Marco stayed silent for a few minutes, trying to comprehend what Kayden had done. Killing one’s soulmate was sothing Marco had never encountered in his entire life. He had witnessed many absurdities: mortals almost equaling the strength of gods, but never had he seen soone pursue power with such an unshakable ntality. He had even seen gods destroy themselves after losing their soulmates.
"What is his strength? Who knows about this?" Marco finally asked, breaking the silence.
Atlas took a mont to think about the question before responding as honestly as he could.
"We believe his strength is just below the top five in our universe. There is no detailed information about his power, but he hasn’t lost a single battle in the last few millennia. No one has even co close to delivering him a fatal blow. But that’s not the main issue—it’s his potential. All the mages in our universe hunt him because of it. Our gods have had premonitions that he symbolizes the end of our universe."
Marco raised an eyebrow at this revelation. He already knew Kayden was strong and special, but he hadn’t expected sothing like this. Being hunted by gods from another universe ant that Kayden’s potential surpassed anything this universe could offer. In reality, Kayden was a direct threat to Marco’s empire—not at the mont, but in the future, he could surpass everyone if these claims were true.
"Additionally, he’s a ten-ray mage with strong ties to the entity Thoth," Atlas continued.
Marco raised his other eyebrow. Almost every mage was familiar with Thoth; he was a figure who appeared across most universes and major events.
"Ten-ray mages? How powerful is that?" Marco had heard about such mages before, but he didn’t rember ever encountering one in his universe. Perhaps one of the main mages hidden away might be one.
"You’re not a ten-ray mage?" Atlas couldn’t understand how a mortal could be so strong without being one. The idea simply didn’t make sense in his mind.
"I am a mage of the Tenth Realm," Marco clarified.
"Tenth Realm? Our universes really are different. A ten-ray mage is sothing unique—soone who transcended all mortal limits while still in the mortal realm. He is at least on the sa level as a mage of the Tenth Realm, even when being several realms below." Atlas offered more insights but received nothing in return. After all, their agreent only required him to provide information.
"Consider our deal active. Goodbye, Mage Atlas," Marco said before disappearing without further explanation, leaving Atlas alone with his thoughts.
"Co," Marco commanded, gesturing to his son and Kayden to step into a spatial portal that materialized beside him. Kayden, protected by Jormund’s promise, entered without hesitation. They erged in another garden, but this one was much calr and free of the oppression of laws.
The garden floated above the city like a suspended island, surrounded by the biting chill of eternal winter. Its transparent ground reflected an infinite starry sky, covered in delicate ice crystals that shimred like diamonds. Fragile trees with golden and silver leaves stood partially frozen, while a small lake of crystalline waters exuded a bluish mist, dancing with the icy breeze. Luminescent flowers, coated with frost, blossod all around, their vibrant colors contrasting with the predominant white. At the center stood a colossal tree glowing in hues of white and gold, radiating a sense of peace that ward even the harshest winter.
Marco summoned a finely crafted table and chairs, elaborately upholstered to offer the highest level of comfort. He also arranged various foods and beverages on the table, offering them to Kayden.
"We have two proposals for you," Marco began without giving Kayden a chance to respond. "The first is protection in exchange for your assistance in producing perfect spies." Kayden nodded slightly. "Additionally, we want you to help create geniuses with mastery over souls for our empire."
"No," Kayden interrupted. It was the first ti Marco had heard a "no" in tens of millions of years. It took him a brief mont to process Kayden’s response. His age and wisdom allowed him to continue the conversation without excessive pride.
"Why?" Marco asked, genuinely intrigued.
"My work with souls is extrely rare. I believe there’s nothing like it in the entire universe. Every mage I prepare can achieve nine rays as if it were a pasti, without even relying on resources. Moreover, I’ve created monarchs and ten-ray mages. My services are not sothing you can obtain easily. I hold favors from gods in my hands. What could you possibly offer beyond that?" Kayden’s words made Marco realize he was dealing with soone fully aware of their value.
"We can pay with information about the Tenth Realm," Marco offered. His words glead in Kayden’s eyes like gold. He had no idea what the Tenth Realm entailed, but...
"That’s not a big deal. I’ve seen dozens of mages in the Tenth Realm during my ti in these zones," Kayden said nonchalantly. In reality, he had only seen three, but they were the only Tenth Realm mages he had encountered from the other universe. "I want everything you have on the Tenth Realm, and in exchange, I will offer my services to three mages of your choosing."
Kayden’s bluff forced Marco to accept it as truth. While Tenth Realm mages weren’t excessively rare, they were relatively common only at the highest levels of power. What was truly rare were Tenth Realm mages with nine rays—those were absurdly more uncommon than Ninth Realm mages with nine rays.
"We can provide you with the most legendary techniques of our..." Marco started, but Kayden interrupted.
"I want the techniques of your family," Kayden stated a demand that was practically an insult. This ti, Marco’s deanor shifted slightly.
"Do you understand what you’re asking for?" Marco’s voice rose slightly.
"Yes. I can swear by the heavens never to share or disclose anything related to it," Kayden replied fearlessly. "My services are the rarest commodity in this universe. There are millions of thods to grant power to a mage, but thods to grant talent? They don’t exist. My price is high because my service is unique," Kayden said, his tone unwavering.
Marco stared at him, realizing that the man before him was not bluffing about his capabilities.
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