"Another one falls."
High above the mountains, Goldeght and Hang drank in leisurely companionship. Though they had refrained from joining the fray, they kept a keen watch on the Tier 7 battlefield.
The aura of a Tier 7 combatant was impossible to mask in the heat of battle; once the clash ended, the victor and the fallen were instantly revealed.
Just moments ago, yet another Tier 7 aura had been snuffed out entirely.
Hang was stunned.
"What on earth is happening in this void? So many Tier 7s falling in such a short span, the rate of attrition is utterly absurd."
Fifty or sixty Tier 7s had perished in barely two hundred years. These weren't mere strays or common beasts; these were universe-level powerhouses. It was simply beyond belief.
Of course, this was the result when looking across parallel worlds; these deaths hadn't all occurred within a single universe. Even so, the sheer scale of the carnage was unfathomable.
More importantly, the Tier 7s who had lost their lives were all elite figures.
The raw, terrifying conceptual power released during their final moments was enough to tear through the barriers between parallel realities, a magnitude of force that even the likes of Goldeght and Hang could sense from afar.
Goldeght felt a chill of relief.
"It seems our decision to stay out of it was incredibly wise. Had we recklessly plunged into this vortex, I fear we would have been reduced to nothingness, body and soul, ages ago."
Hang drained his flagon in one go, nodding in agreement.
Such an abnormal, catastrophic scale of warfare had to be the result of some hidden hand pulling the strings; otherwise, the slaughter could never have reached this level of intensity.
"Whatever happens, we must not get involved. We need only keep our heads down and hide."
In the blink of an eye.
A thousand years passed like a breath.
In a shattered parallel universe, turbulent energy intertwined with flickering arcs of lightning. Dim, dying stars cast their last, exhausted light upon the void.
Gaping, jagged spatial rifts had torn the entire cosmos to shreds. Within the chaotic energy currents, the residual powers of time, space, eternity, life, and death lingered, woven into the very fabric of the aftermath.
Such a horrific environment was a forbidden zone even for Tier 7s, yet this was merely the battlefield left behind after Starry's latest duel.
BOOM!
The concept of Causality permeated the broken space-time. Having destroyed the physical form of the Demon God of Causality, its hidden Root, the conceptual essence of Causality, now lay revealed before Starry.
"Just like that... only the final step remains."
Starry reached out and grasped the fragment of the Root floating before him, absorbing it. As the concept of Causality flowed into him, he suddenly perceived the beginning and the end of everything interwoven within this world.
In an instant.
He glimpsed the fate awaiting the seventy-two Demon Gods: a vast, darkened silence, a stillness so absolute and utterly hopeless that it felt suffocating.
Furthermore.
He caught sight of a figure.
A magnificent entity standing above the constraints of space and time. That silhouette sat upon a throne, observing all things. Even the seventy-two Demon Gods were suppressed by a power they could not resist.
Starry snapped back to reality, his heart still hammering in his chest.
This was the very fate he had sought to change; this was the reason he had strived to become the First Demon God. And as for the identity of that figure casting such a shadow, Starry was beyond certain.
"The Empress of Firenze!"
His expression turned incredibly grave.
Only those who had actually faced the Empress could understand the sheer, soul-crushing despair of her power. Before her, his concepts of Space-Time and Eternity couldn't withstand even a ten-thousandth of a second before being shattered.
Every time the memory flickered in his mind, