Chapter 728: “Beyond Mortality”
The ground beneath Arthur cracked, unable to withstand the sheer force pouring out of him. A pressure unlike anything before bore down on the surroundings, distorting the space around him.
Arthur clenched his chest tightly, his breaths heaving as the ’stasis’ he had placed on his body earlier was broken and his energy surged out.
Then, the energy released from his body reversed in its course, drawing in the ambient magic power as well.
As they were in an area with particularly high energy concentrations even for a Prime World, the quality of energy was high enough that Arthur’s body didn’t reject it.
It wasn’t a mere influx of energy—no, this was his very existence expanding.
The 50% that had been sealed when he was still a Grandmaster was nothing more than a drop in the ocean to the current Arthur.
As such, it scaled upward to match his current level, doubling his total energy.
His presence swelled, the force of his existence pushing outward as if he had been restrained all this time and was finally breaking free.
Yet, as the raw energy surged within him, Arthur felt the old familiar issue creeping back. His energy had been sealed because his body had struggled to contain it before.
Now it was released and it was scaling to match his current level, wouldn’t it simply be a repeat of that same problem? How could he withstand it?
But this time, things were different.
The residual enhancement effect of the Scales of Balance had strengthened his body just like it had done to Evan. This allowed him to contain this new power without his body breaking apart.
Even so, there was another problem. The sudden influx of energy had nowhere to go—his energy core was already at full capacity, after all.
There was simply no space for this newly unsealed half of his power to settle.
But this also had a solution as well.
Deep within his body, a small piece of his energy core—one that had been dormant, sealed away since he was a Grandmaster—broke off from the main core.
What had once been half of his energy back then was now merely a fragment, yet it was still significant. That broken piece shifted, separating from the original core and stabilizing itself into a second energy core.
Arthur now had two energy cores.
And the moment the second core formed, it began pulling energy into itself.
The rich, high-quality energy of this Prime World was drawn towards Arthur in a frenzied vortex. Magic power flooded into him, swirling in thick currents. The ambient divinity present due to the gods in this world surged towards him as well.
Arthur’s body accepted it all, his energy adjusting and integrating it seamlessly.
Then, the newly formed core began generating Anti-Divinity, filling the necessary balance. His aura followed, expanding to match his new capacity.
His two cores now worked in tandem, one supporting the other, stabilizing the rapid transformation he was undergoing.
Energy roared around him, and Arthur breathed heavily in the centre of the storm.
His full 100% capacity had been finally restored.
And with that, the Devour Class System’s Ascension Matrix recognized the change.
| Pseudo-Authorities Confirmed: 4 |
| Energy Level Assessment: Above Threshold.|
| Soul Strength Assessment: Above Threshold.|
| Physical Body Assessment: Above Threshold.|
| Unique Series Skills Confirmed: 3.|
| Ultimate Seeds Confirmed: 2.|
| All Scans, Validations, and Evaluations Complete.|
| All Prerequisites Met.|
| Exuviation Process Initiated.|
Exuviation: The process of shedding one’s shell.
Arthur’s body drew in more magic power, so much so that the concentration level of ambient energy in the area around him began to take a hit.
This time, his body pulled in Law Energies as well. The law energies went straight to his soul, infusing his Pseudo-Origin Cores and finalizing their structures into fully formed Origin Cores.
The moment they solidified, his Authorities over the respective Universal Laws manifested completely.
The moment his authorities fully manifested, the Ultimate Seeds within Arthur reacted. An overwhelming surge of magic power was drawn into his soul, mixing with the dormant Ultimate Seeds and causing them to bloom.
His Gravity Origin Core suddenly cracked open, and the power of the Ultimate Seed within it spilt forth. It was like a plant sprouting, its branches stretching outward, creeping around the core, wrapping around it entirely and infusing it with power.
Then, in a moment of transformation, the plant fused completely into the Gravity Origin Core, altering it at the fundamental level.
At the same time, a new Origin Core began to take shape within his soul.
