章節 591: Demon Gods
Edward checked his account on the Akashic Record and learned he had received a message from Merlin. He was slightly surprised but guessed why, so he played. A projection of Merlin appeared before him, and he said: "Hey, boy, looking good."
"I'm doing okay," replied Merlin.
"No need to be polite."
"If I boast, you'll just beat my ego down, so what else can I say?" Edward shrugged.
"True," chuckled Merlin. "By the way, this is a voice recording; I'm not actually there." Edward's face turned ugly.
"Haha, I bet your face is twisted in anger now. Oh, I wish I was there to see it." Edward snorted coldly, deciding to ignore that drunk bastard.
"I'll ignore what rude comment you made about just now," continued the recording, making Edward's lips twitch. "My message is to congratulate you on reaching Tier 10 while also warning you not to skip Tier 11 to go directly to Tier 12."
Edward frowned.
"Yes, it's possible to do that. You will usually see it in worlds like the MCU without linear power systems. Some people can destroy an entire multiverse and survive in the Void, but their variants or counterparts in the multiverse are separate individuals. Sometimes, they have no variants and are the only entity in the entire multiverse."
Edward had thought about this, as in the comics, some entities who are obviously Tier 12 and above fight against their multiversal counterparts, which should never happen if all their variants are a part of themselves at Tier 11.
"Tier 11 is important and must not be skipped if you want to reach higher levers," Merlin continued. "Once you reach that level, I will contact you again to tell you about higher Tiers and the war. Good luck to you, and remember that time is running out for all of us."
The projection disappeared, leaving Edward with a somber atmosphere. "Morgana, can you send the Soul Limit and Soul Divination methods to Hermione and the others?"
"Without Netheril, the best I can do is send it home to my server and from there, send it to them," she replied.
"Then, do so."
Before leaving, he left enough divine energy for everyone to break their limit and reach Tier 9, but now he felt a sense of urgency, so he wanted them to become as powerful as possible as soon as possible.
Edward's first order of business was not to return to Earth but to cast the Doubling Charm on the Soul Stone to absorb more energy for his Soul Divinity. However, the experiment was only partially successful, as the copies lasted less than a second.
He absorbed a tremendous amount of energy in that brief moment, but it also cost him too much mana to keep copying, so he could only give up this plan. He'll try again once he has the Time Stone.
Edward opened a portal to Earth but found himself floating outside its atmosphere, with a powerful shield blocking him.
"What's going on?"
"Please seal most of your energy," said a voice in the void, and Edward recognized the Ancient One. Edward frowned before sealing most of his mana. Finally, he bypassed the protection and appeared at Kamar Taj, where the Ancient One awaited.
"What just happened?"
"The Earth Dimension Protection Shield considers you a Dimensional Creature, so it stopped you," explained the Ancient One.
"But I'm obviously not."
"Your magic system is quite similar to theirs, considering the amount of energy and the two dimensions you have in your body."
"That's not fair since all life has a soul dimension."
"True, but they do not contain energy or can be materialized," rebutted the Ancient One.
"Fair," sighed Edward. "I'm guessing you saw my fight with Malakai."
"I did, and it was splendid," she replied calmly.
"Why did that bastard attack me?"
"You were unlucky; the planet you chose had weakened dimensional barriers. Adding the energy in your body, you were the perfect meal."
"So, my luck backlash hasn't ended?"
"Luck backlash?"
"I've abused a potion that increased luck, and now, I'm paying for it."
"That is concerning," the Ancient One frowned, and Edward agreed. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do since the Empire's study on luck or probability manipulation had not been up to standard compared to most other fields.
"Who exactly is this Malakai?" Edward had never heard of him in the MCU or even the comics.
"He's one of the 72 Demon Gods."
"Demon Gods?"
"Our job as sorcerers is to protect the earth from all sorts of dimensional creatures or entities, and amongst them, the 72 Demon Gods and 36 Hell Lords are our worst enemies. Malakai is one of the Lower 72 Demon Gods."
"Lower Demon Gods?" asked Edward, knowing the insinuation of these words.
"Yes, they are divided into lower, middle, and upper, and kings, and Malakai is one of the best Lower Demon Gods, but still a lower rank."
Edward's mouth twitched. He could not accept the fact that the weakest of these Demon Gods was Tier 10.
"Sorry if I sound rude, but there is no way you can survive against these guys if Malakai is only a lower Demon God."
