Chapter 17: The Era of Khaos (2)
"Jovian."
Within the Academy of Eternal Knowledge, a wise voice called out.
Inside a chamber that was nothing but pure clouds — soft, billowing formations of white and pale gray that drifted lazily in every direction, forming shifting walls, floor, and ceiling.
The air was cool and fresh, carrying a faint, clean scent like after a spring rain.
Everything felt weightless and serene, the clouds gently brushing against skin with a soft, almost velvety touch.
In the middle of this vast, cloud-filled space sat a young man.
He had long, flowing white hair that cascaded down his back and a pair of pure white blindfolds covering his eyes.
His posture was perfectly still, almost meditative, as he floated cross-legged above the cloudy floor, the mist curling gently around his legs.
Hearing his name, he faintly tilted his head.
Floating before him was an old man with a bald head and a long, flowing white beard.
The elder studied Jovian for a long moment, his wise eyes scanning the young man’s form. A pleased smile slowly spread across his face.
"Tier 9 at just eighteen years old," the old man said warmly. "Your progress is truly remarkable, Jovian."
Hearing the man... Jovian bowed his head slightly in respect, his voice calm and measured.
"Thank you, Elder," he said, genuinely grateful.
This realm offered a Dilation twice that of the outside world, meaning he could spend far more time cultivating within its bounds.
Normally, most beings would find themselves stuck in place, endlessly meditating without much progress. But with the kind of God Star Jovian possessed, this environment was nothing short of perfect for him.
"I’ve only been able to reach this point because of your guidance."
HUMM!!!
The old man gave a satisfied nod before tilting his head back, his eyes suddenly glowing with a brilliant golden light.
For just an instant, the clouds above seemed to drift apart, offering a fleeting view of something immense and beyond understanding — the River of Fate, its endless threads weaving countless possibilities through the fabric of existence.
A slight shiver ran through him as his expression turned solemn.
"Soon, the first of the five dominos will fall," he said, glancing back at Jovian with a tense expression.
It might seem absurd for beings who had existed for thousands of years to place their hopes and future on the shoulders of someone only eighteen years old.
Yet to them, it was nothing unusual; in the verse of Pantheos, such burdens had often been carried by those even younger than Jovian.
That was the way of things in times like the Era of Khaos, or when someone possessed a quality that set them apart.
And Jovian did—he bore the Above Origin-ranked Divine Eyes of Heaven, eyes perfectly attuned to the threads of Fate, Karma, and Destiny.
"You must be prepared to lead them and the younger generation in this final stretch of the competition."
Jovian kept his respectful composure, offering a firm nod.
"I won’t let you down, Elder... you can count on me."
With that, the old man faded away into the drifting clouds, his voice lingering like an echo in the sky.
"When the alarms sound... that will be the day the world of Kalpa witnesses your glory."
After the elder disappeared, Jovian remained still for a few minutes, the soft, cool clouds drifting gently around him. Then, his posture relaxed completely.
A wide, almost manic grin spread across his face as he broke into loud, unrestrained laughter.
"Fuck yeah," he said, his voice completely different — casual and full of earth-like lingo.
"This shit is about to get unreal."
The thing about Jovian, which his Elders may or may not have known, was that he wasn’t native to Pantheos at all—or at least, as far as he knew, he wasn’t.
He was a transmigrator, and unlike Akasha, had truly lived in the mortal world in the year 2026—the same year he died.
More than five years ago, he had arrived in a small clan within the Central Continent, on the very day his eyes mysteriously awakened.
Since then, he had been cultivated in a way tailored to help him rise through the ranks with his Star.
And though the Cosmic Ranks of Cheats were invisible to the inhabitants of Kalpa.
The Academy of Eternal Knowledge—well, they were an institution that drew their wisdom directly from Fate and other mysterious sources.
So, while they didn’t know it’s exact rank... they knew it was something attuned to the same thing they stood for.
"Alright... the time is finally near," Jovian murmured to himself, having long awaited the day he would leave this time chamber.
"The world... they will learn the name Jovian Savant!" he declared, unable to hold back his laughter this time.
-----
As events unfolded in the world of Kalpa, time seemed to rush by, but in the Dream Lands, it moved at an even slower pace.
Here in the Dream Lands, Akasha was no longer on the first-tier battlefield.
He sat casually on the empty eighth battlefield, one leg propped up on a small mound of misty ground, his bare foot resting comfortably as he idly scrolled through his status screen.
All around him lay a vast, empty plain—silent now, free of both Dreams and Nightmares... at least in all the land behind him.
Ahead, the endless war raged on, stretching as far as his eyes could see.
The seven tiers he had already conquered were far behind, scrubbed clean of conflict, leaving only endless, misty emptiness in his wake.
High above in the strange, shifting sky of the Dream Land, Luna and Yume sat on two floating chairs, watching over him.
"Holy shit!" Akasha suddenly exclaimed, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet battlefield.
Luna let out a bright, amused laugh from above, leaning forward in her chair as her pink and purple hair drifted in the cool, directionless currents.
"He finally noticed," she said with a knowing smile.
Yume tilted her head, her dream-like purple hair floating gently as she looked at Luna in confusion.
"How could he notice?" she asked. "Not even you were able to notice the passing of time here."
Although this place technically belonged to Akasha, he only had control over the eight tiers he had already cleared.
Even so, the flow of time here was still beyond his ability to alter.
Over the past five years... Yes, five full years passed inside the decelerated flow of Dream Land — they had watched Akasha tear through battlefield after battlefield.
[A/N: Time moves two times slower in Dream Land.]
He could have pushed much further than the eighth tier, but instead he had deliberately slowed down.
He spent countless hours molding and mastering battle style after battle style refining them from the absolute basics all the way up.
He absorbed intermediate and advanced techniques, then pushed even further — imagining forbidden fighting knowledge, ancient combat arts lost to time, and eventually creating his own ridiculous, almost childish level that he proudly named...
"Ultimate Fuck-It-No-Rules Ultra Slaughter Knowledge."
Luna chuckled softly from her seat, not revealing too much.
"Well, let’s just say he has a timer on his status screen of sorts," she said lightly, her eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked down at Akasha’s still figure below.
The cool, heavy air of the Dream Land brushed against Akasha’s skin as he sat there.
His expression was a mix of disbelief and shock as he continued staring at the status screen before him.
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