A piece of his Destruction Origin Core broke off, and a fragment of his Time Origin Core fractured away.
These two fragments merged together, fusing with the Extreme Nothingness Seed—the second Ultimate Seed that had been formed within him.
Extreme Nothingness embodied Destruction on the subatomic level, reducing the target to nothing, while simultaneously accelerating time to the extreme, making the process instantaneous.
With its very nature tied to both Time and Destruction, there was no way these two laws wouldn’t be involved in its formation.
As a result, pieces of his Origin Cores broke off—but the overwhelming surge of Law Energy pouring into his soul immediately restored them, regenerating what had been lost.
Meanwhile, the broken-off pieces fused completely with the Extreme Nothingness Seed, birthing his Extreme Nothingness Authority.
What was once merely a technique, an ability considered by this Universe’s system as a Unique Skill, had now been elevated into something far greater—a Unique Authority of its own.
And then, the energy of his authorities surged outward from his newly completed Origin Cores, flooding into his soul, saturating every part of it.
As if guided by some natural process, a grid-like net of energy began forming around his soul.
As the lattice framework solidified, a surge of Anti-Divinity erupted from within him, weaving across the skeletal layer of energy, completing the spherical shell around his soul.
This was his soul’s protective layer, formed from the energy closest to his existence.
No energy was closer to his nature as a godslayer than Anti-Divinity was.
But things didn’t stop there.
More energy rushed into his body, saturating every cell, every fibre of his being. His body, which had already surpassed the maximum cosmic limit of a Transcendent, was now being enhanced even further.
Cracks spread across his skin as the old layer peeled away, revealing new, flawless skin beneath—reforged, stronger than ever.
His energy cores expanded to an entirely new level, allowing space for many times the energy he had once held.
The energy within his cores compressed, becoming denser—and in doing so, more space was created. That space was immediately filled with more energy, which then compressed further, triggering a seemingly endless cycle of qualitative and quantitative growth.
Then, Cosmic Energy entered the process.
As a Sub-Cosmic being, there was no way Cosmic Energy wouldn’t be involved in his exuviation process.
The essence of the cosmos surged into his body, revitalizing his cells and restructuring them to enable them to withstand Cosmic Energy infusion for extended periods, rather than in short bursts like before.
This also enhanced his regeneration, increasing his recovery speed exponentially.
Arthur’s body and soul advanced together, ascending to a completely new level of existence.
And as all of this happened—his body transforming, his soul evolving—Arthur’s consciousness found itself somewhere else entirely.
◇ ◇ ◇
Arthur’s consciousness drifted, untethered, weightless.
When his awareness returned, he found himself in an endless expanse of shifting light, a liminal space where time blurred into a single flowing stream.
And then, the stream broke apart into fragments—memories.
At first, he felt as though he were plummeting into an abyss of endless darkness. Then, the scene shifted.
He saw himself, small, barely more than an infant, reaching for a glowing light overhead. A vague warmth surrounded him, a presence he couldn’t quite remember, though he knew it had been important.
The memory shifted.
He was older now, still a child, one who should have been barely aware of what it meant to exist—yet his mind was already sharper than it should have been.
He remembered the moment he first realized he had been born a Master Realm existence—an anomaly in recent times.
A new scene unfolded. His first encounter with Alexia, the revelation of his Progenitor Status, and his ability to comprehend universal laws.
Then came the slow, creeping realization of his energy circuits shutting down as his Magic blooming approached.
And then, it happened. His wings emerged like they should have, but his energies had ceased responding to his will.
No matter how much he tried to force it, it didn’t work.
Frustration and doubt festered. Why? Why wasn’t it working?
The scene shifted again—to the moment he understood the cause.
His energy was simply too much.
Possessing energy on par with a Grandmaster Realm existence while still an Intermediate Master had pushed his body beyond its limits.
In response, his own defences had activated—shutting down his energy circuits to protect him from himself.
Memories flickered faster now.
The academy days.
