Chapter 727: Seal Dissolution
Three hours later, 10:00 PM.
Arthur sensed Jamie approaching and opened his eyes, the night sky stretching endlessly above him.
He was lying on a grassy plain, deep within the forest they’d entered earlier.
"Where’s Evan?"
"He said he’s ’gone to bargain’ with ’Aidos’."
"Pfft... seriously? A Dir Strange reference?"
Arthur chuckled at Jamie’s response, and Jamie, catching the reference as well, let out a small laugh.
Settling onto the grass beside him, Jamie asked.
"How’s your law comprehension going?"
"Ridiculously well. It’s only been three hours, but my comprehension in both Time and Destruction has already hit 1%.
I gained 0.8% in just three hours."
To say Arthur was amazed was an understatement.
The power of the Candidate Sigils was far beyond anything he had expected. It felt like they just kept breaking his expectations over and over again.
One’s affinity to Laws could be described as how close they were to those Laws—the closer they were, the easier it became to comprehend them.
Right now, Arthur was as close to the Laws of Time and Destruction as anything below the Sub-Cosmic Realms (above the Monarch Realm) could possibly be.
The Time and Destruction Law crystals he’d used before only contained information up to the High-Rank level of those Laws, meaning he would have needed a separate crystal for Monarch-Rank comprehension when he reached that level.
That was before.
Now, the Candidate Sigils automatically supplied him with that information, and they even provided a Comprehension Assist.
So far, he’d discovered 4 abilities of these Sigils.
|Candidate Sigil;
(Passives)
100% Comprehension Assist.
75% Time & 100% Destruction Law Damage Bonus.
50% Law Damage Resistance.
Active:
50% Authority Efficiency Bonus.|
At this rate, he would have to cut his initial estimate for mastering the Low-Rank aspects of Time and Destruction in half.
For reference, he had estimated twenty years. A number that would make Time Manipulators across the Cosmos want to strangle him if he ever said it out loud.
"A year ago, I came to this universe as an Epic. And here I am, at the crossroads of becoming a Deity.
Life really ’happens,’ doesn’t it?"
Jamie chuckled at Arthur’s words, his gaze shifting beyond space-time to a distant planet. As he watched a fierce battle between two Deities unfold, Arthur’s voice rang out again.
"So, about that Seal. What did you find out?"
Jamie blinked, his vision refocusing on his surroundings. Turning to Arthur—who was now casually sipping a drink—he answered.
"I can release it. But there’s a price since I’m not the one who placed it."
"What’s the price?"
Jamie could already picture Arthur’s reaction to his reply, but he said it anyway.
"Fifty percent of my High-Rank Sealing Law comprehensions."
"Guk—pfft!!"
Arthur nearly choked on his drink.
Having anticipated this exact reaction, Jamie casually created a barrier to prevent the liquid Arthur spat out from touching his suit.
Arthur stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Fifty percent?!"
Who knew how many centuries or millennia it had taken Jamie to accumulate those comprehensions? And he could lose half of them just to remove a single seal?
"That’s insane!"
Jamie laughed at Arthur’s reaction before delivering another statement that stunned him even further.
"The price is so steep because of your mother. I analysed the seal based on the data you gave me, and I can confirm your mother has a High-Rank Sealing Law Authority.
Her Authority is so strong that I have to pay a price just to break her Seal."
"..."
’I knew Mum had a Sealing Law Authority, but it was that high?’
Arthur had never heard Cattleya mention anything of the sort. Then again, she was over 10,000 years old.
10,500, to be exact.
She’d been alive long enough to comprehend many Laws. Arthur just never expected that she had invested as much time and effort into the Law of Sealing as she had into her Main Law of Destruction.
He knew his mother liked to play around with different Laws—even ones she had no natural affinity for—but taking a Law to the High-Rank level wasn’t just playing around anymore.
That level of Authority was enough to guarantee someone the High-Tier Deity Realm.
"You look like you didn’t know this."
"Because I didn’t. Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Arthur used time magic to rewind his wet shirt back to dryness, then muttered.
"So, I have to go back home before I can become a Deity..."
Jamie raised an eyebrow at that.
"Why are you automatically assuming you have to go back home?"
To Jamie’s question, Arthur blinked as he responded.
"Didn’t you just say you’d lose fifty percent of your Law comprehensions?"
Jamie gave a small nod, confirming it. Then, after a moment, Arthur’s eyes widened in realisation.
"Wait a sec! You actually want to go through with it?! Are you crazy?!"
Jamie suddenly understood why Arthur had jumped to the conclusion that he’d have to return home.
From Arthur’s perspective, even though he would benefit if Jamie paid the price, it was such a heavy cost that he guessed Jamie would never agree to it.
"Don’t worry, kid. It’s not like I’ll lose my Authority. I can always regain my comprehensions."
"That’s not the issue here! We’re talking about centuries worth of Law comprehensions!"
Jamie chuckled at Arthur’s sheer disbelief, then tilted his head back, gazing at the sky.
"Don’t worry. ’Centuries’ will pass in the blink of an eye."
Arthur was about to retort and remind Jamie that they were talking about hundreds of years here. But then he remembered that Jamie was hundreds of millions of years old.
Jamie could tell Arthur had just recalled that fact from his expression, chuckling as he explained further.
"You know this body only holds a fragment of my actual soul, right?"
Arthur nodded and Jamie continued speaking.
"I don’t have my full memories, but I do remember enough to know that I’m one of the most influential people in the Cosmos.
