lose his train of thought. "Meaning he's most likely comparable to a lower to mid essence gathering expert. He's no match for you."

"Simple. During the tournament. It has to be before the end so as to temper suspicions. Beat him. Then, when he's most susceptible, use one of your slave seals on him."

As a talent of Planet Nix, he was of course afforded protection – even more than Ulu. This was because despite being around twenty-five years old, just like his wife, he was already prepared to step into the saint stage. In fact, the only reason he hadn't was because of this tournament.

This seal wasn't on the level of what Ulu had used on Ri. To compare the two would be like expecting a mortal to fight against a transcendent expert. Ulu simply couldn't compare.

"Even though the world tournament follows a round robin style in the end, how can we guarantee that he'll make it that far? Even if he does, what if he resigns?" Zabia wondered.

As for resigning, he's too arrogant to do such a thing. Just let him know that you're my husband and that will be enough." Ulu's delicate lips locked around Zabia's thick tip, relishing in the viscous liquid that poured down her throat. 'At least I can still enjoy this.' She thought in satisfaction. In fact, she even imagined a small throb in her loins at the thought of Dyon being beaten mercilessly into submission by her husband.

"Master, lend me some dao stones." Madeleine had a bright smile on her face. She was all too excited to see Dyon, but first, she had to find out where he was. She couldn't very well fly around aimlessly looking for him, that would be a bit too ridiculous even for her.

Ester's brows scrunched as though she was in deep though. It was clear that she was distracted by something and it was even more apparent by the fact she didn't even respond to Madeleine's outrageous ask. Dao Stones weren't something the Sapientia family had easy access to. In fact, if people knew Dyon had a ring filled with them, there would be a race to steal them from him.

"Dao stones?" Ester looked at her disciple with some confusion. Madeleine had all of a sudden come back with a complete make-over and a striking lack of glasses. To other clans, this may have been negligible… But, there was a reason the Sapientia all had golden eyes and glasses. Their first-in-line genius suddenly breaking the mold was a bit odd.

"Don't be ridiculous," Ester said, snapping out of it. "Who has dao stones just to hand out like this? Plus, you'd only be asking to kill yourself if you tried using them."

Madeleine pouted. She couldn't very well tell her master why she needed them, or else that would come with an even more resounding no. Dyon had said that he wouldn't make her wait long to be with him, but Madeleine had forced herself to hold a semblance of realism. Could Dyon really be ready to take her away now?

When she had been with Amethyst, the Violet Phoenix had interestingly gone out of its way to shatter her glasses but left her spatial rings and necklace alone. After Madeleine had finished absorbing the legacy, the gate had long since closed. So, she fell into a bit of despair. If she didn't go home, it would have been months before the gate opened and she saw Dyon again.

But, Amethyst took pity on her and helped out. With the last bit of remaining soul she housed in this world, she used Madeleine's remaining dao stones to power a teleportation array out of the gate and onto Planet Naiad.

At the center most point of the martial continent, sat a castle of untold proportions that mixed in amongst mountains of grandeur. This place was a holy land of cultivation – the epicenter of natural energies and a the home of the most prestigious clan on Earth: The Belmont Clan.

Their history was long, but not always glorious. In fact, for much of their existence, they were servants to more powerful experts. However, one of these experts rose them up and allowed them to become a Royal God Clan of epic proportions. A Royal God Clan that many were wary of…

There was a reason why Connery Sapientia was so curious about studying their burial tombs and historical tomes. The Belmont family was a clan shrouded in mystery even to this day. Their current king, Elwing's father, rarely appeared in public. In fact, much of the reason few put the supposed disappearance of the Elvin King in their eyes is because the only man known to rival him, King Belmont, hadn't appeared in just as long.

However, the difference was that while the Elves had no clue as to King Acacia's whereabouts, the Belmont's knew that King Belmont was very much alive and well – and most importantly, that his ambition to raise the Belmont family to even higher levels had not been sated. So, when his first prince of this generation, Lionel Belmont, came back from a campaign to inform him that a legacy they had spent centuries guarding had been acquired, and by a woman no less, his excitement held no bounds.

"HAHA." King Belmont's voice boomed as he flashed out of his cultivation room at the words of his son. "Lionel, haven't I told you to smile more? What's with this cold look you're giving your father?"

Lionel showed no real reaction to King Belmont's over the top personality. He was very much used to it at this point. "It's not so simple, father."

"And why is that?" King Belmont stretched his back. He looked no different than a man in his twenties. If it wasn't for his strength and aura, many would mistake him for Lionel's older brother as opposed to his father.

He too, much like Lionel, had purple hair. And, not to anyone's surprise, he too had melded his red and blue eyes together to a near perfectly purple hue – even more so than Lionel. Only less practiced Belmont's had strikingly different eye colors like Elwing. Those who held the right amount of talent, or had enough time, would slowly fuse the colors to match their hair. However, no Belmont had managed to do so perfectly. One eye would always be more red, and the other would always be more blue.

King Belmont sighed, "This is why, despite your talent far surpassing your siblings, I haven't given you the title of official first prince yet."

Lionel didn't seem too shaken by this. He knew his father would eventually cave in the end, anyway. It wasn't as though he played favorites with his children, "That's only because you're too young. You have too many years left, don't pretend as though it's because I have some character flaw."

"Tell me, Lionel. How do you think my power stacks up to the heads of the other Royal God Clans and King Acacia?" King Belmont's playful demeanor disappeared, replaced by the air of an expert as he turned his gaze toward his son.

"You know that's something I have no scope or understanding for. So, why do you ask?" Lionel didn't think much before responding. He found this question to be ridiculous. How was he, no matter how talented he was, supposed to tell the difference between experts who could crush him like an ant?

"I'd say that you're weaker. Why else would you bide your time as you have? It might not be your fault, you also seem to be younger than them."

King Belmont shook his head, "This is what I mean. You see people as simple equations. To be added and subtracted. To you, if I'm powerful enough, we should already be a King God Clan. Why stay a Royal God Clan?"

Lionel remained silent. His father was exactly right, that was exactly his thinking. His father rarely appeared in the public and spent all of his time cultivating, why would he waste away his years like this?

"In the coming weeks, large changes will be taking place. Maybe these things will help you put things into proper perspective. People will surprise you. Things you saw as simple, won't be so simple at all. And maybe you might even begin to see through your own mistakes."

Lionel's face showed no real change at his father's statements. Unlike most children, Lionel had never seen his father as an unmatched peak figure. In fact, Lionel rarely interacted even with his own mother. What his father was saying now just sounded like the excuses of a man who knew his power wasn't enough.

Maybe, if Lionel had paid more attention, he would know that yes, King Belmont felt his power was insufficient. But, not for the reasons Lionel thought.

Unlike Lionel, King Belmont was very much aware of the shifting tides on the other planets. It hadn't escaped his notice that of the four planets, two of them, both Planet Nix and Planet Mino, were bringing along three clans that no one had ever heard of.

For a mere hundred years to overhaul the God and Royal God Clan system of a planet? Especially when peak experts lived so long? It didn't make sense.

But, interestingly enough, there was one thing that even King Belmont hadn't calculated for. After all, even with his centuries of experience, how could he predict the importance of a mere fifteen year old boy?

"I'll keep your words in mind, father." Lionel said faintly despite having already cast those words to the back of his mind. "But, this matter isn't one we can ignore."

"As I've already said, the offer has been sent to Connery. The fact, that you're still saying it isn't so simple makes me think that there's something you're hiding from me."

Suddenly, King Belmont's childish side came out again, "Don't tell me…" King Belmont grinned, "Are you too scared to speak with this Madeleine girl? If you needed advice about women, why didn't you come to me sooner?"

Lionel was at a loss for words. Why couldn't his father be serious? The truth was that the problem was Dyon, but Lionel didn't know how his father would react to him trying to steal someone else's bride. But, Lionel also knew, from his younger brother Elwing, that this Dyon wasn't someone who'd go away simply because of the authority a Royal God Clan held.

It wasn't an issue of dealing with Dyon. After all, to Lionel, this Dyon was a small character. The problem was how Madeleine would react to Dyon. Lionel wasn't a fan of the idea of the Belmont family being tainted as cuckolds. But, at the same time, this legacy was too important to let go. He had already been planning on wooing Madeleine, but after months of being with her, that girl showed no sign of any interest.

Lionel couldn't understand how he could possibly lose out to anyone. But, logic dictated that he needed a new approach. If love wouldn't come first, it would have to come after marriage.

Shaking his head and ignoring his father's pokes and prods, Lionel finally told his father the situation. For the sake of the Belmont, the King had to know everything about this situation.

Surprisingly, King Belmont didn't respond as Lionel had assumed. Knowing his father, Lionel had thought that an adamant 'no' was coming. King Belmont was a man who often placed emotion above logic, or so Lionel thought. And yet, he was contemplating this?

King Belmont immediately noticed his son's surprise and sighed, "You've mistaken my decisions in the past as being overly emotional. The problem is that you have no perspective. If this was a girl you wanted to steal simply because she was powerful, I would stop you. In fact, the only reason I allowed you, as a prince, to campaign on another planet was because you didn't tell me about this Dyon character before hand. I would have never allowed you to even attempt it. You would have stained the name of the Belmont."

A purple flame burned in King Belmont's eyes as he bore his gaze into his son. "What did you think? That somehow because you were from a Royal God Clan that she was drop everything for you? Have you no context? No understanding? Do you know what that girl has been through? Why would she choose power over someone who truly cared for her?"

Lionel had never seen his father so angry at him. Even when he was rude and cold, King Belmont had never reacted this. Was what he had tried to do so bad? He couldn't help but be taken aback.

"Let me tell you now. Had you laid a finger on her against her consent, I would have killed you where you stand. You would have lost all right to be my son." King Belmont's words held no possible leeway. He meant what he said.

Although Lionel's face still hadn't changed from its standard deadpan expression, his surprise couldn't be understated… He had expected his father to disagree with him, but not to this extent.

King Belmont turned away, clearly struggling with a decision. He hadn't heard of this Dyon before. But, he had received a report just earlier today about a commotion caused by a fifteen-year-old boy… Someone who many thought to be the number one ranked on the list – the demon sage.

But, that wasn't the only problem he was struggling with. He knew that his son, Lionel, had enough talent to compete even with Dyon. There was a reason why Lionel could fight against high level essence gathering sons and daughters of the Uidah King God Clan despite having a drastically lower cultivation. Even if the reports about Dyon were as true as their exaggerations, King Belmont was still confident in his son winning.

The problem was Amethyst's legacy. No matter how moral King Belmont was, this faith seed was of unprecedented importance to their family and the martial world as a whole. To allow it to enter the family of someone else, would be nothing less than a slap in the face of every Belmont to have ever lived and likely a death sentence to many. This wasn't a simple decision…

"Unless you can beat him, don't think of having me propose this marriage." With those last words, King Belmont flashed into his cultivation room, leaving Lionel alone in the mountain range.

After spending so much time berating his son about not treating people as simple equations, King Belmont had almost let himself fall into the same trap.

By every measurement, this Dyon was too dangerous. He was too weak. He didn't have enough backing. And all of the compiled onto the fact that Madeleine's virginity and lineage held untold importance to the rise of the Belmont and the salvaging of the martial world.

King Belmont wasn't all-good and all-caring. He was a man who understood balance and nuance, while also understanding morality and the importance of ethics to a ruler. But, because of that, he also understood that what was right and what was wrong was always painted in greys.

Did the faith seed belong to Madeleine? Yes. But, there were lives on the line. Despite Amethyst's choice, King Belmont still couldn't believe that her powers would serve Madeleine and Dyon more than Madeleine and Lionel.

King Belmont knew and understood very well how the war Amethyst fought tied into the grander scheme. He knew very well how important the reintroduction of Amethyst's faith seed was to the current martial world. And he also understood that beyond the hopes of his ancestors, there were the hopes of the future resting on the decisions of the now.

If this Dyon thought Madeleine should selfishly be his, he would have to prove it. He would have to overcome the shackles placed on him and his people. And, he would have to show the martial world that he belonged.

This was a planet with the closest relations with earth and were home to the Clyte Royal God Clan, the Kami God Clan, and Endora God Clan. But, what many still remembered was the fact that it used to house a completely different Royal God Clan… Delia's father's clan… The Patia-Neva Royal God Clan.

Unfortunately, that clan was now in rapid decline. They were not even powerful enough to gain representation for this world tournament. As such, they were replaced by the Endora God Clan.

"Have you located Patia-Neva yet?" A man with hair such a light shade of brown that it was nearly blond, spoke. Beside him, on a throne just a few centimeters lower, was a woman with beautiful olive skin. She had features that should have been warm and inviting, but there was something decidedly dead and cold about her eyes.

"Head Clyte, unfortunately we haven't been able to. He's very good at hiding. We aren't sure if it was by design or not, but from our sources, he was the head of a pitiful academy just two years ago – named Focus Academy I believe. However, it was disbanded. No one has seen him since then. It's likely that he disappeared knowing we would be coming to this planet for the tournament."

The woman faintly trembled at these words but cut off her emotions immediately. Allowing them to shine through would only bring her more pain.

"I believe her name is Delia Patia-Neva. I don't see her name on the rankings, but she is also much too young for the world tournament – or, more accurately, too young to do well. That said, although everyone who has cultivation between meridian formation and essence gathering participate, if Patia-Neva has hidden himself, I don't think he'd allow his daughter to participate."

Head Clyte nodded. His face remained cold and he never once turned his gaze to the woman by his side. Only he and her knew that this daughter wasn't just Patia-Neva's. But, how could the Head of a Royal God Clan allow information to spread about his wife having a child with another man? All he could do was torture and kill them both. Then, when he was satisfied with the pain his supposed wife had suffered, he'd have her killed too.

It had been a full day since Dyon lost his ability to communicate, but his eyes were just as resolute. If it wasn't for how often Ri melded her soul with Dyon, she would have no idea how much pain he was in. However, there came a point where even though she wanted to share in Dyon's pain, her brain couldn't function properly under so much stress. She had no choice but to pull away and try to calm herself.

Previously, her idea had been to use the Florence family technique to absorb the crystals in Dyon. That way, not only would they gain an understanding of just what the technique was, they'd also kill two birds with one stone by saving Dyon. This would work because it was clear to Ri that this technique was heavily will based. And this will, was clearly related to the red crystals she saw.

The only reason Ri had been able to learn to use the Tree of Life and Death so quickly, despite being far less efficient in comparison to Dyon, was because she had Acacia family blood running through her. The technique was quite literally tailor made for her success.

There was no one in existence who could learn a soul technique as fast as Dyon without that kind of booster helping them. So, Ri had been helplessly trying other things while she hoped one of the demon generals would soon learn the technique.

That said, she didn't hold out much hope… A technique on the level of the ancient Elvin Techniques would be Devour. And, for an accurate gauge of how difficult it was to learn soul techniques, Dyon had once said it would take Ri half a year to learn to use Devour if she put her everything into it. And that was just for the first act of the first stage!

Ri had relatively mediocre soul talent, so she had been hoping that a more talented demon general would be able to learn the Florence family technique much quicker than she could. But, the problem was that she had vastly underestimated Dyon. He did things that were seemingly impossible with such ease that even Ri, who was around him all of the time, had forgotten how truly difficult it was.

That was usually a great thing, but now, it was the worst thing in the world. How many weeks or even months would it take to learn the Florence family technique? The start of the new year was less than eight weeks away, was that enough time? Would Dyon even last that long? Could he deal with such pain for such an extended period of time?

Ri wanted to break down, but she was forcefully holding herself together. She had to figure it out, was this the solution Dyon wanted her to find? Or had he thought of something else?

The truth was, Dyon had thought of a solution much more efficient than this within minutes of his affliction. The problem was that he couldn't communicate it. He lamented over the fact that Little Black wasn't here, or else he'd be able to use their mental connection to convey enough for him to understand. But, he obviously couldn't form something like that with Ri… Could he?

Dyon could only sigh. He was frustrated, but he couldn't be mad at Ri. She was trying her best. Even if a mental connection would work because of Ri's half beast side, how would he communicate something like that to her? In fact, who ever said mental connections could only be done beasts and humans? Maybe?...

Dyon wanted to squirm, but he couldn't move. His mind had slowed done so far that it had taken him almost an hour to complete just that simple thought. If he let things get worse, he might not even be able to communicate with Ri even if they formed a mental connection.

It was early the next morning, and Ri had of course not slept. She was torn between checking the progress of the demon generals on their mastering the Florence family technique and staying by Dyon's side to see if she could slow the progression of the technique and come up with some new ideas.

Eventually, even Alidor and his younger sister Kaeara came out. Ever since Dyon had brought them into the ring, he had treated them well by providing Heaven's Wine food, cultivation materials, and their own space for living. He hadn't asked anything of Alidor and let him be.

Alidor had seen Dyon's near cultivation deviation from a distance, but he had immediately realized there was nothing he could do, and therefore decided to stay back. Alidor didn't like wasted movements or illogical actions, and he felt his presence would have been illogical then.

But, this situation was a bit odd and he was quite interested in it. That said, he also didn't want to disrupt anything because he too didn't have a solution.

This didn't mean that Alidor's intelligence lost out to Dyon's, of course. For all intents and purposes, the differences in the intellect between Dyon and Alidor was minor in terms of many things. Dyon's perfect innate aurora might allow him to reach a conclusion quicker than Alidor, but when given time, there was no reason for Alidor to not be able to reach the same conclusion.

However, the fact that Alidor hadn't come up with a solution even after a day had passed while Dyon had come up with a solution long ago only meant one thing: Dyon knew something Alidor didn't. And luckily for the situation at hand, Ri too figured this out.

Sparing a glance at Alidor and a head rub for Kaeara, Ri refocused her attention on Dyon who laid on the grass of the inner world. Ri was too scared to move him any more than they already had. "What do you think about this situation?"

"I think that if he dies, I'd be free." Alidor's words caused a faint snorting sound to be heart from Dyon before he instantly regretted it. He had such an urge to laugh at that instant that he accidentally made a sound. But, that only greeted him with a wave of pain worse than before.

"If I knew, I would have told you. Your husband's curse on me binds me not only to not act against him, but to also do my best for him. I would have no choice but to tell you if I knew something because if I didn't, even should that second stipulation not be there, I'd be indirectly causing his death. Which, again, would cause mine." Alidor explained slowly.

"I think that since I don't, he's the only person who would." Alidor's answer was short and concise. It even held an odd and reserved praise for Dyon that Ri found very interesting. "But, more accurately. Because of the master to slave connection we have, I can feel much of his will. Right now, he hasn't given up hope. But, that hope isn't abstract – it's holding onto something real. That either means he's a fool who only has blind faith. Or, he already knows there's a solution. And, if it's the latter…"

After Ri came to that conclusion, Alidor took his little sister's hand and left. He had the obligation to do his best for Dyon, which in that situation meant letting Ri find this clue. With his job done, he could leave the rest up to her.

"Big brother, are you really okay with being a slave?" Kaeara had been pouting about this ever since her brother had told her what happened. Alidor hadn't wanted to, but Kaeara was too intelligent to not have picked it up on her own eventually. After all, Alidor had gone from being enemies with Dyon, to living in his spatial ring. It was a bit odd.

Alidor paused at this question. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it, he had just never put it into action. For one, it was too dangerous. The act of removing the seal was technically going against Dyon. And secondly, his little sister saw him is the greatest, but that simply wasn't the case this time. Alidor didn't fully understand how a teenage boy a few years younger than him had such a powerful soul, but, it was undeniable. The truth he didn't want to admit was that even if he had thoughts of trying, there was a 0% chance he'd succeed.

Alidor sighed, expressing the most emotion he had since he hugged his little sister that day, "Right now, he's useful. He allows us to train and provides a certain level of safety the gates didn't have. If we were in the gates right now, as we usually are, we would be in constant danger.

Logically speaking, this is the best move for us moving forward. As long as he doesn't touch you and his goal remains to conquer universes, I'll have everything I want. Your safety and the destruction of the Uidah."

Despite Alidor's words, Kaeara still remained disappointed and saddened. She knew her brother only had those two goals in life… But, sometimes, she wanted him to live for himself. How could he possibly do something like that as a slave?

The feeling Dyon gave her was completely different now. There was nothing comfortable about his heart beat – it wasn't steady. It was instead strained and sounded nothing like calm and booming thump it usually was.

Even worse, his flesh was too cool to the touch… It felt like lying on a flesh covered metal table. Yet, Ri continued to lay there, still finding her place here more inviting than any other place in the world.

Suddenly, Ri thought of something that made her jump up. Dyon chuckled inwardly at this reaction, 'It's about time… I'll have to punish you after I'm cured.' However, by the time Dyon had finished this thought, Ri had already flashed away with only a single goal in mind.

Because this spatial world housed living beings, it wasn't always convenient to also use it to store inanimate objects like weapons. However, Dyon preferred to have a single ring, only using others in special cases like with Ms. Everdeen's burial. This meant that Dyon had to leave a cornered off area in the spatial world for all things he deemed important.

Technically speaking, Dyon only need focus on something or someone to bring it out of the ring. However, the problem would be where to find those things if he left them just anywhere. So, Dyon had begun utilizing the Celestial Deer Sect's library to house these things so he could quickly send his mind to a particular location.

Ignoring the pile of books and papers, Ri immediately headed for the furthest corner of the large library to find a diligently organized section of books and weapons. But, her focus was on one in particular. A book that any elf would notice immediately – the Elvin Tome.

The Elvin Tome was known as the ultimate cleanser. This Tome not only ranked manifestations, it was also responsible for cleansing the accumulated evil a True Empath had to deal with. That said, although this latter function would have been enough for Ri to give it a try, it wasn't enough for her to feel as confident as she did. What truly gave Ri this confidence was another anecdote entirely…

Back when the demon generals were still incapacitated, Dyon had used a celestial array in combination with energy stones to facilitate their recovery. Ri remembered very clearly that Dyon had once told her that the demon generals were under the influence of a technique that robbed them of their minds and their bodies. This technique, though, wasn't malicious. The demon sage wanted to extend the lives of his demon generals, and as such, had no choice but to do this.

That said, more than a year passed under this array and yet the demon generals showed no sign of waking up. Although they had lost their demonic forms and looked like humans, the effects of the technique were very much still there.

Dyon didn't know it at the time, but on the pace that his celestial array was working on, it would have taken another decade, maybe more, to awaken the demon generals.

While Dyon slept for three days and three nights after awakening his manifestation, the Elvin Tome he had gained ownership of flashed in his sleep.

In the end, it was because of this event that Dyon was able to connect the Elvin Tome to True Empaths – thus coming to understand the cleansing role it played.

There was no question that the demon sage's technique was more powerful. If it had to be ranked, it would without a doubt be a peak divinity technique if not a legendary technique that surpassed that level. However, it wasn't malicious to begin with. The demon general had made it a point to allow his technique the possibility of being undone. After all, what would have been the point if one was never able to undo it?

This meant that while the demon sage's technique was fully willing to work alongside Dyon's celestial will, and the Elvin Tome's cleansing, whatever this technique was would definitely not be so amiable.

The second problem was something much more nuanced. Something Ri didn't pick up on because she didn't have enough knowledge of the original demon sage's technique.

The Elvin Tome wasn't an all-cleanser. Meaning, it could only cleanse one specific thing: The Soul. This was because, as the Elvin ancestors had said, the Elvin Tome was among the 33 heavenly weapons and part of the 11 in the soul category along with the aurora awakening steps.

What Dyon knew, that Ri didn't, was that his celestial will had been enough to cleanse the bodies of the demon generals. After all, they had already been in their human forms when Dyon took them out of the legacy world. What the Elvin Tome was needed for was not to cleanse their bodies, but to cleanse their souls. This was why they looked perfectly healthy but hadn't awakened – it was because they hadn't fully regained their minds yet.

Knowing this, the problem was clear. This technique, although it was also affecting Dyon's aurora and slowing down his thoughts, and thereby effecting his soul, it was also affecting Dyon's body – something the Elvin Tome had no ability to cleanse.

Seeing that Ri returned with the Elvin Tome, Dyon wanted to smile but, of course, couldn't. He was slowly losing even his vision, but he could see a light at the end of the tunnel. As long as he freed his soul, he'd be able to communicate. Maybe not with his original body, but, he could create a clone with the Florence family technique and communicate. Since that technique relied on his soul, with those shackles removed, he'd be free to do this.

Ri froze when she reached Dyon, a bit hesitant. Although she had been confident just moments ago, right now, she was very much scared that this wasn't the solution. But, seeing Dyon's resolute gaze nearly crystallizing over, she knew she couldn't delay any longer.

As soon as the tome touched Dyon's chest, the effects were immediate. After but a moment of pain, Dyon's thoughts began to reach their top speed.

His aurora lit itself again from its dimming light and Dyon could feel everything around him again. In less than ten seconds, Dyon's soul was completely cleansed of all signs of the technique.

Ri, however, couldn't see this change. She saw somber flashing lights, but aside from that, she saw that Dyon still couldn't move. The disappointment on her face was clear and she felt like screaming. Why was it that everything in the martial world seemed intent on destroying everything important to her? However, she only closed her eyes and focused. If this didn't work, something else would have to.

Her eyes snapped open, "Dyon?" Tears streamed down Ri's face as she found Dyon's form right in front of her. But, when she noticed that there was another Dyon lying on the ground with the tome still lying on his chest, she didn't know how to feel.

"Ah, don't worry about. I can't come out for long because I need my full focus on curing the rest of this. In fact, every second I spend out here is another second the technique is violently reacting."

As Ri had thought, the technique was a malicious one. When it felt its power being encroached on, it began to react violently. If Dyon continued to diverge his soul power, the situation would only get worse much faster.

"I need the Elvin Tome to stay on me so that my soul doesn't relapse, so make sure that it stays there. Other than that, with my soul freed, I have access to my wills again."

"About that, I have another idea. Don't worry about it. I want you to focus and use these 7-8 weeks to cultivate – don't miss the world tournament. I know it's important to you. I'll be fine. With that much time, as long as you use that array room I made for you, your improvement should be insane.

Ri looked toward Dyon's form worried. If his soul disappeared so abruptly, then the situation must be serious. She didn't even have time to think about what Dyon had wanted to tell her about who attacked him. It seemed unimportant in the grand scheme of things.

She had spent the past weeks locked in here, cultivating. In fact, it had become a complete ice land as she tried her best to understand just what the absolute path was.

Tears threatened to spill out of Delia's eyes, but there seemed to be a barrier between her and her emotions that had been growing in the past few days. The path of the absolute was unforgiving and cruel and it was beginning to encroach of Delia's personality more and more.

Patia-Neva looked at his daughter silently. If one paid attention, his murky brown eyes held a faint pain in them… as though he knew exactly what his daughter was going through.

"I didn't wish for this path for you." Patia-Neva said faintly, "I wanted nothing more than to avoid this. You shouldn't have to make the same decisions I did just for the sake of power or for some greater good. You should be allowed to grow up without such burdens, and yet, my mistakes have driven you to this end."

