The space around was completely shattered, creating chaos, but it began to rebuild itself within just a few minutes. The universe became much stronger; it was not a mere fourth-realm mage capable of breaking its spatial laws.
With that, the boy descended and began to rebuild his temple. This part was something he had to do himself, and everything had to be exactly to his taste and preferences. It was practically a combination of the architecture of the Taj Mahal and Russian palaces. The onion-shaped domes, typical of Russian architecture, were made of black marble, reflecting the moonlight. The towers were tall and imposing, with precise geometric details running along their surfaces, framed by pointed arches reminiscent of Islamic style. Black was the predominant color, creating a sense of power and mystery.
The exterior consisted of large, smooth black stone walls, interrupted by stained glass windows that contrasted with the darkness. The massive wrought iron gates bore intricate designs combining traditional Indian and Russian symbols. The gardens surrounding the palace were minimalist, with sparse trees and dark water fountains that reflected the night sky.
Inside the palace, the dark theme continued. Vast halls were adorned with dark crystal chandeliers and black marble columns. The polished stone floor reflected the golden details on the walls, creating a feeling of cold elegance. Rooms decorated with tapestries and ornaments followed the same austere style, providing an atmosphere of luxury and mystery.
Kayden took exactly one week to build this structure, while the city grew around it at a pace that seemed only possible because of nearly 300 seventh-realm mages working day and night without any rest.
Kayden’s disciples returned without a single casualty, watching their master construct the place with absolute focus and subtlety as if Kayden was painting a picture while building.
The universe responded to his commands; things were shaped and formed as if he were giving detailed instructions to a machine. Everyone paused at least once during the week to try and understand how Kayden was doing it, but none of them succeeded.
The city rose at an unprecedented speed in history. Many people survived and were given resources to rebuild, while the rest were recruited from the cities and villages of the two empires. Since this was a fully planned city, it grew beautifully, with immense gardens and public parks. All the houses followed the same style, with purple and pink cherry blossoms, something Kayden appreciated due to an event in his past.
The two emperors realized that after everything that had happened, they were no longer the true rulers of this world. They were merely representing the majority because Kayden had no interest in ruling.
This understanding also made them realize that this place would now be the center of the world, even though thousands of countries with billions of inhabitants were scattered everywhere. This specific point would decide the fate of everyone on this planet.
The empires’ capitals were moved to this location in a unique event, marked by the marriage between the emperor of the dark side and the empress of the white mages. Finally, peace was achieved after many, many years.
This caused a dramatic shift in global dynamics. Wars between empires ceased, and conflicts shifted between countries, resulting in a surge in death tolls and warfare.
At this point, the empire merely collected taxes, as it controlled the entire world. In truth, it had always been like this. The emperors had been lovers for millennia and always made plans together. Kayden merely sped up the process.
When they declared a state of emergency, claiming the need to unite forces, they silenced all opposing voices with just a few swift moves. Normally, they could not use force freely, even though they were the strongest, as they could still be overwhelmed by vast numbers of people.
In a way, life for most people became a bit worse, as the insecurity of war increased to a bizarre level. In the past, countries within the same empire did not go to war, but now, everything descended into chaos.
The power dynamics needed to be restructured, meaning fights became much more frequent in the pursuit of balance. Everyone sought to claim a larger slice of the pie.
Visit freёwebnovel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.
Meanwhile, Kayden continued his recruitment system. His fame grew to an unprecedented level in all of history. He became the most well-known name in every corner of the planet, the strongest mage the world had ever seen. Boundaries and realms were mere jokes to him.
The emperors’ prestige plummeted, and in many places, thoughts of rebellion began to emerge. This was anticipated by experts, and these rebellions were brutally suppressed.
A few years later, the pilgrimage to face Kayden’s test became a unique global event. People came from all corners to face his challenge and witness the abyss created by the strongest man in the world.
The number of people attempting Kayden’s test became staggering, easily surpassing half a trillion. This world was enormous, absurdly large, with tens of trillions of people, yet the number capable of passing his test was ridiculously low.
"How many of you have really trained for something in your lives?" Kayden was giving a grand lecture to billions of people.
He realized that he could spread a bit of his life philosophy, and people would follow his advice immediately. This led him to give a lecture before every test he conducted.
"Most of you probably answered yes, that you really pushed yourselves to your limits," Kayden saw that many there agreed, blind in their ignorance. "The truth is that none of you have ever really pushed yourselves." Kayden’s voice hit like a punch for most, as no one liked having their effort disregarded. "The body is strong, but the mind is weak. Let me tell you a little story."
Kayden always gave his classes sitting on a tree trunk that was a few dozen meters high outside the city. The city was large and could house a few hundred million people, but hundreds of billions was a completely different level.