The Ancient One chuckled, "That sounds fair, but the situation is more complex than you think. Agomoto and a few former Sorcerer Supremes sealed most of 7 Kings while the rest are still healing.
"Many of the Demon Gods are in deep slumbers that last millions of years, and some have no desire to invade and increase their strength. Meanwhile, the Hell Lords have been forced to sign a treaty that their main body cannot enter the material plan, so they are usually sneaky and send in avatars to use schemes and machinations to interfere in Earth's affairs.
"So, that leaves a few upper Demon Gods like Dormamu as true adversaries."
Edward's brought was still furrowed, "That explains a lot, but many things still don't make sense. For example, I know how someone like you, with mastery of the mystic art and the Time Stone, can deal with a Demon God, but what about those other Sorcerers? I doubt they could survive the very air in some of these dimensions."
"You're underestimating my Sorcerers' capabilities," explained the Ancient One. "However, the answer to your question is the Dimensional Nullifier. When those creatures try to invade Earth, before they can evade reach the protection, they must pass through the Dimensional Nullifier, a special dimension that drastically decreases their powers."
"Is that why Dormamu most destroyed the protection first before invading?"
"Correct; they know that the best and only way to invade Earth is from the inside," nodded the Ancient One.
Edward sighed, "This world is way more complicated than I thought."
"You have no idea," replied the Ancient One. She thought she knew most of the universe's secrets and nothing could shock her, but she knew how wrong she was after seeing the future past her death.
"We have lost more than three years; it might be a good idea to change the original plan," suggested Edward.
"You're right," she nodded. "I still think you need to display your talent and convince the other sorcerers. However, you can use the Time Stone in a few days to see the future I saw and prepared."
"What about the Soul Stone? Any suggestions?"
"Once you see what I saw, you can decide what to do with it or the others," the Ancient One responded calmly.
"Alright. We can start tomorrow since I want to check on Aisha's family." Since he promised to keep an eye on them, he would keep his word.
"I did it in your stead, and they're fine."
"Oh, then you have my gratitude." Edward did not leave since she said they were okay. He would still check, but not in person. He followed the Ancient One to his room and received the wi-fi password. A little tired after his breakthrough in strength, he chose to sleep; it's been a while, and he felt he needed the rest.
章節 592: The Future
"Get up."
Edward opened his eyes, "You must be Mordo. The Ancient One talked about you."
"Likewise."
"Oh, what did she say?"
"She claims she found a natural prodigy of the mystic art."
"You don't sound convinced," said Edward, standing up from the small bed.
"Your abilities have yet to be known or tested," Mordo explained calmly. "Please change into the appropriate uniform. I'll wait outside."
'I forgot how rigid this man's ideal and thoughts were,' thought Edward as his magic robe turned into the Kamar Taj' gray uniform. Mordo is the kind of person who cannot get along with someone like him who constantly disobeys the rules to push boundaries. Edward walked out while thinking of ways to ensure his relationship with these people.
"So fast?"
"I didn't want to be late."
"It seems you are at least very disciplined; that's good," nodded Mordo, leading them to a group of students dressed in horrible-looking clothes. Mordo then began to speak to the young sorcerers.
"You must go beyond your normal senses to feel the energy coming from those dimensions and harness them for use. You must…" He gave a thirty-minute explanation, making some students wonder why he was telling them this again. Mordo then ended the lecture with a few demonstrations.
'Interesting,' thought Edward. 'They change their brain and soul frequency to perfectly attune to the surrounding dimensional seas and harness the energy from them. Their meditation technique is genius and perfectly fitted for humans.'
Edward closed his eyes and followed Mordo's method; he found himself in a sea of colorful lights rushing in all directions.
'Those should be dimensions,' thought Edward, feeling how absurdly easy it was to access the energy from these dimensions. When he compared Sorcerer Magic in the Empire, which requires a Gate of Truth and so much effort, it was truly baffling how easily this method made things.
'This method makes it so easy that 90% of humans can do it after the right training," concluded Edward. Of course, talents would dictate how long it takes, but as long as someone perseveres, even with the worst talent, they can succeed in 5 to 8 years.
Edward sighed as he continued praising this method, thinking how much it would help the Empire. He made the motions with his hands to draw the energy, creating a shield that resembled yellow runes before him.
'So, that's eldritch magic,' thought Edward, slightly intrigued. 'Because of how weak a human's body is, they cannot channel too much energy from other dimensions, so they must rely on skill mastery or Relics.'