Just like your ancestor, Lucifer Morningstar, is a household name across universes... so am I.
Seven out of ten people on the Cosmic Stage know the name ’Jamie Westley—the Alpha Hybrid.’"
Jamie waved his hand, conjuring a small illusion of the Cosmos as he spoke.
"What am I getting at here?
The thing is, I’ve been around for a while. From your perspective, it’s a long time. But to beings like the older Progenitors and the Eternals? It’s nothing.
It’s like comparing a ten-year-old child to a thousand-year-old man—that’s how much older they are than me.
And yet, my influence on a Cosmic scale far surpasses that of beings hundreds of times older than I am."
The illusion shifted, forming a vast network of universes as Jamie continued.
"Of course, the fact that my home universe is a Multi-Universal Hegemon plays a huge role. But even so, the end result doesn’t change.
I am a thorn in many people’s sides—a threat to their influence, their plans. Some see me as an obstacle to their machinations, others despise me out of sheer jealousy.
There are a lot of people who want me dead."
Jamie sighed, his expression growing solemn.
"But thanks to the actions of a certain Witch of Chaos... I am immortal.
Even if my body is reduced to dust, even if someone tries to erase my existence itself—it’s not enough to kill me. I can erase existences myself, so it’s only natural that I can also prevent myself from being erased.
But that’s not the point.
The point is, when you have that kind of immortality, those who want to get rid of you take... different measures.
Since they can’t kill me, they try to seal me away.
Because of that, I had to delve into the Law of Sealing, deep enough to integrate into the core of my existence.
That’s why even a fragment of my soul holds a High-Rank Authority."
Dismissing the illusion, Jamie turned to Arthur and asked.
"Now think about it, Arthur.
If a fragment of my soul has a High-Rank Authority... how much do you think my main body has?"
"..."
Arthur understood what Jamie was getting at. He was indirectly saying that this High-Rank Authority was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Well, it was still a lot for Arthur since he didn’t know about the Cosmic Existence Realms (Lesser Supreme and beyond), but for Jamie, it was barely significant.
Even so, there was still something left.
"What’s in it for you?"
"..."
Jamie didn’t answer immediately. He studied Arthur’s heterochromatic eyes, then exhaled lightly.
"I’ve noticed this for a while now, but you have a rather cynical view of the world, Arthur.
I remember that little talk you had with that god back on Olrerth. (Chapter 558.)
You don’t believe people would willingly take actions that don’t benefit them in some way."
Arthur’s response was immediate.
"Isn’t that obvious? Why would anyone incur losses without the promise of gains?"
Arthur’s expression made it clear that he genuinely didn’t understand how someone could act otherwise.
Seeing that, Jamie decided to test the waters.
"So, you don’t believe people can do things out of the goodness of their hearts?"
"That’s a hot load of bullshit. Sophistry.
’Goodness of your heart’? That’s just something people tell themselves to chase the ultimate benefit—self-satisfaction."
Jamie’s eyes widened slightly at Arthur’s response, but the boy wasn’t finished.
"You said you’ve been around for a long time, right? Then you should already know what a self-satisfied person is capable of.
People have unleashed wanton destruction and wiped out entire civilizations all just to feel good about themselves.
It only proves that self-satisfaction is the greatest benefit there is."
A brief silence followed. Then, Jamie let out a sigh, rubbing his temple before speaking.
"Don’t lose that mindset.
It’ll help you deal with bullshit when you step onto the Cosmic Stage."
With that, he stood up, brushing stray blades of grass off his suit as he continued.
"If you ever find yourself in the Zanerth Universe—past, present, or future—make sure to stop by the Vela Galaxy’s Planet Estea.
It’s famous enough that you won’t have trouble finding it."
Arthur’s brows lifted slightly at Jamie’s words.
’Past, present, or future?’
That was... an odd way to phrase it.
But judging by Jamie’s expression, he wasn’t going to elaborate.
"Alright, no problem. I was curious about Zanerth anyway.
Give me the coordinates so I can save them in the Cosmic Teleporter."
Jamie stretched his arms as he transmitted a ridiculously long string of numbers and letters. Arthur, aided by his comprehension of Spatial Law, quickly processed the data and entered it into the Cosmic Artifact on his wrist.
Rolling his shoulders, Jamie then said.
"Now then, shall we begin?"
The man released his Cosmic Energy, sending a wave of cosmic energy surging straight toward Arthur.
"Hold back your Sigil."
The moment he said that, Arthur’s Sigil of Destruction activated instinctively, releasing its own power to counter Jamie’s invading energy.
But Arthur suppressed it, forcing the Sigil to shut down and allowing the Sealing Law energy to seep into his body.
His eyes glowed as he carefully analysed the energy flow and seeing Arthur’s narrowed gaze, Jamie let out a small, wry smile before speaking.
|Authority of Sealing: Resonant Dissonance.|
A technique designed to forcibly break seals placed by others without following the proper protocols.
It worked by generating a resonant frequency of energy that clashed with the seal’s own, gradually intensifying the dissonance until the seal’s structure reached a critical point, causing it to break down.
Jamie could already feel his understanding of the law of Sealing begin to fade away, but he remained composed, activating the final phase.
|Seal Dissolution: True Name Seal.|
He clenched his fist, and an illusion of a chained orb appeared in his palm. The chains quickly shattered, breaking into motes of light.
The moment the seal shattered, an uncontrollable surge of energy erupted from Arthur’s body, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
