The Monarch-Chapter 601: Time[2]

Ten billion years had passed… without Kayden even being able to breathe. His mind was trapped under an insane amount of pressure. He neither bent nor allowed his mind to be affected by it, but the problem was that this pressure prevented Kayden from cultivating normally. It took him an unfathomable amount of time just to be able to start doing the basic things within this temporal dilation.

While Kayden was experiencing the greatest temporal dilation this universe had ever seen, two major events were unfolding in the universe. The first was the council of the gods, gathered to discuss the treasures and techniques they were releasing into the universe.

"Hypnos," the highest of the gods, the strongest, and the oldest among them, called out to the cat in an act of courage that few there had ever witnessed in their lifetimes. "Why did you grant a beyond-divine-grade technique to a mortal?"

Most of the gods had not paid much attention to the universe outside of major events. When they laid their eyes on Kayden, they understood everything. That temporal dilation… was not something even a god should be capable of achieving.

"Haiter," Hypnos’ voice came out in a calm tone. "Thoth being by your side does not give you the right to address me." The cat raised a single claw, and…

An infinite number of universes were wiped from existence as the god before them had his body completely destroyed and his soul utterly overturned. He was left in a comatose state, unable to even react to the cat’s attack. The other gods had never seen Hypnos in action before.

Some gods had been present for an almost infinite time, but even so, it was only almost. None of them were older than Hypnos. By the time they arrived, legends were already being told. The cat was already ancient when the oldest among them was just a child. And at that moment, all the gods understood exactly who they were dealing with.

Hypnos raised another finger, and…

All the destroyed universes were restored to normal. All the souls that had been erased from existence returned to their original bodies. The god’s soul was restored, and his body was reshaped. He was sweating coldly, as if he were just a mere mortal. He had been killed and brought back to life in a demonstration of power far beyond anything these gods could even fathom.

"I hope we will have no more problems," Hypnos murmured without any emotion.

"There will be none, God Hypnos," the god bowed in apology, swallowing whatever ego might have still existed in his mind.

The second event occurred a few billion years later when Atlas finally reached the true absolute peak of strength. When he comprehended the fundamental law of the void and fused it with his soul, he became utterly unstoppable throughout the universe.

"We finally meet in person, Emperor Kollen," Atlas stood before the only mage capable of facing him in the entire universe—or at least, that should have been the case until Atlas reached the peak of this universe.

"Atlas, the disciple who surpassed the master," the boy’s reputation was insane. Kollen was not going to treat him like a nobody. "Congratulations, boy. The universe is officially your playground."

Atlas smiled. The two of them understood what was happening.

"If not for the shackles of the universe, the result might not have been so absolute," Atlas remarked, and Kollen nodded in agreement.

"You are strong, boy, but nothing more than that. There is still something missing in you, and we both know it." Kollen’s words were very similar to what Atlas had heard from Kayden. It felt like a slap to the face.

"And who in this universe could possibly go beyond this? Kayden? He rejected all the gifts and techniques from the gods. Everyone in the council knows this." The only thing Kayden received from Hypnos was time—nothing more was given to him. "I am the holder of the title of the strongest mage in this universe from now on."

"Your fear of Kayden is visible. Even at this level of strength, your mind automatically turns to him." Atlas raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Atlas admitted, catching Kollen by surprise. "Of all the mages in this universe, Kayden is the greatest anomaly I have ever seen in my life. No matter how unbelievable it may seem… he is always able to exceed our highest expectations."

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Kollen knew this because only he could truly understand the weight of a heaven-defying mage in this universe. It was something that shouldn’t exist, something that should never have been born in a universe of such a low level.

"Kayden will not be able to surpass the limits of this universe," Kollen stated these words because he truly believed them. But unfortunately for him, it was the greatest foolishness he could have uttered.

"I have seen Kayden overcome everything. I have never seen him fail a single goal or objective," Atlas said, looking at the horizon, his blood beginning to boil at the thought of how uncertain the future would be. "But anyway, I will conquer the universe from now on. Out of respect for you and your organization, I will ignore all zones of your choosing."

"Long live the King of Kings!"

An infinite number of mages were clapping and shouting for Atlas. All tenth-realm mages and demigods were watching the mage who had always been in the lower ranks of power being crowned the strongest mage ever seen in this universe.

Many there could not believe it when Atlas began conquering zone after zone without pause or difficulty. Overnight, the balance of the universe became nothing more than a distant memory. At first, some top mages wanted to enter the battle and stop this from happening, but it wasn’t long before they all realized that Atlas was a step above everyone else.

Kollen followed the boy the entire time and did not interact with the other mages. When Netero arrived, he asked if Kollen was protecting Atlas, and Kollen only laughed, making it even clearer—this power had been earned by the mage alone.