Chapter 628: Exterminating the Hours

Alexander had long harbored his own plans. He did not wish to spend his entire life on this agricultural planet, a place equivalent to the countryside. He was a wizard; he yearned to go to the most prosperous and modern metropolis planet: Planet New Athena.

This planet was the largest metropolis in the vicinity. It was said to have been named by Lord Ace himself to commemorate Athena, the Goddess of Hope from Kaya who had aided the wizards in their flight.

Because the Firelinker valued it, the Galactic Alliance Council also placed extraordinary importance on it. Educational resources, research assets, daily necessities, luxury goods, industrial raw materials, and large-scale magical factories all gathered there.

This was Alexander’s goal: to graduate from Solder Agricultural University with honors and head to the metropolis of New Athena to continue his studies. I will not spend my life researching Life Magic and agricultural cultivation. I want to study mechanics! I want to study the absolute cutting-edge of the search for truth!

His inner cry was the same as that of every ordinary wizard; some let it stay as words, while others turned it into action.

…

Time flew by. The Wizard World’s escape velocity increased, forcing the six Lords of Time led by His Majesty Radiant Sun to spend even more time in pursuit. Nearly 20 years passed in a flash.

Ace was not idle. Once he had freed up some time, he lived in seclusion, concentrating entirely on researching the 4,000+ Level 6 runes he had collected. These were the mysteries of four-dimensional space-time and the secrets of dimensional ascension.

Without a doubt, an 11th Ring spell model was a pure four-dimensional model that had to be constructed in four-dimensional space-time. However, the upper limit of the Level 3 Astral Plane layer did not support Ace in creating such a magnificent spell model.

Rippling through four-dimensional space-time, Ace watched the six high-speed particles closing in and slowly stopped his movements. Without power to maintain them, the barely assembled four-dimensional spell models collapsed instantly.

“To construct the 11th Ring spell model—Insight into Space-Time Curvature—one must enter the upper layers. That is, world ascension. While I could likely ascend alone to become an 11th Ring wizard, can I truly defeat that terrifying greenery without the support of a Level 4 world?”

Ace felt this was open to debate. He could afford to be steady and take things slowly.

“As the World Controller, I can use an alternative method to achieve a fixed Level 6 state: Pseudo-Status Level 6. By branding my spell model into the Great Source of the Wizard Multiverse, I can use my status as Controller to indirectly draw upon Overlimit Power through the entire world!

“However, such a spell model, in the final analysis, becomes a part of the Great Source…”

Ace no longer hesitated. Relying on the Great Source was, from another perspective, simply using a tool. Is humanity not powerful precisely because it is adept at creating and using tools?

Since he could not use Overlimit Power directly in the third layer, he would create a way to do so himself!

However, this also required time. Before that, he needed to deal with the six “bugs” coming to attack!

Slowly down-dimensioning and returning to the three-dimensional level, a cold glint flickered in Ace’s eyes.

“They are less than one-third of a light-year from the Wizard World. If the Wizard World remains stationary, they are estimated to arrive in 6 months. If I attack directly, there is a chance they might escape. I must let their sub-planes encounter the Wizard World and be captured by its gravity. Since they’ve come, I’ll take these six four-dimensional particles for myself!”

The Realm of True Names, Hall City.

Ace had grown up. Now 25 years old, he had retrieved all his memories 7 years ago.

It was a strange feeling. Even with his memories returned, Ace still felt his experiences were dreamlike and illusory.

Within the Gem Dreamscape, Ace sat high upon his throne. Pope Saint John, Holy Mother Saint Matilda, and Guardian Saint Clyster stood before him. 99 High Priests stood on the mountainside, while over 3,000 ordinary Priests and tens of thousands of formal believers gathered in sequence.

The three Saints of the Order were known as the Servants Close to God. Clyster had awakened 10 years ago; Ace, remembering his contributions, had specifically bestowed upon him the title of Guardian.

After retrieving his memories, Ace had regained all his power. Furthermore, upon reaching adulthood 7 years ago, he held a ritual to ascend to the Mansus in one bound, becoming a Pseudonymous One and securing his own place within the real Mansus.

