Kayden’s words were like a strike to everyone’s minds. It was as if he had proclaimed himself the strongest mage alive while simultaneously placing everyone else thousands of steps below his power.
Author’s note: after a long time we hit 300 stones a week, it had been a long time since I wrote a bonus chapter
"Netero has no potential to grow, and the Ice Emperor is nearing the end of his days and has other plans," Kayden casually revealed these extremely confidential details as if they were nothing. "I will surpass them over time, but I need opponents in the future. You are one of them."
"How do you know about my lifespan, boy?" The laws of ice began to stir near the Emperor.
"Your soul is dying; you cannot stop it, but..." Kayden smiled. "I can sell you the solution." The Emperor’s aura shifted immediately. Kayden’s proposal was something he had never heard before.
The Emperor’s situation was something even the greatest mages of this universe couldn’t solve, nor could they offer any clues. Now Kayden appeared out of nowhere, stating the cause of the problem and even offering a solution. For the first time in billions of years, hope appeared in the Emperor’s eyes.
"What is it? And what’s your price?" Kayden could only perceive that something was wrong with the Emperor’s soul but wasn’t entirely sure what it was. It seemed like a parasite, but he had never heard of anything similar.
"I want a peace agreement between the two of us for the rest of our lives," Kayden proposed a deal so weighty that it involved countless nuances. But for the Emperor, it was trivial, considering his life was at stake.
"I can make that deal, boy. Continue your show, and we’ll negotiate afterward." The Emperor left this statement exclusively for Kayden and disappeared from the sight of the common mages.
"Continuing my story, I have no opponents in this universe, so I need to create them when I see opportunities. You are one of them. Spend some years with me, and I promise to elevate your strength to an entirely different level." In the end, Kayden makes a completely outrageous proposal to Jasmim.
His enemy was offering to increase her strength simply because he had no real opponents. Even though some mages could battle Kayden today, none could keep up with his development. The only one was Atlas. The rest merely had strength but lacked the quality to challenge him.
Jasmim and Netero exchanged dozens of quick thoughts. Jasmim didn’t want to go. She had been humiliated and treated like a child by Kayden. Meanwhile, Netero was doing everything in his power to persuade her to accept. He may have had many flaws, but his ego wasn’t one of them. Kayden had an absurd talent for creating monsters.
"What’s the price? And how can I ensure my safety?" Jasmim finally asked after minutes of discussion with Netero. Minutes were a long time for mages of this caliber—they had exchanged the equivalent of dozens of messages in that period.
"There is no price. I will guarantee your safety through an oath before the heavens. However, I won’t teach you throughout the entire period. We’ll hold some meetings every few hundred or thousand years." Jasmim still found the proposal too good to be true but chose to accept.
"I accept." Kayden smiled and made the oath.
"I swear before the heavens to help my daughter in any way I can and not to pose any threat to her life." The heavens released a lightning bolt, confirming Kayden’s lies without difficulty. "Meet me after stabilizing your foundation," Kayden said, about to disappear when someone called out to him.
"Master Kayden!" Han’s voice echoed through the space, capturing everyone’s attention. He was one of the strongest mages in the universe, though not strong enough to assert dominance in this setting. Still, he dared to raise his voice.
"Speak, Han," Kayden replied, seeing potential in the mage.
"I would like to receive more lessons from you as well." Kayden thought for a moment and...
Launched a lightning attack against Han with 10% of his full power. Even this fraction was absurdly strong, enough to challenge most mages. Han hadn’t expected the attack but reacted immediately.
He was a Monarch of Despair wielding the law of fear. Additionally, he had mastered dozens of secondary laws after Kayden’s recommendations, raising the quality of his domain to another level. And then...
Dozens of souls emerged around Han, screaming in despair. Kayden was momentarily impressed, trying to discern their origin. It took him a few moments to notice a small prison within Han’s soul, containing secondary laws and the law of fear against these souls.
Each soul rose as an iron-clad warrior ready for battle. Their bodies shimmered in a pale gold with small blue accents. Each one possessed the physical strength of a tenth-realm mage. Kayden opened his eyes again, recognizing that Han had grown into something terrifying.
The souls clashed with Kayden’s lightning. Dozens of souls cumulatively resisted the attack, wielding different weapons and even casting spells. Only a few were at the tenth-realm level, but it was still impressive. Han had far exceeded Kayden’s expectations.
Kayden’s lightning broke through dozens of souls, leaving only three at the tenth-realm level. This alone was extraordinary, considering the power of a mage in that realm. Kayden nodded, acknowledging Han’s growth. He had given Han a lighter test due to their history, but the boy proved his potential.
"Come with me, Han. You’ve proven yourself," Kayden gestured, but as he was about to disappear, other mages began shouting for him. Seeing someone receive such an opportunity out of nowhere prompted everyone to try their luck.
Kayden observed the crowd. Some had talent comparable to Han but lacked the same potential. Others had potential but seemed lost in their paths. It would require significant effort to elevate them into decent opponents.
"Han is my former disciple, any of you who wanted my teachings should be able to at least face this attack." Kayden threw a lightning bolt with 50% of his full strength, he knew that not even a single mage here should be able to face this.