Delia didn't know what her father was talking about. Did he know about the absolute path too? Was this the reason for the change Delia had seen in her father?

Delia nodded. Despite her confusion, she knew this was her path to power. She didn't know what her father had gone through, but this was her choice.

"Very soon, you'll find out about things that will never allow you to look at me the same way again. But, for now, let me perform my last act as your father." Patia-Neva spoke faintly.

Just like that, two months flew by. Ri spent every day diligently cultivating by Dyon. In fact, her progress was so frightening that the little attention Dyon could spare in watching her was spent in surprise.

The good news was that the red crystals has receded drastically, no longer coating Dyon's eyes and much of his organs, but, Dyon couldn't rest for even a single moment. The more of the technique he erased, the harder it seemed to fight. He hadn't slept in two months, instead spending every waking moment in endless amounts of pain and strife.

He felt better about the situation, though, knowing that Ri was by his side. And, he had benefited from this experience in ways only he knew… For now.

"Should I really go?" Ri looked at Dyon who had closed his eyes long ago. She knew that Dyon wanted her to go to the world tournament, and she also knew that her participation was highly important for the Elvin Kingdom's prestige as well, but she was torn.

Things like revenge and prestige could wait, but Dyon only had one life. If something happened while Ri was gone, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

That said, Ri knew she wasn't thinking rationally. There were three thousand demon generals here. And a thousand of them were saints! How could she protect Dyon more than they could? But, a lot of the time, love wasn't rational.

Seeing Dyon struggle like this, tears threatened to spill out of Ri's eyes for what seemed like the millionth time. But, she accepted it. "Okay, Okay. Stop moving. I'll go. I'll go."

Although Ri didn't say it, there was something else she was worrying about. Dyon and Connery Sapientia had a scheduled a match for the closing of the first day of the world tournament. But, it was clear that whatever Dyon was doing, just wasn't enough to be ready by the end of tomorrow. How would Connery react when Dyon doesn't show up?

Friendship won't feel the same. Love won't feel the same. Family… Won't feel the same." Patia-Neva spoke faintly as he guided Delia again and again through a cultivation path.

This was a mountain peak that few had ever been on. In fact, it was a mountain peak that wasn't found on Earth… Instead, it was found on an asteroid in a place known as the ice belt.

This was a ring of asteroids found in the solar system that housed Planet Naiad – the former home of the Patia-Neva Royal God Clan that had now been replaced by the Clyte Royal God Clan.

In the past, when their universe had reigned supreme over all others in this quadrant, the ice belt was known as the ultimate place to learn ice will. This wasn't just because of its environment. The ice belt was a house to a copious amount of ice abyssal cores making it highly efficient to learn ice will here.

However, over time, this had become a long-forgotten place. It wasn't until Patia-Neva rediscovered it and used it to propel himself toward becoming the expert he was today that it began to be used again.

The truth was that as a formerly highly noted universe, their home housed numerously inactive abyssal core sites. The problem was that since those places had once been restricted and kept secret by powerful clans, once those clans died out due to the wars, the smaller clans didn't have the necessary knowledge to find those sacred places. In fact, even if they had the location, very few would survive the harsh realities of it.

If Patia-Neva wasn't there to shield Delia from not only much of the will given off by the ridiculous number of abyssal cores, but to also protect her from the harsh realities of space, she would have died. It was impossible to survive in space without the cultivation of a saint or if you didn't have devices to protect yourself. In fact, Patia-Neva himself almost died the first time he came here despite having already been a saint.

Back in Patia-Neva's younger years, he had always been curious. The Patia-Neva clan had a weird affinity. They held dual blood lines for both nature wills and ice wills. These seemed completely opposing and odd to be found in one lineage.

However, overtime, Patia-Neva came to learn that while their nature wills were natural and stemmed from birth, their ice wills had a semblance of artificiality to them which cause Patia-Neva to wonder… Why?

Afterwards, he hypothesized that there must be a strong source of ice will nearby that was giving them this boost and that since the Patia-Neva were amongst the oldest clans of Planet Naiad, they showed the most drastic effects of this strong source of ice will.

Unfortunately, Patia-Neva couldn't have been more right. But, his path toward protecting his secret had led to the destruction of his clan, the separation of his family and years of pain he could only blame himself for.

That day, when he first stepped foot on the asteroid, he met the only woman he had ever loved other than Delia's mother. Unfortunately, she had already promised herself to another man, never giving Patia-Neva a chance.

If it wasn't for her, Patia-Neva would have died without even knowing how it had happened. That day, he gained not only a fresh look on life, but also friends he would continue to protect to this day.

"Your birthday is soon, hm Little Lyla? What do you want?" Ri happily picked up Lyla in her arms. She had always treated Lyla like her little sister, and since she had become Dyon's wife, that relationship had only grown stronger.

Zaire wrapped his small arms around Ri's waist after catching up, seemingly looking for some love too. Ri couldn't help but giggle again while rubbing his black hair, thankful she had such kind younger siblings.

"But big sister, we missed big brother Dyon and Zaire's birthdays, we can't celebrate mine first." Little Lyla pouted, clearly dissatisfied with how busy everyone had been.

Ri looked a little saddened by this. It was likely that Little Lyla already understood that Dyon was incapacitated, but, that didn't excuse them missing Zaire's birthday.

Uncle Acacia had come to pick them up weeks before because Dyon had a feeling that things might get dangerous – and he had ended up being right. But, that unfortunately meant they couldn't celebrate either Dyon's or Zaire's birthdays which were only a couple weeks apart.

Luckily, Little Lyla was picky, so she happily agreed. In fact, she was more excited about watching the world tournament. She had been heavily influenced by Zaire, and since Zaire loved the idea of fighting tournaments so much, she too wanted to see how cool it was.

If Little Lyla knew that Zaire's love of such things came from movies that Dyon had watched with him while he was in beast form, who knows how she'd react.

"You've started to ignore you uncle, little girl." Uncle Acacia walked up, displaying a pouting face that shouldn't have been anywhere near the features of an expert as powerful as him. But, his love for Ri was never something he had faked.

"Uncle, don't be like that. You ran away so fast last time we saw you we didn't even have a chance to ask you to stay for a bit!" Ri glared at her Uncle, still trying to understand just what had had him so flustered all those weeks ago.

"Ri?" A girl with sandy blond hair and light brown eyes opened the door. This was, of course, Venus. After so many weeks of recovery and her little brother's constant care, many of the Viridi family had fully recovered.

Venus smiled politely, even slightly bowing. The truth was that she was still uncomfortable in this situation. She had awoken a few weeks ago, but it was odd for people in the martial world to be so… Nice. If it wasn't for Eli's pleading, the Viridi family likely would have found a way to leave and attempt to repay their debts in another way.

But, Ri definitely didn't mind. She had spent much of her time in the spatial ring along with Dyon and as such had left the house to the Viridi to do with what they pleased. With their freedom bought and the money Dyon provided, they could essentially go their whole lives without another worry. However, because they had spent so long in slavery, their ability to trust had all but disappeared.

Ri, understanding this, didn't push or prod. She allowed their family the space they wanted and only asked that they not leave too soon, or else they wouldn't have the demon generals to protect them. If the Ragnor God Clan was malicious enough, there was always the chance of them being caught again and resold into slavery.

"I was just wondering if it would be possible to take me with you to the tournament." Venus asked shyly. Her voice was soft, and she had lost much of her assertive demeanor. After all, she had once been used to being called a genius – a top ranked member of the big sects. But now? She didn't feel as though she had a right to be that person anymore..

Ri knew that it would be dangerous taking Venus. After all, Dyon couldn't show up today even though he was technically meant to fight for their freedom. Who knows if Connery would try and use that as an opportunity to take away Venus?

But, Ri decided to trust in the strength of the Elves. She had been looking for a way to get Venus to step out of her shell recently, having seen how reserved she was. This was a good opportunity.

Seeing this, and not truly understanding the situation, Uncle Acacia decided to remain silent. But, when he noticed a striking lack of Dyon, he couldn't help but ask. "Is Dyon coming with us?"

A sad smile appeared on Ri's features, "He's hurt, right now. He'll heal up hopefully by the time he's called to the stage. He doesn't have to fight until the group stages are over, so he has quite a few days."

Although the tournament was usually won by peak essence gathering experts, there were still awards for top performing meridian formation experts as well as foundation stage experts. This was because the world tournament only took place once every hundred years because of the difficulty in gathering all of the planets together. As such, it was best to allow as many talents as possible to shine through as opposed to only the ones lucky enough to be born at the optimal time.

In the past, saints used to be a part of the world tournament as well. But, with the decline of the universe, it ceased making sense. After all, the world tournament was meant to be a comparison of young talent so a universe could gain an understanding of its future leaders. This also helped with things like negotiations. There were even times where overwhelming young generation talents could decide whether a clan became a Royal or even King God clan without warring at all.

However, in the universe's current landscape, saint level experts were already elders – having long lost the right to be called youths. So, the tournaments were held to essence gathering experts.

That said, because of the sheer number of experts that fell into these categories, the group stages took the longest amount of time. As such, it also left Dyon with some good time to hopefully get better.

But, hearing that Dyon was injured but getting better didn't make Uncle Acacia feel any better. Because if it was a normal injury, it was likely that Dyon would have told him about it personally… The fact he hadn't meant that he couldn't. Which, wasn't a good sign.

"Alright." Uncle Acacia smiled, choosing to let it go for now, "Let's go. Your kingdom is waiting for you. After all, how can the Elves show up without their little princess?"

That same morning, Madeleine awoke. Or, more accurately, she opened her eyes from meditation. She had been too excited to sleep for at least the last week.

For martial artists, cleanliness was almost always maintained at its peak as long as energy or body cultivation was present. But, often times, some experts, especially women, preferred to clean themselves the old-fashioned way.

Madeleine hadn't seen Dyon in two years now, and with her new hair and eye color change, she was a bit apprehensive about how she'd be received. This was, of course, ridiculous to many people. After all, Madeleine was among the greatest beauties in existence. To then still be worried about how she looked would make many call her crazy. But, again, love wasn't always rational.

Making sure to clean every inch of herself, Madeleine's small hands glided across her flawless skin, down her long legs and even into her luscious and flowing dark purple hair.

Madeleine's hair was now such a dark shade of purple that it was nearly identical to its original brunette, but, when the sun hit it just right, a shocking a radiant beauty would be clear to all.

After reaching her room, Madeleine diligently coated her skin with fragrant oils. She had gotten these from the Sapientia auction house on her trip away and she was quite happy with the lavender smell. It also held a hint of strawberry that Madeleine thought Dyon would like. Then, she took out a dress she had only worn once.

It was among the first things Dyon had ever gifted her. It was a long white qipao with a single leg slit. It was embroidered in a beautiful gold, but maybe most impressively, it was a transcendent level treasure.

The dress resized itself to cling ever so closely to Madeleine's perfect curves before she sat in front of her mirror to elegantly twist her hair in a perfect bun – held together by the hair pin Dyon had also gifted her.

Satisfied with her appearance, a brilliant smile spread across Madeleine's soft lips before she headed to her door and stepped out. But, before she could head in the direction of where her master was likely waiting, she found a man that often made her very uncomfortable to be around – Connery Sapientia.

Connery waved his hand, "There's no need to be so formal, Madeleine. You're our first in line genius, the most likely to take my place. You should see me as you see your master – a parent. A father if you will."

Madeleine smiled politely but didn't answer. It wasn't the first time Connery had said this, but she made it a point to not get too close with this man. She could tell what kind of person he was, and it wasn't the kind she liked. Dyon helped people regardless of whether they'd be useful to him in the end, but Connery was the exact opposite. He would throw you away at a moment's notice and just as easily accept you back without an ounce of shame.

Seeing Madeleine's reservation, Connery didn't think much of it. He was pragmatic and didn't really care whether or not Madeleine truly like him, what he cared about was whether she was still a Sapientia and could be useful.

"As you know Madeleine, the Sapientia aren't known for their battle prowess, but that doesn't mean we're weak. Often time we hold back for the sake of allowing our clan to be ubiquitous. Only in that way can we touch the most number of places and perform the most amount of research.

I've read your papers on music will. They're quite profound and it's clear it's a love for you. You're the perfect representation of what a Sapientia should be." Connery lightly smiled.

Many months ago, Madeleine had been sending messages to Dyon about his misinterpretation of music will. In fact, it was due to Madeleine's help that Dyon had won the debate against Zaltarish as he himself had admitted.

The help that Madeleine had provided was as a result of her poring through relevant literature and putting things to the test herself. As a member of the Sapientia family, it was of course her duty to contribute to research. So, she often chose to do so with music will.

In reality, if Madeleine researched purity type wills instead, her impact would have been tens if not hundreds of times of what it was with music will. After all, her affinity for purity was nearly unmatched. However, there were two reasons she had never done so.

For one, she felt like there was a barrier between her and the Sapientia family. The idea of contributing her best just didn't sit well with her. It was easier on her conscience to study a will very few people could learn.

The second reason was because music will was something she could use to connect with Dyon. Many of their first talks had been about music will, so it held a special place in her heart.

"I came to wish you luck today, but to also remind you of what it is you're representing. I'm not asking you to win, after all, you're only seventeen. And, even if you were older, the Sapientia don't put much stock in such victories.

I only want you to be mindful of the Sapientia image. Don't let your emotions get out of balance, and always remember to maintain the strictest sense of comradery. It's important that our family continue to be viewed as friendly and non-confrontational. You will be inheriting my position when you've matured, so you must remember this." With those final words, Connery disappeared, leaving Madeleine alone in the corridor.

Connery's words were true. The reason the Sapientia were allowed to permeate throughout the universes was because they were seen as completely non-confrontational. Although they too sent their young to the gates, they never took advantage to conquer entire universes – they only used negotiations to further spread their clan without any malicious intent.

After enough years, this had become a fact for everyone and it was the reason why although the Sapientia were seen as among the most powerful clans in existence, they were also the weakest.

That said, it was still important that the Sapientia maintained at least a semblance of strength. So, the display of their first-in-line genius was also important…

Madeleine stood in the corridor, clenching and relaxing her fists. Her face held a calm sense of neutrality – something that she had learned to maintain over her years here – but, her heart was in turmoil.

Soon, Madeleine entered a grand hall almost too large to describe in words. In typical Sapientia fashion, the round hall had its walls coated in endless amount of books and pillars.

In the center, Madeleine noticed a large amount of Sapientia youths waiting. Some were older than her and some were young, but they all immediately showed signs of respect with her approach.

Since the Sapientia were often times not blood related, the reaction to Madeleine's beauty was even more apparent today than it usually was. It was clear that something was different about today and only Airic and her master Ester picked up on it.

That said, while Airic had become quite fond of Dyon because he was so impressed by his tactics, Ester was a completely different story. But, she chose to hold her tongue and emotions in for now. Well, that was until Airic's words nearly made her cough up blood.

"Ah, Sister Madeleine. You're dressed very nicely today, Dyon will be very happy!" Airic's usual scholarly self was very enthusiastic today. He wanted an opportunity to get close to Dyon so that he could discuss the logistics of military tactics.

If people knew that that was the reason someone wanted to get close to a first-in-line genius, they might assume them to be weird. That said, Madeleine, knowing full well what Airic's personality was like couldn't help but chuckle. He had definitely improved her mood.

Seeing their normally serious first-in-line genius hop with happiness, many of the surrounding youths didn't know what to think. In fact, Ester nearly self-imploded when she heard Madeleine refer to Dyon as her husband.

That said, Airic didn't seem fazed. "Dyon's military tactics are some of the most innovative things I've ever seen! Remember the Phantus God Clan and their scaled elephants that you fought in your first campaign?"

Madeleine nodded happily, remembering back to how difficult it had been to deal with. Not only had they needed her music will, they needed to overrun them with sheer numbers. But, Madeleine, being a music will expert, was very much aware that Dyon's music will wasn't suited to that tactic. So, how had he done it?

"Dyon managed to find the scaled elephant's weakness to cold! Then he coordinated just one thousand men to eliminate 10 prince elephants and 1 king elephant! And that was on top of taking out ten thousand Phantus Clan warriors, 10 vice commanders and a commander!

And the best part? All he did was throw a javelin!" Airic got more and more animated as he explained. Eventually, the entire hall was listening to the recounting of Dyon's feats.

Madeleine couldn't help but smiling broadly at her husband's success in just his first campaign. But, she wondered. 'He did much more than me during my first campaign… But, I was ranked in the top 100 after my first, why isn't he higher?'

Although Madeleine was now ranked in the top 20, after her first campaign, she had only been in the top 100. But, even then, she had done much less than Dyon. So, why wasn't he ranked?

Madeleine had looked for Ri's name too. But, although she had seen an Alexandria Acacia, she hadn't found a Ri Acacia. She wasn't sure whether that was Ri or not because Dyon always referred to Ri as either that, or little feu glace which Madeleine found adorable.

Madeleine didn't know much about the Elves, but what she did know was that many of them were on Planet Naiad when she had gone. After all, that was a better place for peak essence gatherers to fight because the competition was tougher. And, it was also the planet with the closest ties to Earth. As such, there were plenty of elves on the list she didn't know by name.

"Ah, you may not know this because you've been diligently cultivation for the past two months," Airic praised, "But rumors say that Dyon is actually the demon sage! Number one, can you believe that! And, I hear that he's also the one who created the Queen Fairy pill that our alchemy researchers have been studying for the past almost year now!"

At this point, even Madeleine was stunned. She knew that Dyon would make a name for himself, but to this extent? She couldn't help but happily laugh. 'I should never doubt you.' She thought. 'Then, I'll take your words seriously. Don't make me wait long then…'

The sections of space were separated by both planet and clan, with more powerful clans being situated in VIP areas that often cut off the view of those on the highest reaches of the stands. As such, there were monitors anchored to the back of these VIP areas, but it was clear that this wasn't the ideal experience.

Aside from the stands, there was another set of VIP seating on the lowest floor level. This housed the members for both the cumulative rankings, and the planet only rankings. As such, the cumulative rankers received better service and seats while the lower ranking planet only rankers still received good treatment, but less so. Although, there was one cumulative ranker spot that seemed to be a quite a bit lacking…

"Don't worry about the reason. All you have to do is say something along the lines of 'In the interest of fairness, we'll be replacing our naming system with randomly assigned numbers via array plates'. I've already prepared them all, all you have to do is hand them out."

"What are you talking about? The Belmont family had no hand in organizing this, it was left to the Cavositas. That's why it's taking place in Arena City and not the Belmont holy land.

Just do as you're told, and you'll be rewarded. Be sure to never say names. You can give the clans ways to track the numbers relevant to them, but don't allow them to share that information amongst themselves. Just say it'll be grounds for instant disqualification or something like that."

This person wanted them to change the whole structure of the tournament and completely remove names from the equation. It seemed like a harmless request and on the surface it did seem to make things more fair – there would probably be less forfeits this way since most had information attached to names and not faces – but something about how adamant they were made everything… fishy.

In the Sapientia hall, whispers and animated talks about Airic's story spread along with rumors about just who this boy was to Madeleine. It wasn't as though Madeleine hadn't seen talented young men before, so they could hardly understand why she seemed to be so interested in this one in particular.

However, Ester, Madeleine's master, found all of this decidedly less funny – even to the point where she found the first opportunity just as everyone mounted large golden eagles, to pull Madeleine off to the side.

"You fully understand what the problem is. You've gone from saying you like this boy to loving him to calling him your fiancée and now your husband? Did you take my words seriously at all?" Ester didn't seem happy. In fact, she rarely used her air of an expert to intimidate Madeleine, but right now, saint energy was imperceptibly dripping from her.

However, Madeleine only smiled and continued to elegantly step onto the large bird, "I seem to remember you saying that after spending a few months with the prince I would change my mind?"

Not wanting the conversation to go further, Madeleine found her way to the carriage strapped to the large feathered back and sat quietly – eagerly anticipating the coming days.

Hearing Madeleine's words, Ester was at a loss for her own. It was true she had said those things, and a large part of her actually believed it. But, it was clear that she was wrong.

Ester had no idea about this demon sage that Airic had mentioned and she found it quite ridiculous that a child from the human world would ever be number one on their rankings. As such, she chose to focus on Airic's mention of these things as rumors, dismissing them entirely.

Over the past few weeks, Ester's heart had been in turmoil. Something was distracting her and it was heavily weighing on her mind even to the point where she hardly fulfilled her duties. She hadn't even guided Madeleine's cultivation in all this time. All of this made her feel as though she let her personal issues get in the way of properly disciplining her disciple, so, she stepped forward to do what she thought was right.

The reason why Ester had become Madeleine's master in the first place was because she too loved the idea of music will. Although Ester herself wasn't very proficient, in her hundreds of years of trying, she had finally managed to get her music will to the third level.

Because of her clear lack of talent for the will, Ester had focused her pursuits in other ways, trying to find any possible avenues for improving music will. During that time, she had stumbled on something… But, unfortunately, it had the direct opposite effect – instead, stifling one's voice.

Taking out a small black pill, Ester entered the carriage she alone shared with Madeleine. "Swallow this." She said sternly, not leaving any room for debate.

"It's a preventative measure." Ester continued to maintain her righteous air. If she had to play the villain, then she would play the villain.

Ester couldn't tell Madeleine what she knew unless she wanted to die. Any words spoken even remotely related to the subject resulted in years off of one's life and that wasn't something Ester was willing to do. She would rather Madeleine hate her as she forced her to listen than have Madeleine drive down a path that would without a doubt result in death.

"That doesn't answer my question." Madeleine's brows furrowed. More and more off-put by this person she was supposed to be able to trust. Just what was she trying to do?

Ester didn't answer, instead making a movement with her hand to lock Madeleine in place with saint energy. Because of the difference in their cultivation, as long as energy was properly focused, the ability of the weaker martial artist to control their own flow of energy is disrupted, thus causing a temporary paralysis.

Madeleine's gaze burned into her master as soon as she lost her ability to move. Up until now, through all of the things her master had said about the love of her life, Madeleine had still forgiven it. It had seemed like Ester still wanted the best for Madeleine and that she was at the very least still going to give them a chance should Dyon prove himself enough.

This was the only person in this terrible family that had ever stuck up for Madeleine. When her talent was at its peak, and Connery wanted to use that to spread the influence of the Sapientia, it was Ester that had tried to protect her. When her talent was declining and she could no longer cultivate, it was Ester that tried to protect her. When she had been sent away, ostracized by a place that had once accepted her – a place that had once called her a genius – it was Ester that had protected her.

So, despite her love for Dyon, Madeleine had forgiven her master again and again. When Ester said Dyon was no good, she forgave. When Ester had said Dyon would never match up to their best young geniuses, she forgave. When Ester had sent her away to another planet to essentially be pimped out to a prince, she forgave. But, now? There was nothing but hatred in Madeleine's eyes.

She could only watch as the small black pill was forced between her delicate lips. Her complexion, once rosy and the picture of perfection slightly paled, her pink lips discoloring ever so slightly. One could barely tell the difference, but Madeleine very much felt it.

And the worst part? When Madeleine finally felt the hold of saint energy release, she couldn't speak. She couldn't express how angry she was and she couldn't tell this so-called master of hers that she would never see her as a master again. If it wasn't for the fact that this trip might give her a chance to at least catch a glance at Dyon, she would have fought with her everything to not be in the same carriage as this horrible woman.

In the end, her eyes could only glisten with tears of rage and hatred. She suddenly realized she could no longer access her music will. The will she loved the most. The will that connected her with her love… It was gone.

Madeleine turned away, looking outside at what should have been a beautiful day to only see black and white. The Sapientia family would never be her family again.

Madeleine's master looked down at her disciple even as the golden eagle took off into the air. But, in the end, she said nothing – choosing to sit and turn her attention elsewhere.

King Belmont had many children and he treated them all well, not neglecting any one of them. Or, more accurately, maybe neglecting them all equally.

That said, as the royal family and the technical hosts of this tournament, it was their obligation to be presentable even though only two of their own were participating today – the only Belmont's of this generation: Elwing and Lionel.

"Big Red! You shouldn't be so angry, this is a grand event!" King Belmont happily chatted with Head Sicarius who seemed to be in a very bad mood.

He was nothing like a king right now. He had an adorable little baby girl dressed in a purple dress that matched her hair, hanging from he cheek and shoulder as he walked along with everyone else toward their flying ship – something that looked a lot like a solid metal blimp.

"Louis, I've never been so angry. When did I raise such a useless son!" Big Red's voice boomed. He wasn't a quiet man, but considering Arios, his elder brother Riley and Ava were following directly behind them, he didn't need to yell so loudly for the person his anger was aimed toward to hear.

Arios could only bitterly smile. Weeks ago, Arios had already been allowed by Dyon to come back and spend time with his family. After seeing how powerful he had become, Head Sicarius became more excited about that than the fact his son was alive! But, when his father began eagerly asking him to take part in the world tournament and make the Sicarius name shine, Arios kept declining! And in the end, he finally told his father about Dyon and how he was sworn to serve under him for the rest of his life.

Hearing the name Dyon, Big Red hadn't known how to feel. He had of course seen this child from afar before. At the time, he hadn't liked the influence he had had on his daughter, although that feeling was quite hypocritical considering how many wives he had. It was something he was quite proud of too, considering. In the human world, red hair was a recessive gene, but Sicarius liked to think his seed was so dominant that it didn't matter who his wife was, his child would always come out with flaming red hair.

But, not only had Arios come back with white hair, he had agreed to serve under someone! And even worse, he had reminded his own father, his own father! That he too served under someone – namely King Belmont.

"Ah, don't be like that. Your son finally came back! And better yet, look at how he's grown. He's already far more powerful than you were at his age and you placed second at that world tournament, no? Maybe that means your son would place first!" King Belmont laughed happily as he took his first wife, Queen Belmont, both Elwing and Lionel's mother, by the hand to lead her up the stairs of the ship.

Seeing this intimate action, Ava and Arios' mother, Big Red's first wife, glared at her loud husband before turning away and grabbing onto her returning son's arm. "Come, little Arios. Let mommy spoil you. I don't want you fighting in this stupid tournament."

Arios could only chuckle. His mother had probably dealt with the most pain aside from Ava. He was happy to do her bidding even if his father was angry. In reality, this was the true reason he wasn't participating. He knew that in the future, he would be going off to do more dangerous things, so he wanted to give his mother some comfort for now.

"Ah, come here." Mistress Sicarius was a loving lady, even bringing along Riley with the three of them and completely ignoring Big Red – much to his disgruntlement.

Off on the distant ice belt, cold winds viciously blew – but, they were far from the normal winds. After all, being on an asteroid in the middle of space, with only distance blackness and the faint round spheres of planets to look out to, there shouldn't have been an atmosphere to produce winds. But, the ice belt had near limitless uniqueness.

The winds were produced from kernels of pure ice will. With every bit of biting cold that Delia suffered, the stronger she felt she became. In the end, her constitution was being awakened more and more.