Over these nearly 20 years, the wizards’ frequent activities and infiltration into the Realm of True Names had actually made Ace’s Gem Order very inconspicuous. Initially, the wizards disdained establishing secret cults and tried to explore mysteries by force, only to be rejected by the world. Later, they gradually moved into the shadows, making the waters of the Realm of True Names even murkier.

Leon, the Ninth Ring Legendary Immortal Wizard, had achieved great results during these 20 years. However, because they had aroused the vigilance of the Lords of Time and Named Ones, wizards were being hunted extensively. A “Wizard Hunter” organization was even specifically established under the Inquisition.

The authorities banned all hidden cults, whether secret orders or Natural Faith, and sought to exterminate them. While they couldn’t completely eradicate the hidden world, they dealt a massive blow to the mystical realm.

Because Ace’s Gem Order was sheltered by the Duke of Hall and possessed a completely concealed organizational structure with one-way communication, it had been surviving quite comfortably. After evading multiple crackdowns, Ace became a Pseudonymous One, and the secret order was transformed into a formal order, becoming one of the legal faiths in the Hall region.

However, because the Pseudonymous One “Ace” had no Promised Land, his faith could not be expanded at will. Coupled with his consistent elitist policy, he only had a little over 10,000 members even now.

Today, gathering everyone, Ace had only one goal: to advance to a Named One and enter the sequence of the Realm of True Names’ rulers.

Only a Named One could spy upon more of the world’s truths.

Ace looked down, his thoughts swirling. This clone of his was quite unusual; one might even say it wasn’t a clone at all.

Although it belonged to the concept of “Ace,” all its elements were independent, and even its true spirit had become independent. This was done to adapt to the Realm of True Names, but it also hid a certain test from the Firelinker Ace.

“From one to many, and then from many back to one? Since I am an independent soul, I have the qualification to compete for the position of God King, or even the God-Above-God (Controller) of the Realm of True Names, right?”

Ace thought to himself while looking at the believers present.

As the Lord, Ace never spoke personally. Saint John was his mouthpiece. It was precisely because of distance that faith existed. By not speaking, he would make no mistakes. Gods do not make mistakes; it is only the believers who twist things, is it not?

As Ace’s figure gradually vanished, John spoke in an impassioned tone: “Now is the time for the Great Cause to take another step forward. We shall make a magnificent contribution to our Lord’s advancement. Let us complete this great ritual together. Everyone has their own unique task. Remember our rules: tell no one.”

The believers in the secret realm vanished one by one until only the three Saints remained. They walked slowly down the mountain peak and began their true secret talk within the temple on the mountainside.

“This Great Cause is the most important venture of our order. Our Lord raises his divine throne; he shall ascend from the Mansus to the Inconceivable Realm, and from then on possess his own True Name forever, becoming the source for us believers. This great achievement relies primarily on the Lord’s own actions, but we, as his followers, must not pull him back,” Saint John said earnestly.

“Exactly so. The limit of what we can do is to usher the Lord into the real Mansus through the Ritual of the Encroaching Sea to leave a seat. But ascending further from the Mansus to the Inconceivable Realm is beyond human power. We cannot even comprehend that state, let alone help. Our only option is to pray piously, washing away the Lord’s karmic entanglements so he may leave his True Name in the Inconceivable Realm,” Saint Matilda murmured.

All the actions they mobilized the believers to take actually served one effect: the simplification of cause and effect.

No matter the name or description, the essence of Level 5 immortality remains the same: the condensation of the Fruit of Immortality. In this world, they merely referred to the historical fruit as a True Name. The process, however, was different; the paths obtained from the Mansus were indeed distinct.

Ace had already arrived at the real Mansus. He crossed the Pure White Door, walked past the River in the Painting, and under the dazzling, majestic sun, stepped toward the Peacock Gate.

The Peacock Gate was also known as the Gate of the Pupil.

Proud, shimmering amethysts stained the snow-white space of the Glass Garden with their radiance.

This was the highest point a non-god could reach within the Mansus. The surface of the gate bore not a single crack; it was not a door that would open. Yet, according to legend, it would perhaps spill out light.

Ace stood outside the gate. Even having ascended to the Mansus, he could only remain at the Red Cathedral. Advancing further was absolutely impossible.

