After settling Nero and Mira, Maximus began to devise another plan.
Although he showed confidence that he could weather the dark disaster, inside, he was just as worried as they were.
Compressing their time from billions of years to mere millions, Maximus had to think of a countermeasure fast.
Turning toward the Etherium Realm, he thought it was finally time for the ultimate warriors to appear.
Bidding his family, Maximus went to the Origin of Etherium Realm, the place where all laws and energy converged, the core that kept everything running.
"It seemed they are thriving…" Maximus muttered, looking around.
In the past, the Origin of Etherium Realm had been empty, filled only with sacred and inviolable energy.
But now, a civilization has formed inside, thriving and brimming with vitality, unnoticed by the outside world.
"Liege, you are here!" Ugur, the supreme sovereign of the Eryndor race, bowed upon sensing Maximus's presence.
"Have you settled the Eryndor warriors?" Maximus asked, referring to those who had been fighting in the Chaos Continent.
Though they had long disappeared from the eyes of the Etherium Realm as their birthplace, they still fought for the right to claim the title of Chaos Lord.
Unfortunately, becoming the Chaos Lord had proven impossible.
Even Ugur, the first of the Eryndor race, had failed to achieve it after millions of years.
Seeing that they couldn't do anything more, they could only retreat, preserve what they had, and follow the will of their lord.
"I've evacuated them all to the Etherium Origin, my Liege! As long as you give the order, they're ready to fight!"
"No need to be so dramatic. I was only asking," Maximus said, noticing Ugur's seriousness.
"The Eryndor race seems to be on track…"
Looking at the place's prosperity, which seemed to surpass even the progress on the surface, Maximus couldn't help but be amazed.
Although most of the Eryndor were at tier 6–7 realms, with a few at tier 9–10, the architecture caught up to the administrative continents above.
"How is your population coming along?"
The Eryndors' purpose and role were to be protectors, the heroes who would carry the legacy of the Etherium Realm for eternity.
They were the perfect race Maximus had created, able to constantly evolve, adapt, and carry out his ambition no matter how far he rose in the future.
So far, since their first conception, every Eryndor was born with the potential of a top-tier race, possessing a dimensional physique at minimum.
Some talented Eryndor were even born with ultimate physiques, far surpassing the top talents of the Aeon Plane.
The only problem was they had a jarring weakness: reproduction.
As their potential and power grew, it became harder and harder for them to give birth to the next generation.
Like dragons, it took them thousands of years just to conceive and give birth.
This was only for those in tier 6 and below. After breaking into the tier 7 realm, their gestation period grew longer, taking tens of thousands of years.
Such a mighty race, stunted by their inability to produce new descendants, made Maximus feel pity.
If only the Eryndor race had the same reproductive ability as humans, they would already be as numerous as the stars.
Meanwhile, hearing his question, Ugur took out a census detailing the full distribution of the Eryndor race.
It included powerhouses in each realm, professional masters, population growth, a number of talents with ultimate physiques, and more.
"Over 30 quintillion? Not bad, that's more than I expected," Maximus muttered excitedly.
Knowing the Eryndor race's limitations, Maximus had already started preparing countermeasures.
First, all Eryndors could only advance to the next tier when their lifespan was nearly exhausted or when their bodies could no longer contain their current power.
That's why most of them were only at the tier 6 or 7 realms.
If not for these limits, with their talent, many could have already reached tier 10 easily.
Second, they needed to multiply to the limit and pass on their will and power to the next generation.
At lower tiers, while giving birth was still difficult, it became manageable with enough time and effort.
By giving it everything they had, most Eryndor families were able to raise two to three children.
The third solution Maximus prepared was the environment.
As the ultimate warriors and protectors of the Etherium Realm, placing them at the dimension's origin made perfect sense.
Not only would it continuously boost their potential, but it also gave them an ideal environment to thrive, free from external threats.
The fourth key was time acceleration.
Letting them grow at a natural pace was too slow.
Even with millions of years, it would be hard for them to reach such a large number.
Fortunately, during the dimensional competition a few hundred thousand years ago, Maximus obtained the Chronos Hourglass—an artifact that could accelerate time as long as it had enough energy.
By investing quintillions of origin energy into it, the time flow in the Etherium Origin reached a 100:1 ratio compared to the outside world.
For every hundred thousand years outside, ten million years passed within.
With Maximus's planning and the Eryndors' efforts, their population bloomed, reaching tens of quintillions despite all the difficulties and limitations.
If not for the looming threat of the dark beasts, Maximus might have continued pushing their population growth until they reached sextillions.
Unfortunately, time was no longer on their side. Maximus could only move on to phase two of his plan.
"It's time for you Eryndor warriors to train with everything you've got. I'll need your power in the coming millions of years," Maximus said with a sigh, revealing his subsequent move to Ugur.
"We of the Eryndor race will follow your orders, even to death!" Ugur replied solemnly.
Now, they had entered phase two: Training.
After a few million years, phase three would soon come: War.
The Eryndor race was finally about to show its brilliance in the Aeon Plane.
"You too, don't slack off. I expect you to be beside me when I fight."
Unlike other Eryndors, Ugur and the rest of the first generation didn't suppress their advancement.
Back in the dimensional competition, Ugur and a few of the most talented Eryndors even obtained Seeds of Law from the Primordial Origin Realm.
Now, Ugur's strength had reached tier 11, forging his own Ocean of Law, just like Fealan, Alabaster, and Readius.
Looking forward to how far Ugur could rise, Maximus painted him a future he couldn't resist.
"Don't worry, my Liege. After a million years, I'll be the sharpest spear, ready to cut down anything in your path!"
"Good. I'm looking forward to it."