The constitution awakening pill was but a catalyst. It was meant to be a blanket and artificial solution to awakening one's constitution. However, as Dyon's grand teacher had made clear, array alchemy was not always around and as such, neither were pill formulas.

In the time before Dyon's grand teacher's first disciple, and Dyon's senior brother, had broken into his peak and created array alchemy, this was the way to awaken a constitution. It required time, patience, and grueling amount of pain in addition to nature's favor. And, that was exactly what Delia had now.

Her hair was a striking and blinding white that seemed to glow with undertones of the lightest shades of blue. Her eyes were such a cold and solid blue that they seemed to pierce everything she look at as though she was looking through it as opposed to at it.

She experienced cultivation breakthrough after cultivation breakthrough. In the end, she was almost unrecognizable as her beauty reached new heights with every barrier her constitution released.

Seeing his daughter's transformation complete, Patia-Neva could only sigh, covering her in a barrier and allowing her skin to return to its normal healthy olive. But, something had remained changed. Her hazel green eyes were decidedly colder and the improvement in her beauty was permanent.

"Remember," Patia-Neva whispered as he prepared to send Delia back to Earth. "Our family's namesake is something you should hold dear. The day you understand what it means, is the day you'll have surpassed my understanding…

The stadium was no longer anything like it had been earlier that morning. The bustling of the fans, the loud shouts and laughter, the excited chattering, all permeated the air with a feeling of comradery and anticipation. This was a once in a century event, and even though many martial artists lived far longer than that, there was no question that this was still a long time for many.

Tens of millions of eager observers were in the stands. Only people from Earth were here, but the broadcast of the tournament was projected to every planet. After all, travel accommodations were already difficult. As such, this was the best solution.

However, this time was among the best for the observers in terms of the first few days. This was because much of the fights during the first few days would be among no names with no real chance of ranking highly. These were people from lowly clans that hoped to raise themselves up and earn more resources for their Royal God Clans, or lone cultivators who hoped to earn their place in clans that accepted outsiders like the Cavositas or the Sapientia. As a result, the first few days wouldn't be nearly as entertaining as the last few days, so watching and observing the large clans and high ranked members walk in was the most fun.

Yet, to the surprise of many, there were no name announcements as there had been in the past. People were left to make assumptions about how powerful people and clans were depending on their seating arrangement. Although some found this odd, it wasn't enough to complain about, especially since the powerful clans never paid attention to such things. In the end, only the commoners suffered.

The four planets had arrived long before the clans of Earth. This made sense since they were being hosted. So, they were arranged first in four different corners of the arena, completely separated. However, even clans from the same planet were so far apart that they couldn't interact with each other. After all, their goal was to beat each other as well. The only reason they were arranged like this was for the benefit of the audience.

These miscellaneous clans included smaller branch families of the God Clans as well as academies as small or even larger than Focus Academy. They also housed sects like the big sect alliance.

While the God Clan level characters were housed in VIP areas in sky boxes, the miscellaneous sects and clans were only granted stand seats that were a bit closer to the action than observers.

The floor of the coliseum was spread into groups of the youngest and brightest the planets had to offer. Ignoring the seating arrangement of their planets, the ranked geniuses were left to mingle amongst each other. However, that didn't stop them from separating themselves into their clans and keeping amongst themselves.

Ri, however, wasn't in the best of moods despite how her best friend, Primrose, and her new found friends, Mithrandir, Celine and Opal tried to console her. Unfortunately, it wasn't Dyon's plight that caused her current ill feelings, although that likely made things worse.

Just a few hours before, she had helped welcome their Elvin seniors. As Dyon had noted, the peak essence gathering elves trained and campaigned on Planet Naiad because the Earth gate was never taken seriously by the Uidah universe. This allowed them the experience of fighting with opponents on their level without being completely outclassed.

Unfortunately, though, this meant that many of them only heard second and third hand accounts about what had happened to the Elvin Kingdom in their absence. As such, they didn't know what to believe and thought much of it was exaggerated. But, aside from downplaying Dyon's deeds, they still continued to hold their prejudice for the Acacia family and as such, still disrespected Ri despite her role as their princess.

Akash, Zaltarish, and many others adamantly defended Ri, even describing her selfless deeds during her first campaign, but many of their so-called seniors remained callused, even when reprimanded by the elders of their own families. Sometimes seeing was believing, and they had just not seen.

That said, there were only two who were strikingly opposed to Ri, and maybe much of their issue was that they both happened to be female… The male Elves had come around quite quickly, much to their ire. Ri didn't care that her beauty was awarding her privileges she hadn't had before, what she did care about was the fact that that's what it took to bring the Elves together. It was pathetic.

Clarice Grimbold and Fiore Norville. Ri had added them to her list. She didn't want revenge from them, but what she did want was their enlightenment. And maybe, just maybe, her fists would be what it took.

Ri's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden booming voice. She hadn't even noticed when they had all found their way to their seats, but it seemed that every genius had arrived. She scanned the crowd looking for her targets, her eyes cold.

"WELCOMING THE PROTECTORS OF OUR PLANET. THE GUARDS OF THE SHADOWS. THE FLAMES OF OUR PASSION. THE SENTINELS OF OUR ROYAL GOD CLAN: THE SICARIUS!" A senior with cultivation of at least the mid-saint level flashed into the air, projecting out his voice with saint energy so wide and far that his words seemed to pierce everyone's soul.

A large metal blimp appeared in the air as tongues of flames appeared to its side, carrying a family of red-haired devils to the foremost sky box. Everyone noticed the young man with white hair, but no one had time to comment on it before the senior continued.

"NOW INTRODUCING THE ROYALS OF ALL ROYALS. THE BACKBONE OF OUR EARTH. THE HOLY LAND PROTECTORS OF OUR ANCESTORS. THE BELMONT CLAN OF LEGENDS!"

This time, there was nothing normal about the flames. The heat was so profound and permeating that those of weaker cultivation shied away, feeling as though they'd be burnt to a crisp.

Fire works of red and blue flames jetted out, curling in on each other and wrapping in the air before exploding in fires of violet as a deep seeded pressure coated the arena.

King Belmont's childish appearance had completely disappeared. His face was stoic and calm. His purple hair waved wildly in the air as his every step seemed to trample the hearts of those watching.

This was no longer a normal event, and this was most definitely not a normal family. This was the Belmont family. The Royal God Clan of Earth.

The crowd cheered loudly. The Belmonts and the Sicarius were in a lot of ways their heroes. The other clans had come here by negotiation and some were old enough to remember times where no one had ever heard of the Ragnor or the Pakal, or at the very least old enough to have elders who reminded them of this fact in their youth. But, the Belmonts and Sicarius were examples of clans that used to be weaker that rose themselves up to the great heights they were at today. They were the hope of everyone there and the people they were the most loyal to. In fact, many had been in these very seats when they watched the epic final battle between Big Red and King Belmont all those years ago.

That battle had lasted for days, and yet no one had left their seats. In the end, King Belmont won, pushing Big Red to second place. But, what made that battle so memorable wasn't the length or the entertainment. It was rather the sportsmanship they showed at the end. They were close friends even to this day!

At that time, Big Red had been a no name from a backwater Sicarius clan near the edge of the continent and King Belmont had been the first prince of the already established Belmont. But, they had come together anyway. This was why King Belmont was loved so dearly. He was a king that truly placed what was important first. He didn't care about Big Red's background, he only cared about his character.

After waiting patiently for the Belmonts and Sicarius to situate themselves, the elder turned his attention to the crowd as the blimp floated away.

This elder was actually a true elder of a God Clan. He was known as Elder Er Cavositas, and one would be right to think he was at least a mid level saint. This was because, in reality, he was a peak level saint with faint hopes of becoming a celestial. But, that hope was exactly that. Faint.

"As you all know," The elder began, "The world tournament isn't just about making a powerful display. We're also here to entertain – if we weren't, you all wouldn't be here!"

"The privilege of planning this grand event has been past onto us Cavositas. With our rich history of arena and fight clubs in Arena City, you can bet that we have great things planned for the following weeks!

Not only will we be providing food and side entertainment for all of you, we'll also be organizing evening events that give you all more opportunities to see your favorite warriors from afar!"

Cheering filled the stadium again, the booming voices really made it sound as though the entire planet was shaking. The impact of tens of millions in just one space was too great.

This year we have grand competitors. The top ten are more lethal than they have ever been, and the five beauties are unmatched through generations! In fact, between you and me." The elder leaned in as though he was speaking to someone privately, "I hear there's the appearance of a sixth beauty to match them!"

"Better yet, there have been the rise of unprecedented young geniuses. It's best to not solely focus your eyes on the top ten to win the essence gathering awards this year, or else you'll miss out on all the young talents who simply haven't had the time to participate in enough campaigns yet!

In fact, this year we'll be adding a new rule to make sure you're all paying attention! The competitors will no longer be known by their names, they will from now on be referred to by their numbers!"

The elder spread his arms out causing hundreds of thousands of array tracking plates to appear in the air before they set off to their designated person. In the end, every registered participant received a plate. There was only a single one left with the elder, but, having expected this, he twirled it in his finger, a sinister smile playing on his face.

"With this new rule change, there will be less forfeits and more action! Not just that, but lower tier clans have a higher chance of succeeding because more prepared clans won't be able to prepare for them in advance! This makes the matches much more fair and will make the entertainment just that much more great!"

"Unfortunately, though. As you all can see, there's just one plate that hasn't been accounted for." The elder continued to twirl it in his fingers, allowing the monitors to focus in on his hands.

Ri froze at these words, 'This was planned!' Anger began rising in her heart as she felt Primrose's hand slip into hers, trying to reassure her.

At that same moment, Madeleine sat in the VIP sky box. She was technically meant to be amongst the geniuses, but, if she went down without the ability to speak, 'it would taint the image of the Sapientia' as her former master put it. As such, she was forced to stay here. But, she knew the real reason… The real reason was so that she couldn't see Dyon…

But, when she heard the words of the elder, a small pang of distress inconceivably hit her. 'Could it be?' Unfortunately, the more the elder continued to speak, the more and more sure Madeleine became that this missing person was in fact Dyon…

As you all may have realized, there's a newcomer by the name of the demon sage that topped the list in just one campaign!" The elder paused, allowing for the cheers to erupt before he stopped them. "Ah, ah. Don't be so quick to cheer.

We came to find out through the guild headquarters leader, the honorable Connery Sapientia, that this demon sage was actually a genius array alchemist! Because he had some small affinity for formations, he was lucky enough to stumble upon a way to manipulate the tracking devices and push himself past more deserving warriors to the number one spot!"

Shock reigned through the arena before boos began to fly. This was the ultimate form of shamelessness. The crowd was easily riled up by the words of the elder.

"Of course, this perpetrator categorically denies ever taking such actions, but who are we meant to believe? A person willing to cheat the hard work of those around him? Or a man like Connery Sapientia? A man who was once and still is an orphan. A man who was forced to name his own self. A man who this very day, stands before you all, as the head of the array alchemy and Sapientia God Clans of our universe!"

The elder laughed. "Well, those who were present agree with you all too. So, in a last and desperate bid to cover his trail, this supposed demon sage challenged the honorable Connery Sapientia to a match. Claiming that should he lose, he would slave for the Sapientia for the rest of his life. And should he win, he would prove that he should be believed above the honorable Sapientia."

Laughter rang through the crowd. Beat the head of the guild headquarters? What kind of ridiculous notion was that? They saw the demon sage's act as pitiful.

Ri balled her fists, causing Primrose to wince in pain as she felt her small hand being crushed. 'They completely ignored the Viridi! And how Dyon didn't cheat! Dammit!'

Copious boos rang out from the crowd. Not only had this demon sage lied and cheated, he was a coward. And, worst yet, without him here, the entertainment that had been planned was ruined! They would have loved to see this demon sage lose!

In the other planet section, Eboni was chuckling to herself along with Ode. Even still Ulu was chuckling as well. Although Dyon not being here didn't bode well, it wasn't as though he left the planet. If worst came to worst, she could just wait for their elders to finish the important mission they had, then use their soul expertise to track him down.

"That said, we did prepare at least a small punishment for him." Pointing toward the VIP area kept exclusively for members of the top ten, the elder focused on the area reserved for number one: the demon sage.

Where there were meant to be luxurious couches houses broken wooden benches. Where there was meant to be top of the line food housed moldy and cockroach infested breads and cheeses. And finally, where the sign that was meant to read 'Demon Sage' hung, it was spray painted over with the words 'The Cowardly Demon.'

As a finishing touch, the Cavositas had hired an artist to paint Dyon's likeness before blowing it up to be a large 15 by 15 meter poster. Then used it as the floor of a farm animal pen they housed in the very same area.

Hearing the words of the elder, Arios stood violently. If his mother hadn't been a martial expert in her own right, it would have been likely that she would have been hurt.

This wasn't just about destroying Dyon's legacy, the demon sage's name was being dragged through the mud. Not only had Dyon saved Arios' life, but even before that, the demon sage had become like a father to Arios. To see what was transpiring now made Arios' vision go red.

Off to the side, Lionel took note of this reaction and King Belmont watched silently. Although he was king, what was happening now was out of his control. In addition to that, this entire event was meant to be a test for Dyon. Although it had clearly gotten out of hand, this was the martial world. The truth behind what Dyon was facing was far beyond this. If he couldn't even manage to show up, then he had already lost.

"I'm participating." Arios' eyes burned with rage. His father's touch was doing nothing to calm him. In fact, he knew very well how his father would react had it been him in this position, and it wouldn't have been anywhere near as calm.

However, what Arios didn't know was that Big Red was privy to the same information that King Belmont was. Big Red hadn't been mad that Arios was a subordinate, but rather, about who he was a subordinate to. He had just gotten his son back and now he could very well lose him again because of this Dyon character.

"What do you know?! What do any of you know?!" Arios' voice trembled, "This isn't just about Dyon. And, even if it was, all everyone wants to do is put him in a box. You haven't seen the things I've seen.

He has nothing left to prove to anyone. You think he takes any of your so-called tests seriously? He doesn't put even the heavens in his eyes! While you're all looking down on him as though he's some sort of guinea pig to test and poke at, he's already climbed past you!"

The people of this universe had no idea what Dyon had accomplished already, but how could the demon generals not know? They had spent years campaigning under a half-step transcendent God amongst men. How could they not know what an Epistemic Tower was?

And yet, Dyon had conquered it alone. And after he finished with that, he took an army of no more than a hundred demon generals and crushed a King God Clan with numbers surpassing a hundred thousand. And the most impressive part? The demon generals hadn't had to lift a single finger.

Arios flashed out of the sky box, unwilling to watch this farce anymore. He needed to go and find out what happened to Dyon and he couldn't do that here.

Ava glared at her father, clearly disappointed in how he had tried to handle the situation. It was no secret to anyone that Big Red's motto was for men to pull themselves up under their own power. But, that philosophy of his had not only nearly lost him a son this time, it had lost him many others in the past.

It was clear that all Big Red wanted was for his son to no longer follow Dyon and Arios had immediately picked up on that and lost his temper even further.

Big Red could only sigh. He knew very well what he meant, which means he had no excuses to make on the topic and could only accept the glares of his wife and daughter.

Riley, however, remained quiet. He was Arios' elder brother and thus wanted to protect him, but, his little brother had surpassed him in power. Now, the best he could do was give advice. But, it was clear that Arios wouldn't listen – he respected Dyon too much.

King Belmont continued to sit silently on a throne beside his wife and sons. He couldn't help but feel that Arios' words were aimed at himself and Lionel.

King Belmont had known Arios from a very young age and because of that, had a good understanding of his character. For him to so adamantly defend Dyon and even reprimand his own father and by extension him, as a king… Just what had this Dyon done that was so impressive… What had Arios experienced?...

Ri was leaking out void will and her hair had very noticeably darkened. Her eyes had formed into blue-silver slits and her canines lengthened.

The bestial aura that leaked from Ri had caught the attention of Saru Shruti yet again. Because Saru understood why Ri was angry, she had time to even further study just what Ri's lineage was.

Madeleine, however, couldn't speak. In fact, because her music will was locked, she felt weaker than usual. But, that didn't stop faint flickers of purple flames to light in her eyes and hair.

"Madeleine, stop." Ester tried to whisper to her disciple, but she was completely ignored. If Madeleine wasn't being locked down by saint energy, it was likely that she would have already left the sky box to find out what had happened to Dyon.

It had been a long time since Madeleine felt this level of anger. In fact, it hadn't been since Dyon's death that she had. She was the type of person who took being wronged much easier than seeing her loved ones being wronged.

Ester tried increasing her saint energy output to stop Madeleine's ability to use her wills, but she immediately felt as though her very cultivation was being burnt away.

Primrose could only sigh. She, Mithrandir, Celine and Opal remained near Ri, but they were hard-pressed to comfort her. It seemed like Ri was very much prepared to throttle whatever enemy she saw first.

They were angry too. Dyon was the savior of their Kingdom and their Prince Consort. This was no less than a slap to the face of the elves as well.

Clarice's red hair bobbed, her face an odd mix of sneering anger, "Clearly our so-called princess needs to do a better job of choosing her men. Imagine selling yourself off to a little boy who'll do nothing more than stain our race."

"It must be that mixed blood of hers. At first I thought she was half human, which is bad enough. But, come to find out she's half beast? No wonder." Fiora chimed in.

Ri's gaze snapped to the two Elvin girls that were supposedly her seniors. Her eyes were so dark and piercing that it silenced even them. But, before Ri could do anything else, the elder continued his ridiculous preamble.

"Cowards aside! We still have room for a lot of fun. And, I promise you that this cheater is being searched for as we speak! Once he's caught, we'll hang him up for all to see his pathetic existence!"

Cheers erupted through the stands. Tens of millions of voices united as though they had one will. Unfortunately, this was how mob mentality worked. Crowds like this didn't feel the need to think for themselves, and those that did? Were few and far between. They were all too easily spoon fed lies by powerful experts like Er Cavositas.

Away from the Sapientia higher seating arrangements, Sapientia Branch families were a few tiers below. Here, Madeleine's mother, father and brothers sat.

The truth was that a small piece of her heart disliked Dyon for never having approached them. In martial world etiquette, it shouldn't be up to seniors to admit their mistakes. In fact, it should be youths who took responsibility whether they were at fault or not. And yet, Dyon had never done such a thing – even to the point where he ignored their existence entirely.

Alice knew that this was because Dyon detested them. The only reason he hadn't treated them like the Kami family was for Madeleine's sake. Dyon's words of forgiveness to Oliver told her that much. But, that didn't mean she liked it.

That said, Dyon was still the person that their daughter had chosen. After the events of the Kami wedding, Madeleine didn't even contact them for the entire following week. It was clear that Madeleine had made her choice and was making her hate of their decision known.

Although Alice had told Madeleine that she had nothing to do with the decision to go after Dyon, that was only to give Madeleine someone in her corner and hopefully make her feel better. But, the truth was that Alice was very much part of that decision, a secret she kept between her and her husband. However, it was clear that Madeleine hadn't taken her words very seriously. After all, why should they as the parents of a first in line genius, be seated amongst the other branch families as opposed to with the main clan?

After seeing that Madeleine really had no intention of using her status to help her family, Oli Sapientia decided to focus on raising up his family himself. That was why he had arranged this marriage between Oliver and Jessica, hoping to use the big sects to improve their standing.

"You two have to perform well today… At least the top 60%..." Oli changed the subject, instead telling his son and daughter in law what he expected.

Top 60% was only a mediocre grade. This wasn't anything big, especially since Oli meant top 60% of meridian formation experts and not overall. But, that didn't stop Oliver and Jessica from paling under the pressure.

Seeing their reaction, Oli Sapientia could only sigh and turn his attention away looking off into the distance and toward the sky box he assumed Madeleine was in. 'Won't you ever forgive your father?... It's clear I was right this time, no?...'

Because of Dyon's communication arrays, the demon generals still had the means of locating each other within a reasonable range. So, Arios was flying around in set patterns trying to see if he could pick up the communication signal of one of these arrays.

He didn't think there was a high chance of this, though. This was because if the demon generals were all in Dyon's spatial ring as they usually were, the communication would definitely be cut off. A distance through dimensions couldn't even be measured with normal logic.

In what seemed like an instant, Arios had made his way to a large mansion and stormed up the long pathway. But, before he could make his way to the door, a massive pressure engulfed him.

Arios immediately asked what happened and after getting the information he needed, he could only sigh. Their leader was too smart and talented for this to be a normal occurrence. This person had some ulterior motive…

Thadius had been told to protect the ring by Ri, but unfortunately, they hadn't had a protector for Dyon before then. This was a lesson to learn from.

However, just as Arios was about to settle down and wait, he felt a mind pulling him into the ring and much to Thadius' confusion, he disappeared.

"As you all know, usually the top ten don't make an appearance until final stages of the tournament. This is a right they've spent the last sometimes almost decade of their life working for. But, as you all know, there's someone who was unfortunately bumped down to the eleventh spot because of the selfishness of others."

"More than a hundred thousand of you have come today. I trust that you all have better character than the coward we've spoke of and I wish you all the best of luck!

Our goal is to not only find the strongest of the youths, but to also give a chance to those of the meridian formation and foundational stages so that they can shine as well. So, since you're all much too young to know how we've structured the tournament in the past, allow me to explain.

The first portion of our tournament will be to decide who has earned a right to fight for a spot on the overall rankings. Ten spots are gone since we've done away with our sham of a first-place contestant, so you all have 990 spots to contend for!

After today, those 990 spots will be decided on. However, tomorrow and the day after will be for those of you that unfortunately didn't make the cut.

That's okay! Some of you are just too young. It's not your fault that the tournament wasn't scheduled at your optimal time. However, there are also some of you that are so talented that even with meridian formation cultivation, you still have the ability to compete with those in the essence gathering level. As such, today is your opportunity to prove that you can!

Take note of the number plates you've been given. Your guilds, clans and sects have each been given information about what number you are. However, this information must not be shared amongst you with the penalty of disqualification.

Foundation stage experts have no part in today's event and will thus be set aside. Meridian formation experts and essence gathering experts, be ready. The first stage is among the most dangerous and will put you in the most dire of situations. The battle royale!"

Everyone immediately understood. There was no point in foundation stage experts taking a part in the first day battle royales because they were too weak. So, it was held to meridian formation and essence gathering warriors.

There were about a hundred thousand participants total with about twenty thousand essence gathering experts, thirty thousand meridian formation experts, and fifty thousand foundation stage experts. There were of course many more experts that fell into these cultivation levels across the planets, but this was why there were quotas. Sects and clans were forced to send their best because they were limited in entries. That said, God level clans had no entry limits.

This left the question, though, of how those without backing could join the tournament. The answer was that these rights were bought, costing about ten thousand profound stones.

This amount wasn't a lot to a person like Dyon or the bigger sects, but, to someone on their own or from a very small clan, this amount was more than enough to live off of for an entire lifetime and even feed a few other people for that length of time too.

That aside, the tournament was set up simply, but quite unfairly despite the claims of the elder. Because it was a battle royale, no matter how randomly you set of the groups, those who came from clans with more quotas would obviously have a higher chance of being grouped together. As a result, this meant that they also had a higher chance of banding together to pass.

Of the fifty thousand available to participate, there would be one thousand groups of fifty in the first round. This first round would allow ten from each group to move on, thus leaving forty thousand eliminated and ten thousand remaining.

Then, they would proceed to a second round of battle royales, this time with all new groups. There would be five hundred groups of twenty, while allowing five to continue onwards. This would eliminate three quarters of the remaining participants to leave twenty-five hundred remaining participants.

Afterwards, there would be a final round of battle royales with a hundred groups of twenty-five. This round would leave only two. These two would then gain special privileges in the final stages of the tournament.

This, however, left 790 more participants to choose. As such, the remaining 2300 contestants would fight it out in a grand battle containing them all until just 790 were left.

By the end of the day, there would only be a thousand left. Then, those thousand would be allowed a few days rest as the rankings of the meridian formation and foundation stage experts were decided.

Quite simply put, this was the grandest tournament in existence. Very soon, blood would paint the ground and war cries of victory and defeat would fill the air.

There was no delay to be had, although the battle royales would take place simultaneously, it was impossible to expect full coverage of a thousand different battles. That said, space was not an issue. In an arena that could house tens of millions of spectators, it was not lacking in any areas.

The first round of battle royales consisted of 1000 separate groups of fifty. They were split into ten, thus allowing for 100 separate battle royales to happen simultaneously.

The monitors allowed for each one of these to be parsed, allowing the viewers to decide which battles were most interesting to them and which ones to focus on.

The groups themselves were divided with rankings in mind. It would of course be unsatisfactory for powerful experts to have early exits due to tough groupings, so that was kept in mind. However, Ri didn't very much like this rule. Because she was top 30, she wasn't grouped with any other high-ranking members, meaning she never laid eyes on her enemies, but that only fueled her anger more.

The crowd watched in awe as ten black tails whipped out from Ri, she showed absolutely no mercy as she tore her way through her competition. The commentator for her group was at a loss for words. There were supposed to be ten remaining in the group, so why was there only one standing? And even worse, she didn't seem happy with the result?

Her beast form had a primal and savage aura to it that attracted people. But, at the same time, she was an otherworldly beauty. It didn't take the audience long to figure out that Ri was the sixth beauty the elder had alluded to.

People clamoured to learn what her name was but were bricked walled by a simple number: 68279. And this 68279 became as dear to their hearts as five other numbers.

Much like Ri, Madeleine was filled to the brim with anger. She couldn't speak or access her music will, but her celestial intent ended the battle in a near instant.

The moment Madeleine unleashed her intent level will, even her master shot up from her seat. Ester had no idea when Madeleine had learned an intent. And, worst yet? She had no idea what that will was! When had Madeleine not only learned a will she had no knowledge of, but also leveled said will to an intent?! This was too ridiculous!

This was their child, and yet she hadn't spoken to them in months. It was clear that something was different about Madeleine right now… But, they couldn't even bring themselves to even attempt to approach her.

All of this said, those who were perceptive immediately noticed something else. Madeleine and Ri had without a doubt been holding back. None of the people in their bracket had died despite their overwhelming victories. But, more interestingly, Madeleine had faint purple flames wrapping around her the permeated a heat that everyone had to pay attention to. And Ri? A dense blackness had layered her every step and yet she had only used ice and sword will to finish off her opponents. Just what were they holding back?...

It was suffice to say that the images of Madeleine and Ri were burned into the hearts and minds of everyone. But, there were other outstanding performances to take note of.

Prince Elwing Belmont, Lionel's younger brother and the first Belmont that Dyon had ever come into contact with performed well. He, as a prince, had to maintain an air of cordiality, and as such, wasn't as domineering with his victory as Madeleine and Ri. He remained standing along with ten other participants, but it was clear that he was a cut above the rest. His red and blue flames that showed faint signs of combining were a much too domineering dichotomy of heat and cold for his opponents to handle.

Those members of the top twenty were particularly dominant, though. Experts like Iris Ipsum and Clarice Grimbold didn't even have to lift a finger. They sat in the skies as elegant beauties, waiting to see if anyone would attack them. But, of course, no one did.

