The laws became blurred, and space was yielding to the pressure caused by the excess mana. This frightened many mages around, none of whom had any notion of where so much mana was coming from. When a fool attempted to cultivate to take advantage of all that mana... Kayden killed him in a single move, ensuring no one else dared to try anything. It became visible to all where this mana was originating from.
Matheus did not care about what had happened. He understood that he had failed, but when the universe granted him this opportunity, he did not let it slip away. Matheus’ soul was assimilating an increasingly smaller percentage of mana, but it no longer mattered. The quantity was simply thousands of times greater than before, and the error rate was ignored due to the sheer number of attempts.
His soul continued to take advantage. Thoth was nearby, his jaw-dropping at the situation. This was something he had not been able to foresee, as Kayden’s interactions were always a mystery due to the rules of fate. Matheus’ soul was only supposed to reach 20% in mana. That value alone would have granted him the title he sought, but at that moment, it was already at 30%. This was infinitely superior to his ancestors who had walked this path.
Minutes turned into hours, then days. When a week had passed, Matheus’ soul was at approximately 40%. It had finally reached the absolute limit that his soul could withstand—not just that, but also the absolute limit that his new race was capable of achieving. All of this was only possible because of the practically infinite supply of mana he received, reducing the wear and tear by millions of times.
The universe trembled as Matheus’ soul was finally completed. At that moment, Kayden reconsidered whether he had made the right decision. Perhaps he had created a monster too powerful for even himself to handle at that moment and...
A strange sound began as Matheus’ spiritual sense started expanding almost infinitely. In just a few seconds, it surpassed Kayden’s and kept growing. In minutes, it surpassed all the mages in that place—even Netero—and did not stop increasing.
"A true false god," Thoth whispered for everyone to hear. At that moment, most understood: "Yan was just an imitation, with the bare minimum of his soul converted into mana. Matheus became an authentic and original false god."
Kayden and everyone else were stunned by this revelation. If Yan had been a false god with the minimum possible conversion, what would Matheus be as a true one? To what degree would his strength actually reach at that moment?
Matheus’ spiritual sense only stopped expanding when it reached the insane distance of one quadrillion kilometers, surpassing all the mages present. There would be no more competition in the zones. The false god would simply conquer everything without any difficulty.
Matheus converted everything within his reach into mana. The area was so vast that the fundamental law of balance was triggered, converting everything back into matter. He practically had the same conversion effect as Kayden, but in a way sanctioned by the universe itself. But it wasn’t just this that made everything terrifying—it was his ability to accumulate mana within his body and soul. He could store more mana in his body than in dozens of galaxies, and in his soul, the capacity was likely even more absurd.
At that moment, he was at the weakest point of his existence, yet he was still the strongest being in the universe. No mage could compare to him. In just a few seconds, he accumulated an insane amount of mana in his body—something Kayden could barely even comprehend. It seemed that his wish for a worthy opponent had been granted far beyond his wildest dreams.
"Kayden Heart," Matheus’ voice reached practically every point in that zone. Mana itself carried his message through its pathways. "Let’s see if you can still uphold your threat to my soulmate."
Kayden did not even attempt to move. He knew this was a lost battle. The power Matheus had obtained in mere seconds was superior to what he had spent billions of years fighting to achieve. From a certain point of view, it was almost amusing.
"Then kill me, Matheus." Kayden did not even flinch. His fame was not for nothing—he was a monster, a unique being in the entire universe, and even in death, he would keep his honor intact.
"Fear? Regret?" Matheus was ecstatic. He had reached the absolute peak. It was only a matter of time before he surpassed even his father. The forgotten son had finally proven to be the true genius of the family.
"Fear? You are stronger than me, but that’s all." Kayden did not waver, even before the strongest mage the universe had ever seen.
"There is no longer any reason for you to live, nor for this fight over zones to continue." Matheus continued converting mana at that moment. The range of his spell was so vast that the law of balance was forced to function incessantly, without end.
The amount of mana the mage accumulated in his body surpassed entire galaxies in just a few seconds. When minutes passed, he had reached a completely insane level. Space itself, for billions of kilometers, was being curved toward Matheus due to the sheer pressure of his body.
The mage had lost control and had no interest in keeping the space around him in order. Weaker mages were bizarrely killed, being dragged toward the black hole that distorted all space. There was so much mana that they couldn’t even move. Matheus’ strength had reached the level of a newly ascended god.
The ancient false gods were on par with the true gods. Most of them had been exterminated to maintain balance in the universe. Those who had been allowed to live had to remain hidden and bound by oaths to the heavens. And even they were not true false gods—only weak shadows of the past.