“This is the divide between god and non-god. Only those with a True Name are true deities, possessing the possibility of passing through the Peacock Gate to embrace the Divided Sun. A so-called True Name is actually a mixture of Laws and the Fruit of Immortality. It differs from both the gods of Kaya and the Legendary Immortal Wizards; a Named One’s path is part of their immortality.”

Ace’s hand gently stroked the gate. Dazzling sunlight exploded from within his body. Someone seemed to be calling out; Ace waited quietly, seeing countless figures in his mind’s eye. They were praying, sacrificing, committing evil, or promoting good. All of this, in the end, purified his cause and effect.

Ace took a step forward and vanished.

This was four-dimensional space-time, a place incomprehensible to the third dimension—the Inconceivable Realm.

Ace felt it quietly. Simultaneously, the Firelinker Ace also felt the entry of his clone. A smile touched his eyes as he spoke in unison with the Ace of the Realm of True Names:

“This is a great achievement. This is a brand-new path. From this day forth, I, Ace, shall embrace two worlds and separate my Great Dream.”

The Ace of the Realm of True Names obtained a complete Dream Path. Swirling his past and his dreams together, he condensed a True Name Brand in four-dimensional space-time, engraving it upon the four-dimensional state of the Mansus.

A cheer of joy shocked the entire world. Even the Lords of Time were shaken and appeared within the real Mansus.

“Your Majesty Eternal Night, what is happening?”

“An ascendant, while condensing their True Name, has taken the path of the Mansus. Perhaps they intend to become a new Lord of Time in a single step!”

Hearing the words of the Eternal Night of the Midnight Hour, the other Lords of Time were shocked. Several looked on with fury and roared loudly.

The Wizard World.

Ace had detached from that brief resonance and said softly, “It seems things have changed. I must help myself. A single-step Lord of Time it is.”

To become a new Lord of Time, one either needs an extra hour on the clock or must completely kill an existing Lord of Time. At this moment, Ace’s mind was made up.

The Wizard World instantly reversed its acceleration, charging toward the rapidly approaching Lords of Time. A distance of one-third of a light-year—a distance that would take light 4 months to cross—was closing rapidly as both sides accelerated. The Lords of Time were at 50% light speed, while the Wizard World was at 25%.

The Realm of True Names.

The Inquisition received a grand order from the Lords of Time to hunt down and kill all Gem cultists. For a time, the atmosphere became treacherous.

The Gem Order’s structure was unique. Even after becoming a legal order, it maintained its style of hidden operations. Of the three Saints, only the identity of the Holy Mother, Saint Matilda, was public.

She went to her death with grace. When executed by burning, her expression was solemn and holy.

The Lords of Time waited behind the Peacock Gate. They had no intention of giving this ambitious interloper a chance. Anyone who tried to take a step further without the Lords’ consent would be ground to powder.

Time flowed slowly, yet the Lords of Time saw no sign of this newly advanced Named One arriving.

“What is going on? How can a Named One stay in the Inconceivable Realm for so long? What exactly has he done?”

“We can only wait patiently. Even if we enter the Inconceivable Realm, we cannot find him. You know this.”

This was common knowledge among the Lords of Time. What they did not know was that if one advanced to Level 6—or attained Pseudo-Status Level 6—they could invade the Inconceivable Realm where others existed, or even kill a deity completely!

In this layer of the Astral Plane, almost all worlds believed that Level 5 immortality meant you could only strike someone into the river of time or seal them for a long duration. Killing them, in the sense of truly making them never revive, was impossible.

Ace, possessed of the power provided simultaneously by his true body, did not fear the drain of energy. He waited quietly.

Time passed both quickly and slowly. The 6 months or so were incredibly long for the Lords of Time waiting in the Mansus, but very fast for Ace in the four-dimensional secret realm—and exceptionally fast for the Lords of Time approaching the Wizard World at sub-light speed.

“Your Majesty Radiant Sun, we are getting closer to the Wizard World. 6 months ago, the Wizard World began charging toward us. This makes me very uneasy.”

A Named One found the Radiant Sun and expressed his concern.

