Author's note: I won't have to work or do an internship today, I'll try to put up 3 more chapters in a few hours
"Congratulations, Han, you truly are my disciple." The soul of the god entered Han's body, instantly elevating the mage to the divine rank in an absolutely insane manner. The law within his body fused with the divine soul, and Han ascended to divinity.
"Once in my life, a great mage told me, 'Strength is momentary; potential must be infinite.' I have yet to reach my peak in this state, but I hope you can entertain me." Han made a cut...
The arena was split in half. The force of his attack struck the walls of the battlefield. Han had not just become any god—on the contrary, he was an authentic god, nearly reaching the median divine level. This was insane. There was no way to explain it. Only one god truly knew how all of this was possible.
Achilles was the grand orchestrator of these events. Everything had only happened because the mage had spent literal billions of years studying the laws of fate. His single move had resulted in a butterfly effect capable of destroying dozens of destinies across other universes. Achilles had made a decision that killed entire universes.
Not even a god could have predicted something . Only Thoth, once again, understood how insane this was. Even in his wildest dreams, he had not expected something to happen. The laws of chaos were in absolute turmoil. Not even a seer could foresee anything anymore. Achilles had practically blinded himself with his actions.
"Is this the best the Emperor can reach? Your ego disgusts me." Han showed no mercy. Each of his attacks pushed Atlas closer to being overwhelmed. Atlas was being cornered within his own domain.
Each of Han's slashes divided the arena into more and more pieces. There was no mercy. Yet even so, Atlas kept growing. His soul took hit after hit and expanded. Little by little, he was increasing his dominion. Slowly, Han's attacks were starting to consume a smaller portion of his territory.
The battle persisted for a few more seconds, with an increasingly clear sign of Han's victory. Each of the young man's attacks was capable of splitting this universe in half. It was something far beyond what any mage could ever dream of wielding, yet Atlas was still fighting on equal footing. This was truly a battle of monsters, in the most literal sense of the word.
Just as both were about to launch their final moves...
"I forfeit," Han stepped away from the battle without any explanation, leaving both the mages and the gods confused. It simply made no sense. It was completely random and abrupt. This should have been a practically guaranteed victory for Han—he only needed a little more time to win.
"Atlas Primum is the winner." The voice delivered the true verdict of the battle.
It was visible to all that Atlas had been losing. Only the strongest among them knew how truly uncertain that battle had been. Atlas still had a few more moves left. All of this left an uncomfortable doubt in everyone's minds. But no one could understand Han's reasoning. In truth, only one mage could—Achilles.
"Our debt ends here. I gave up the greatest event of my life at your request." Han looked at Achilles and revealed the truth to all the mages. It had simply been a matter of honor. This was even more insane.
A mage capable of keeping his word in an event of this scale was completely surreal. But to some, this was nothing extraordinary. Everyone who reached the top had to either have an unshakable connection to their word or none at all. In Han's case, he possessed an honor that would never be broken under any circumstance.
At that moment, Han's name reached every mage present. His honor was now seen as a goal to strive for. Few among them had the conviction to do something similar. In fact, it was an absolute minority who believed they were capable of such an act.
The following battles were insane, but after the fight between Han and Atlas, everything seemed to lose its meaning. There was no reason for them to keep fighting. Their minds had been completely obliterated by the power of the two mages. More than that, the battles had become dull in comparison—the scale of their power was practically insignificant.
"Things are slowing down a bit. Our spectators need more excitement," the narrator's voice interrupted the crowd, who had been waiting for the next match. "We will hold a repechage for all the participants who lost, as well as those who won."
The statement made little sense to anyone at first, but it was quickly explained. "The top one hundred will be thrown into the arena. The twenty-five survivors may return to the tournament."
The commentator's announcement sent the stadium into a frenzy. The monotonous battles were about to die out, especially considering that Han and Atlas would have to face each other again. This was what everyone had been waiting for. The rest barely registered as existing in the minds of the spectators.
"There will be no forfeits in this fight. There are no rules. Form teams, fight solo—just deliver the entertainment that everyone deserves." The voice stopped speaking because, at that moment, all the mages were thrown into the arena.
The arena expanded to ten times the size of the universe. This was sheer insanity. It was a space vast enough for countless individual battles to take place, while at the same time, no one could hide for long.
"For every battle you win, you will be restored to peak condition. So fight like lunatics!" The announcer said no more and simply let the contestants figure things out for themselves. Each one appeared in a different location.
Only a few mages spawned near each other, but...
"Hello, Master." Han found Kayden without any difficulty. The size of the arena was minuscule for a divine soul. Shortly after him, Atlas arrived as well, remaining silent as he waited for the exchange between the two.
"Hello, Han. You truly followed my teachings." Kayden nodded. "You are no longer my disciple. You have grasped the entirety of my teachings." Han looked surprised at Kayden's words and silently offered his gratitude.