Kayden asked a few more questions about the war, along with the other gods. They were all quite interested in the subject, like it or not; it was a great opportunity, from looting cities and treasures for brave gods to even allying with some of the sides to earn some profit.There was also the possibility that this war would spread to this side or reach nearby regions as well. No one wanted to be caught off guard and have to abandon everything they had built out of fear of dying.
"Waiter, bring another round for this man, on me," Kayden said, bidding farewell with a small thank-you for the information. He had already made his decision about what to do next.
Kayden traveled only a few hundred kilometers outside the city when he sensed the presence of two other gods around him. They were hidden a few dozen kilometers behind, pursuing him slowly, maintaining a steady distance.
The first god had skin the color of ancient stone, with cracks through which a faint blue light seeped, like inverted magma. His eyes were two points of pure pressure, without pupils—just condensed power. He wore a robe torn by time, but each shred seemed held together by divine will. On his back, a spear made from the bones of ancient titans vibrated with contained energy. His presence was discreet, but it made the air around denser, as if the world breathed with difficulty near him.
The second was more slender, almost translucent, with pale skin and no defined color, as if he stood between realities. His hair floated without wind, long and thin, almost like strands of memory. He wore armor made of shattered mirrors that reflected distorted versions of everything around him. His eyes changed shape constantly—sometimes feline, sometimes serpentine, sometimes completely human.
Kayden completely erased his presence. His control over his own aura was absolute. He prevented any heat from escaping his body. At that moment, his presence wasn't even enough to bend the grass beneath his feet. He erased every trace of his existence.
"Looking for someone?" Kayden smiled and revealed his presence the moment the two gods passed by, rushing in search of him.
Kayden's voice echoed and made both of them stop abruptly. Neither had expected Kayden to be aware of their presence, much less that he would reverse the element of surprise. The worst part was that Kayden hadn't attacked either of them, which could only mean one thing... he was confident in his ability to crush both directly.
"We seek to make a deal," spoke the translucent-skinned goddess. Her voice seemed to have dozens of different tones—it was both man and woman, both beast and human, both god and dragon, multiple facets at once.
Kayden didn't respond, waiting for them to continue. They had no aggressive aura and didn't even seem interested in robbing him. Besides, Kayden was absolutely sure he could subdue them both directly.
"We are going to cross the Great Sea. We know the paths and have contacts on the ships, but…" The woman didn't need to finish."As two newly ascended gods, you lack the strength or confidence to survive the war happening there." Kayden's words were like two blades in the hearts of both gods.
A simple statement from Kayden completely destroyed the ego they had. But in the end, they were humble—mages who had become gods by their own efforts. Neither came from great families; they had built everything they had with their own hands.
"Yes, we want to offer a trade." Kayden had already understood, but let the woman continue. "The route and ship transport in exchange for protection during the journey." Kayden didn't have to think much to accept.
"Of course. Show me the way."
"God, Kayden, which organization do you come from?" Magnus asked after seeing Kayden crush three gods who were setting up ambushes at a crossroads. They had been traveling together for a few months now.
The man was named Magnu, and the woman went by Luz. Their surnames were oddly pronounced, so Kayden simply called them Noite. The two were very friendly after talking to Kayden for a bit, and they needed to socialize much like mortals did.
"I don't belong to any organization," Kayden replied without elaborating much. Up to that point, he hadn't revealed his last name or even his titles, which allowed him to keep some of his information hidden.
"Which of the five divine levels are you in?" Kayden didn't know how to answer that—he wasn't even aware of divine levels.
"Explain what you know about divine levels."Magnus promptly began to speak. Even though he had the more threatening aura of the duo, he was without a doubt the friendlier of the two."The first level is where most gods are—it's the level of newly ascended ones." Magnus and Lux were on that level.
"The second level is where the combat gods are, leaders of mid-sized organizations and such. The third level consists of leaders of cities and major organizations—they're very rare to encounter. The fourth level is legendary, where legends and the ancestors of great organizations dwell. Normally, no one even knows if they exist or not.
"And the fifth level?" Kayden was curious.
"I don't know. There are only legends about that level." Magnus had never even heard of a god at that tier.Kayden grew thoughtful. The divine levels didn't mean anything, because a god could easily surpass the levels if they were able to grasp things from a higher plane. One example was Kayden's law.
After thinking for a moment, it became obvious to him that his strength was around the second level at that moment, and not in the lower part of it.
It was amusing how quickly Kayden was able to increase his power at that moment. It was simply overwhelming. He was still in the ninth realm of mortals, but at the same time, that meant nothing to him anymore. His strength was far beyond that.