The Monarch-Chapter 589: Challenger of the heavens

"Kayden Heart"

Emperor Kollen appeared floating in the skies. "The Frozen Gods extend to you an invitation to ascend to our universe. Not only that, but we also wish to demonstrate our goodwill by offering you all the secrets of the Tenth Realm free of charge."

The words, combined with the moment, made the eerie silence even heavier. Kollen tossed an ancient book toward Kayden, a book easily measuring tens of thousands of meters—something utterly insane. The most absurd part was that everything inside had been handwritten. What few knew was that this book had the power to purchase an entire lower-level universe like the one they were currently in, without any difficulty.

"You cannot break the rules just because you think you’ve found a talented child," a god appeared in the coliseum, freezing all space around him with his mere presence. It had been so long since Kayden had seen a god that he had almost forgotten what their aura truly felt like.

His mentor never released anything in his presence, but this god held nothing back. Kayden’s mind instinctively thought of kneeling, unable to entertain any other thoughts. But that was all it was—a thought. Kayden would never kneel before an aura.

"I am a mortal, so I can," Kollen smiled, unconcerned that the other party was a god. "Besides, I am within all the rules of the multiverse."

Unfortunately, the god had no way to refute this, other than by displaying his strength—something that did not even faze the emperor in the slightest.

"Hello, Kayden. I am a Forgotten God," the god simply accepted the situation and decided to interfere a little as well. "The reason he is so eager to recruit you is because of the clouds you summoned when you unleashed all your strength. Do you know what they are?"

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"I have no idea, Lord God," Kayden responded respectfully, hoping to gain some free knowledge.

"They are the mark of the Challengers of the Heavens—mages capable of surpassing the maximum strength permitted for a mortal in their realm. They are even rarer than mages with ten rays," the god’s words resonated throughout the universe. "These mages are given the ability to literally undergo the Challenge of the Heavens when they wish to become a god."

Kayden hadn’t expected it to be something so special. He wanted to learn more about this Challenge of the Heavens, but the god stopped talking and didn’t seem like he would continue. It was probably something far beyond the level of knowledge this universe was supposed to have access to.

"I appreciate the offer and the invitation, Lord Kollen, but I would like to reach the limit of my strength in this universe first. After that, I may consider leaving," Kayden gave a respectful bow and returned the book.

As much as it was a treasure of an absurdly higher level than anything he had ever seen, Kayden did not want to take on any responsibility or debt for his future—especially considering the kind of people he would be dealing with.

"Keep the book, and we’ll have this conversation again when you reach your peak. Consider it a gift," Kollen said. This time, Kayden, who was no fool, accepted the book. "Is this event not going to continue?"

In the end, Matheus won the event without any difficulty. The Ice Emperor was not participating, which meant he had no real opponents. Even the mages with ten rays were weak before Matheus, especially considering that most of them had not yet fully developed.

Kayden merely observed all the battles, hidden among the countless seats in the stands. He could have chosen to socialize, but it would not have made any significant contribution to his life. So, Kayden simply stood there, watching the mages fight around him. It was almost amusing to see how quickly he had been surpassed.

"You are going to be hunted from this moment on," Hypnos appeared beside Kayden a few years later. "Dozens of universes will try to reach this place to recruit or kill you. Additionally, your increase in power will cause this universe to collide with others in an attempt to balance the overall power."

Kayden stood in silence for a few minutes, processing the cat’s words. He hadn’t expected his actions to have such a large effect. But it seemed he had now reached an entirely different level.

"How much time do I have? Are the gods coming?" Kayden once again found himself forced to consider hiding.

"No god will set foot here until the next 100 billion years are over. But billions of mages at the level of a Tenth Realm mage will come looking for you. Fortunately, the universe will not allow any mage stronger than Matheus to enter this place. That means you don’t have much to worry about for now."

Kayden nodded and resumed his cultivation.

Time continued to pass in an insane manner. Kayden’s ability to convert time at a reduced rate improved with each passing year. This allowed his progress to increase continuously, his potential being refined to perfection.

After only a few billion years, Kayden was finally ready to ascend to the next realm.

The biggest problem was finding a safe place to do so. The moment Kayden appeared anywhere in the universe, he would be attacked by dozens of mages—some who envied his power and simply wanted to dethrone the king, others who would attack out of sheer fear of his potential, and an even larger group who would do so out of pure resentment.

Matheus would kill Kayden at the first opportunity he got. There would be no sign of an attack, no words—just a direct strike, without warning or mercy. He had already realized Kayden’s potential, just like all the other mages in this universe. Only a handful of people truly understood how monstrous Kayden had been and still was.

After shrinking his aura completely and flawlessly hiding his soul, Kayden ventured into the universe. There was only one mage capable of guaranteeing his protection without any chance of being attacked.

It didn’t take long for Kayden to enter Kollen’s domain—and even less time for him to be found.