The Ancient One is a great sorcerer because of her skill and because her body is strengthened by energy from the dark dimension.
'I do not have such restrictions on my body, but I should learn their skill mastery of using and manipulating interdimensional energy,' he concluded.
"Excellent," said Mordo, who walked by him. "You succeed on your first try." Edward just nodded to him. "In that case, let's try a few more advanced spells." He had the students practice conjuring weapons like whips and others, and none of these tasks bothered Edward as he easily learned them.
Everyone took a break for lunch, and the students looked at Edward oddly. However, he quickly joined them as he was a master of conversation. Since he wanted to gather support to prevent rejection for being chosen as the next Sorcerer Supreme, he knew the importance of being well-liked. So, he put on his Emperor Smile to charm people.
"The afternoon lesson is hand-to-hand combat," said Mordo. "As a sorcerer, you must train your mind and body. Now, on your guard." Edward fought with him for a minute before restraining him. Mordo could not accept this easy defeat and chose a second round with weapons, so he handed him a short baton while using one. The result was the same.
"You were trained?"
"Yes," nodded Edward, making Mordo sigh. "I felt guilty for doubting the Ancient One's words, even for a moment, but now, she's proven that her visions are beyond what I can understand."
Edward's lips twitched. He loved it when his followers were this devoted to him, but in this situation, Mordo's devotion was a problem; it was one of the reasons he left Karmar Taj after finding out the Ancient One was not who he thought she was.
'Maybe it's not bad to lose people like Mordo and Kaecilius,' thought Edward. As long as he prevented them from doing anything reckless, losing one or two Sorcerers, even if they were talented, should not be an issue.
The third training session of the day was on how to use the Sling Ring, another discovery Edward found very useful. This Relic made it easier to control a specific type of energy that allowed for opening portals to any dimension. He had the idea of augmenting this thing to function for all spatial energy.
There will be many benefits and advantages if Space Magic becomes more common in the Empire. Of course, there will also be more chaos and danger, but he will prepare for these eventualities before releasing this knowledge or technology.
At night, Edward did not have time to head to the library when the Ancient One summoned him.
"How was it?"
"Fine. Little slow for my taste, but many things in your magical system are valuable to mine."
"I'm glad," she nodded. "I wanted to wait a few days, but after seeing you in action today, I figured I might as well get it over with." She then removed the Eye of Agomoto from her neck and handed it along with a book. Edward took thirty minutes to read the entire book and absorb all the knowledge.
"Understand?" the Ancient One asked.
"Yes."
"Questions?"
"A few," said Edward. In the next thirty minutes, he asked questions, and she answered. After that, they spent an hour discussing time magic and losing track of time.
The Ancient One sighed, "It's been a while since I had such a captivating conversation about the mystic art." The last time was when she talked to Odin and his wife, Freya, a few hundred years ago.
"Let's get back on track." She took a bite from an apple and placed it on a counter before them.
"Is this necessary?" asked Edward.
"For my peace of mind," she explained. So, Edward used the Time Stone to manipulate time and return the apple to different states. Then, the Ancient One tried a few more difficult tests before she allowed him to peep into the future.
He wondered what she saw and what he needed to prepare for, so he got into positions and peeked into the future. An hour later, Edward woke up without saying a word.
"What's on your mind?"
"I want to cuss."
"By all means."
"(&&*^^%^%$(08," he went on a 20-minute tirade, cursing in more than a hundred languages, some of which did not exist in this universe. Finally, he exhaled and said: "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You lasted less than I did." The Ancient One had the same reaction as her; she cussed for the first time in hundreds of years, and she did not stop after 20 minutes.
So, what did Edward see that made him react like this? A Multiverse Convergence: All infinite timelines and dimensions crash and fuse into each other until only one timeline remains. And in the process, countless terrifying creatures emerge, including those who defy common sense. On top of everything else, many of these creatures are Tier 11 and maybe beyond.
In fact, the only reason these creatures did not kill his peeping self across space-time was due to the protection of the Time Stone and his swift actions to evade them.
"So, what are you going to do?" asked the Ancient One, and Edward stared at her. She's the one who brought him into this mess. "You can't blame me for your decisions."
Edward exhaled, 'There is no need to freak out and lose my calm. If this is enough to rattle me out, I won't survive the upcoming war.' He returned to his cool and logical side.
"We have a lot of work to do, and I'm telling you beforehand, it will not be pretty ."
"That's why I chose you," she replied with a smile.
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