The second round of the battle royales was entered into smoothly. The crowd was excited to see whether or not these rounds would be just as easy for those unprecedented geniuses. And, in the end, they weren't disappointed. It seemed like those who were meant to win, always did.

However, with less people and battles to focus on, the crowd began to pick up on some diamonds in the rough they had missed out on during the first few rounds.

For one, there was the beautiful olive-skinned girl who seemed to glide through her competition. Her fighting style was odd and non-confrontational, which is likely why she had been missed in the first stages. But, with less people, she was becoming more and more prominent a figure.

Seeing this olive-skinned girl, a woman that looked very much like her in the Planet Naiad section tried her best to refrain from trembling. She had spent the past years learning to hide her emotions, but seeing her daughter right in front of her, narrowly escaping the stabs of swords and swings of maces, it snapped a dam in her that she had been holding back for just as long.

But then a cold voice came in to pour a bucket of ice water over her as though this was exactly what it was waiting for, "So that's your bastard child, hm?" The voice entered directly into her mind, causing her face to pale and blood to flow from her nostrils.

Her sword style, something that she had refined again and again along with Madeleine, was elegant and glancing. She often practiced under Madeleine's playing not only because the tunes gave her a revitalizing and focused feeling, but also because she did her best to model her sword play after a dance.

Patia-Neva, in the ancient Planet Naiad language, or something Dyon would probably label as reminiscent of mortal realm Spanish, was very roughly translated to 'leaf covered in snow'. As Patia-Neva had said, often times, it was the duty of a Patia-Neva to find the meaning of the words.

Although Delia had yet to come to a full understand, there was no doubt that it subtly influenced her in many ways – including her sword play.

In the end, with little more difficulty than the first round, Delia glided and parried her way through the second round – thus earning a place for the third battle royale.

Seeing Delia move on, and so easily, Oliver and Jessica could only bury their complaints. Neither of them had made it out of the first round, something that Oli Sapientia had expected. But, it was still very much surprising to see Delia, someone they both had seen as a Junior Sister, surpass them both – especially with her being much younger.

Caedlum Pakal, a young man Dyon had met long ago, was one such character. That said, Caedlum was not as little known as some others considering he had earned a spot on the top 100 cumulative rankings. However, what drew people to him wasn't the fact he was unknown, but rather, his young age.

Caedlum was just as young as Ri and Dyon, and yet his performance was more domineering than Ri's. The difference? He made no use of weapons or wills.

His red tinted skin flexed under the high sun's light as his fists unleashed a flurry of power. Simply by relying on the prowess of his body, Caedlum tore through his competition – his face serene and his breathing relaxed. It was as though this was an expected outcome for him. He was a Pakal. He was destined for victory.

Aside from Caedlum, however, the Ragnor God Clan's twin first in line geniuses were making their mark. Thor and Vidar, each in their respective battles, lit their fields up with arcs of lightning. Their so-called competition stood no chance.

Vidar took a sick pleasure in this, cruelly paralyzing his victims before charring them from the inside out. There were no rules against death in this tournament. In fact, it was almost encouraged. The harsh reality was many stepped into this event knowing they would never step out.

In the end, the second round was almost anti-climactic. Aside from the few groups that didn't have ranked competitors or far and away favorites, every round ended smoothly. Even with the ridiculous number of warriors, both the first and second round only took about five hours, leaving a still steady stream of daylight.

"Our Planet Earth put out a strong showing. Although it's a secret as to who's who, shh, those smart ones of you might have good guesses by the techniques they wield." The Elder played the crowd, winking, bowing and waving.

"That said, putting my bias aside, the other four planets are not lagging behind in any way. The race is tight, and it just might be a photo finish!

I have some good news! Because we've done so well on time, we'll be able to keep this third round to only five battles per section! Bidding will be opening up soon for the final group stage, so it's best you all keep your eyes peeled for your favorites!"

Cheering erupted. This was the best part of the world tournament. If you managed to find a hidden gem, you could be set for the rest of your life. If Dyon was there, he would have likened this to when the lottery hit its peak after a few years of building. Everyone knew their chance of winning was slimmer than slim, but that didn't stop nearly the whole population from playing.

Arios stood behind a demon general named Kaeda. She was actually one of the demon generals of the lower essence gathering level that Dyon had named to be one of his Vice Commanders due to her grasp of music will.

Oddly enough, Arios wasn't the only one who stood behind her. Tens of demon generals of a similar level placed their hands on her back, and when her back ran out of space, the next demon generals would place their hands on those who were attached to her. And so on and so forth.

Delia sat alone in the stands surrounded by hundreds of other nervous participants. She hadn't come with anyone, since her father had disappeared again, and the area was far too large to find those she knew. After all, it was a stadium that housed tens of millions of people, she didn't even have any idea who knew she was fighting and who didn't.

Because of the size of the arena, it could hold hundreds of battle royales at once. However, it didn't for the sake of entertainment and allowing the audience to take in as much action as possible. This meant that Delia's group would often be a kilometer or more of distance apart from any other battle royales taking place at that time.

Maybe the worse part about this was how difficult it was to tell who was fighting when for casual spectators. Clans had access to the numbers that corresponded to participants, and as such could know when their contestants were participating. But, Delia didn't have this luxury. In the end, she could only search the monitors for her own number so she knew when she would be fighting. Other than that, she couldn't contact anyone. She could only hope that she would eventually be grouped together with someone she knew so that they could head to a seating area together.

The only exceptions to this rule were those outstanding characters that the monitors often focused on. The six beauties were often the subject of much love, so the monitors often showed their appearances, making sure that the crowd knew when they were fighting.

Ava was participating in the world tournament as well, and she too had made it through the first two rounds. However, the more she searched out for Tammy, the less of her she found. Tammy was Ava's entire motivation for this tournament. Ava had been dead set on getting revenge with her own hands for her supposed best-friend's betrayal. But… It seemed like Tammy had purposefully decided not to participate – instead watching her elder brother Thor sweep through his rounds with his usual deadpan expression.

Her twin blades, only a bit shorter than Arios', swirled in her delicate hands and her blazing red hair waved wildly in the wind. She wasn't nearly as domineering as the others, but she was still amongst the best meridian formation experts and, as such, managed to climb her way to the top 2 500.

That said, there was another motivating factor pushing her along with Delia. Neither liked how Dyon was being treated. They had settled on the same solution as Ri and Madeleine. They were going to rank as highly as possible to find an opportunity to refute everything they had heard. And the only way to do this was to perform outstandingly.

Delia's thoughts were interrupted by the flashing of the number plate she had received at the beginning of all of this. 'It seems it's time…'

This round was to narrow 2 500 to 200. Afterwards, there would be a massive battle royale of 2 300 to decide the last 790. However, no one wanted to be a part of that final group.

Although it wasn't said, unlike the previous rounds, this final round would have extra obstacles that the others hadn't had. This final round was painted as a final chance, but in reality, it was a massacre. It was cruel and simply not humane.

Delia, though, didn't seem nervous. She was giving off a constant and radiating cold even in her base form now. It seemed as though her constitution would burst out at any moment. The truth was, Delia couldn't even tell which was the real her anymore. But, what she did know, was that her constitution was her ticket to her final round.

Delia lightly jumped and landed onto a large white platform. It was an odd construction because the platform itself actually hung on an array as opposed to being planted onto the ground. It was likely to test for 'outs' – which was essentially to eliminate those who fell out of the arena without the bias of refs. This was again another testament to the 'fairness' the Cavositas wanted to show.

She was a seductive beauty with short bob-cut hair. She wore a short kimono, but it seemed to deviate wildly from the usual conservative and silhouetted focus of the usual kimono.

Hers was a light blue and was so short that her legs were nearly in full display. Aside from that, the sleeves were so long and drooping that not only were her hands not visible, but they also surpassed the length of its skirt. The only semblance of an arm that could be seen was by the short blades that were just barely in view at the ends of her sleeves.

The crowd reacted almost violently to the appearance of this beauty. But then, boos started to reign down almost immediately with the appearance of a young man with pale grey to green hair – it was hard to tell.

"Hey, hey, we have the same goal, don't we beauty?" The young man chuckled as he jumped away under the boos of the crowd. "How could you treat someone from your own planet such a way, we should be comrades."

"Watch your hands Elric, or I'll be sure to tell Jace about this." Aiko still had smile on her face, but it was decidedly cold. Her delicate features seemed more dangerous than they should be.

Delia's brows furrowed. Not because of the interaction, she couldn't have cared less. But, the Clyte name was something she very much had reservations about… Was this the same clan that took her mother away? Was her mother here? Was she watching?

Delia's eyes darted around as though to look for something, but she suddenly felt a chill creep up her spine. When she looked up, she found three cold gazes on her.

One made perfect sense. It was a sister from the Niveus sect. In fact, it was a senior sister who had just recently stepped into the essence gathering level. Delia didn't have much of an impression of her, but she didn't know that she called herself Lilac.

But, what truly confused Delia was that the two members of Planet Naiad that had been arguing before, Aiko and Elric, had focused their gazes on her as well.

The referee for their battle royale noticed this as well, but there was nothing he could do. These were the cards she was dealt. If she didn't want to deal with it, she still had the option of jumping off of the arena. But, the question was… Would she have the time?

"Why do you think King Clyte wants her dead?" Elric didn't bother concealing his voice. The truth was that the signal to go had already been sounded, but the twenty or so other participants immediately sensed the tension and wanted to hold back to see how it would unfold first. After all, in a battle royale, if they attacked recklessly, they could end up in a disadvantageous situation.

"You know it's because King Clyte doesn't like the former king. He wants to wipe out his whole lineage." Aiko responded calmly, brandishing her blades.

"That's so lame. She's a cutie, father should let me take her as a concubine at least. Wouldn't that be more disrespectful?" Elric didn't seem to have a weapon, but he strolled around the arena freely, even winking at some of the other female warriors on the stage. It was clear he didn't take these rounds seriously.

Seeing that two people already wanted Delia dead, Lilac didn't see a reason to act so soon. She had been going to find an opportunity to hurt Delia later on – but that was only to humiliate her. Despite what their Matriarch said, Lilac didn't believe Delia deserved death. She only wanted to teach her a lesson.

It also helped Delia's image in her eyes knowing the type of Evelyn Niveus was. Lilac had little doubts that Delia had been wronged. But, if she didn't act in accordance to the orders of Evelyn and punish Delia, it was likely that she'd be kicked out of the Niveus sect.

No one understood why Evelyn was so highly valued by their matriarch, she wasn't even the best genius they had, and yet she was the first in line genius. But, what they did know was that her words couldn't be refuted.

The Niveus sect, like Dyon had learned long ago, was a sect that allowed women with constitutions to join. Often, these women were from much poorer families and this was deemed as a good opportunity for them. No matter how much Lilac sympathized with Delia, she couldn't disobey, or else she'd be booted from the sect or even worse – killed.

"It's clear that this is beyond tying loose ends. The Patia-Neva family clearly did something irredeemable." Aiko spoke nonchalantly. But, what she didn't know was that her words broke something in Delia.

"Where's my mother?" Delia's words were no longer rational. She should have know that this would have led nowhere. It was clear, even, that these people didn't know anything about the true situation. But, hearing her father's name being thrown around, Delia knew all she needed to, to realize that these were her enemies.

In the stands, the first to notice this change in Delia was Eli. Because his sister had asked Ri to come, he had followed along to make sure nothing happened to her. In fact, Eli was probably the only one who had noticed Delia.

Ri and Madeleine were too focused on their anger to care for any battle other than theirs, and the old Focus Academy members were tending to severe injuries they had sustained in their losses. On top of that, no one would ever think that Delia would even reach this far. Just a few months ago, she was barely a meridian formation warrior. This was too drastic a change.

Venus' brows furrowed. Ever since his days at Focus Academy, Eli had been a distant admirer of Delia, even calling her princess when she was never really that. Because of this, Venus knew that Eli likely knew Delia well enough to tell if there was something wrong – but, even she found it odd.

"She's too cold to be Delia…" This was Eli's only explanation as his eyes focused on the monitor above them. He clenched his fists, 'Be careful…'

Delia, though, couldn't hear Eli's words. Even if Eli had been right next to her ear, it was likely that Delia would have completely tuned it out.

Her emotions were teetering on an edge and her eyes kept flashing such a cold shade of blue that even the arena beneath her feet was starting to ice over.

"If you don't want to die, get of the stage. If you dare stay, don't blame me for what happens." Delia's words were faint as a sword materialized in her hand.

King Clyte immediately knew he had made a mistake in calling for her death. Aiko and Elric were talented, but they weren't even cumulative rankers because they were too young. They wouldn't be a match for such a path.

However, this didn't perturb the King at all. 'You want to play, hm?...' A light chuckle escaped him as he glanced to find a small ray of hope in his supposed wife's eyes, causing a sinister smile to appear on his features.

Waves of hard winds raged around Delia. Her hair iced over, becoming a blinding white as her skin paled. Her every step became the focal point for a new tempest of gales, sending shivers down the spines of her competition.

Half of the warriors immediately leaped off. This wasn't something they could handle, and they knew it. It was in their best interest to try for the final round.

Although many others tried to stay to see if they could be the last to stand with her, they soon realized that such an idea was ridiculous. Why? Because Delia had locked in place two people. Aiko and Elric.

She slowly approached the two who were shivering in their own right, unable to control themselves, as she repeated herself again. "Where is my mother?"

"Since neither of you want to talk, I'll start cutting off limbs." Delia was nothing like herself. She was being cold and calculating. She knew very well that if she killed one of them, the competition would be over because only the three of them were left. She couldn't afford that, this was her only clue.

Lilac watched this scene unfold from the side of the arena in a daze. She was an essence gathering expert. Granted, she was barely considered a 6th grade expert. But, still. Why was Delia able to dispatch of her so easily?... In fact, that wasn't even the case… Lilac hadn't even fought back… She felt like… Like it was futile. As though the outcome was already set. As though it was already absolute…

Delia flashed forward, brandishing her sword. Her steps were light and the rings of blue that blossomed from them had an elegant beauty to them that distracted those watching from how deadly they were.

Aiko and Elric readied themselves, struggling to knock the cold out of their seized muscles to attack. However, something began to itch at the back of their minds – something that was telling them that resistance was futile.

Unwittingly, a manifestation bloomed behind Delia. This wasn't a manifestation of the soul, but rather, it was proof of her unique body. Much like Dyon had when he first absorbed demon qilin blood, Delia manifested the spirit of her bloodline.

A queen of hell appeared, wearing an eerie black and flowing dress. She wore a laced veil of black as her striking white hair flowed ethereally.

The eyes of everyone had completely forgotten about the other four battle royales taking place at that instant. There was only Delia and her blade. Aiko and Elric stood no chance… Until Delia froze…

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, but Delia's mind was racing. Aiko and Elric's movements were so slow to her that she felt as though she could dodge them at any time, and yet, she felt conflicted.

Something inside was screaming logical deductions at her. Her mother was long gone, how could she possibly know whether she was alive or not? And, how could she guarantee that even if she was alive, that she would continue to be after Delia died?

And what about this voice? Just who was it? Also, why wasn't anyone reacting to an outside influence interfering with the proceedings? That clearly meant that the actions of this person were being covertly accepted and thus wasn't that all the more reason for Delia to ignore them? After all, that meant this person had to work in secret because if they pushed the line too far, what they were doing wouldn't be allowed anymore.

If they could have pushed it as far as they wanted, why hadn't they just killed Delia by infiltrating her mind instead of just making her cough of blood? It was clear they had to hold back.

All logic pointed toward Delia not listening to this voice. Just dodge the swords and kill these fools. You can avenge the death of your mother later, but if you're dead, you would have lost the opportunity.

Delia's constitution and path seemed to whisper in her ear. The path of the absolute doesn't allow negotiation. The ice hell queen is a ruler, since when did she bend to the demands of others?

Unbeknownst to Delia, Patia-Neva had hidden himself in space to watch this struggle. This was the struggle that he too had gone through, however, Delia's was on an entirely knew level.

Patia-Neva hadn't had any idea that his daughter had the Infinite Ice Hell God constitution. At first, he had only thought that Delia had an affinity for the absolute like he had. But, he was clearly wrong.

The Infinite Ice Hell constitution brought the problems of the absolute path to a new tier. The absolute path itself already threatened to remove all of your humanity. It was a path that if you wanted to progress in, you had to throw away all of your emotions, all of your thoughts of servitude and empathy, anything of the like had to be done away with.

When you then piled the Infinite Ice Hell constitution on top of this, you brought together two things that were perfectly in sync. A constitution and a path married to each in complete perfection.

However, in the end, it was still a choice. Patia-Neva had chosen to abandon his wife for power. He didn't sleep or eat well. In fact, he had become an entirely new person, until he finally realized he had chosen the wrong path.

The truth was that Patia-Neva hadn't chosen power for a selfish reason. All those years ago when Ri's mother had saved him, he had been brought into an all new world, a world where the fate of their entire universe hung in the balance. If he wanted to help, he needed power. So, he sought it out in the only way he knew how.

'What mother?' Delia thought angrily, 'You mean the woman that abandoned me in my youth? I can't even remember her face! Why should I give up my life for her?!'

Patia-Neva could only sigh as he watched his daughter make the same mistake he had… He had hoped that she would be different. Delia was such a caring and naïve soul. She always wanted to see the best in everyone, even when that led to her being on the losing side.

Delia lost her mother. Then she lost her father, who was supposedly present, but not at the same time. And then she lost her best friend Meiying. And then her big sister, Madeleine went off for months at a time, never truly leaving them with the moments they used to have together.

And now, she had finally found a path to power. With this path, even if she lost her mother, she could train to avenge her. Even if she lost her father, she could train to avenge him. She could go and save Meiying with her own two hands. She could be powerful enough that Madeleine would never have to train on her own again.

'This power, I need it. Even if I have to cut off everything else!' Delia seemed to have made a decision and shifted her weight to ignore the words of the expert who had tried to sway her decisions.

The cheers of the crowd were deafening. They loved seeing such a domineering display of power, and in what seemed like an instant, Delia had wiped out all competition but two!

Suddenly, Patia-Neva's ear twitched. As a celestial level expert, his sensitivity to things were on an entirely other level as compared to others – especially when you consider the control over your body energy cultivation gives you.

Even in a stadium filled with tens of millions of people, Patia-Neva heard fervent shouting coming from one boy – a boy he happened to recognize.

A small smile played on the features of Patia-Neva as he listened to these words, 'Maybe since I can't get to my daughter… You can…' With a wave of his hand, a small bit of imperceptible celestial will gripped onto the sound waves of Eli's words.

Using the same method of communication essence gathering experts could use, Patia-Neva transferred the words of someone else instead of his… Directly into Delia's ears.

All Delia saw was a sheet of white. She had entered a new world and there was a singular door before her. She had the feeling that this was the last percentages of her constitution. All she had to do was step forward, and she wouldn't even need Dyon's pill. She'd have reached perfection on her on.

Delia closed her eyes as Aiko and Elric approached. She felt no pain as Aiko's steel blades tore through her once flawless skin and she didn't flinch as Elric's fist of wind threatened to tear her torso in half.

The crowd was stunned. At this point, there was not a single person who hadn't witnessed the battle, it was too attention grabbing. Madeleine was still not being allowed to move freely by her master and Ri was much too far away to do anything. They could only watch as a girl they saw as their own sister fell from the stage.

But, Eli saw something completely different. He saw a girl he had only just admitted he loved finally at peace. He saw an angel falling with a serene smile on her face.

Usually, in a situation like this, it was up to the clan members of the losing participant to help them off of the field. And in cases of death, which it seemed like this was going to be, it was also up to the clan members to act accordingly.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? You've embarrassed our race enough. Interaction between different clans could be seen as swapping information about numbers, I forbid you to go."

"Who the fuck are you? If you don't get out of my way right now, I promise I'll cut you down where you stand." Ri didn't have the time to deal with this nonsense.

No interaction amongst clans? That was technically true, but who cared about something like that now? Was Ri supposed to allow someone she saw as a sister, someone she knew Dyon cared about, die just for some bullshit ranking?

In the Sapientia sky box, Madeleine wanted to thrash wildly, but the lock on saint energy her master had placed on her was so domineering that she couldn't even whimper. Madeleine's eyes blazed along with purple flames, but that was when Connery Sapientia stepped in.

"You've embarrassed our clan enough. Do you think I didn't notice how purposefully confrontational you were during your battles? What happened to what I told you about the image of the Sapientia? Consider this punishment. Don't think of crossing me again."

A blanket of celestial energy completely stifled Madeleine. She couldn't even circulate her wills anymore; celestial energy was just too domineering. The rest of the Sapientia could only watch as tears fell from the eyes of their first in line genius. So, she controlled the only thing she could. She closed her eyes, unwilling to watch anymore.

However, would Patia-Neva really allow his daughter to die? She had been the first Patia-Neva in history to take the right first step. She didn't need to correct her path years down the line, or abandon her spouse or be responsible for the destruction of her clan. She had leaped over all of those hurdles and Patia-Neva was proud.

A gentle wisp of celestial energy found its way to Delia. Then, he sent the emblem of Focus Academy to Eli who was already begging to be allowed into the arena.

The energy sustained Delia's life. But, Patia-Neva had to be careful not to give her too much, or else her body wouldn't be able to handle it.

Because Patia-Neva had registered Delia under the Focus Academy name, Eli and Venus were finally allowed in. They were slow. In fact, it took them hours to reach Delia because of the sheer size of the stadium and having to go around many, many, large arenas. But, they eventually made it.

Clarice, however, had obviously not heard this message. To her, Ri had given up because she was too weak to face her, so this gave her back the confidence she had lost. Just before it had really seemed like Ri would have killed her… And she would have stood no chance… But, she was in the top 20! How was that possible!?

Ri didn't respond. Not because she didn't want to, but because she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to hold in her temper for any longer. Had Delia's father not been here, what would have happened? If she had to waste time fighting this bitch, wouldn't Delia have died before she got there? Venus' and Eli's cultivations weren't strong enough to cover such large distances – as evidenced by the fact round after round had occurred before the managed to get to Delia's body that had been set nearby other injured victims.

Lilac had wanted to help Delia, but she immediately felt the piercing gaze of her Matriarch… She had no choice but to let it go. As for Aiko and Elric? They were shaken by the experience. They felt that their lives had been on a platter, and yet someone or something had saved them.

When they returned to the Planet Naiad section, they received praise from their King as though Delia's death was now inevitable. Delia's mother had considerably paled. She knew her own death would likely come now that King Clyte had seen to it that she witnessed her daughter's, but she didn't care about that. If anything… She welcomed death now…

In the Sapientia section, Madeleine's eyes opened to find that Eli and Venus were struggling to carry Delia out of the arena. There was nothing she could do with Connery's energy locked onto her. All she could do watch Delia's seemingly lifeless body… She had lost a sister and she couldn't even do anything about it…

Madeleine didn't know what Ri knew. If Patia-Neva had sent a message to Madeleine, even though he was more powerful that Connery, with Connery's soul strength, he would have picked up on the message. Patia-Neva didn't want to cause such issues because he still had to keep himself hidden, as such, he hadn't been able to tell Madeleine that Delia would be alright.

Madeleine's eyes made their way down to the numbered array plate she had received. It seemed like the final round would finally be her turn. Her emotions were in chaos. If she ran from this fight, she didn't know what else Connery would do. What he hurt Dyon? What about her family?

Madeleine didn't even look at Connery as she felt the celestial energy release her. She had to supress her emotions. If she let her anger take over, she would ruin the image of the Sapientia more and only make Connery more angry. But, she was struggling.

In the Elvin section, Ri had also let her emotions stew. These rounds were taking the longest and it was already time for the final section to go before she was finally called up.

We've seen the best of the best duke it out. We've seen the smartest prevail. We've seen stunning upsets filled with undo shock. But now, this is the moment that concludes it all!"

Ava sat in the sky box along with the Sicarius and the Belmonts, still pissed with Tammy's cowardly actions. That said, she still focused her attention on the stages, scanning through the last 5 sets of battle royales. But… When she saw what had the crowd so excited, she froze.

Ri opened her eyes, her hair darkening and her tails manifesting from thick ethereal energy. Her pupils focused into slits and her canines lengthened. A bestial aura dripped from her, an unconcealed bloodlust permeating through the air. She had found someone she hated down to core, and she wanted nothing else but to tear this person apart.

Madeleine's eyes opened, her tight white qipao barely rustling in the wind as her purple hair became coated in a streak of dense violet flames. She wasn't holding back anymore. She had lost the battle to control her emotions and her faith seed, something she had had for less than a few months, was raging wildly.

Somewhere off in the shadows, someone smiled a toothy grin. Their plan had finally come to fruition. The ultimate pain was set in store for them.

It seemed as though this was no longer a battle royale, but a challenge between two. The twenty three other contestants watched with baited breath, content to stand on the edge of the arena while they clashed…

"Ava? What's wrong?" Riley, Ava's elder half brother, noticed that Ava had grown pale. He immediately thought that something bad had happened.

"Uncle Belmont?" Ava didn't think she had time to explain, so she immediately turned to King Belmont, someone she had seen as an Uncle since her youth. "We need to stop that match!"

"But…" Ava bit her lip. She knew her request was impossible. By the time she got there, the battle would likely be over. It was impossible for anyone without at list saint level cultivation to move to any point in this arena freely and in an instant. That was on top of the fact the area about the arena had become a no-fly zone. If they allowed just anyone to fly over the arena, then wouldn't all of the spectators who had essence gathering and above cultivation move in for a closer look? Only people who were as obscenely powerful as Patia-Neva could circumvent this rule by hiding in space. Either that, or you'd need a concealment array powerful enough to fool experts, something Ava obviously didn't have.

And, even if she did, she was still on just seventeen years old. It was perfectly reasonable for her to still not have stepped into the essence gathering level. She wasn't as much of a monster at cultivation as Madeleine.

Ava shook her head. Was she supposed to tell them that she wanted to stop this match because two of Dyon's fiancées were about to fight? Was that even enough justification?

To Ava, this was of unprecedented importance. She had seen what happened to Delia although she too hadn't stepped in. This was mostly because Ava hadn't ever had a close relationship with Delia, so she had assumed that someone else would help – namely Madeleine.

But, as time passed, Ava noticed that not only had Madeleine not acted, but it was in fact Eli and Venus who had, two people she had shared life and death with. Seeing this, Ava immediately knew that there was something wrong with Madeleine. For her to not come personally meant that something big was stopping her.

Knowing that, Ava knew that Madeleine wasn't in a good mind state. Couple that with the fact she was also aware that Ri had never met Madeleine before and Ava knew that this wasn't a good combination. What if Madeleine lost her temper and did something she'd never be able to take back?

Ava had met Ri during both of their first campaigns and had a good impression of her. Ava also, despite not having a close relationship with Madeleine either, had a good impression of her as well. But, what really made Ava react so violently was the fact she truly cared for Dyon as a friend. Dyon was someone who had put his life on the line for revenge for her. She didn't want to see two people he loved fight each other when they clearly had no idea who the other was.