The Monsterization Incident. His first real use of Extreme Nothingness outside of practice.
What followed was him becoming a Grandmaster, bypassing the Inferior Stage entirely and stepping straight into Intermediate.
It was around then that the dreams began.
Memories from a time he couldn’t place.
Were they echoes of the past or glimpses of the future?
His fight against Owen. Celestia’s first appearance flashed past his mind’s eye.
Then, his journey to Phirex and Girex in the Crystal Realm, part of his search for the necessary components for the Third Magic.
He remembered the moment he gave the order—the destruction of both planets.
The Destruction Law Crystal Core of the obliterated Girex. He remembered the feeling of the raw, unfiltered knowledge of the Law of Destruction surging into his mind.
The scene shifted to his visit to Edward’s home galaxy, Onerth.
His seven-day adventures alongside Layla and Nicole across seven planets, culminating in his clash with the demigod Necromancer on the seventh day.
Then, the aimless wanderings that led him to a fateful meeting—the first godslayer besides himself.
Esna.
The memories accelerated.
The Nemo Galaxy Auction. Death—nearly. His soul poisoned, energy unravelling. And then, his mother’s intervention.
"True Name Seal: Arthurius Aidoneus Vaughnheim."
The full awakening of his Progenitor Authority. The realization of his nature as a Sub-Cosmic being.
Then came the revelations.
The space of infinite darkness that existed somewhere within him.
The End of the Era.
The erased Progenitors of the past Era.
Chaos Delighted. Order Raged. Balance Slumbered.
Balance.
And then, the desire.
"I need to find out what Balance is."
His awakening. The final piece for the Third Magic was discovered.
Training with Hades in the Crystal Realm.
And then—the Third Magic itself.
Existence Acceleration.
His growth spiked.
The Realm Expedition.
Lucifer’s vestige. Training. New Laws. The Cosmic Teleporter. Lostvayne.
The Varona Realm Assassination Attempt—and his triumph over the gods who sought his death.
Leaving the universe for the first time.
Arriving in Valmone.
Planet Aramis.
Alvey.
McEnda.
Duskhand City.
The Infiltration. Rachel. The Destruction.
The Triton’s Ark.
The fight against Duskhand.
Artemisia. Beatrix.
Evan—the space-time displaced Rogue Hero.
The Nautical Crusade on Plomux.
Idrilla. The Saintess of Death.
Gozon.
Jamie. The Hybrid Demon King.
And then—the realization.
The Story of All Existence.
He was a Main Character.
The deal with the Gozonians. The attack on three worlds.
The Waregough Archipelago.
Denerth Prime.
The Cosmic Singularity.
The Infernal Dimension.
Vonun. The Infernal Verdant.
Nearly dying.
The Spirits of Iohodis. The Chasm. The War.
Yujia.
Triffid. The Tree of Creation.
Extreme Nothingness: Chaos.
And at last—Transcendence.
Finally, Vonun’s defeat.
His return to Aramis.
The End of Trust.
The fall of Duskhand.
The sudden attack.
The Chase.
The Nexus.
The Kidnapping.
Battle across space.
Cruotis Prime.
A desperate struggle.
The Rogue Planetary Consciousness. Bewússtsein.
Overcoming the Adversary.
Completing the Nexus.
Dual Candidacy.
Cruotis Prime’s Apocalypse.
And at last—his True Name Seal shattering.
Then—everything stopped.
Arthur blinked.
The memories vanished, fading into the darkness.
He floated, alone, in the endless silence stretching around him.
A light emerged from below.
He turned his gaze downward—only to see his soul.
It drifted before him, his Origin Cores orbiting it like planets around a star, glowing with Law Energy.
He frowned.
"Why did I just relive all of that?"
He blinked again.
And then—he finally saw it.
The energy layer swirling around his soul.
Understanding settled.
Arthur exhaled.
"Oh."
His voice was quiet, yet it carried across the infinite space of his soul realm.
"I’m already Beyond Mortality."
