A few years passed, and Valoros finally remembered the reason for his visit.
"You want me to help you meet Maximus?" Malgron muttered, coming to his senses.
It seemed Valoros had also learned about Maximus's ultimate physique.
"He was the one who informed me," Valoros answered, noticing the question in Malgron's eyes.
When Valoros first read the name of the sender, he had been equally shocked.
The junior who had once killed his clone had reached unimaginable heights.
Master of the River of Knowledge, the number one Supreme Candidate, victor in a war against the top forces of the Dimensional Alliance, and founder of one of the most prominent families—each of these achievements alone would have immortalized someone's name in the Aeon Plane.
For all of them to belong to one person was so legendary it was almost unbelievable.
If Valoros hadn't personally confirmed and deduced the truth of the matter, he might have dismissed it as a mere trap set by the Dimensional Alliance.
"Since you want to meet Maximus, I'll take you to him. But why don't we spar for a bit first?" Malgron asked with a grin.
"N-no, that would be too high-profile!" Valoros stammered, hurriedly declining.
Out of caution, he had only dared to meet Malgron with a clone.
If Malgron found out, he would be finished.
Not only would Malgron be furious upon discovering he was yet another clone, but their fight would create fluctuations, drawing the attention of those hounds from the Space-Time Bureau.
The Space-Time Bureau wasn't as active as the Interdimensional Council, but once they targeted someone, their pursuit was far more relentless.
As the keeper of balance, Valoros was one of the anomalies they had to clean.
"Fine, fine. But next time, we must spar before you can talk to me," Malgron relented with a chuckle.
Finally agreeing to the matter, Malgron sent word to Maximus that he would be bringing an old friend to meet him.
A few days later, after mutual agreement and a bit of preparation, Malgron escorted Valoros to the Etherium Realm.
Entering the Dimensional Array, Valoros's body couldn't help but tense.
Even though it was only a clone, it contained a significant portion of his power and essence.
Losing such a body would take epochs to recover.
As they passed through the array's layers, Valoros found himself face-to-face with the Source of Knowledge—the origin of his path, the Ocean of Truth.
Although veiled by majestic protective arrays, Valoros immediately noticed something unusual.
The Source of Knowledge seemed more vibrant, as though it had undergone a rejuvenation.
"Do you feel it, too?" Malgron asked with interest.
Every time Malgron visited the Etherium Realm, the Source of Knowledge seemed stronger and more alive.
Despite being concealed by the arrays, as a fellow owner of a Source of Path—the Path of Asura—he could sense the growing vitality emanating from it.
"It's… different," Valoros admitted.
Having spent years studying the Source of Knowledge to break the branch of truth, how could he not notice its changes?
With a sigh, they passed through the Barrier of Knowledge and smoothly landed in the Etherium Realm.
As they approached the Shadowcrest Castle, the shock on Valoros's face grew more pronounced.
"This—are we in the residence of an Overlord?"
Though the Shadowcrest Castle's arrays were only at tier 11, the materials used in its construction were on par with an Overlord residence.
"Hahaha, no, we've definitely come to the right place!"
When Malgron first saw Maximus's castle, he had been equally shocked.
The castle was far more luxurious than even the main tower of the Ashura Sect.
Constructed entirely from tier-12 materials, even the seemingly inconspicuous grass, and dirt along the pathways were treasures that lower realms would fight to possess.
However, remembering that Maximus possesses the Dimensional Source Physique, such extravagance was only natural.
If not for the limited time and foundation, Maximus's wealth might have already surpassed that of Overlord organizations.
From Origin Coins and strands of causality to ultimate treasures, Maximus was already their equal in terms of such resources.
However, when it came to manpower, territory, scope of influence, and industry, he was still significantly lacking.
In a few more epochs, the Shadowcrest Family might become the unrivaled wealthiest family in the entire Aeon Plane.
Thinking about having such a rich friend, Malgron couldn't help but fantasize.
Grinning widely at the thought, Malgron led Valoros inside, acting as if the castle were his own home.
While they waited in the lounge area, Maximus finally arrived.
"Apologies for being late," Maximus greeted as he entered.
He had just returned from the Highland Realm, where he'd been on vacation with his wives.
Upon receiving Malgron's message, it had taken some time to satisfy his wives and excuse himself.
"It's fine, it's fine! This is the friend I was telling you about. I'm sure you remember him," Malgron said hurriedly, introducing Valoros.
"Of course, how could I forget Mr. Valoros, the Lord of Truth?"
The creator of the Etherium Realm, the Amalgamation of Will, the man he had killed before he ascended to the Supreme throne, how could he forget Valoros?
"It is my honor that Your Highness still remembers me. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for my misdeeds in the past."
Recalling their history, Valoros felt a twinge of guilt.
Though he and Maximus had clashed—ending with his defeat and death—it was simply the way of their world.
In the struggle for power, there must always be a winner and a loser.
"No, it's I who should apologize. During my rise to power, I was left with no choice but to push Mr. Valoros aside," Maximus said sincerely.
To secure full control over the Amalgamation of Will and the former Cursed Continent, Valoros's demise had been inevitable.
Among the countless enemies Maximus had faced, nearly all their battles were conflicts of interest.
Such was the way of the world.
For the sake of interest, even brothers might turn against one another.
Yet, for the same goal, even the fiercest enemies and rivals could stand side by side like brothers.