'Will you be able to fix this one?...' Ava gripped her fists at her knees, taking deep breaths as she felt her mother's arm wrap around her lovingly.

"I'm sorry Little Ava, I'm sure you have a good reason for wanting to stop this match, but I have to think about the crowd as well. This world tournament is meant to be a showing of how anyone can rise up should they be talented and work hard enough. If I make unilateral decisions that displease the crowd, it will spit in the face of this." King Belmont sighed.

He meant his words. As a King, he had the ability to change whatever he wanted. But, if he went against the grain too forcefully, that would have drastic consequences. Losing the favor of the population is usually how a Royal God Clan's power could be passed on to another who had gained said lost favor. King Belmont had too many important things planned to allow this to happen…

But, he had noted something else. As King, he also had access to information that others didn't. He was fully aware that there were two members of the top 30 in that single group, that should have been avoided at all costs.

Although there was an element of randomness to the selection of groups, each selection started by separating out the top competitors from each other so as not to allow any spoiled entertainment for the later rounds. This also ensured that no one worthy was eliminated too soon.

Kaeda's delicate face beaded down with sweat as her soul felt like it was on the brink of collapsing. But, every time she felt as though she had hit her limit, she felt another stream of soul energy filter in from the surrounding demon generals.

The more she worked, the deeper her appreciation for their successor became. This was a technique that Dyon used on his own near effortlessly. And, to top it off, despite not sharing any Elvin bloodlines, he had learned it in mere days.

It had not only talent Kaeda two months to learn this technique despite having been proud of her soul talent before, but she couldn't even sustain it fully on her own without the help of tens of other demon generals.

However, this was what Dyon had been banking on. Ri was correct in seeing the Florence family technique as a solution, but, the problem was that it would have taken too long for them to learn. By the time that came to pass, Dyon would have likely been beyond helping or, even dead.

The problem was that his plans seemed to have been falling through even when Kaeda came rushing over, happy to have finally earned the Florence family manifestation.

To begin with, Kaeda had good soul talent. This was seen by her ability to learn music will, a will that was exceedingly difficult to grasp. Without good soul talent to be able to communicate efficiently with the world around you, learning music will was nearly impossible. So, Dyon hadn't been surprised that Kaeda, one of his chosen Vice Commanders, had been the first to master the technique.

That said, it became very obvious very quickly that Kaeda couldn't sustain the ancient Elvin techniques for the necessary amount of time. Although she was helping Dyon along with his eradication of the technique, at their pace, it would have still taken days more before Dyon could break completely free – especially with Kaeda's frequent breaks.

So, Dyon had taken a risk. He manifested a clone to quickly explain his idea and luckily, Kaeda quickly grasped the concept. But then, another problem arose.

Dyon's original plan was to have the demon generals share their soul power like he and Ri did. This required a base level of trust, something they should have had after fighting so many wars together, but, aside from that, it also required expert level control – a level of control that increased manifold for each additional demon general that helped. In addition to this, to lower the level of difficulty of melding souls, the soul strength of the demon generals had to be similar. Knowing this, only lower level demon generals were of any help.

At first, Dyon and Kaeda had only wanted the help of one other demon general. That would have kept the difficulty at the lowest level possible. But, it became clear very quickly that this wouldn't be possible. Even two demon generals couldn't replicate Dyon's efficacy with the ancient Elvin techniques, something that they found absolutely ridiculous, but was true nonetheless.

What the demon generals came to learn was that their successor's soul strength far outmatched theirs. Dyon had a saint level soul while the lower level essence gathering demon generals still had meridian formation level souls in most cases. They simply couldn't compare. This didn't mean that Dyon was more powerful than his lower essence gathering demon generals. After all, they still had their own powerful wills, their energy cultivation, as well as their body cultivation. But, when it came to soul cultivation and techniques, Dyon was unmatched.

Unfortunately, with this being the case, Kaeda had no choice but to keep adding to the amount of demon generals in their palm to back formation. However, she had been capped at three. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't control anymore than the output of three more demon generals. This, of course, was still much faster than her alone. But, in the end, it wasn't fast enough. It would still take a few more days at that rate.

But, that was when Dyon sensed Arios outside of the ring. When Dyon had first come to the Elvin Kingdom, he had tried to send out an array through the dimensions. This had ended with his being knocked unconscious for months, but it had also proved that even at that lower soul level, Dyon had the talent to send his soul power out through dimensions.

When Dyon had seen that the problem Kaeda was having was soul control, he immediately knew that Arios was the solution to the problem. But, the issue was that Arios wasn't here, he had been sent off to his family. And, he couldn't use Alidor's soul control because Alidor was still a step weaker than Dyon's demon generals since he was still in the meridian formation stage – which meant his soul was even weaker than that.

Hoping against hope, Dyon diverted small bits of his 6th sense to check the situation outside of the ring. He wanted to get out to the world tournament as quickly as possible. He was itching to battle and to see Madeleine.

At first, some might have been confused. Why would Arios fix their soul control problems? But, Dyon didn't have time to explain it to them. All he said were a few simple words. "You're in charge of soul control." Then Dyon's clone disappeared.

A few of the smarter Demon Generals immediately caught on. Amongst those of similar soul power to them, Arios was without a doubt the one with the most soul control. Why? Because of the Sicarius family death technique.

Arios had the ability to quite literally cut his soul off from his body and fake his death. This was a technique that Ava had also used in an attempt to escape Baal. But, Arios' proficiency was on a completely other level. He had used it when Tammy had attacked him in the Elvin Kingdom. This was because he could tell that Tammy was struggling with something inwardly, so he had chosen to make it easy on her – this was of course on top of the fact he had a good impression of Tammy and they had had a good relationship. What Arios didn't know, of course, was what Tammy had subjected his little sister to.

This aside, the Sicarius family technique required soul control of an unprecedented level. Arios, being able to completely disconnect, and then reconnect, his soul from his body was without a doubt the best option to control the souls of so many. And Dyon was proven to be right.

Seeing hundreds of pairs of eyes looking at him with a mixture of happiness and awe, he smiled. "Thank you." After months of not using his voice, it came out hoarse. But, he got his message across.

Kaeda blushed profusely. Unlike many of the other demon generals, she was quite shy. In fact, when Dyon had chosen her as a Vice Commander just because of her music will, it had been questionable. These were the same question Kaeda had dealt with all her life – especially when the Demon Sage had chosen her as a demon general. But, she pushed through it.

That said, she couldn't help but blush under Dyon's kind words of thanks. "There's no need to thank us, successor." Kaeda kept her head lowered.

After months of focusing on flushing Dyon's body of the odd red crystals, there had been no opportunity to handle the wound that had caused it all in the first place.

"I'm not doctor… But… Green skin isn't healthy, right?" Arios cringed. The idea of a martial artist becoming infected was ridiculous, it wouldn't happen. Or, at the very least, it shouldn't.

The wound itself was narrow and only about three inches wide, but Dyon could feel that it was very deep. The green Arios was referring to was the sickening green veins that pumped to and from the wound.

Dyon could tell that it wasn't infected because there was no pus. In fact, the veins were probably his body's way of rehabilitating itself. When a person was injured, a flood of blood would come to area carrying all sorts of this needed for curing. Usually, that would also come with swelling. But, Dyon's body hadn't been able to swell because it was crystallized. In fact, his veins only just now began to pump blood properly, causing a stream of blood to begin to slide down his side.

"I don't have time for this…" Dyon circulated his aurora and energy cultivation. Wounds became more difficult to heal the more powerful the attack was and the more powerful the body was. Unfortunately, Dyon's body had recently become much stronger and the attack he had suffered was without a doubt powerful. The good news was that he now had a saint level soul, so his aurora worked at unprecedented speeds. The bad news was that it would still take a few more hours. But, he didn't care.

Dyon's finger lit itself, causing a blaze of fire to send flickers of heat into his surroundings. Barely gritting his teeth, he brought the flame to his wound, sealing it off and stopping the blood.

Arios could only shake his head. He only knew a handful of people who would light their insides with fire will like this when there was a better solution to be had. The demon sage and Dyon happened to be two of them…

Dyon chuckled as his eyes flashed with purple-gold. "Sorry, can I trouble one of you to bandage me up?" A long and thick length of cotton bandages appeared in Dyon's hand.

In the stadium, the crowd's noise was booming louder than before. The 23 other members of Ri and Madeleine's battle royale each found an edge piece to stand on. With the platform being so large, there was hundreds of meters of space between Madeline and Ri, and therefore them and the two of them.

Madeleine was silent. She didn't know why but this girl in front of her was clearly powerful, but at the same time, she also had endless amounts of bloodlust aimed toward her.

'Did I take out one of your friends? I could care less.' Madeleine's own anger was boiling and being targeted for such a petty reason when she had gone out of her way to not severely injure anyone was pissing her off all the more.

Flames of violet began to coat her dress, and yet it somehow didn't singe it at all. In fact, the transcendent level treasure began to resonate with Madeleine's flames, seemingly dancing along with the flicks and flares of purple.

Ri began to walk forward, brandishing her sword in her hand. Her hair was a jet black and her tails were just the same. All ten of them whipped violently in the air, sending shockwaves of void will with their every movement.

Although Ri was angry, she remained cautious. If this really was someone who could hurt Dyon, then she was without a doubt powerful. However, Ri had risen to a point in that past two months where there was little doubt that she at the very least rivaled Dyon before his saint soul buff. And, even if she didn't, Ri was not the type to back down from a fight.

"Why did you do it?" Ri's voice came out in a growl. It was bestial and commanding. She had to know why they had been targeted. What was the purpose?

Madeleine's frown only deepened at this questioning. She couldn't speak, how was she meant to answer a question. Especially when the question itself pissed her off. Why did she do what? Wasn't it her job as a contestant to fight? Was she supposed to let others win? What was wrong with this girl?

Seeing Madeleine's scowl, Ri's anger deepened. But, she decided to try one more time. Something about this felt off to her. "Are you aware of who my husband is?"

Ri probed with another question. If this girl answered no, then Ri could settle on the idea of this having been a ploy of some kind. She had already asked Eli whether or not Dyon knew a purple hair and eyed beauty, and Eli had answered no, but there were a myriad of other possibilities. Even Ri's hair color changed depending on her form, could she really make a conclusion based on something like that?

She had no one to lean on. Her sister had died. Her parents weren't as supportive as they should be. This was the day, after two years, that she was supposed to finally see her husband, and yet all she got was being locked down and practically under arrest, all while she had to watch helplessly as he was slandered. And now this girl was mad at her for simply winning her bracket? What kind of bullshit was this?

This was the first of legacy techniques Madeleine had gained from Amethyst. It was usually a technique for males, but it had been adapted by Amethyst to circulate a different pathway and complement yin.

Ri's eyes flashed in anger, "Ice petal's dance, first petal: ice rain!" Her sword flashed forward, a magnificent lily of ice appearing behind her.

Ri's ice petals rained down shards of ice coated with sword will, wanting to tear through everything in its path, but instead being engulfed by a massive wall of purple fire.

Shocking booms resonated through the skies as the stones and metals that made up the arena were torn away – melting in the heat before being frozen over, just to melt once again.

Madeleine's heart burned with rage as her palms flashed outwards again and again. She was no longer holding back, but she felt as though her attack potency was being sucked away by the mysterious black will of her opponent.

Ri's void will flashed with her every step, her tails shooting beams of ice at Madeleine's forming feathers, stopping their attacks midstream.

Ri's manifestation bloomed, a dark and sleek Kitsune forming in the air as a crown of radiating gold and jewels fell perfectly into the gem on its forehead.

A black gold energy began to drip from Ri as tattoos of gold raced across her tails. Even her jet black hair became coated with the ethereal aura.

The crowd's cheering became a hushed silence. Two otherworldly beauties faced each other. Was a title amongst just the six beauties enough? Did that give these girls their due?

One was dark and bestial. She was petite, but her curves and figure were nothing less than perfect. Her long black hair waved in the air, contrasting her gentle-looking light blue dress.

The other was light and heavenly. She was the taller of the two, but her body filled her in flawlessly. Her chest was ample, and her hips were wide. Her purple hair, matted in twinkling flames, gave her an ethereal feel…

Outside of the stadium, Dyon was leisurely walking along with Arios and Thadius. He didn't feel the need to bring anymore demon generals, that would just bring undo attention.

When he saw Delia's state, he could only frown. But, what really got to him was how difficult it had been for Venus and Eli to carry them all of this way. It was as though they were really mortals.

Eli had never stepped out of the second foundation stage because he hadn't had any opportunity to train in the last two years. And, it seemed like Venus' cultivation had regressed from her lower meridian formation cultivation. Or, at the very least, she hadn't had the opportunity to replenish her depleted energy as a slave.

Seeing Dyon awake, a flash of happiness appeared on Eli's features, "Dyon, we need help. Delia hasn't been conscious for hours now. She took multiple wounds during her fight!"

After scanning Delia, Dyon's head cocked to the side in confusion. She wasn't hurt at all… In fact, something inside of her was shifting and changing… Seemingly for the better?

Venus smiled shyly and nodded in acknowledgment. Over the past two years, she had lost a significant amount of weight and it was clear that her cultivation had suffered. But, she was thankful to be free now. She had never brought herself to blame Dyon. How could she? He had been trying to do what was right. If anyone should be blamed, it should be those horrible Ragnor and Cavositas clans.

"From what I see, she's not hurt at all… I'm not sure what's going on, but it's likely the next time she wakes, she'll feel better than she ever has." Dyon reassured Eli.

Hearing this, Eli sighed in relief. He had examined Delia personally when he had finally made her way to her but couldn't find anything wrong. Hearing it come from Dyon made him feel even better.

Eli quickly explained the tournament system and how they were in the second to last round now. He then explained what had happened to Delia, which caused Dyon's brows to furrow.

"She just stopped mid-attack and coughed up blood?" Dyon didn't like the sound of that. But, what made it worse was that when he asked Eli who Delia's opponents had been, he said he didn't know.

Dyon was liking this less and less. He hadn't thought about it before, but the Madeleine that attacked didn't have her normal hair or eye color… In fact, she hadn't even worn glasses. Was that really how Madeleine looked now? If that was the case, there's no way Ri would be able to recognize her…

And Madeleine. The last time Dyon spoke to her was before he knew Ri was a Kitsune. If they clash and Ri uses her Kitsune form, Madeleine wouldn't be able to tell it was Ri either!

Dyon was beginning to panic. 'Is this really what they want?...' But suddenly, he had a thought that made him calm down. And eventually, a smirk replaced his apprehensive features.

"Of course, she has to make it through the final round too." Dyon winked, not explaining any further as they made their way forward with Arios and Thadius following silently.

Ri's black-gold tails whipped against Madeleine's peacock feathers, causing domineering shockwaves of ice and fire to reverberate through the bustling arena.

Madeleine reacted immediately, discreetly coating her palm with celestial intent and covering it with a wall of flames, parrying Ri's sword to the side and stretching her other hand toward Ri's throat.

King Belmont felt stupid. How had he not made the connection when he saw the tails? The problem was that ten tails didn't match any legends the kitsune had. And, worst yet, Kawa had never mentioned a kitsune with black tails. King Belmont had assumed this girl was something else…

The last King Belmont had heard of King Acacia's daughter, King Acacia himself had informed him that she was pretending to be his brother's daughter. So, when King Belmont saw this Ri character registered as the Elvin Princess, he hadn't made the connection between the two until now.

'This… Both of them?... This boy…' King Belmont didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How many years had he and King Acacia been dear friends and how many years had they spoke of their children marrying? All of that was flushed away now.

The only reason King Acacia wasn't as famous as King Belmont and Big Red was because he hadn't been able to participate in their generation's world tournament. Why? Because his manifestation was so powerful that it had taken centuries to manifest. The Elvin Kingdom, despite having unlimited quotas, never bothered to give him a chance until he proved they had no choice.

Ri, however, was oblivious to all of this. Her family's ancient manifestation bloomed magnificently, sending roots of obsidian careening toward Madeleine's delicate figure.

'Not enough!' Madeleine sent her mind inward and toward the faint flicker of a faith seed she held. And then, a sight of unmatched glory was presented.

The cry of a phoenix rang through the arena, a domineering bird of violet flames appearing to engulf Madeleine as she charged through the obsidian roots.

Ri winced as she felt the manifestation tear apart under the relentless flames, but she also felt Madeleine greatly weaken as bits of her technique were absorbed.

Lionel watched this with a deadpan expression. But, the way he gripped the arm rests of his throne told a completely different story. 'That has to be mine!'

It was at this moment that many realized that Ri and Madeleine were the only ones on the stage. In fact, their so-called competition had been blown away after their first few clashes. And yet, no one had said a single word. It seems those pulling strings wanted this continue until someone was hurt.

Taking a deep breath, Ri's meridians started spinning viciously. The energy in the air seemed to be water, and Ri's body was a funnel accepting it all.

The arena itself seemed to disappear as the array that hovered it in the air completely shattered in on itself, unable to hold the weight of anything any longer.

Ri's eyes widened, but she eventually settled in, wrapping her arms around Madeleine's trembling back. It was clear that Madeleine needed someone to hold on to right now. For her to have been so angry earlier, Ri knew something must have happened although she didn't know what. To Ri, Patia-Neva had given Madeleine the same message she received.

The crowd watched in confusion. It wasn't as though they minded two beauties hugging, but they didn't understand how they had gone from fighting to suddenly being the best of friends.

For entertainment purposes, special arrays were always set in place to allow the crowd to hear the voices of those on the competition floor. So, Ri's words only made them more confused.

Madeleine backed away, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her eyes once again focused on Ri's collarbone as she stretched her small hand toward it to gently hold a simple silver necklace.

Trying her best to hold back her tears and knowing she didn't have a lot of time before her master came to get her to bring her back, Madeleine pointed toward her throat, trying to get her meaning through to Ri.

In the shadows, red crystals exploded again and again, frustration coloring their face. They were so close! 'I'm sorry little sister… I'll find another way…'

Hearing this voice, Ri immediately stepped in front of Madeleine protectively. But, this only caused a sneer to appear on Ester's features as she crushed an array plate. Immediately, a concealment array was raised, hiding them from the crowd even as boos rained down.

Madeleine pulled Ri back, stepping forward with every intention of going with her master, but Ri didn't budge. "No. Anything we do from now on, we do together."

Ri's words caused tears to stream down Madeleine's face. In the back of her mind, Madeleine had been worried about whether Ri would accept her or not, because that was just the type of person Madeleine was. But, this told her all she needed to know.

Ester seemed to have lost her patience. Everything that was occurring was only making the Sapientia look worse and worse. She couldn't stay here for any longer. If she hurt Ri, it could be passed off as an injury that happened during the match. She needed to go.

The words of the man sent the crowd into an uproar. Wives? Who was the successor?! And more importantly, why was Ester Sapientia hitting her own first in line genius and the genius of another clan? What was going on?!

A handsome young man with a warm smile had stepped out from behind the hulking figure. His hair was an arrangement of reds, golds and browns – but his eyes, a deep hazel-green, were so warm and inviting that one could only feel endless comfort and confidence in them.

In an instant, Dyon stood before his two wives, both of his hand placed on either one of their cheeks. He could care less about the reaction of the crowd, all he saw were the loves of his life.

Ester could only watch in horror as the events unfolded. She had no idea how Dyon had gotten rid of the pill so easily. Was his array alchemy really at that level?

"What is it that you think you're doing exactly?" Elder Er appeared in the air, looking down on the events. It was clear he couldn't allow this to go on.

"Did you not hear what I said?" Elder Er's anger was building until he suddenly realized just who he was looking at, "It's you?" A robust laughter escaped Er's lips, "It seems the coward has come!"

"Coward?" Dyon's brows furrowed as he looked back toward Arios. Was this the problem he had to make them pay for? But, all he got was a nod toward a monitor.

Seeing an image of himself being shit on by farm animals, Dyon snorted in laughter before pulling Ri and Madeleine both to his sides, "Look at that! Don't you think that gives me just the right amount of handsomeness? If I go around looking this good all the time, won't everyone die of shame or jealousy?"

But, even worse, Dyon then proceeded to completely ignore the elder and the pictures entirely, instead grabbing Ri and Madeleine each by the hand and spinning them around. "Look at you two! Perfection!" Dyon grinned wildly, grabbing the waists of his wives and bringing them into another tight embrace.

King Belmont started laughing uproariously. No one could hear him because of the way their sky box was set up, unless he wanted them to that is, so he really unleashed. "How can I hate this kid? Look at him!"

Finally, Dyon set them down, a serious look coloring his features as he looked toward the dangling Ester and then toward the Sapientia sky box.

Dyon cut the elder off again, not allowing the crowd to react to him calling the head of the Sapientia a shithead. King Belmont though, found this hilarious, "Didn't I tell you, Lionel? Connery is an idiot, Haha!"

"Secondly, even if I didn't show up, so what? You and Connery likely have twenty thousand years of life between the two of you, if not more. I just turned sixteen. You're calling a kid who ran away from a Celestial expert a coward? That makes sense to you?"

"Oh, I cheated did I? I guess we'll see. Right now, I don't have the time to deal with you. The second to final round just concluded, no? There's a break right now, you don't need to be here."

"Tell me more about who is deserving of what. As we stand here, you've already lost her respect as a master. She doesn't even look at you with a shred of admiration anymore. Who are you to tell us what we can do?"

"It's clear you need to be taught a lesson." Elder Er stood in the air, rage building in his heart. When had he ever been so disrespected in his life? "You bring a weak saint here and think you can speak however you'd like? I'll show you the difference between heaven and earth."

Dyon snorted. Although his body and energy cultivation couldn't keep up, his soul was so powerful that even the movements of saints were slow to him. Seeing Elder Er's movements, even though he was a peak saint, was child's play.

So, knowing he couldn't move to react in time, Dyon acted differently. In reality, Thadius was strong enough to clash with this elder. But, that wasn't enough. Dyon wanted to make a statement. He wanted to make it clear to everyone here that he could really do the things he said.

A massive sentinel appeared. Its armor had changed drastically. Blinding silvers edged with shining blacks made its armor. Its size was even more massive, stretching 20 meters into the air. It even had a sword by its side that had cracked out of its previous stone covering.

Patriarch Cavositas sat on a throne, his dark hair and eyes frozen in anger. That was his elder. An elder of his family. That was just disrespected and then swatted away by a child!

"That child knows what's best for him, dear friend. Elder Er isn't dead, only a bit dirtied. And, it's clear that this child has some backing as well. Those two white haired guards of his are not normal. Sapientia or not, an elder shouldn't be so easily handled." A man with short flowing blond hair and striking blue eyes spoke words of calm to his friend.

Well, he said friend… But, if anyone paid attention, you would immediately notice that the throne of Patriarch Cavositas was just a few inches lower than the chair of his so-called friend. What kind of friendship was that?...

Under the touch of this person, Patriarch Cavositas immediately calmed himself. Often times, the words of a Ragnor, especially one so powerful, weren't to be taken as suggestions.

Back on the arena stage, Dyon watched with a small smile playing his features as his sentinel almost comedically picked Elder Er up and dusted him off.

Elder Er didn't know how to respond. In that instant, he really felt himself at death's door. He was fully aware that this … whatever it was, wasn't something he could match.

Puppets were incredibly rare. In fact, there was not a single puppet master in this universe and often times whatever puppets there were, were dormant and unsalvageable. The display Dyon had just showed everyone was the likes of which they had never seen.

Madeleine's eyes sparkled as she stared intently at Dyon's large back. It had been so long since she had someone she could stand behind… Someone strong enough to protect her. 'I guess you really meant it…'

Ri immediately saw the look in Madeleine's eyes as she looked at Dyon. It was a look she was all too familiar with. Maybe if it had been a few months ago, seeing someone else look at Dyon like this would have made her feel protective and reserved. But, when it was Madeleine… It just felt right.

Suddenly, Connery Sapientia appeared in the air. He arrogantly looked down on the proceedings, his hands clasped behind his back. His black hair, streaking with lines of white, shifted ever so slightly in the air. But, his face remained completely neutral. In fact, a small smile played on his lips.

Connery's celestial energy branched out, looking to lock down Madeleine and stop her from speaking. What he didn't notice was the smile playing on Dyon's face.

Madeleine's previous tears had been because she was moved by Ri's words. But, knowing that her little sister was safe and that Dyon was here, there was no longer a reason to cry. Her purple flames burned her tears away and, in an instant, it was as though she hadn't ever been crying at all. Left behind, was a beauty of near unmatched perfection, and a determined expression.

Dyon's eyes flashed, counter acting the array that automatically amplified his voice to the crowd. As much as he wanted to embarrass Connery publicly, if he pushed it too far, even the Sapientia might forget all thoughts of image to attack him. And while his puppets could handle Connery, what if other celestials deemed it right to fight as well? Could Dyon handle the patriarchs of the Sapientia, Ragnor, Cavositas and whomever else thought it was a good opportunity to take advantage of? He didn't want to take the risk, especially since he didn't have a good gauge on the most powerful experts he was dealing with.

"Consider this the small bit of face I'll give you." Dyon spoke nonchalantly, but Connery immediately picked up on the fact his voice wasn't being projected outwards anymore.

"Don't think of locking down and controlling the movements of Madeleine. If you had paid any semblance of attention at all, you would realize that my puppet is not only stronger than that elder over there, it's also stronger than you."

Connery's eyes flashed at these words, his gaze shifting toward the large puppet. He didn't know how to feel. Was it really possible to have a creation be so powerful?

"Now, you're more than free to test it out if you'd like. But, I wouldn't advise that. You Sapientia have an image to uphold, no? If you start fighting a child like me, where would that image go? You'd go from amiable researchers, to tyrants who'd do anything for a research subject."

Connery, having finally analyzed the array himself, began to speak. "So, what do you propose?" He didn't seem too perturbed. In fact, this scheming seemed to fall right down his alley.

"Why are you asking about my wife? She's no longer a Sapientia. She's a Sacharro. The only reason she stayed with you is because I've been away."

"I'm not entirely sure what you expected." Dyon said faintly. "My wife isn't an item to be bought and traded. If it was her wish to go back with you, I wouldn't stop her because I don't control her. You see people as items with usage rates and expiry dates. I see them as people."

Elder Er looked up from his position. He had been standing still ever since Dyon's puppet had helped him up. He hadn't known what to do. He had embarrassed his clan, could he really go back?

"I'm sure you both were part of this elaborate plan to make my family suffer. So, let's say I forget about that… For now." Dyon's eyes flashed. It was clear he had no intention of letting things go indefinitely. But, he had to compromise for now. "The first thing is I'll let your elder go. The second thing is that I'll allow you to say I backed out of our set competition."

Ri and Madeleine stood silently, each to either side of Dyon. The crowd was trying its best to see what was going on by reading their body language, but they couldn't make out anything.

