Book 13: Part 13 – Enjoying Every Second

The last Planar War had just ended 2000 years ago, and the next one wasn't due to begin for another 8000 years; as such, the Battlefield should be completely empty, but it was anything but.

As it stood, aside from the Sovereigns on the side of the Yulan Plane, all the other Sovereigns were currently floating in the skies of the ancient battlefield, talking amongst themselves, but contrary to what one would expect, the man of the hour didn't appear to be Wodred – the Chief Sovereign of Destruction – nor was it any of the other Chief Sovereigns present for that matter.

The one who everyone appeared to be focusing on was Teresia. After being given the method of cultivating Concepts by Aiden, the Lesser Sovereign directly holed himself up in secluded meditation, not daring to waste as much as a single second and contrary to what one may be tempted to believe, his dedication had nothing to do with Ace and everything to do with his master.

Deluded as it sounded, Teresia got it in his head that this 2000-year challenge was a test set up by Aiden, who had taken a fancy to him thanks to his affinity to the Laws of Wind.

And in his defence, Teresia's affinity to the Wind was no weaker than Kannal or Amira. When he was growing up, just like Ace, he was also seen as a heaven-defying genius only seen once in an era – it was because of his talents that he was able to fight his way to the top and claim a Sovereign Spark for himself.

He genuinely believed this fantasy he had created for himself and was determined to show Aiden exactly how much of a genius he was.

As for his soon-to-be opponent, last he saw Ace, as heaven-defying as he was, Ace was still merely just a Demi-God of a completely new element. Facing a monster like Ace, Teresia made sure to curb his arrogance when gauging Ace's current strength. In Teresia's eyes, if Ace was able to become a Paragon in the future, then he may well be able to match up to a Paragon, but that was impossible.

Although he didn't have a particularly strong affinity to the Laws of Fire, Light, or, by extension, the Mandate of Pure Yang, he was still a Sovereign; as such, he could sense the addition of Pure Yang Essence slowly being introduced into the atmosphere.

Even now, after 2000 years, it was still minimal at best. It was impossible for even the most terrifying of geniuses to take advantage of it to make any noteworthy progress. Even when considering how much of a freak Ace was, Teresia guessed that, at best, he had become a Full God, and even that was a stretch, and even if it was the case, Ace was still impossible to be his match as a mere Full God. Or at least that's what he believed prior to hearing from the other Sovereigns about what had taken place over the last 2000 years.

Whilst he was slightly surprised to hear about the descent of a new Overgod mission and shocked to hear about Phueus becoming the Spirit of Darkness' chosen successor, the thing that took him by complete surprise, even instilling a trace of fear in his heart, was the news of Ace, not only defeating but also killing Yoruna.

The only thing he was able to take comfort from was the fact that he was only able to do so with Amira's help using the [Dual Battle Tactics]; it meant that he hadn't reached the level where he could defeat a Sovereign on his own yet.

Well, that and the fact that Ace wasn't the only one who had gotten stronger since their last meeting. Since then, Teresia had impressively gone from a novice to a paragon of the Concept of Wind. A fact that once again highlighted just how much of a genius he was.

Thinking to there, he was able to regain his calm and confidence. In his eyes, this was just the beginning. As soon as he killed Ace and proved himself, Aiden would take him as a disciple, and even if there was no way for him to improve further as far as the Laws of Wind went, an Overgod artefact or two would suffice.

Unfortunately, that confidence and calm was short-lived as the next arrival emerged.

When Phueus made his appearance, all those present stopped speaking.

Since the moment he revealed his true power, whether it was Wodred or any of the other Chief Sovereigns, they all had to admit that Phueus was the most powerful Sovereign to ever live. Still, not even the aura he radiated the last time they met could compare to the one he emitted now – the difference was like night and day. Similar to how they felt when they first met Aiden, it was like he was a God, and they were mere mortals.

It only took a second, but they all seemed to simultaneously come to the same conclusion. Phueus had become an Overgod.

Phueus, though, had no interest in the reactions of others. After becoming an Overgod, he couldn't help but see his former fellow Sovereigns as mere ants now.

He didn't greet a single one of them; he merely looked towards Teresia and asked if he was confident.

Teresia, still too nervous to think straight, barely managed to remember to nod his head. Thankfully, the newly ascended Overgod of Darkness didn't seem to care. He merely grunted before replying that as long as he not only defeated but also slaughtered Ace, his former Chief Sovereign Spark of Darkness was his to do as he saw fit.

How could Teresia be anything short of excited? Although he had never even attempted to focus on the laws of Darkness as his affinity to it was below average, he knew that with his perception, as long as he had enough time, he would definitely be able to break through to become a High God eventually, at which point, not only would he be able to merge with the Sovereign Spark, with the Sovereign ability to tap into a tiny portion of the well of Faith of their respective Elements, he would be able to move forward as though he had above exceptional affinity to the Laws of Darkness.

It wouldn't be any time soon, but Teresia was already imagining the day when he emerged in the future as a Lesser Sovereign of Wind and Chief Sovereign of Darkness and also a Paragon in both the Laws and Concepts of both Element. At that point, he would be the strongest being beneath the Overgods. The more he thought about it, the more anxious he was for Ace's arrival. Lucky for him, Ace had no intention of making him wait any longer.

Under the eyes of Phueus, Teresia, and the other Sovereigns present, a group of three suddenly appeared in the sky above the Planar Battlefield.

Ace stood in the centre of the trio, but for once, no one was focusing on him. Instead, they were focusing on the two who appeared to be his bodyguards.

The two in question were Orloff and Bluefire, two individuals everyone was familiar with, but they were shocked by the power both men radiated.

The last time they had made a public appearance, both were still only at the level of a Chief and Lesser Sovereign, respectively, but now, both were clearly at the level of an Overgod.

The question on everyone's mind was how such a thing could be possible. Most wanted to know if it was possible to do the same. Unfortunately, Ace had no interest in their shock and curiosity.

His cold and indifferent eyes remained trained on Teresia as he lazily asked the Lesser Sovereign of Wind to hurry up, as he had more important things to do than mess around with him.

His words were arrogant, but it had to be remembered that Ace had just stumbled onto an incredible way for him to comprehend the Mandate of Pure Yang, but he had been forced to interrupt his training to fight someone who he no longer thought much of.

He tried to back out of it as he could no longer be bothered to engage in such a meaningless fight, but Aiden forced him to go as it was his name on the line, too, now.

As such, in his eyes, the sooner he got done here, the sooner he could get back to fusing the two Planes of Fire and Light.

Hearing Ace treat him like an insect who could be crushed at any point… Teresia's anger could be imagined. Still, he didn't act rashly. The presence of two Overgods was impossible to ignore.

Respectfully, he confirmed that both men wouldn't intervene even if Ace died, and in response, Bluefire, Ace's biological grandfather, was the first to reply, explaining that as long as no one else intervened, neither would they.

In response, Phueus merely snorted, understanding Bluefire was referring to him, but ultimately, he said nothing and flew back to give the two fighters space, silently agreeing to Bluefire's terms.

Seeing that, both Bluefire and Orloff did the same, followed by the other Sovereigns who were still struggling to get over their shock.

With the space around them clear, Teresia's full attention was turned to Ace. A malicious grin formed on his otherwise face as he summoned his sword before slowly saying that he was going to enjoy every second of this.

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