Kayden was also a ten-ray mage. He should have been worthy of facing only the final ray, but for some reason that no one quite understood, that option was not being offered to him. Some gods could somewhat grasp what was happening, despite being a ten-ray mage, Kayden also held another title.
"The Challenger of the Heavens," Thoth murmured, unable to contain his excitement. His thrill grew with each ray that fell. Within seconds, the nine rays had descended and disappeared without explanation.
There were no attacks from Kayden or manipulation of laws — the rays were incapable of even piercing his aura. His mere presence in the universe had become enough to equal nine rays of divine ascension. His path was a law in itself, shaping the environment around him with no chance for the rays to propagate.
Each ray was capable of killing the strongest mortal, capable of making even gods recognize its power. The ninth ray that fell upon Kayden held the same intensity as the one that fell upon Han, and yet Kayden didn't even flinch. His expression didn't change in the slightest.
"The heavens congratulate the mortal Kayden Heart for becoming an existence worthy of challenging the heavens," a voice echoed in the minds of all living beings in the universe, and then…
Tens of thousands of portals began appearing all over the universe. An almost infinite number of gods and mortals began to appear. The words of the heavens resonated across thousands of universes, in fact. A ten-rayed god was a unique event — something that would make any god stop to witness it. But the ascension of a Challenger of the Heavens?
That was an event that not even the oldest gods had witnessed more than once. It was practically a once-in-a-lifetime event for the oldest and most powerful beings the multiverse had produced. The voice of the heavens echoed in the minds of trillions of gods — and at the same time, an infinitely greater number of mortals.
Those capable of traveling between universes were few — only those who weren't trapped in low-level universes and held knowledge of the highest tier. Mortals capable of universe travel came only from high-level universes and held vast connections with gods and powerful empires.
The fact was, even the strongest universes had never seen anything in their entire existence. The first emotion to arise in everyone's minds as they stepped into this universe was surprise — it looked like it had just undergone a war between gods. There was no matter, not even complex laws — everything was in a terrible, absolute white void.
The second emotion was disdain. This was, at best, a mid- or low-tier universe. There was practically nothing special about this place — and yet, a Challenger of the Heavens had appeared. It was something extremely random and difficult to believe.
The third emotion was more divided. For many, it was fear. For others, respect. And in a certain portion, envy. Kayden stood still in the universe. He wasn't a large being — barely reached a meter and ninety centimeters — but his aura...
It was simply unlike anything the mages had ever seen. Reality seemed to bend before his presence. Light itself seemed to ask his permission before reflecting his image. His path was obvious to anyone who looked at him — his aura and his presence were not hidden.
"The heavens deny mediocrity to Monarch Kayden Heart," the voice appeared in everyone's minds with an authoritarian tone. No one could think or say anything before the heavens."But we shall also grant mercy in respect to the level you've reached. The heavens give you the right to death with reincarnation — or to face the tenth ray."
"I thank you, but I refuse," Kayden responded respectfully, his tone firm. It seemed like a small thing, but the mere fact that he could speak in front of the celestials was already beyond insane.
"The heavens wish you luck." With that, the tenth ray appeared in the universe.
The ray that descended upon Kayden Heart was not merely a phenomenon of light or energy — it was the very manifestation of the will of the heavens, an absolute decree that engulfed the entire universe effortlessly. Its presence didn't just fill space; it redefined it. The fundamental laws of reality — time, space, matter — bowed before it like subjects before a supreme emperor. Every fragment of existence instinctively recognized the supremacy of that ray, not as a threat, but as an inescapable truth. It was as if the entire universe were being rewritten in real-time, with Kayden at the center of this new order.
Never in the history of the multiverse had such an insane and challenging ascension process been witnessed. It wasn't merely a transition from mortal to divine — it resembled the process of a god leveling up. It was insane. It made no sense.
This was a ray before which no mortal should have been able to stand. It didn't make sense — it was practically a god's attack falling upon Kayden. But that didn't matter. Kayden opened his arms, and his path fully solidified and expanded.
A black crown appeared on Kayden's head — a crown made of an absolute path, molded into an absolute law. Kayden had done insane things before, but for the first time in history, he had done something unique.
Kayden truly became one of a kind in the entire multiverse. Before this day, he was special — but somewhere in multiversal history, someone had done everything he had. The multiverse was vast — it held many possibilities in all its facets. Somewhere, someone had become a monarch of themselves. Someone had chosen this exact path. Someone had become a Challenger of the Heavens while being a monarch.
But no one had ever created a fundamental law while still a mortal — not only that, he had elevated it above the fundamental laws.
The visitors who had just arrived finally swallowed all their emotions and were left speechless. What they were witnessing was the equivalent of a mad dream from a mortal with delusions of grandeur — it seemed like a fabrication with no sense.
The ray came against Kayden and…