The Radiant Sun, appearing as a sphere of light, smiled gently. “There is no need for unease. You can rest assured. The wizards are indeed formidable, but no matter how formidable they are, they cannot surpass the tens of thousands of years of accumulation of our Realm of True Names. For them to produce one or two wizards capable of rivaling a Lord of Time in such a short period is already a miracle.

“There is nothing a Lord of Time cannot solve. If one isn’t enough, we add another. If two aren’t enough, then six of us together will surely be invincible!”

Like a streak of starlight, the Wizard World charged forward with a long trail of light. The six sub-planes also slammed in like falling meteors. Just then, at the position of the frontal impact, six artificial sub-planes emerged from the crystal wall. Dark, oversized mega-cannons were already prepared.

“Legendary magical weapons: Strategic Nuclear Fusion Self-Seeking Metal Spheres are in position.”

“Calibrating parameters, verifying distance, dynamic prediction in progress.”

“Law of Fate chains: Level 1 Lock. Causal guidance ready.”

“Fire!”

Six nuclear fusion warheads were pushed out by immense force, instantly accelerating to 70% of the speed of light. Their super-speed flight would cause them to explode in 10 seconds, but 10 seconds was more than enough.

Sub-planes were massive targets. The Lords of Time did not understand curvature jumping. They vainly spread their defensive Invisible Arts, but were pierced through instantly like paper. Ace appeared outside the world and let out a cold snort.

“Simply like fools, charging straight at us. They happened to give the strategic nuclear fusion warheads time to prepare, lock, and fire repeatedly. You ran for over 20 years just to come here and die?

“Since you’ve come, truly do so with the resolution of death!”

High-dimensional rifts appeared one after another. This was not just disintegrating energy; it was creating matter. Ace, relying on the blessing of the Wizard World, continuously raised his power until he surpassed the limits of Level 5!

Like a fish leaping permanently out of the water, everything seemed different from then on. The massive three-dimensional explosions were already trivial before Ace. A barrage of strategic nuclear fusion warheads had already completely shattered the six enemy sub-planes.

In Ace’s hand, space-time curvature was highly twisted. High-dimensional rift energy was rapidly converted into matter, highly concentrated until even Ace’s own form began to distort. It was a pitch-black sphere the size of a thumb-tip—a deep, invisible Event Horizon.

Ace flicked it, and it traced a beautiful arc, landing steadily in the center of the six Lords’ sub-planes. The high-dimensional rifts continued to convert energy into matter, and that highly twisted sphere of space-time curvature expanded rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It looked like a mass of shadow surrounded by a crescent-shaped ring.

“Tenth Ring Spell: Black Hole Annihilation!”

Ace’s voice did not travel out. Together with the six damaged sub-planes, the six Lords of Time, hundreds of Named Ones, and thousands of Pseudonymous Ones were all swept into the black hole’s Event Horizon, becoming a part of the unobservable darkness.

This was a terrifying astronomical phenomenon. His Majesty Radiant Sun tried his hardest to escape, but was eventually pulled by that horrific gravity into the pitch-black horizon.

“This is bad… but fortunately, my True Name is branded there. I will eventually be able to return from the river of time…”

Ace had already vanished from the third dimension and entered the fourth. As a Pseudo-Status Level 6 existence, he possessed power rivaling a true Level 6 when near the Wizard World. In the Level 3 Astral Plane layer, this was true Overlimit crushing power.

If he hadn’t been unable to draw upon Overlimit Power while far from the Wizard World, Ace would have crushed the Realm of True Names directly long ago.

He gazed at the disintegrating four-dimensional particles and the singularity in the middle of four-dimensional space-time. Feeling all the Level 5 existences about to perish, he began his pursuit—from their bodies and souls, tracing back to the secrets of their three-dimensional immortality, their coiled pasts in the river of time, their Fruits of Immortality, and their eternal True Names.

It was as easy as an instinct—like squeezing a berry. The three Lords of Time and over fifty Named Ones Ace tracked down had their True Names plucked out effortlessly.

Simultaneously, the Ace in the Realm of True Names caught a glimpse of his true body’s majestic and terrifying strike from four-dimensional space-time. It traced back time and annihilated the past, while also opening the path for his own advancement.

(Chapter finished)

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