The reason Connery went silent was because he noticed that Dyon hadn't only shut off the function of the array, he reversed its action. Instead of projecting voices, the array was now acting as a sound wall. The leap in difficulty made Connery painfully aware that Dyon was right. He would lose…

"I'm glad we don't have to do the whole back and forth 'I didn't do it' thing. Truth is, I not only know you were involved, I also know which clan the person who attacked me is from. After all, there's only one that makes use of red crystals that also has motive to hurt me."

Dyon couldn't have been more right. The reason the Madeleine impersonator had disappeared even under Thadius' eyes was because Connery had used a concealment array.

Originally, Dyon had been fatigued after spending the day curing the Viridi. He had overexerted his soul, so when he saw Madeleine, he didn't even bother to scan before he hugged her. He missed her too much.

But, after being stabbed, Dyon was on full alert. He immediately picked up the fluctuations of a created array. After that, it being obvious that his attacker had the help of an exceptionally skilled formation specialist.

"It should be obvious. I've already said that you would lose. But, aside from that, there's the fact you get to have the moral high-ground of a senior. You can say you allowed me off the hook after reprimanding me as a senior." Dyon shrugged.

This was definitely not Dyon's only reason. There was something else he was worried about other than offending the celestial experts, and that was the mystery behind the suppression of array alchemy.

Even Dyon wasn't 100% certain in defeating Connery Sapientia if he held himself to one discipline. But, if he combined the disciplines, it would likely alert the wrong people – especially since Connery was the highest authority the guilds had in this universe. It was likely that he was the connect to other universes' guilds.

And, this was of course something that Dyon couldn't afford to lose. If it came down to it, he would combine the two disciplines, because if he didn't, he would become a slave. Something he refused to allow.

In the end, it was best for both parties that this event be canceled. But, Dyon had to make sure that Connery thought this was an olive leaf he was extending to avoid confrontation and lay low. At the same time, Connery couldn't be allowed to know the true reason why Dyon had to lay low, or else he could take advantage.

Dyon was apprehensive about the celestial experts who were here, yes. But, he was even more wary of those moving in the shadows. It was too early for them to set their sights on Dyon.

After promising himself to take better account of his actions in the future, this was the best course of action. In fact, Dyon had already planned this the day he challenged Connery. After all, he had to say something to earn the Viridi family's freedom. But, at the same time, he couldn't afford to win this contest.

"No. There's one more thing. This is where Elder Er comes in. He's likely already removed my candidacy for the top ten. And, because I'm withdrawing from our battle, it's almost like I admit to cheating. Well, not really, considering beating you shouldn't be what clears my name, but that's how fools will take it. That's fine.

The point I'm getting is that I can't simply be reinserted into the top ten. But, at the same time, I have no intention of skipping out on this tournament. This'll give you more chances to kill me, don't you think?"

"The compromise here is that you'll directly insert me into the final round of this as a chance to 'prove myself'." Dyon smiled, waiting for their response.

Madeleine tried to refrain from giggling. She had seen that smile too often. Sure, she could tell that this compromise would lead to some scorn for Dyon, but how long would that last? And in all the years she had know Dyon… How often did he take a loss?

Dyon began to walk away. It was clear they had accepted, there was no need for him to hear anything else. With a flash of his eyes, Dyon his a smirk as he undid his changes to the array.

The veins in Connery's forehead threatened to pop at these words. He soon realized that he had underestimated Dyon yet again. He hadn't only reversed the role of the array, he had completely changed its function!

Connery was thoroughly convinced of his loss. But, that didn't stop him from smiling to the crowd and leisurely heading back to the Sapientia sky box with Ester by his side, leaving Elder Er to explain.

However, Elder Er never got the chance to. When Dyon and his entourage receded, the Cavositas immediately sent in a replacement elder. That was the last anyone heard of Elder Er.

Dyon held onto Ri and Madeleine's small hands as he walked away. The smile on his face was so large that Ri couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Pervert."

Elder Er's replacement, Elder Den Cavositas, was weary about how his predecessor was replaced. But, that feeling was overrun with disdain and anger when he heard about what happened.

"In true form," He began, "The Sapientia family has been magnanimous and have performed their role as peacemakers. Understanding that sometimes the young make mistakes, Patriarch Sapientia has allowed for the youthful demon sage to bow out of his engagements."

The crowd was stunned for but an instant before they started raining down boos. But, when they noticed that Dyon simply waved his hand and disappeared from view, their anger only increased. He dared use his array alchemy to escape their ire? Their booing only grew louder, naively trying to bypass Dyon's silencing array.

"The young Sapientia first in line genius is likely making a mistake of her own by choosing this coward as her partner. This caused the anger of her master, leading to an characteristically un-Sapientia like act. But, please understand that she acted out of love, and not hate. She only wanted the best for her disciple."

"In the end, Patriarch Sapientia has decided to allow their first in line genius to make her own decisions. He cares for her like he would a daughter and hates to see her make such mistakes. But, he also wants her to be happy. As such, under the strict requirements that she maintain a close guard on her virginity, he has decided to allow this."

However, fear not. This coward hasn't earned his spot in the top ten again. Instead, he will be forced to fight and earn his spot in the final round, where I have no doubt that the anger of our final contestants will expose him as the fraud he is!"

The remaining participants turned sharp gazes toward Dyon's hiding figure. They each had had their own reactions to the idea of Dyon cheating, but maybe none more violent than the response of the current number eleven ranker, Femi Geb.

He was a member of Eboni and Uta's Geb clan, and a master of Earth will. Not only did he have to watch a member of his clan suffer defeat to Dyon, in Uta. He also then found out that this same person he already had a burning rage for had been the reason he wasn't in the top ten.

He wasn't the only one who felt that way. Many of the participants were from small families who had worked half their lives to earn their rankings and make their way to the world tournament. And yet, some child had done it with little to no effort? And worse yet, he had made himself number one?

No one thought about how difficult array alchemy was. Many found the soul to be completely useless. It was too impractical. Many saw the elves as an anomaly, and even more pointed to the strength of Elvin bodies as the true source of their power. After all, even Ri had said the body of an ordinary elf was already comparable to an Earth level constitution.

The ire of 2300 participants turned on Dyon. They were determined to not allow him to pass. But even worse? Those rankers that had already made it passed all each placed their own target on Dyon's back. He was public enemy number one.

Ri and Madeleine looked at Dyon oddly almost as if to ask why he had led them here. But, Dyon only gave them each a wink before his eyes flashed a deep purple gold color.

The farm animals were lifted up and taken away to the center of the arena where Dyon didn't bother with them anymore. But then, something even more unreasonable happened.

The crowd couldn't help but stifle a laugh as those close enough noticed that Dyon's sword will was only of the 1st level. But, those intelligent enough saw that 1st level sword will shouldn't have been able to cut into the arena's tough exterior so easily – if at all. Just what was going on?

The crowd could only watch in shock as Dyon's wind will tore up a tempest of gales, tearing the part of the stadium that housed his seating area out of the ground.

A blaze of flames erupted before the eyes of everyone. Those paying attention, immediately noticed that Dyon had used three wills. This was already more than at least half of those present… And that was just the contestants. Those in the crowd were on average much worse than that.

Even worse? The blaze of red flames turned the large area to ashes in a mere moment, leaving a massive pile of ash directly in the center of the stadium – again leaving it for other to deal with.

The purple-gold in Dyon's eyes became stronger and stronger as an area much more luxurious than any of the other prepared area, sprang to life.

Couches of lush reds and purple, cushions and plants of lavender. Lavishly arranged food and a glass cage that held flying golden birds and butterflies. It was simply a paradise.

Thadius' uproarious laughter nearly drowned it all out as he heavily patted Dyon's shoulder, "I like your style successor. Both the sign and your wives, well done."

Ri and Madeleine, much to Dyon's sadness, completely ignored him and left to tend to Delia. Venus seemed like she would ingratiate herself well with them, so Dyon could only let it be.

"Tell me successor," Thadius leaned in and whispered into Dyon's ear, "How do you keep two at once? Ronica doesn't seem to mind, but River won't let me live it down. She won't even talk to me anymore!"

That said, he still turned a worried gaze toward Delia, something Dyon didn't miss. "You should be the first person she sees when she wakes up." Dyon playfully nudged at Eli.

"Let's just say that…" Dyon turned a sly eye toward Delia's sleeping figure, "After Delia's change is complete, there might be seven beauties instead of six. I only want the best for my friend."

"It's settled then." Dyon grinned. He knew that Eli didn't care about something like how beautiful Delia was in comparison to others. After all, Eli had spent years traveling to Patia-Neva peak, at Focus Academy, to see Delia. How could he not have seen Madeleine in all that time? And yet, Eli had fallen for Delia.

Dyon hardly cared about such things either. He had been fully willing to take Ri as his wife before he was even aware of how beautiful she was.

The reason, though, he had brought up Delia's beauty was to hint at something entirely different. Ri, Madeleine and Delia all had one thing in common: they each had a God level constitution amongst the top three.

Madeleine became a world-renowned beauty with the partial awakening of her constitution, although that then led to her sickness. But, she became even more of a beauty after it was fully awakened.

Maybe it was less important than the power given by a constitution, but, the ranking of female God level constitutions often linked with their beauty. This was, of course, evolutionary. They were by definition the peak of what a female could be, born with peak level constitutions. As such, every aspect of them also reached that level of perfection.

This also explained why Elves were such an inherently beautiful race of people. Even their weakest were already born with Earth level bodies – something humans could never match. Normal human blood lines, that is.

Faith seeds didn't work like this. That was because faith seeds were the product of cultivation. Although they did have profound benefits to the body, they didn't fundamentally influence one's genetic code. After all, faith seeds were external power sources from past peak experts.

What did this mean in the end? It meant that the most beautiful women in the cultivation world were also the most powerful. Having won the genetic lottery, their Earth, Heaven and God level constitutions gave them advantages no one else had.

"Doesn't matter. I'll take her through the next round no matter what. I know this tournament is important to her, so I can't allow her to lose because someone thinks they can lord over her life."

Madeleine looked up. After Eli's outburst, they had started to pay more attention to what was going on, on the "boys" side of the luxurious living room type area. "What happened?"

"I think I have a small idea," Ri answered, "Delia's father sent me a message saying that she would be fine and that he'd prevent future attacks on her mind. It seems as though he knows who the enemy is, but allowed Delia to be attacked as a trial."

"So it's the Clyte…" Dyon and Madeleine said in unison. They were both fully aware of who Delia's enemies were. But, what they didn't understand were Patia-Neva's actions. Neither had any way of knowing how powerful he was, let along why he'd try to hide something like that.

Dyon remained silent, allowing Madeleine to answer. "Focus Academy was formed while I was still with the main Sapientia branch. But, I still know a few things because of my father.

When Patia-Neva made the move to create the academy, he didn't hide himself at all. In fact, he even allowed a Kami branch family to be a pillar of the academy, who are obviously a clan originally from Planet Naiad, where the Clyte are from. That said, maybe the most glaring evidence of this is the fact he never changed his last name like the Storm family did.

Being part of the Sapientia family, my father was privy to information many weren't, especially because of my step mother. So, he immediately made the connection between the recent destruction of the Patia-Neva clan and the appearance of Head Patia-Neva.

When my father asked Head Patia-Neva about this, he didn't try and hide it at all. He expressed that he had enmity with the Clyte God Clan and that he had lost his lover as a consequence.

Because Patia-Neva was so honest, the pillar families decided to remain in the Focus Alliance. Well, it wasn't so simple, actually. The main reason was because attacking the clans and sects of another planet is highly taboo. Which meant that if Patia-Neva was ever found out, it would be him alone who suffered and the rest of Focus Academy would be left alone so as to minimize any noticeable impact.

However, there was always quite a few odd things about Patia-Neva's actions, even aside from the fact that it didn't seem as though he was truly hiding.

For one, there was the location he built Focus Academy on. The ruins of the Celestial Deer Sect had been a pseudo taboo area for quite a long time until Patia-Neva came.

The second was the central pillar library and the masterful arrays Focus Academy had access to. For example, the creation array that was used at the opening ceremony and the teleportation array to the Elvin Kingdom. Patia-Neva always brushed these off as having been left by the previous Celestial Deer Sect, but the problem still remains that they shouldn't have been so intact. If they had been, why hadn't they been taken by someone else instead of being left to such a weak academy?

And also, the books in the central pillar library. It didn't make sense for them to exist. Dyon has probably told you all some version of this story at some point, but the Celestial Deer Sect was completely sealed. So, how did Patia-Neva gather books from them?"

Dyon's brain churned more and more quickly as he listened to Madeleine's words. As soon as she mentioned the teleportation array to the Elvin Kingdom, his memory remembered something else.

There was not a single flaw in the teleportation array. And, come to think of it, there was not a single flaw in the creation array either. The level they were both at was something even the current Dyon couldn't put the most accurate gauge on…

But, it had been thousands of years since the destruction of the Celestial Deer Sect… No array should be able to last that long without maintenance. Even the Gates themselves closed down for a few months every year to repair themselves… So, the question was how?

He was always so polite and shy, but his demeanor always completely changed when it came to tending to his garden. Every little detail from taking off his shoes, to spending weeks planning out water routes and plant distribution, to even his focused murmuring as he spoke to himself about what he could improve and what he had done wrong.

Delia and Eli never spoke all that often to each other. In fact, Eli was always overly formal. But, Delia always found it interesting that despite how flustered he was whenever he saw her or Madeleine, he always seemed to completely forget about their existences until it was time for him to wave goodbye to them again.

Never did Delia ever think that this boy's voice would be the one that pulled her from a path she would have come to regret. But, he had. What she didn't know was that while Eli spent his life diligently analyzing and coming to an understanding of every seed he planted, he had been observing Delia from afar the same way.

It wasn't that Madeleine wasn't also a kind soul. In fact, Eli could hardly understand it himself. If he was going to fall for someone, shouldn't it have been Madeleine?

But, there was something in Eli's heart as a botanist that told him that Delia needed help arranging the flower that was her. Something told him that she was just a step away from making the wrong move and that he could play a role in adjusting her just perfectly.

That fascinated him. Even as Eli concocted medicines for Madeleine, he studied Delia. He saw her cold and yet soft-hearted demeanor. He took note of her graceful swords play, an art that seemed to be predicated on diverting the effort of foes into strength for her. He even took note of how she could transform from a beauty with flawless olive skin, to a beauty with the fairest skin he had ever seen.

Delia's entire being seemed to be coated in something false. No, not false. Something that was fundamentally important to her character, but still slightly flawed. And that was when Eli saw it – the perfect picture of what Delia was.

She was a leaf. Sleek, green and healthy. The picture of nature and warmth. The epitome of everything life. But, she was covered. She had a cold, but delicate exterior. She was a sword of unprecedented sharpness, but still one that chose to parry.

Outside of Delia's dream land, everyone seemed to have settled into a calm rhythm. There was still quite some time before the final round – time given because all participants had just fought – so Dyon was taking his time to enjoy his wives.

Ri had left for a moment to go and ask Primrose, Mithrandir, Celine and Opal if they'd like to come over. After all, the miscellaneous area for ranked geniuses wasn't comparable to the top ten areas. This was especially true if you were relying on others to be there like the four of them, because none of them had ever taken part in a campaign.

"What happened?" Dyon say across from Madeleine, holding her small hands in his as he looked into her eyes intently. He hadn't had the opportunity to find out what she had been through, and he felt as though he should ask.

A sad smile spread across Madeleine's features as she shook her head, "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm here with you and little sister Ri, that's all that matters."

Madeleine shook her head again, "I still haven't forgiven them, why should you?" A defiant glint shone in her eyes. "A few months ago even my step mother came to convince me that you were no good. I love them, but I won't accept them if they won't accept you."

"I want you to know that if it ever comes to it, I won't allow anything to happen to your family." Dyon caressed Madeleine's soft cheek. "We'll save them. And, if they continue to be annoying, we can just lock them in a comfy room with movies and food."

Madeleine giggled, thinking back to her movie nights with Dyon. "You didn't finish lord of the rings without me, did you? I want to watch it with you and Ri."

Dyon shook his head, "Of course not. I only watched the first movie with Ri. We can finish the rest and the preludes together. But, more importantly, this makeover of yours. I didn't think it was possible for you to get more beautiful."

Madeleine looked at Dyon before blushing. She could never win a staring contest with him. The purity of his eyes always made his words seem all the more real, as though his word was law and it was impossible for him to be wrong. It made even Madeleine, someone who heard compliments like that blush.

"So you know that much, hm?" Madeleine smiled. She was rarely surprised by Dyon now. Honestly, her reaction to Airic's appraisal of Dyon had been more longing and excitement than surprise. "But why on purpose?"

"That I'm not sure about. But." Dyon's hand found his way to Madeleine's collarbone to gently palm her silver necklace. "She didn't destroy this. That's telling us something."

Madeleine didn't know how to feel. But, she had always found it off that the main Sapientia branch went out of their way to distribute such high end materials even to the much lesser branch families.

From birth, Madeleine was assigned carbon framed glasses. These glasses then had the potential to be upgraded to crystal framed glasses once a member became proficient with the Sapientia speed reading technique. Then, the crystal framed glasses could be 'customized' to varying colors.

Before Madeleine's were destroyed, they had begun to tint purple. Connery Sapientia's however, tinted green. This was explained as taking the form of a person's aura, and it made sense for Madeleine since her favorite color had always been purple. In fact, whenever she wasn't wearing the white transcendent dress Dyon gave her, she was likely wearing a purple dress of some sort.

Madeleine playfully slapped Dyon's hands away and got up to say hello and be introduced by Ri. It didn't seem to take long for them to become the best of friends. But, Dyon was so distracted that he almost didn't notice Zaltarish come in with them.

"Dyon! This isn't fair!" Zaltarish plopped down on the couch beside Dyon followed by Arios and Thadius, all of whom were looking at Dyon with varying degrees of jealousy.

Just as they were about to pull Dyon back, the booming voice of Elder Den pierced through the stadium, causing the loud cheering of the crowd to erupt again.

"This is it, ladies and gentlemen! The final round! But, I believe you all know that there's more at stake than just the available positions. This is about the pride of warriors. A pride that has been continuously stepped on by a shameless fool. A shameless fool that took the extended olive branch of the Sapientia family and trampled on it before the public.

All monitors panned to Dyon's newly formed top ten area, causing boos to rain down. But, all they found was a young man wearing a plain white T shirt and black sweat pants rolled to his calves. Well, that and there was a girl sleeping soundly on an array behind him.

He seemed oblivious to the anger he had stirred even as 2300 warriors intent of tearing him limb from limb, ran, flew, leaped and bounded their way to the center of the arena.

Turning back toward Madeleine and Ri who had stood with worried expressions on their faces, Dyon grinned. "If I ask for two kisses, how mad do you think that would make them?"

Dyon smiled light, nodding before stepping into the air with the help of his arrays. But, before he could get far, he heard an obnoxious voice from behind him.

"So this is our supposed prince consort? Our so-called princess is just a fool, but I wonder what pills you fed Madeleine Sapientia to get her to agree to be with you. Imagine making this big show just to die." Clarice Grimbold stood beside Fiora with a sneer on her face.

Dyon raised an eyebrow, "Listen, generic mean girl 1 and 2. I advise you watch your mouths. Out of respect for my father in law, though. I won't kill the citizens of his kingdom without adequate reason. That said, you should pay attention to the two behind you, or else you won't get to see whether I die or not."

Not bothering to explain, Dyon flew off into the air, finding his way in an encirclement of thousands, all seemingly waiting for the start announcement to tear him to shreds.

There seemed to be a drastic difference between them and Dyon. They wore armors and wielded elaborate weapons. Some had even already drawn these weapons, ready to fight for the remaining 790 spots. But, Dyon was the picture of calm. Even as he protected Delia's floating figure, his hands remained in his pockets as his bare feet graced the hard stone of the arena floor.

The tense atmosphere around the warriors was peaking. Some barely heard the words of the elder even as the crowd's noise increased again and again.

"As you all know, there are meant to be 2300 of you. Unfortunately, due to the selfishness of another, this number has been increased to 2301. This is of course highly unfair to all of you since the spots are being maintained as 790. So, in the interest of balancing the fairness, we've made a new rule.

The person to land the finishing blow on the cowardly demon will be automatically admitted into the final rounds regardless of how many there are left."

"In addition to this, a review panel will be watching this match to gauge how you contributed to said final blow. Should you be among the top 100 in inflicting damage to the cowardly demon, you will also receive an automatic spot regardless of how many there are left."

Hearing these new "fair" rules, Madeleine and Ri couldn't help but grit their teeth in anger. This was nothing less than forcing Dyon to battle all 2300 alone!

"The last tidbit is for the audience! Betting has opened up early! You can big on who you think will be among this 100 to inflict the most damage and also on how long the cowardly demon will last!"

Cheers erupted as the betting monitors started going off wildly. The world tournament made use of array naming plates to teleport bids to a set location and automatically record them. With the announcement of Elder Den, the crowd had begun wildly bidding. Some big on who would make the top 100 in damage, but most bid on time.

Hearing the words of Dyon's, even the patriarchs began to sit at the edge of their seats. Was this boy really all talk? Or was he really worth the number one spot? Was he being so arrogant to prove a point?

The ranked geniuses watched Dyon as well. Aside from those who had seen him in action at Chaos tower, the others were curious to see if he could really do this.

"This isn't big enough." Dyon frowned, "Ah, no matter, no matter. Just one more question though. Say I bet more than the other bidders can cover, who will compensate me? After all, the odds are against me something like 1 in 10000, I'm worried about wasting my time with this bid."

Elder Den frowned. "As if you can bid more than tens of millions of people can cover. If we include the other four planets and those watching, who also have bidding plates of their own, that's even into the tens of billions of people. But, in the event that you have some dog shit luck, the Chaos Bank will cover you."

"You…" The veins in Elder Den's neck were threatening to burst. This kid had to be riling him up. Even if he bid entirely in dao stones, with tens of millions of people bidding, even if they only used profound stones, it would definitely convert to hundreds of thousands of dao stones.

Dyon turned his gaze toward 2300 angered warriors. "You all seem to think that if you get angry enough, if you get riled up enough, maybe if you get enough incentives placed in front of you, you'll be able to beat me, hm?"

"I hope you all understand what 1 in 10000 means. If I don't see 100 000 000 000 dao stones after this, I'll start looking down on the Cavositas."

Dyon was hoping they could pull it off, actually. A hundred billion dao stones was the equivalent of 100 000 transcendent stones, something he wanted to see if he could trade for in the future.

The initial shock of the sheer amount of the bet was washed over by Dyon's words. So what if he was rich? He was disrespecting their entire beings. He didn't deem them worthy.

The truth was that no one there was more angered than Dyon. They had trampled over his name, ignored his hard work, and fabricated all sorts of stories to make it seem as though they were the ones in the right. Dyon smiled and shrugged it off, but Madeleine and Ri both knew how he really felt. This would be a massacre.

The laughter of Elder Den boomed as a message was transmitted into his ears. "Listen here. As long as he is defeated. You will each receive 100 dao stones. This is our guarantee."

The competitors shook at the sheer amount of wealth on the table. 100 dao stones? That was enough to become the riches non-God Clan family on earth in an instant.

Suddenly, thousands of magnificent arrays appeared in the air. The intricate patterns of gold and purple nearly blinded the audience even as the red-black and dripping aura of the weapon's pagoda flashed.

Spears of unparalleled power raged outwards from the pagoda's doors, finding their way to each array and becoming perfectly centered even as they began to spin viciously.

Connery had noticed something anyone with high enough cultivation had. Each and everyone of the weapons that Dyon brought out of his pagoda matched to his soul level. Meaning… Each and every one was a grandmaster level weapon.

"This is the difference between you and I." Dyon was no longer gazing at the 2300 before him. His eyes trailed along the ranked geniuses, letting them know he didn't put any of them in his eyes.

2300 attacks were pierced through and shredded to nothing. Brilliant silvers and whites spun viciously from thousands of arrays as a spear of unprecedented power landed before each and every contestant, exploding the ground before them with such force that the stadium itself trembled.

There was only silence in the arena as every present genius could only stare at the spear that landed before them, trembling as their lives flashed before their eyes.

This was the very first time that many here had seen array alchemy on this scale. It suddenly made them wonder… If this level of skill was used on a battle field… Is it really necessary to cheat?

The most glaring point for many wasn't how powerful Dyon's attack was. In reality, not only had Dyon held back significantly by choosing not to kill them and by not fusing his wills, etc., because of this, the level of power he used could be comparable to many of the rankers.

However, that wasn't the point. And Dyon was fully aware that those intelligent enough would understand. What Dyon had done was on a scale very few could reach. So why if you could swing a sword or punch a warrior with the same power output Dyon just displayed. Could you effect thousands of warriors at once? And with such pinpoint accuracy? In most cases, the answer was no.

"Ah, thank you for the money." Dyon grinned as he poured the still teleporting dao stones into his spatial ring. "Oh, and, my little sister Delia here is taking a nap, but technically she participated. I'm sure that's just fine. As for how you want to fill in the other 788 spots, that's up to you. Maybe you can slowmo your playback video and check to see who dropped to their knees last." A light chuckle escaped Dyon as he floated away, oblivious to the gritting teeth of those he had been referring to.

Caedlum nodded as he analyzed Dyon's seconds long battle again and again. By every calculation he did, it shouldn't be possible to draw so many arrays, let alone arrays that powerful, so quickly. What kind of concept was it to draw thousands of master level arrays in an instant? Well, in that fraction of a second, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Dyon multiplied the number of master level arrays on earth hundreds of times. And he did it on a whim.

"They've been coasting. It seems like this year they've only allowed Vidar and Thor to participate. I'm not sure of the reason why. Maybe they want quality over quantity."

"Why did you not tell us his soul was so powerful?" A dark-skinned woman with short and white afro-style hair and large silver hooped earings looked toward Ulu questioningly.

"Grandmother, you, the other elders, and husband were setting things in place. And, when I originally checked his soul, it was only at the peak of the meridian formation, or the 4th stage. I wasn't aware that he was hiding it. What kind of fool wants to hide his soul talent at such a high stage?"

If Dyon had heard this, he would have likely reacted by scratching his head in shame. He really hadn't had any concept of what a proper soul strength was for a sixteen, or fifteen-year-old at the time. So, he made a guess. But, he guessed very wrong. In fact, in this universe, it wasn't uncommon for even peak saints to be held to this soul cultivation.

As a soul expert, she was well versed in formations. And, if her memory served her right, the weapon's hell formation was only a lower practitioner level array which only required a 3rd stage soul. So, when she had seen him make so many, she had already been ridiculously impressed. There were maybe handful of geniuses even from their universe that could do such a thing. But, to hear that she had underestimated this child gave her an odd feeling.

"Grandma, I don't think you'd believe me but… I can't get an accurate gauge on his soul. He's at like the peak of the 5th stage to the 6th stage."

What Ulu was referring to, unfortunately for her, was when Dyon had unleashed his full soul strength at Chaos Arena. Unlike Connery, Ulu didn't have a concept of a saint soul, and didn't know that Dyon had already broken in the 7th stage.

