The Monarch-Chapter 602: Han
The heavens opened in an impressive golden light that covered every inch of the entire universe. The pressure on all the mages was absolutely insane— not even the strongest mage in this universe could move. At least, that was the case for almost everyone. Kayden appeared, floating in the universe, observing the event.
"Kayden Heart, my first master, look at what your disciple has become," Atlas said with a smile on his face. "In the end, I surpassed my master and became the ruler of this entire universe."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"Congratulations, Atlas. You have won as a mage and failed as my disciple. From this day forward, do not call me your master anymore. You abandoned all my teachings for power," Kayden did not waver, even in front of someone at this level of power. His words sent a shockwave throughout the entire universe.
A mage capable of moving under the pressure of the heavens and still daring to argue with the strongest mage in the entire universe—Kayden truly lived up to his legend. He was not an ordinary mage, and he never would be.
"I will let you live until the event of the gods. I hope you can maintain your arrogance until then," Atlas was no longer concerned with his revenge against Kayden. Over the years, it had practically lost much of its meaning for him. Only Matheus still clung to his hatred, fearing the possibility of Kayden killing his beloved.
"Silence." A voice descended from the heavens, echoing in the minds of every being. This command was not directed at Kayden and Atlas, but rather at the thoughts of all the mages in the universe. Along with it, a golden crown began to descend.
"The heavens name you Atlas Primum, the first King of Kings of this universe."
A monumental lightning bolt struck Atlas, and the crown formed upon his head. Every mage in the universe felt compelled to kneel—only two remained standing.
Kayden and Kollen kept their honor and did not kneel in any way. The pressure of the heavens was incapable of invading their minds. This was a clear sign to Atlas that his thoughts about Kayden were not wrong.
A round of applause erupted as the universe resonated with an insane melody. At that moment, Atlas received one of the greatest treasures ever to exist in his mind. Of all the demigods, he was the only one capable of completely surpassing mortality. Atlas had become worthy of becoming a god.
And just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. No mage was able to even sense the direction Atlas took before disappearing into the universe. Soon after, many mages snapped out of their stupor and vanished as well, each lost in their own thoughts.
Time passed at high speed. While billions of years went by for all the mages in the universe… Kayden was facing hundreds of billions of years. By this point, he had spent more time trapped within his soul than in actual reality. His lifespan had reached an utterly insane level.
At first, Kayden was pursuing the law of balance and his own path. Besides that, he was maximizing his ninth realm in order to ascend to the tenth and then become a demigod. That would grant him the insane strength of a true heaven-defying mage.
But along the way, Kayden stopped everything he was doing and underwent a unique reflection.
"Atlas followed this path… I would just be another mage like him."
This simple realization caused his mind to halt in the middle of all his training. For the next millions of years, Kayden’s mind simply played with all the possibilities. What exactly could he do?
This question took root in his head. Kayden was at an unparalleled peak of strength within the ninth realm—no other mage in this universe had ever come close. But he needed to keep pushing further, time and time again.
The truth was, if Kayden followed the conventional path, he would likely be able to face Atlas without much difficulty. But that would be it. Kayden would be stuck within the power of this universe, just another strong mage who existed throughout countless eras. He would be just another name, insignificant beyond this place. He would have strength but no potential.
Kayden spent hundreds of millions of years just thinking, doing absolutely nothing else. His entire focus was on defining what he would do next. It was an attitude that many would not have had the patience for, but Kayden had grown up with a guiding principle shaping much of his life:
"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend six sharpening my axe."
This summed up his mindset. Kayden wanted to go beyond. He wanted far more than just being a strong mage—he wanted to turn this universe upside down, and he would chase that with everything he had.
"You know the path you’ve chosen has a ridiculously low chance of working, don’t you?" Hypnos appeared next to Kayden at a random moment and simply dropped that statement.
"Yes." Kayden had little else to say besides agreeing.
"Congratulations on wasting the opportunity of a lifetime," Hypnos said angrily. The god truly hated Kayden’s decision, but at that moment, all he could do was wait and see how far this path would take him.
"I was not born to be just another," Kayden stopped responding after that and focused entirely on his own progress. The universe would not hear a single word about him for the next billions of years.
In a less-traveled part of the universe, a mage that no one really remembered—who had never even participated in universal affairs—began a process that immediately caught the attention of all the powerful mages in the universe.
At least, most of them—except for Kayden.
The amount of divine mana surging toward this mage was insane. He was at the peak of the ninth realm but with only seven lightning marks. There was nothing particularly remarkable about his strength. At best, he was just a common mage who, with a lot of luck, might be able to claim ownership of a single planet.
