This was news that everyone already knew. Many wouldn't have accepted participating if not for this clause. Whether they liked it or not, most of them understood that they were here just to compete for the lower ranks. The top ten was practically a realm reserved for mages on a level beyond the rest—it wasn't something they could reach easily.
"We will hold one battle per day in a fully exclusive one-on-one event." A massive table displaying the names of all competitors appeared before the mages, along with an option to place bets using the currency shared between universes.
"For the first battle of the day, we have one of the most legendary mages this universe has ever produced. He rose from absolute nothingness to become one of the strongest to ever exist—and not only that, he bears one of the most difficult titles in the multiverse."
Kayden was teleported to one side of the grand arena.
"Kayden Heart, the Challenger of the Heavens."
His name didn't cause much of a reaction—he had been a recluse for the entirety of the War of the Gods—but his title? That alone set the entire stadium ablaze.
These spectators had seen countless powerful mages—beings capable of erasing entire universes with frightening ease—but Challengers of the Heavens were rare. In most cases, a single one wouldn't even appear in an entire universe. It often took tens of thousands of universes to produce just one.
It was an incredibly rare existence when viewed from a personal perspective, yet not so rare when considering the sheer number of universes that existed. It all depended on the mage's point of view.
"Luan Heytan, the Emperor of Machines."
Kayden raised an eyebrow at that title—it sounded peculiar. Then, his opponent appeared in the arena.
Luan Heytan was strange even by the standards of this battlefield. His body was a seamless blend of human and machine, every part of him pulsing with glowing circuits that shifted as if they were alive. He was more than just a wielder of machines—he was their embodiment, a fusion of magic and metal that few could even fathom. His name had echoed across galaxies, for wherever war erupted, he would emerge to reshape it with his creations. Some hailed him as a genius; others, as an aberration.
"So, you're the great Kayden Heart? I was expecting someone… bigger." Luan smirked.
Kayden didn't respond. He didn't entertain provocation, nor did he acknowledge the man with even a hint of interest. Luan was insignificant.
"May the strongest mage win."
Kayden didn't hesitate.
A wave of darkness flooded the battlefield.
Tens of thousands of Primordials materialized within the arena, an ocean of figures so vast it seemed like an entire war was about to erupt. Luan's presence was utterly drowned beneath the sheer magnitude of an infinite world of Primordial Mages. Each one wielded the power of a Tenth Realm Demigod—most of them matching the strength of Nine-Lightning Mages at this level, while a significant portion reached the level of Ten-Lightning Mages.
Kayden had just demonstrated the power to colonize an entire universe effortlessly. Each mage he summoned could have potentially ranked within the top 100 with a bit of luck. The sheer scale of this display was overwhelming.
A strange silence permeated the crowd. Even those at the absolute peak weren't sure how to react to this.
"Request an S-Class Diplomat from the Gods."
"Report this immediately."
Countless whispers filled the air. Every major organization present understood the significance of what Kayden had just shown. While this might not be enough to kill a peak-level genius, it was more than enough to obliterate an entire universe.
A mortal with the ability to colonize a universe on his own.
The statement itself didn't even make sense. Even Atlas—who was absurdly strong—would struggle immensely to accomplish such a feat. Not because he lacked power, but because he lacked the means. He could kill everyone, but enslaving trillions of worlds was an entirely different matter—it required far more technique than raw strength.
What Kayden had demonstrated was a force that could do just that. He could, alone, create an organization capable of extending its influence across every corner of the universe. And it wouldn't even be difficult for him. It wouldn't even take time.
Kayden gave the order.
Thousands upon thousands of spells rained down upon Luan without hesitation. The sheer volume of mana being manipulated caused a minor collapse in the fabric of the arena's fundamental laws.
Luan was a genius mage—he was the Emperor of Machines, a man who had taken over entire regions of the universe using only himself as a central network. His mind was a supercomputer capable of controlling billions of machines and entire worlds. His primary combat method revolved around his mental capacity to alter laws and spells.
"Kayden Heart is the victor."
The voice announcing the result echoed unexpectedly.
Luan had been completely buried beneath an onslaught of spells so overwhelming that his actual techniques became meaningless. His skill didn't matter when the sheer force he faced was simply too great.
Yet, Luan had managed to analyze thousands of spells and reflect them back at their casters, causing devastating damage to many of them.
Kayden was genuinely impressed.
At least 20% of his Primordials had been critically injured. But that still left 80% of them completely untouched—more than enough to crush any defense Luan could have mustered.
Another silence filled the arena.The fight had been unbelievably short.Most had expected it to last at least several hours—sometimes, these battles stretched on for weeks or even months, depending on the combatants' styles.
No one had expected Kayden to utterly crush his opponent in an instant.
"I hope everyone enjoyed the battle. We will have an entire day of mental recovery before we proceed tomorrow."
The voice snapped everyone out of their stupor.And then, the arena exploded into chaotic voices, all speaking at once about the insane spectacle they had just witnessed.