"Father!"
Noah could not believe what he was seeing. He knew that his father had woken up thousands of years ago and had been watching over him, but the fact this one would appear in the midst of his fight was shocking.
Zatiel continued smiling, but then his eyes glowed, and the next second, the entire Daybreak Universe slowed down!
An incredibly powerful force spread across every corner of the Daybreak Universe, generating a time dilation between the one of Zatile and Noah and that of the rest of the universe.
A second for the Daybreak Universe became a month for the duo!
That force affected every single life form, and even those that had become Pseudo-Rank 10 life forms could not escape its power or even realize they had fallen into it!
Ezequiel and Venganza almost succumbed to their power, but the force of their Truth and Eternal Flame allowed them to break free. Still, a sense of utter shock and awe filled their hearts as they turned to the arena and saw the figure of Zatiel next to Noah.
"Master!" The Emptiness Thearch could not help but shout with excitement and thrill in his voice when he saw a Zatiel. He had already got a hint of the Samsara Thearch's state when that Law and Concept Storm helped Beelzebub, but this confirmed it.
Of course, Ezequiel knew that the one next to Noah was an energy incarnation, but that did not change that Zatiel was awake.
However, before the Emptiness Thearch could rise from his throne, Zatiel looked at him and shook his head, indicating it was not time for them to chat.
Ezequiel showed an awkward smile as he remembered a battle going on. The excitement of seeing Zatiel clouded his judgment momentarily, but then he nodded and remained on his throne.
The Revenge Thearch's reaction was not as happy as that of Ezequiel. He was glad that Zatiel had finally healed his wound and awakened from his slumber, but he frowned when he saw this one interfering in the battle.
More than once Venganza would have wanted to push the scale in favor of the geniuses of his Depravita Race but did not do it because the Daybreak Universe was a utopian justice.
Zatiel saw the reaction of the Revenge Thearch and showed a small smile, clasping his hands and making a small bow.
"That man is using the memory of his past life to awaken the true nature of his power, so it is not that unfair for me to help my son understand the nature of his. I promise only to advise him and will not interfere in any other way. If he still lacks the strength after this, then it is only fair that he loses the battle."
Zatiel could have forced things, but he created a utopian universe because he believed deep in his heart that people and civilizations would prevail in a world full of justice. It would be hypocritical of him to demand something from those that follow him and not adhere to those rules himself.
Venganza focused on Zatiel for a moment before speaking.
"You can help him understand the nature of his Lineage, but the change must come from himself. If I detect your actions generate a change in his soul, body, or bloodline in any way, I will disqualify him and grant the victory to Aion."
Noah was still trying to figure out things as he heard his father speak with Venganza. He then saw Zatiel nod toward Venganza's ultimatum before touching his forehead and taking his consciousness out of his body.
Noah's consciousness took a humanoid form thanks to the power of the Samsara Thearch. The young man frowned and clenched his fist as he stared at his father.
"Father, I don't think this is right. Obtaining outside help during the battle is a mistake, and if I am not strong enough to win on my own, then I should face defeat."
Zatiel smiled when he heard Noah's words and nodded.
"Noah, your heart is in the right place, and I am glad you see the world in that light. Your mother did a very good job raising you."
Noah was glad to hear that and was ready to return to the battle, but then he felt a hand rubbing his head.
"But you are still too young and naive. I and everybody else who reached my level obtained outside help during battles, and that came in a much more direct form than what I am about to do.
Due to the nature of this tournament, it would be wrong if I personally unlock your potential. I will only show you the paths before you; whether you can discern the right one and embark on it will be up to you."
Zatiel did not say anything else before grabbing Noah's shoulder and vanishing.
Once the duo was gone, the Revenge Thearch and Emptiness Thearch spread their consciousness across the Daybreak Universe.
The shock and awe in their hearts only grew once they saw that the time-dilation force did not just affect intelligent life forms but the laws themselves. It even extended to different dimensions like the Nightmare Inferno Realm.
That was a level of power that the Emptiness Thearch and Revenge Thearch could not equal, no matter how much effort they put in. Both knew Zatiel could enhance his cultivation by tapping into the Universe Will and Universe Nucleus, but this was still too much.
It became clear to Ezequiel and Venganza that the Samsara Thearch did not spend the last dozens of thousands of years just healing. He had clearly grown stronger, maybe even taking the next step in his cultivation.
Although the Emptiness Thearch and Revenge Thearch were full of questions, there was little they could do but wait until Zatiel rose from the Daybreak Universe's core.
---
Noah's mind was foggy, and he had a hard time adjusting to the surroundings. Teleportation was normal for him, but this felt different. It felt like they had moved through something much more rigid and chaotic than space-time.
When the young man's eyes finally regained focus, he was shocked to see they were in front of a Cosmic Wall's exterior layer.
"Why are we facing the Daybreak Universe's Cosmic Wall?"
Zatiel looked at Noah before softly shaking his head and touching the Cosmic Wall.
Noah's eyes widened when he saw the Cosmic Wall react with ferocity to Zatiel's hands, trying to repel him.
"This is not the Daybreak Universe's Cosmic Wall!"
Noah had access to all the knowledge of the Daybreak Universe, so the reaction of the Cosmic Wall to his father's hand made it clear this one did not see him as an invader.
The shock in Noah's heart grew even more as he saw that despite the Cosmic Wall using all its power, it could not overcome a mere energy incarnation of his father.
According to his knowledge, even True Rank 10 life forms would have to use all their power to overcome the defenses of a Cosmic Wall.
"It is not my raw power, the one that the Cosmic Wall can not face, but my understanding of existence itself. My cultivation is at a level where these forms of defense have little use. Of course, there is also the fact that this is a First-Epoch Super Universe, so it is still weak."
Zatiel spoke with a calm voice, answering the questions in Noah's mind. The fact that his father could read his mind was not a shock for Noah.
After an hour, Zatiel was able to generate a small hole in the Cosmic Wall. He then forged a sphere around him and Noah before marching into the universe.
Noah felt a scream in his mind the second he entered the super universe, as if the universe itself was raging at his presence.
Zatiel noticed the pain on his son's face, and his eyes began to glow with silver flames.
The scream in Noah's mind vanished ten seconds after that, and he looked at his father to understand what was happening.
"It is a normal reaction from the Universe Will. After all, we are invaders, but I have communicated with it, making it clear we are just observers."
"Just that?"
Noah was surprised that the Universe Will would stop responding to them with restless hostility just for a few words from his father.
"A piece of my existence is a Universe Will, so I understand them better than anyone. I made it clear that my power is something that not even this whole universe can equal.
It is not suicidal, and after promising that we will not interfere with the life in it in any form, it no longer resisted our presence."
Zatiel spoke as if what he had done was nothing special, but Noah's eyes could not help but glow with admiration and pride. His father could force an entire universe into compliance with nothing more than words!
Of course, Noah did not forget why they came to this place, and his mind grew sharp as he looked around him. The first thing he saw made him frown.
"Dying worlds."
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