Matriarch Lebna subtly sent a glance toward a quite and stout middle-aged man with seemingly not a lick of hair on his body. But, he too seemed to be studying Dyon's figure.

Ulu lowered her head, nodding. Her grandmother however, was still in shock. Why? Because she had just read Dyon's soul as being at the lower 3rd level. And yet, her granddaughter, a genius among soul geniuses, had read it at the 4th just days before – she would never make such a simple mistake. What did that mean? It meant that she… Even as the Matriarch of the Lebna God Clan… Even as a Celestial level expert… Couldn't see through Dyon's soul concealment…

"Leave it to Zabia for now, Ullah." A deep and reverberating force entered the mind of the Matriarch, causing her to nod in acceptance – putting Dyon to the back of her mind.

The crowd could only watch as Dyon leisurely waited for all of his winnings to be pooled into in spatial ring. As one might imagine, the equivalent of a hundred billion dao stones takes a while to teleport, especially when much of it will be made up of saint and profound stones.

After what seemed like forever, Dyon tossed the bidding array back to Elder Den's stunned figure and headed back toward his area, walking by Clarice and Fiora as though they weren't there.

"Arios, would you like to go back to your family? Technically speaking, I don't have any plans of leaving Earth until the gates open again. And that's not for at least another half year. I don't mind you spending all of that time with them."

"I'll take you up on that offer," Arios nodded, "But, I was also wondering if we could bring my little sister as well. My elder brother Riley is in line to head the Sicarius family, so he can't leave – even if we asked, he'd be unwilling to. But, Ava's potential is being stifled here. She has a Heaven level constitution, and yet not only has she not put any effort into awakening it properly, she even ruined much of her cultivation for my sake."

Their mission come the next campaign had nothing to do with rankings anymore. After this world tournament, they would no longer care about such things for a while. What mattered would be climbing the Epistemic Tower and that was an opportunity very few ever got. The fact Dyon was willing to share it warmed Arios' heart.

The truth was that Martial Artists had no need for sleep. As long as there were healthy warriors to fight, the tournament should technically go on. But, the problem was that the Cavositas elders were having issues getting the remaining 2298 participants to stop kneeling.

Dyon chuckled, looking back at the situation. "It's going to take them a while for them to get over my demonic will. In fact, it'll take them a while to realize that's even the problem to begin with. Plus, I don't feel the need to watch the foundation stage and meridian formation competitions.

"I think you should spend some time with Big Sister Madeleine alone." Ri protested. She didn't want to be selfish. She had had Dyon to herself for a year now, but Madeleine hadn't seen him in two.

But, Madeleine shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous. Everything we do, we do together from now on, right?" A radiant smile spread across Madeleine's face as she took Ri's hand and walked toward Dyon.

Grinning wildly, Dyon laughed before taking his wives by the waist. He was so large compared to their petite figures that he nearly engulfed them in his embrace.

"Husband, it's been ten years. Can we really finally go back?" A beautiful Japanese woman spoke lovingly to a tall Elvin man. Her Kimono clung tightly to her curves, embroidered in beautiful flowers and intricate swirls of gold, but there was something decidedly bestial about her aura.

"Compared to others of our cause, we've had it easy. Amell and Nora haven't seen their child since birth. Patia-Neva even lost his entire clan. We have to remain focused." The tall Elvin man responded.

The Elvin man could only sigh. "You know someone had to remain on Earth. It only makes sense for Little Belmont and Little Red to do so. After all, they're the heart of a Royal God Clan."

"I didn't mean Big Red. He's even lost his sons before. That said, don't let him hear you call him Little Red. I can smell that fight coming from a mile away." She giggled.

Suddenly, a saddened expression colored her features. "Speaking of Amell and Nora, do you think they'll make it? The day of the world tournament was the day we set to come back, but even we were late, and we were the closest. They've been gone for so long and are so far away… Is it possible?"

"Travel without the gates is…" The Elvin man frowned. "It's nothing short of a suicide mission. But, if anyone could do it, it would be those two. If it wasn't for them, none of this would be possible and our universe would never rise up again."

"Our universe? I like the sound of that." The Japanese woman smiled. Her clan had originated from this universe, before their migration away, when it was the undisputed most powerful in this quadrant. However, a close rival to this universe had always been the old Elvin universe, now known as the Chaos Universe after the Elvin Kingdom's destruction. Because of that, it had always been the goal of the Elves to make their way back to their universe. So, hearing her husband give up on such a ridiculous and sentimental goal made her happy. Him accepting this meant he finally released the burdens his ancestors had placed on him… He finally wanted to move on.

That aside, traveling through the universes without the gates was a highly dangerous affair. However, what Dyon had realized in his talks with his grand teacher was that the gates had not always existed, nor were they natural. And yet, the very premise that creating the gates allowed meant that people knew there were more than one universe before their creation. After all, why would you create gates if you didn't know there were two or more things to connect?

So, what did this mean? It meant that before the gates existed, some highly intelligent people had calculated, prepared and schemes their way to break dimensional barriers to explore the unknown.

"Let's go. Considering they're there, there's no need for us to rush. But, I too would like to see the talent Little Belmont and Red choose to lead the conquering of our dormant Epistemic Tower."

If Dyon had been here, he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. These experts had spent years, no, decades planning. Their goal was obviously the rise of this universe to its former glory. But, there was also a deeper purpose. If there wasn't, they would never sever ties from their families. There were shadows lurking in their former glorious universe… Shadows that destroyed the Celestial Deer Sect and led to the downfall of their universe as they knew it.

But, the irony wasn't this… One of the most important steps in their plan was raising geniuses capable of conquering the Epistemic Tower as a first step to their rise. They had sacrificed so much not only for retrieving the knowledge of the existence of such a tower, but also in scouring and researching legacies to gift these geniuses, all while also warily avoiding and compiling information on their enemies…

And yet, they were soon to comeback to find that all their hard work was for naught. Why? Because a fifteen-year-old, now sixteen-year-old boy, had done what they couldn't.

Just moments earlier, Connery Sapientia had sensed Dyon taking away Ri and Madeleine. In fact, because of that moment, he nearly cracked his throne again. Why? Because he was fully convinced at this point that Dyon's array alchemy had far surpassed his. For him to sense Dyon taking away his wives meant only a single thing: that Dyon had wanted him to.

It had only lasted a split moment before Dyon completely disappeared, but that was enough. It wasn't that Dyon wanted to provoke Connery. He only wanted to continue playing their little game. In the back of Connery's mind, although he found the percentage likelihood to be very small, a piece of him still believed that there was a possibility that Dyon could be bluffing. Something was itching at him, telling him that Dyon didn't want their competition as much as he didn't want it. But, he had no proof.

Every move Dyon made was perfect and made sense. No matter how much backing, money, or power Dyon held now, there was no way for him to fight the entire universe on his own. If he continued to push Connery, it might lead to other leaders that hated him taking advantage.

Connery understood that and even knew that the only reason he was holding onto that faint possibility was for his own pride. But, he still couldn't fathom how a mere child could have surpassed him so easily. And now? They had seemingly also lost a first in line genius as well…

Far from the world tournament, Dyon sat on a large cushioned throne with Madeleine and Ri on either of his thighs. He felt content, holding their waists lightly as they rested their heads on his neck.

They were currently in the Demon Sage's Tower. It was a supreme treasure Dyon hadn't made use of since the day of the legacy world opening. In fact, he still had many trials he hadn't taken either. But, he had been so focused on other things that he never got around to opening higher floors.

That said, the Demon Sage Tower was perfect for travel and when Dyon didn't need to make it go as fast as he had to escape that day, the energy stone usage was minimal.

"Where are we going?" Madeleine asked. She had been content to lean in and enjoy Dyon's embrace, but they had been flying for almost an hour over the ocean now, so even she was getting curious.

"Mhm. The human world. That's the only place I can take you guys out without having to fight my way through an army of horny men. At worst you'll have to deal with some stares."

Ri and Madeleine giggled. They were excited to know more about Dyon's origins. It wasn't that it was impossible to travel from the human to martial world, it was more so that it was tedious and the humans weren't as weak as the martial warriors liked to presume.

Prime examples of this were Dyon's father and the soldier's armor Dyon had used the arm guards of back at Focus Academy. Then there was Dyon's shield that was capable of easily blocking Ava's attack. It was suffice to say that the human world had technology capable of matching up to at least the lower extremities of the martial world. They were mysterious enough the top end experts didn't bother with them and strong enough that the lower end experts knew not to encroach on their territory.

But, there was another reason martial experts never seemed to bother with the human world. This reason also happened to be why although Dyon's soul was innately of the fourth stage, he had been at the lower first stage when he stepped into the martial world: There was a complete lack of cultivation energy. Not a single drop of it existed in the human world. Couple that with the fact that mortals had their body cultivation sealed, and you had to perfectly legitimate reasons for why Dyon had never taken note of his powerful soul.

That said, because of Dyon's near death experience with Darius Storm, his soul had been forced to grow stronger – ignoring the weakness of his body. Then, because of the 25th White Mother of the Celestial Deer sect, Dyon's master, he was able to catalyze the awakening of his body cultivation by absorbing essence blood.

"Do we really not need to worry about the Sapientia anymore?" Madeleine asked softly. She was almost scared about the answer. She wasn't willing to leave Dyon again.

Dyon smiled, "If you said the word, I could destroy the entire Sapientia family network in this universe. You never have to worry about them."

Ri nodded vehemently, "He's like a new born calf when he's cumming. They should have put that up on the monitors instead. Much more embarrassing."

"Ridiculous. I'm undefeated." Dyon's eyes flashed with a sinister light. By the time Madeleine and Ri figured out what was going on, Dyon had clamped down on their hips too tightly for them to escape.

Shining lights of golden flames and crystals filled the throne room as Madeleine and Ri's faces flushed, each burying their face into Dyon's chest while trying to control their breathing.

Madeleine was especially sensitive. Her bestial aura wasn't as prominent as Ri's, but it would increase the more she improved her connection with her faith seed. That said, that wasn't the reason she was so sensitive.

She hadn't felt Dyon's touch in two years. She had ignored the longing, instead focusing on her campaigns and cultivation. But, that didn't mean it wasn't there. So, it wasn't a surprise to anyone that Madeleine was the first to raise her head and gently kiss Dyon, accepting his tongue's twirl around hers.

In the distance, there was the city line of a large and technologically advanced coastline. But, it was still tens of kilometers away. What was more glaringly obvious was the large space-station-like silver construct that hovered over the ocean.

It was made up of tens of spherical hubs connected by long and transparent pathways that extended in each direction as far as the eye could see. Each spherical hub housed hundreds, if not thousands, of patrolling soldiers and also had numerous fighter jets and helicopters on their roofs.

Dyon covered his eyes as he looked out. He had seen this sight before. The last time was when the silver yacht that brought him away from it. The times before was when he had helped in its upgrade.

Hearing this voice, Dyon couldn't help but grin. Flashing outside, Dyon stood in the air on his array and looked out before projecting his voice.

"Dyon?" A soldier standing on the roof of one of the spherical structures asked in confusion. His eyesight obviously wasn't as good as Dyon, being a mortal, so he immediately pulled out a set of binoculars to set his eyes on Dyon's figure. He almost didn't recognize the mature young man that stood before him, but when he couldn't mistake was that wardrobe. Only Dyon would step out of a glowing tower with a white shirt and sweat pants.

"Ah, this. We've got new management. But, you shouldn't have too many hoops to jump through. Go ahead and come onto the station, we can skip the search step for you."

Dyon smiled and nodded, heading back in to get Ri and Madeleine. He knew who this new manager was. It was a running joke really because this manager wasn't new at all. After Dyon's father died, he had become the new highest-ranking member of the military. This meant he had been here for decades and had been managing for seven years already. But, loyalty to General Sacharro wasn't something hard to come by.

Walking back into the throne room, Dyon found Ri and Madeleine tangled around each other. They had seemingly ignored the blaring noises, assuming that Dyon would handle it.

Dyon couldn't help but pause at this seen. He never thought he would be happy to see his woman entangled with someone else, but this was definitely an exception. 'Definitely an exception.'

It was clear that Ri and Madeleine's bestial aura had … opened them up a bit. Dyon definitely wasn't complaining. They hadn't gone so far as to kiss, though. Or, yet, more accurately. It was almost a shame to break up their cuddle.

Ri and Madeleine pouted at first, but also realized that this was an important moment. So, they both went to tidy themselves up before Dyon gave them more modern clothing to wear.

Ri settled for skin tight black leggings and a blue blouse that complemented her long blue-silver hair, while Madeleine wore tight fitting dark jeans a white shirt, and long purple cardigan.

Moments later, Dyon had shrunk the tower down to once again fit into his spatial ring and had stepped onto the roof of the silver spherical structure to find a tall and stout man with an ugly scar running vertically down his left eye. It was partially covered by an eyepatch, but the scar was too long to cover completely.

He looked quite menacing and held an aura that shocked even Ri and Madeleine despite their years of battle experience. They couldn't help but involuntarily shiver under this man's gaze even though he clearly had no cultivation.

However, that demeanor of his completely shattered when he saw Dyon. In fact, the large man even started tearing up, bringing Dyon into a tight embrace. "You stupid kid. Were you too distracted by women to think of visiting me?"

"Let me introduce you, Unc. This is Ri." Pointed toward the beautiful Elvin girl, before shifting his gaze. "And this is Madeleine. They're my wives."

Ri and Madeleine giggled. Unc didn't know that their hearing was too good for his voice to escape them. But, even more than that, they found it funny that his first reaction wasn't that Dyon was too young, but rather that there were two of them.

"Lieutenant General Barbaros." A sharp voice came from an opening stair case. It seemed to come out of the ground but was covered by a trap door that had to be opened with a special access code.

Soon, the head of the general came into view and Madeleine and Ri suddenly understood that Barbaros really was a cry baby. Their General was nothing like him. The aura was so stifling that Ri was reminded of the sentinels that guarded dead kings valley. She remembered how Dyon had to step in front of her at that time and she remembered how strong Dyon's back had been during that whole experience and she suddenly understood something…

It wasn't normal for someone as young as Dyon to be so used to dealing with such pressure. This was a pressure that was meant to be built and forged over years of experience. And yet, between Ri and Madeleine, how often had they seen Dyon ignore such pressure?

During the opening ceremony, Dyon stood unperturbed by 6 elders. During Madeleine's "wedding", he had faced the head elders of the big sects, completely unfazed. When he was forced to run to the Elvin Kingdom, Dyon had maintained his composure even while being chased by experts from God level clans. In the Elvin Kingdom, Dyon stood to even their grand elders and then their ancestors. Then, as if all of this wasn't enough already, Dyon had challenged the head of a God Clan. The head of the guild headquarters. And through all of this? He had never put any of them in his eyes.

Why? That was all anyone who witnessed these things could ask themselves. But, what they never thought was to ask Dyon. Because if they had, he would have given them one very honest answer.

In reality, Dyon knew that this contest would be over as soon as he leaked his demonic will. But, he did no such thing. This was a contest between mortals, as such, he was respectful of that.

"Hardly. I have nothing but respect for second best. It's hard to live your life in a shadow." Dyon's smile didn't fluctuate. In fact, if you muted the conversation, you may have very well thought he was complimenting the general.

The truth was that the more time Dyon spent in the martial world, the more odd he found the death of his parents. His father and mother were both completely healthy before their deaths. But, what was even more odd was the note his mother had left him for his thirteenth birthday. Everyone here obviously knew about the martial world considering the testing was public. But, that didn't explain why Dyon's mother had been so adamant about him going. Or why she was even more sure that he'd either pass the test, or at least find a way to pass it.

Whenever you wanted to start an investigation, it was best to start with whoever had the most to gain. And, with that in mind, who could have possibly gained more than the person who replaced his father.

In addition to that, Dyon's mother wasn't normal either. She may have retired to raise Dyon, but she was still once the head of Logistics&Intelligence and had a lot of influence. If she had been alive, the likelihood of this General, General Mace, being appointed to his position would have been near 0.

"You've gotten bolder. Did you think losing your virginity made you a man now?" Unlike many of the martial world's so-called experts, General Mace didn't lose his temper at Dyon's words. If anything, he invited them.

But, he didn't speak blindly. They did have some intelligence on the martial world. According to what they knew, the academy Dyon went to was among the weakest and Dyon's talent had been evaluated as normal, even for them. In just two years, it was impossible for Dyon to have become powerful enough to be much of a threat.

Dyon feigned surprise, "General. Inquiring about the sex life of a minor isn't too good, no? You're practically a political official. What would the public think? People have been fired for less."

Dyon smiled, taking a step forward. His nose was a mere inch from the General's, his eye's sharpening in response. "There's nothing I find funnier than someone who doesn't know his own limits."

The surrounding soldiers had no idea what was going on. This front was one that had a lot of turnover. Not many were willing to spend much time here. In fact, the only reason General Mace was here was due to an inspection. This wasn't a border that required a lot of protecting because of the treaty.

"Oh? But the man who raised you didn't seem to know his." General Mace's words were laced with malice. Even cry baby Barbaros couldn't help but shake in anger.

"You know, in the martial world those words are enough for me to kill you." Dyon's eyes burned with a black flame that caused a serious expression to surface on General Mace's features. It was the first time he had felt a threatening aura from Dyon.

However, before he had even finished his words, Dyon had gone back to face Ri and Madeleine. "Not everyone here is like him. He's just got a big a mouth. He has an inability to put much to action though. Let's go."

"Why don't you go talk to the President about that? In fact, why don't you also tell him about how I threatened your life too. I'm sure he'll help you out with your grievances." Dyon laughed, flying away leisurely.

Later that evening, General Mace stood alone in his office. It was a large space in the frontier's main sphere and was filled with large panning windows. However, they were currently shielded by metal blinds.

"Are preparations nearly complete?" A voice Dyon would have recognized came from seemingly everywhere at once. General Mace didn't even bother to look, he knew he wouldn't find the person.

"You too have heard of the boy from our world?" General Mace asked questioningly. He was a bit surprised. Dyon's presence should have been too lowkey for these figures to notice. Could he have miscalculated something?

"We know of him. When the time is right, the soul kernel will be ours too. But, for now. Focus on properly nurturing the energy and body kernels. After all, your people have been practically placed on a sacrificial alter for them. It's only right that one of their own be the one to hand it off."

General Mace's eyes flashed with something imperceptible. "I should be the one cultivating. But, that isn't possible. So, I'll settle for the life associated with it instead."

The voice paused before disappearing completely. The hobbled figure that projected the voice disappeared over the horizon in an instant with speed only possible by a Celestial expert. Their back was hunched and aged, but their features remained recognizable.

Just like Dyon had expected, the human world was nothing like the martial world. Even with Ri and Madeleine's beauty being well beyond anything mortals had ever seen, they were at most the subject of passing glances.

He had brought them both to experience human world food and everything had gone smoothly. It seemed that mortals felt less entitled. Or, more accurately, they had better control over how they acted upon their feelings – mostly because strength didn't dictate as much here as it did there.

Ri and Madeleine couldn't help but look around in awe. Although much of the martial world was also technologically advanced, it was definitely not to this extent. They were mostly fascinated by things like cars and smart phones. It inspired Dyon to revamp his communication device. He felt it was a bit ridiculous that he needed to use dao stones, and yet still have communication limited to just this planet. To Dyon, it must have been because his energy cultivating talent had been non-existent when he first created the device, so he was much too wasteful.

Dao stones contained enigmatic energy, the energy of dao level experts. These were people who could destroy an entire universe should they have incentive to do so. In fact, it was a war between experts of that level that results in Chaos Universe and most likely, by Dyon's estimation, also led to the energy deficiencies of this universe. If energy that potent could only communicate across a single planet, then there had to be a mistake somewhere.

However, Dyon put that to the back of his mind for now. Aside from tonight, he had two more days of peace with Madeleine and Ri before they had to head back to the martial world. So, he planned on using it to the fullest.

Although Ri and Madeleine had no idea, that was something that was meant to be impossible. The idea of showing up to a 5-star hotel and asking for their best room on such short notice was only possible for very few people.

"This?" Dyon held up a sleek black credit card. But, it was unlike any other. It was nearly half a centimeter thick and weighed nearly a pound. There wasn't a number code on it, but there was a single silver chip that likely acted as a source of identification. "The is just a payment method we call a credit card. They're usually separated by tiers depending on the credit limit, or money you have access to at any given time."

"So why has everyone been so silent when they see it if it's so normal?" Madeleine chimed in while looking out the glass window of the elevator they were slowly riding up.

Dyon grinned. He hadn't told them, but he had been using his array alchemy to stop people from recognizing him the entire day. Although he was two years older now, it was likely that many would still remember his face and he hadn't wanted that to take over the entire day.

"Dyon is back?" A middle-aged man with greying hair sat in an office few wouldn't recognize. He was clearly a busy and quite tired, but this seemed to be the best news he had heard in years.

"If you can believe it Commander in chief, the little rascal came back with two wives. Two!" The robust voice of Lieutenant General Barbaros erupted from the other end of the phone line, clearly having needed someone to vent to.

"Sh sh, not so loud!" The middle-aged man turned a wary gaze over to a sixteen-year-old girl who had been quietly typing away on her phone – an action that had stopped when she heard Dyon's name. But, when she heard Barbaros' words, it would have been more accurate to say that she froze.

It was only then that the middle-aged man realized that he had likely made things worse with his words. But, before he could attempt to fix it, a knock came at his door.

The middle-aged man could only apologetically smile toward his daughter, but she seemed to be showing no other reaction aside from her initial surprise. She wouldn't say it out loud, but as the daughter of the President of the United States, she was very much used to hiding things… Especially when that thing was how she felt.

Hearing his daughter's words, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. She repeated those words to him everyday… He couldn't remember the last time they had ever finished their time together.

With that, Clara disappeared, not allowing her father to respond as she walked down the lonely hallways. It wasn't that there weren't people. But, the moving pieces were so numerous and so loud that they were almost too easy to ignore.

She stood there for a while, scanning over her long brunette hair and eyes so a pale blue that they were actually grey. She had a fair caramel skin tone that made it obvious she was of mixed race, and she had delicate and soft features that were a striking dichotomy to the cold that permeated her eyes.

After a few moments, Clara took a deep breath before washing her face and toweling off. Then, she did something she rarely did and smiled, think of a handsome boy with a personality large enough to make even her stoic father happy to hear his name. It was likely that anyone who would have seen this smile would have been at a loss for words. But, it remained hidden, never to be seen.

A fair distance away, Dyon stared out of the large suite windows with a pensive look. He wore his sweatpants and had removed his shirt to clean his wound and switch out his bandages. Ri and Madeleine had gone off to bathe together, something he had wanted to join but was kicked out of much to his sadness.

'I owe you. But I can't marry you.' As conceited as that sounded, Dyon had to be realistic with himself. The fact he even thought he owed Clara in the first place was already conceited of him. He hadn't seen Clara since he was 13, and even before that, he hadn't spoken to her since he was 10. He didn't know what was telling him that she still had or ever had feelings like that for him. It was pure conceit.

But, regardless of whether she had any feelings or not, he would pay her back. He didn't know if it was possible for any mortals other than him to cultivate, but he would at least take Clara out to experience the martial world.

If he brought her to the Epistemic Tower, maybe he could earn some blood essence rewards to help her body cultivate. Then, once her body was strong enough, he could ask his grand teacher to give her a set of meridians too.

Dyon felt like the best way to pay Clara back was by giving her something that was taken away from most humans… Their power. Then, one day, when enough time had passed, if she really was in love with him now, she would happily move on and find someone who treated her better.

There stood his lovely wives, wrapped in towels so short that he was almost certain that if he turned them around, the soft shape of their asses would poke out ever so slightly.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his breathing, but nothing seemed to be working. Even the water that faintly dripped from their long hair to their bodies was too much for him to handle.

"I can't handle the both of you…" Despite his words, Dyon's arms had snaked around waists, grabbing their soft asses as he lifted them each up – one for each arm.

Ri and Madeleine shrieked with delight as they tried their best to keep their towels wrapped around themselves even as Dyon gently laid them on the large super sized bed.

Ri's petite but curvy figure was wrapped much more tightly than Madeleine, but because of her position lying on her back and the bend of her knee, Dyon could see the faint sight of one of the most beautiful things the world had to offer.

Madeleine, however, had a figure much too robust for the pitiful towel to handle. Because she had been longing for Dyon's touch, her hands hadn't bothered to keep the towel in place so it had burst apart, revealing a sight Dyon too had longed to see.

Madeleine's figure had truly filled out. Her breasts were more than what Dyon's undoubtedly large hands could handle and her hips flared from her waist so perfectly that Dyon's hands found their way there first.

After awakening his energy cultivation, Dyon had gained the ability to tap into his wills to a new level. And with his saint soul, he obviously had the ability to push his aurora flames to all new heights. But now, Ri and Madeleine were feeling the full brunt of both.

His hands slipped down their curved figures, delicately tracing their inner thighs and ever so lightly outlining their pink folds. Ri's small triangular patch of hair and Madeleine small strip added the perfect accents to their already perfect bodies.

"That was too easy for you two," Dyon smiled, trailing kisses over their bodies as they shivered. "I'm going to make you work for it next time.

Dyon pulled Madeleine up from the bed, taking her into his arms and enjoying the two mounds of flesh that pressed against his chest. He had already positioned his cock at Ri's entrance, pouring his wills into her.

Madeleine's arms wrapped around Dyon's neck. She had forgotten the last coherent thought she had, but all she knew was that there was nothing better in this world than to be in her husband's arms.

Madeleine's delicate lips found their way to his, falling into his embrace even more. But, when she felt Dyon's hands slip into her, she too lost herself as her back arched, biting his lip in retaliation.

Ri's hips seemed to beg Dyon to go faster, to go deeper, but he refused. Every time she pushed forward, he pulled back and every time she pulled back, he pushed forward.

Madeleine was even more frustrated. Dyon's control over his hands far outdid his cock. The way he slowly circled her clit. The way his fingers curled into her, but never deep enough. The way his kiss was slow and gentle. It kept her longing for more.

Ri and Madeleine moaned in frustration. Every time they nearly climbed over the peak, Dyon would stop. Pulling out of Ri and taking his fingers away from Madeleine.

Ri couldn't speak. She had thrusted her hips so far forward, unready for Dyon's increased pace, that she had felt him in a place that was almost too deep. Her orgasm was so violent that she turned over, needing to escape from the pleasure.

Ri faced Madeleine's cheek, grasping her hand for a moment they all knew she had anticipated even as the last over her convulsions slowly ended.

Dyon leaned over Madeleine, looking into deep purple eyes with a smile playing his features. He gently kissed lips, laying his cock on her toned belly.

Madeleine gasped at the all new sensation. She didn't feel pain, but there was an endless warm feeling her belly. Dyon's cock was nothing like his hands. Both felt good, but Madeleine immediately understood why Ri had nearly passed out.

