Lucian fell back in his chair with a foolish smile, unable to comprehend how all of this had happened. All this time, he had been in the presence of a legend—not just any legend, but the most talked-about name in Atherior in the last millennia, the most wanted mortal of all time. The power Kayden had displayed before his eyes was insane. He had never seen anything like it; in fact, it wasn’t just him—none of the gods around had ever seen anything remotely similar. Not even the elder had ever witnessed a mortal so strong, a mortal capable of killing gods. It didn’t even make sense."Let’s go," Kayden looked arrogantly at the mage before him. He was an ordinary being with no notable characteristics, a common mage without power. For him to even be standing before Kayden was practically impossible."Pathetic," Kayden saw his opponent unable to move in the slightest before him. Kayden wasn’t using his aura or any of his strength—at that moment, it was merely his titles and his name, and that alone was enough to freeze a peak-level mortal in place. Kayden was far above the mortal realm; it was to the point where this competition was almost boring—both for him and for those watching. The difference in power between him and these children made no sense."I give up," his opponent, at least, had the decency to surrender on his own, without being humiliatingly thrown out of the arena."The council has decided to remove Kayden from the competition, granting him first place arbitrarily," a simple decision that no mage dared oppose. But..."I would like to face Lord Kayden," a mage rose from among the mortals.
It was a creature with gray skin and eyes like slits of amber, its temples marked with subtle scales. It wore a black robe embroidered with arcane symbols, carrying the dignity of a veteran in the magical arts. Its magic pulsed dense and steady, enough to intimidate any common mortal, yet before Kayden, it felt like nothing more than a faint breath before a divine hurricane."I don’t have the capabilities for such a feat, but I would like to feel the strength of the strongest mortal who has ever existed." His tone was respectful and calm; he was the strongest mortal within the Ody organization."Of course, come," Kayden could sense the boy’s excitement from afar, the eagerness to face a mage of equal tier yet standing on a much higher level was palpable.
Kayden smiled upon seeing that neither his titles nor his aura were enough to completely crush the will of the mage before him. The mage rose into the air against him and unleashed one of the most beautiful attacks Kayden had ever witnessed—true pure talent, worthy of being the heir of an organization of such scale. It was a spatial attack that created dozens of thin folds, which folded into more folds, each of those producing dozens more in an almost infinite cascade. Space itself became a true playground before this mage; his control was perfect. Each of these folds transformed into arrows, which sped toward Kayden at incredible velocity.
It was not a small number—neither millions nor billions—but trillions, hundreds of trillions of arrows coming from all directions. The arena was practically shrouded from sunlight because of them. Not a single centimeter of the skies was left uncovered by their presence."Very good," Kayden snapped his fingers, and all the arrows vanished as if by magic. His path was infinitely superior; there was no way to even compare."How?" The mage couldn’t even sense Kayden’s movements—in the blink of an eye, he had lost all control over his attack. They had simply vanished from the skies without any explanation."What is your name?" Kayden did not answer the question immediately."Julius Ody," the mage replied, realizing he had not greeted Kayden properly. "It is an honor to meet you, Master Kayden Heart." A small bow bent his back slightly.
"Your spell is very good, but you have no control over it once it leaves your grid. Your laws are perfect, but at the same time incapable of continuing what you’ve begun. This is a problem you must already be aware of." Julius nodded."This point of my law is what defines the moment I will become a god." Kayden smiled."Yes—it is the choice between becoming a mediocre god or becoming a god with an insane future, but at the same time, it means doing the impossible." Julius nodded again."I have been at this crossroads for tens of millions of years," Kayden smiled and remembered his old days."I spent billions of years overcoming mortality alone," Kayden’s trajectory was something that made no statistical sense. "And tens of trillions of years to take a step beyond mere mortals."
The time Kayden had lived was insane—he was older than most first and second-level gods of Atherion. Only those from the third level upward had lived longer than he had. In truth, Kayden was no longer a young man; he was, by all measures, an ancient elder."Would you have any advice for a mere mortal?" Kayden didn’t have to think long before responding."Walk with a broken ankle, but don’t burden anyone’s shoulder." A simple phrase, yet it carried the weight of a true monarch.
Kayden walked toward Lucius’s cabin. He had nothing left to do in this tournament except wait for the divine levels, where the true challenge would finally appear. That would be his best moment to train his abilities."That boy was a true genius," Jarvis commented in Kayden’s mind after many years of complete silence."Indeed, but the chances of him becoming anything beyond a mortal are low," Kayden replied, and Jarvis had to agree."Master Kayden," a divine stone angel appeared in front of him, "the elder invites you for tea and an exchange of stories.""Show me the way," Kayden knew this moment would come one way or another.