The Monarch

There were no tests of strength or probing; both were going all out from the start, and it didn't take long for Atlas to once again fall behind in the exchange of blows. Like it or not, he was facing a god. Even though it was a weakened god, it was still a god.

Gods were unique beings across all universes. Each one of them was a mortal who had managed to elevate their existence to an absolute peak. Even the weakest gods, who had ascended only through resources that transcended common sense, were still gods capable of surpassing all mortals. There was something about divinity that mortals would never be able to grasp.

"They are strong, but in the end, they are just mortals," Matheus appeared beside Kayden, completely surprising him. Kayden had thought Matheus had been expelled from the arena like all the others.

The first time Kayden encountered the mages of this generation, he thought Matheus was the strongest. After witnessing the power of Han and Atlas, he had placed this mage below the two. But it seemed he had been mistaken somewhere in his conclusions.

"I thought you had been expelled," Kayden commented without dwelling too much on his thoughts. The truth was that he wasn't entirely focused on these battles, nor was he paying much attention to the mages around him.

Matheus was also a god. He hadn't had time to develop, and something was extremely wrong with this whole situation. But Kayden didn't care in the slightest. His instincts were screaming at him that the battle of his life was approaching. Kayden's fingers were itching; his soul was recognizing something above him.

Kayden had reached the apex of his life. His entire journey, every second of his existence, every moment had led him to be there, fulfilling all his functions. He could feel the threads of fate bending toward him, like a tangled ball of yarn. Everything was converging on his existence.

Kayden's entire body was tingling. The instincts he had developed over thousands of centuries were all activated at this moment. In truth, it wasn't Kayden's body that was tingling—it was his soul. Kayden could feel it expanding and struggling to begin. He needed it; it was a physical necessity to carry out his next actions.

"I just faked it very well," Matheus fell silent after that. He and Kayden were simply waiting, each lost in their own thoughts.

The fight between the two continued at high speed, each attack devastating entire stretches of universes with ease. Each slash could split a universe in two as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, Atlas's soul continued devouring all existence with infinite hunger, trying to advance against Han like a raging beast.

There was no rest or hesitation. Atlas's soul continued without the slightest pause, his laws spinning perfectly to support his will. It was an insane amount of power for a mortal to possess. Without a doubt, he would be the most powerful mage in the entire universe—if not for someone like Han, who was practically cheating.

Time in this arena had been completely destroyed. Its flow had become a joke, with massive areas of accelerated or decelerated time. There simply were no laws capable of prevailing in the entire arena. The fundamental laws were desperately trying to regain control, but they couldn't continue after facing the power of the two combatants.

A single slash from Han was enough to turn the law of balance and dozens of other laws into a chaotic mess, searching for a way to restore the universe. Kayden was simply amazed by the sensation of destruction. He felt closer to something—closer with every passing second. For the first time in infinite time, he was feeling anxious.

"How strong have you truly become?" Matheus asked after a few minutes. The battle was already slowly reaching a victorious conclusion for Han.

"I ask you the same question, with those five perfect fundamental laws in your soul."

Kayden's words made Matheus look at him in shock. With just one sentence, Kayden revealed what he had spent billions of years building.

"The god who sponsored me was special. He made me stay silent during this entire period," Matheus began to speak without the slightest fear.

"It was Thoth, wasn't it?" Kayden could only think of one mage capable of such intricate schemes. In the end, it seemed Kayden had found Thoth's final bet for this universe—and once again, it wasn't him.

Kayden didn't understand Thoth's actions, but he was capable of understanding what was happening at this moment. Kayden would never be something Thoth would place all his bets on. Every time, Kayden defied all possibilities. It simply wasn't worth it to invest entirely in him.

Matheus was a more certain gamble. He was a mage with insane potential who could go much farther than any ordinary mage in this universe. Kayden, on the other hand, was always a wild bet, always defying all probabilities. No matter how much Thoth calculated, he was never able to see the next step that would put Kayden on the same level as a mage with greater potential.

"Yes, Thoth has helped me since the moment I became a true False God." Kayden nodded. "I know I have become something above everyone in this universe. But what about you? My first master shouldn't disappoint me."

Kayden sighed.

"I think I will be able to offer a true spectacle."

After that, the two exchanged no more words. In the end, they were old acquaintances, and that was all. Their lives were no longer merely connected.

The battle between Han and Atlas was reaching its end. Atlas's soul was being increasingly torn apart, while Han's power seemed to be growing by the second. It was amusing that a battle of this level had allowed both to grow. Atlas's soul was shredded but was expanding further into the universe. The problem was that Han took two steps forward for every step Atlas managed to take.