"Dyon… It's too good…" Madeleine's moans filled the room as Dyon slowly slid in and out of her, relishing in the sight of her small pink folds being separated by him.

Dyon watched this as he savored the crevices of Madeleine's walls. Both Ri and Madeleine were tight beyond belief. He could feel their every orgasm with every inch of himself. But still, he held back. He wanted to give Madeleine his everything for her first.

But, Ri and Madeleine almost seemed lost in their own world. Dyon's hand had found its way to RI's delicate folds, causing her breathing to quicken along with Madeleine's. But, they no longer faced Dyon. In fact, they faced each other.

Madeleine lay on her back, her legs wrapped tightly around Dyon's waist as her ample breasts bounced with his every movement. Her nose was a mere half each from Ri's, their breathing completely in sync. There was only one more push needed, just a single ride to the peak of pleasure.

Dyon's pace quickened, his hand grinding into Ri even as he slid deeper and deeper into Madeleine. And that was when he felt it. The burning fires of a violet flame and the call of a phoenix.

Dyon's energy cultivation seemed to want to tear through everything in existence, but he held it back – stamping it down even as he watched Ri's tongue slip into Madeleine's mouth.

He started slowly, pulling from Madeleine's convulsing folds to enter Ri's before going back. The muffled moans of his wives as their lips locked with each other was all the motivation Dyon needed to quicken his pace.

Dyon's arms wrapped around Ri's waist, his hands finding their way to her folds before he circulated a final time, causing her to bite Madeleine's lip as she moaned with pleasure.

Madeleine rested her head of Dyon's shoulders, panting for air as she felt his two strong hands grip her waist tightly, not letting her escape from his plunging rod.

"So deep…" Madeleine shivered, her hips rocking under Dyon's movement. Her back arched, allowing Dyon a view of two perfect mounds covered in glistening sweat.

Slipping one arm under Ri's side to grab her breast and the other under her thigh to lift her leg, Dyon gently grinded his tip against her slit as he trailed kisses along her neck.

"Do I look like a chauffeur to you kid? I'm the third most powerful military man in this country! What do I look like driving three kids around?!" Lieutenant General Barbaros feigned anger as he drove a large black vehicle down a spacious road.

"Look at you, manipulating your beautiful wives like this. If I hear you've been a bad husband, don't blame me for spanking you in place of your father."

Uncle Barbaros rolled his eyes as he turned the SUV's wheel, "Only you would call the president G man. Plus, you like avoiding other things too much. Wives or not, there's someone else you should be asking about too."

Ri hadn't known how serious it was until she spoke to Eli. But, neither had Madeleine until Ri told her. Dyon seemed to have avoided the topic entirely with the both of them, dismissing Clara as a childhood friend. But, he really did see her like that.

"Look at you three. Already colluding behind my back." Dyon shook his head, looking out of the windows before he noticed something was wrong. "This isn't the direction to the white house, you know. How long did you think it would take me to notice?"

Dyon turned his gaze turned toward his uncle with a 'really' expression plastered on. "Find me a school that can teach me anything new, and I'll agree."

"Ugh, so arrogant. I'll be taking my lovely nieces to see their other uncle. You'll be doing some talks. Gallagher was supposed to do this talk, but when he heard you were coming he decided to take some time off."

"You could say he's the leader of the free world. Other countries may disagree, but America likely has tge most power. So, as its leader, he's seen as quite important."

"Here's your ID and the number of the hall you're supposed to go to. Although I have no doubt everyone knows who you are, it's best to be safe. OK. Bye!"

The front lawn was large and filled with a mix of quietly studying students, socializing students, and even a few athletes playing catch. It gave Dyon a nostalgic feeling. He had forewent the normal education route, but he did still have a few degrees. That said, he always wondered how things would be if he hadn't had so much on his mind from such a young age. Maybe he'd be playing catch right now too.

Dyon strolled into the gates sighing. He knew very well why they wanted him to come here but he didn't like it. But, he knew he had to do this eventually. He had just hoped he could have had the social environment of the White House as a helper. But, it's clear he wouldn't get his wish now.

"Did you hear Clara?" A girl with short bob cut hair slid into a seat by Clara in the medium sized lecture hall. It only held about 100 students at max capacity, but only truly ever housed 50 at a time. "What am I saying, of course you heard, he's your father after all."

The President doing talks for your university was a big deal. And usually, it was only for the end of year graduation. But, President Gallagher was most known during his tenure as an education reformist. So, he often made monthly appointments with various schools around the country, promoting higher learning, but also, smarter learning. It was because of him that America had begun to rank higher in education in recent years.

He looked excited, like a little boy on Christmas morning. It was also clear that he wasn't here to brag about it, or else he would have spoken out loud for more than them to hear. That made Penelope nod with approval before she registered what had just been said.

Suddenly, the door of the classroom opened, causing everyone to turn their gaze over. They were supposed to have the president as a lecturer today, but they found it odd that they didn't see any of the usual press and security detail. Not to mention he was late.

But, when they saw a young man walk in wearing a crisp white t shirt and sweat pants rolled to his calves, many were confused. Well, the men were confused. Many of the women were in a daze. They had simply never seen someone so attractive.

Penelope gripped Clara's forearm, unwilling to take her eyes off of the young man, "You already have Jason, right? You can let me have this one?"

Jason, who was still facing the two of them, didn't take too kindly to Clara's reaction. She had never seen her emotions shift much from their baseline coldness. Even when she accepted his invite this morning, it had been with the faintest of nods. Jason had to strain and even double check before he confirmed that that was her way of saying yes.

The chatter in the class began to rise as they analyzed who this young man was. The only person who seemed confused was Jason. But, he couldn't be blamed. After all, he had come here for school and was originally from Europe. He wasn't as aware of Dyon's fame as the far West world was.

In addition to this, Dyon's passing to enter the martial world was a country secret. Something even the American students here didn't know. After all, the mortal realm wasn't united. The idea of a citizen of a country becoming a martial expert could drastically tip the balance of power, and as such, results were kept secret.

The only reason Clara knew and understood was not only because she was the president's daughter. That wasn't enough to justify her knowing a military grade secret. The reason was because President Gallagher knew his daughter cared for Dyon and didn't want her to think he just upped and disappeared. So, he broke the rules.

Jason looked around to hear the chatter, but he was confused. He had to admit that this boy was attractive, but this was Princeton. Since when did how you look dictate anything?

"Hi. Sorry, do you need help getting to the right classroom?" Jason asked with a smile. He didn't make the assumption that Dyon wasn't meant to be in Princeton. After all, no matter how lost someone was, they would know what this institution was. But, this was a small class of only about 50 and Jason had never seen him before despite it being near the end of a semester. So, he thought he'd help. Especially since Dyon looked a bit young. 'He's likely a first year…'

Dyon smiled politely, "No, I think I'm in the right place. This is where G m – I mean President Gallagher's lecture was meant to take place, right?"

Hearing Dyon's words, whispers filled the room. Those words confirmed a lot of their thoughts and excitement began to color their faces. Who here didn't know of Dyon Sacharro? He was practically a legend!

Jason blinked with surprise. Who here wasn't a genius among geniuses? This was not only Princeton, but this class had some people who stood out even among that crowd. Clara for example was only sixteen, and yet was in multiple masters level classes. Jason was a transfer from Cambridge who was completing a dual diploma. And even Penelope, who acted like a typical teenage girl a large portion of the time, was still a biochem savant. But someone their age was going to lecture them?

Jason didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he ever got the opportunity to replace the president, how many tireless weeks would he spend preparing? But this guy didn't even have a lecture idea?

"Ah. First. I should probably introduce myself. I haven't been in the public eye for a while, but many of you likely know my father, General Sacharro. Obviously, that makes me his son. Dyon Sacharro."

Jason awkwardly made his way back to his seat as Dyon turned his back to classroom. He took a look at the podium but shook his head, instead eyeing a foldable white table. With a single leap, Dyon say cross legged on it, looking out into the classroom to find gazes filled with fire.

Clara suddenly raised her hand. Penelope looked over in shock. Clara never did anything like this, there had even been times where movie stars and peak level athletes with hundreds of millions of followers visited the white house and she never batted an eye. Why would she being so active with Dyon?

Penelope gave her friend another weird look. She knew Dyon personally? Enough for him to remember her name? What was going on? 'She is the president's daughter, I guess…'

Dyon's eyes flashed, but he kept his thoughts inside, instead turning his gaze to the rest of the class. "Skepticism. Foundationalism. Infallibilism. Justified True Belief. Internalism. Externalism.

The theory of knowledge has touched everything from the philosophy that accepts we know next to nothing to the philosophy of trusting your senses to present things as they are.

In the end, we ironically know quite little about what it takes to know something. Even the most intuitive philosophies have been falsified. For example, the idea that we have knowledge when something is justified first, then proved true and then finally believed, was widely accepted previously. But, even that has been proved to be on shaky footing."

Dyon smiled. "Say you have two people. Person A and Person B. Both are in line for a promotion to a job. Just before the announcement, Person A takes Person B to lunch where Person B sees that Person A leaves the affair with ten cents left in his pocket. Person B then later find out that he's lost the promotion race. So, Person B then asserts that the newly promoted official had ten cents in his pocket just after leaving their lunch.

However, what Person B then finds out is that he was wrong. The promotion was, in fact, for him. But, when he looks in his pocket, he realizes that he too has ten cents in his pocket.

Technically he was justified because he saw Person A with ten cents and thought Person A got the promotion. His belief was also true, because even though the promotion wasn't for Person A, the person who did get it also had ten cents in their pocket.

The students nodded in acknowledgement. Justified True Belief seemed like a foolproof method. And yet, here was a clear example where it wasn't the case.

Clara raised her hand again, "Then what about our morals? How do we know they're right if we can't even decide on how to tell what is factual and what isn't?"

"Morals are something that are often dictated by how we're raised and the society we were brought up in. Everything from our religion to how we consume entertainment is likely decided very early on. It's only in recent times that morals have begun to be forged by popular opinion and that's because of the advent of things like social media and technology."

Clara gave up on raising her hand and simply spoke out directly, "So. If I went to a completely different world, are you saying its likely my morals would be effected by their culture? Or are you saying that what I'm susceptible to accepting was decided from a very early age?"

"Well. The latter is likely on a gradient. If you were engrained with something from youth, it would likely take you a much longer time to change that portion of you. Maybe you have an example? I'm open to a class discussion."

"I was just curious. If you were raised in a society where monogamy was the norm and you left to a place where polygamy was accepted, how long would it take you to flip? Two years? One year? Less than that?"

The class began to feel some tension in the air. They didn't know what was going on or why their normally cold and quiet class beauty was pressing this discussion so hard, but no one could get a word in. Even Dyon was struggling to, let alone Penelope or the rest.

"Extenuating circumstances?" Dyon wasn't even lecturing anymore. It was almost like he was caught red handed and had to explain himself. The class never thought they'd see this side of their living legend, but here it was in front of them.

"Do tell. I'm also interested in how gender differences might be incorporated here. When it comes to polygamy, how likely is a male to switch his morals versus a female?"

"Also. When said person goes off to a new world with a completely new set of morals, do they forget about their world? How much of their old selves do they erase? Do they forget their past relationships? Do they forget the ties they used to have? Or did they purge all of that before they left so that they could change their moral code as much as they wanted when they left?"

Clara stood, her cold eyes flashing as she placed her laptop into her bag and walked down the lecture hall steps. "Just thought I'd help with the lecture topic. I'm not feeling well, I hope you'll excuse me."

"Ah – " Dyon's voice seemed caught in his throat as Clara walked out, leaving the light click of the lecture hall door as the only noise in the space.

Dyon didn't wait, he leapt from the table and flashed toward the door. Jason had wanted to stop him and go first, but Dyon was too fast. By the time Jason got to the door, he surprisingly found Dyon walking back to him as though nothing had happened.

"Nothing much, she just went to the bathroom. Since I can't go in there, I had no choice but to come back. Lecture?" Dyon asked, pointing toward the room.

Hearing that Clara had gone into the bathroom, Jason knew he could only give up too. So, he hung his head, re-entering the classroom. He didn't know what was wrong or what had happened between Dyon and Clara, but he was determined to find out.

What Jason didn't know was that he had spoken to and entered into the class with Dyon's clone. The real Dyon had long since followed Clara to the girl's bathroom, making use of his concealment array.

Clara walked at a steady pace into the bathroom, quickly finding a stall and sitting on the toilet's cap. She didn't really need to use the bathroom, but at least here, only Penelope could bother her. But, after a couple years of friendship, Penelope knew that Clara mostly just needed time alone for now.

Taking a deep breath, Clara pulled out her laptop. It was quite an old model, but she had never changed it. In fact, despite it being so old, almost ten years in fact, it still ran just as fast as modern models despite having not had its hardware upgraded in that time.

Whenever a new family moved into the White House, they normally had to have all of their devices dealt with – meaning special protections had to be put in place. But, the laptop, despite its appearance, was so advanced that even the White House technicians had problems with it. They had pleaded for Clara to switch to another model, but she had refused, insisting on keeping it.

"You know, there's something in the martial world called array alchemy that would suit you very much. It allows me to put up barriers that block out vision and hearing."

"If you can believe it, it uses the soul to power your ability to draw symbols. Each of these symbols shifts the law around the point you draw it on. So, I can distort reality by making it seem like no one is in this stall at all."

"I think the only reason we haven't found scientific evidence of things like the soul and meridians is because they've been locked away from us."

"Leave it as is. I don't want to change it." Then, in a voice Dyon would have definitely never heard had it not been for his cultivation, she continued. "Newer is not always better…"

"This is my fault." Dyon said, tapping on the cracked bezels of laptop. He remembered back to the day he had dropped Clara's laptop, trying to show off. He had wanted to prove that he could create a better laptop than any in current existence, but Clara had wrestled with him until they dropped it.

Clara had cried because that was the last gift her mother had ever given her before she died, so it was suffice to say that Dyon felt horrible.

"It was a long time ago," Clara whispered, looking down at the dull light of her laptop screen. "Do you think the martial world could do it?..."

"You know why I showed up to that trial, right?" Clara laughed bitterly, "There was such a stigma around going to those trials. People are still saying that only crazy dreamers hope to leave to go to the martial world."

Dyon silently listened. Clara was right. After hundreds to probably even thousands of years of not a single human being chosen, many had given up on even attending. There were of course still a few hundred who insisted on trying every year, but a few hundred in the population of billions was a drop in the bucket.

So, the year Clara had gone, President Gallagher had taken a huge hit on his presidential campaign. The news outlets berated him for instilling improper values in his daughter and that he somehow made her lose faith in their system, so she wanted to run off to a whole new world.

"In a way, the media was right though." Clara continued. "This world is sick and I have lost faith in it… Something like cancer took my mother's life away, and yet we can build buildings that reach kilometers into the sky, and send man to space, and even have little tiny devices that help us talk to people across the world. And yet, what use is any of those things when we can't even live past 80 years old? What use is those things when even with that short amount of time, your life can be taken away even before then? What use is it all?…"

Clara sighed, "So, I showed up. Hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, I'd be chosen. Then I could go off to a new world and find a way to bring back cures we just don't have… I've worked so hard… Studied so hard to become a doctor… But what use is any of it when I'm just learning the same things the people who couldn't save my mother knew?..." Clara's voice grew more horse as she continued, it was clear that her cold demeanor was slowly shattering. She had never said these things aloud… At least not when she was old enough to put real thought into them. When she was young, all she had done was fight and wrestle with Dyon. That was how she vented.

"You know, I have a meeting with my dad everyday." Clara looked up at Dyon. "I would call it a father-daughter date, but it really doesn't feel like a date. And, without fail, it gets cut short everyday… He doesn't think I know, but I know it's because he calls for his secretary to come in early." Clara chuckled bitterly. "I can't blame him. His daughter is practically a mannequin. Or, at least that's what I thought until I found out one day that it's because he can't fake being healthy for too long." Clara looked down, gritting her teeth.

"My dad has lung cancer. He can't sit for more than ten minutes without going into a fit of coughs. I wouldn't have even known had I not forgotten my phone in his office one day… But then I pretended not to know… I pretended not to know Dyon. I wanted to do everything I could to ignore it." Clara's shoulders trembled, but her eyes remained cold, her teeth clenching tightly against each other.

"And he won't go through chemotherapy. I know he won't. If he does, he wouldn't be able to finish his term and the country would be in chaos. He's literally sacrificing himself for this shit world." Clara looked up, her cold eyes glistening. "So tell me, why shouldn't I give up on this world and look for a new one?"

Clara's cold eyes snapped up to Dyon, "You're giving my dad a bad reputation you know. He chose you to replace him, but you ran out on your duties."

"That's even better." Clara looked away, typing away on her laptop with speeds that were blinding to even Dyon. "That means less ethical hurdles because they're technically still you. You trade off pain for the greater good."

Looking up, Clara found gentle hazel-green eyes that left her in a trance. "The martial world made you more handsome. I don't say that as a compliment. Just empirically and objectively speaking. That means there are things over there that improve your body directly."

"That also means that I should change the scale for you. Doesn't make sense to rate you by mortal world standards. That said, you weren't exactly ugly before. But, how would I know? I saw you once from a distance when we were 13. And before that was we were 10. Thanks for that, by the way. Was really a great time."

"Why would you need to explain anything to me? I'm just a childhood friend you haven't spoken to in almost a decade. My opinion is null and void."

"You think? You were my best friend you know. When your father is a politician for life, those aren't easy to come by. If you hadn't been doing so many great things for the world, I would have hated you without looking back."

Dyon smiled bitterly. "You're right to. But, I'm happy you found even better replacements. Jason ran after you and Penelope was struggling with herself when you left. They clearly care for you a lot."

"Technically I'm not just friends with Jason." Clara looked down to her laptop, continuing the train of thought Dyon had interrupted. "But yes. Penelope is a good friend."

"Nothing really." Dyon smiled. "I was just looking forward to taking you with me to the martial world after I cured your father. But, since you have so many ties here, I'll just cure your father then be on my way."

When Clara heard Dyon could cure her father, she froze. She knew Dyon wasn't making her decide between Jason and a healthy father. That would be disgusting and reprehensible regardless of how simple the decision would be. He clearly said that he'd cure her father either way. But, he had said it so nonchalantly… Was it really possible?

Clara scanned Dyon's features before deciding he wasn't lying. But, Clara's emotions never fluctuated too much. Even while she was telling Dyon about her father, she may have trembled, but her eyes still remained cold and calculating. That was just the type of person she was.

"My goal in going to the martial world is to find a cure. If you already have it here, what use is there in me going there? To pioneer to become your third wife? No thank you."

"Now you're lying. That's an impossibility. If just anyone could, more than just you would have passed. How about you go and cure my father now? I'm sure he's excited to see his favorite nephew. Think of it as a favor to him instead of me. I'm sure after calling him uncle for so many years you'd cure him regardless of my presence."

"Of course. I owe G man too much. I would have been able to tell he was sick as soon as I saw him whether he wanted to keep it a secret or not."

"Of course there is something to discuss. I owe you too, Clara. And I take that very seriously. But, curing your father isn't payment for what I put you through. If anything, it's a drop in the bucket because it's almost too easy for me to do."

Dyon nodded, completely serious. "What I want to pay you back for is not having been the best friend I should have been. I shouldn't have messed with you. If you love Jason and don't want to separate from him, I won't make you choose. I can take him with us."

Clara took a moment to look at Dyon's large hands. But, Dyon didn't press her. He only left it there, letting her think through what she needed to think through.

The truth was that Clara didn't really have any feelings for Jason. The only reason why she accepted his invite to a date this morning was because she wanted a distraction. It wasn't that Clara loved Dyon – her feelings were still ambiguous on the matter. But, what she did know was that Dyon was still a best friend she kept a place in her heart for and maybe, subconsciously, she felt like Jason might be a replacement for that feeling.

That said, Clara had no intention of telling Dyon that. After all, it wasn't as though she had lied about anything. She just wanted to let Dyon know that not everything was just ready and waiting for when he felt like it was right to come back. Things change and keep moving forward whether he wants them to or not.

At the same time, Clara knew the kind of person Dyon was. He was straight forward to a fault and the fact that he hadn't called her beautiful at least twice a minute like he had in the past with every breathing member of the opposite sex, meant that he was making a conscious effort to put a barrier on that kind of relationship between the two of them.

On one hand, that made Clara feel a pang of loss. A part of her wanted Dyon to come out domineeringly and demand for her to be his third wife.

But, on the other hand, she appreciated him even more so for not trying something like that. The fact Dyon was willing to bring Jason along and the fact he wasn't demanding more of her than she was willing to give, meant that Dyon hadn't chosen his wives on a whim. If he had been frivolously choosing wives, he would have come back here with a different sort of air to him. He wouldn't have offered to take Jason along because to that version of Dyon, as long as he separated Clara from Jason, she would eventually choose him in the end.

And then there was the polygamy. No matter how Clara thought of it, it just didn't make her feel comfortable. She had grown up with Western values. How many nights had she spent thinking about being swept off her feet and spending her life with one man? She wasn't willing to change her mind about that. Not now and definitely not so soon.

Then, she looked down at Dyon's hand again. "Is this how you got your two wives? Being loving and understanding? You're going to make me puke."

"Debatable. You got baited into a lecture on polygamy so easily. You were like malleable clay in my hands." Clara's cold eyes slowly brightened, a small smile playing her features. " 'Uh- Ah – About that.' You should have seen yourself. I'm sure your legendary status in their eyes came crashing down today."

Dyon waved his hand. "Sure. Sure. The moment you start being a lady is the moment I'll think about that." Pulling his hand out, a massive grin appeared on Dyon's features.

Seeing what he had pulled out, Clara began shaking her head. "No. Absolutely not. Do you even have a license? I'm not letting you drive me anywhere!"

"The president's daughter drives a corvette? The media and the tax payers would be livid!" Dyon twirled the keys in his hand, holding them out of reach.

"Oh?" Dyon smiled. "It seems you've been busy. But you know the media doesn't always do their research right. I think it would be best if I drive, just to be safe."

"What…" Clara shook her head as she looked down at her red corvette. But, when she realized she was on the passenger side, she stomped her feet in agitation. "Dyon!"

Dyon carved his way down the street. With his soul level, there was not even the smallest of detail out of his control. But, Clara didn't know that.

"As soon as we get out of here, I'm kill you!" Clara glared at Dyon, gripping her seat tightly as the car took over and swerved from lane to lane.

Clara didn't even have the heart to look at the speedometer, but if she had, she would have noticed them nearing 190 mile per hour. More than 300 kilometers per hour!

"What do you mean?" Dyon grinned. "I'm only helping. DC is three hours from Princeton. If we don't hurry, won't G man just be suffering for longer?"

The annoying and blaring honks of cars serenaded them as they carved down the highway. It seemed Clara wasn't the only one mad with Dyon's driving. But, he was having the time of his life.

Dyon knew fully well he had fought at speeds that far exceeded this speed before, but there was something different about riding in a sport car. A feeling his legs couldn't give him.

"You!" Clara's small fists pounded into Dyon's chest. "Idiot! If tomorrow morning the news picks up on the fact it was my car driving like that, you've put my dad in another media shit storm!"

Dyon chuckled as Clara pounded away. The truth was that he had used array alchemy to change the license plate and stop people from seeing into the windows, but he found this version of Clara much more funny.

Clara and Dyon had already made it into the White House, having been let in through back entrances. So, seeing their normally quiet and cold first daughter show the most amount of emotion they had seen in years brought smiles to the faces of the white house staff.

"Good. I need to make sure they know what they've gotten themselves into. Maybe then they can turn back before they make a mistake they regret." Clara huffed, storming away.

Dyon and Clara soon made their way to President Gallagher's office and were greeted with sounds of light giggling. But, it was then proceeded by a hoarse cough that was so grating on the ears that Clara froze at the door.

Turning his gaze down the hallway, Dyon's eyes narrowed as he noticed General Mace's approaching figure. Their eyes locked and Dyon took note of Mace's smirk.

"Sorry Mace. Don't have a lot of time for you today." Dyon abruptly opened the oval office door. It was technically locked, but he forced his way in, lightly pushing Clara in and locking the door behind him.

"Dyon?" President Gallagher looked up. But, when he noticed Clara, he immediately tried to hide the blood-stained handkerchief in his hand. "Clara? Shouldn't you two still be at the school?"

"You know I could never stay in school for too long, G man." Dyon grinned. "For the record. You have a few people coming to bother you. General Mace doesn't look particularly friendly. But, the main issue is that the people around him have something they shouldn't…"

"What?" Clara looked confused. She had seen many of those people before. But what really had her in a daze were Ri and Madeleine. She had never seen anyone so beautiful…

Clara had long since lost the sharp coldness in her eyes. Right now, their pale greys looked serious, but didn't have that same distant feeling they had before.

At first, Ri and Madeleine had been a bit put off by Clara's gaze. But, hearing her words, they couldn't help but laugh as Clara brought them to the couch.

What they didn't know was that there was a current banging at the door. But, with Dyon's arrays, they were completely isolated from the sound.

President Gallagher, though, was in a trance. He knew fully well that Clara had seen the bloodied handkerchief, but, she didn't say anything…

Ri leaned forward and whispered into Clara's ear. "He can do that?! Isn't that cheating?!" Clara glared at Dyon as though he had done something wrong.

Dyon found this color change interesting. It seemed that Ri's soul color had changed when she fully awakened her faith seed from blue to black with the smallest hints of dark gold… He hadn't been paying enough attention to notice that before.

"Dyon." President Gallagher sighed. "You're someone who cut off ties to everyone because you thought that would help them move on. You're childish, your decision making is shallow, and worst yet, you don't respect your elders."

"Knowing all that, why would I tell you about my illness? You'd probably do something stupid like dedicating your life to finding a cure like my silly daughter has."

"You aren't stupid, Dyon. I know you. Which means if you believe in your ability to protect my daughter enough for you to ask, then it's likely you've had success on a level that we're not aware of, hm?" President Gallagher looked toward Dyon, a sudden pressure he hadn't been exuding before filling the room.

Dyon nodded. He respected the opinion of this man. He saw President Gallagher as his adoptive uncle and took the words spoken by him as meaningful.

"I also warned you a long time ago to let things associated with General Mace go. There's a lot of things you don't know about and probably shouldn't know about. But, that was my analysis of things when I thought that your progression in the martial world would be minimal. You know how I felt about you going."

"I can tell. By any metric, my lovely nieces are much too beautiful, intelligent and kind for you. So, you must have tricked their young hearts with something too flashy for them to ignore."

President Gallagher laughed. "Don't you think we've ignored those fools outside for long enough? What exactly do they have that they shouldn't?"

© Copyright Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 201 To 400 Размещен: 09/04/2020, изменен: 09/04/2020. 1894k. Статистика. Стихотворение: Foreign+Translat Other Иллюстрации/приложения: 1 шт. Скачать FB2		Ваша оценка:

Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 201 To 400 Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 201 To 400

Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 201 To 400
Reaper of the Martial World - Awespec - Ongoing 201 To 400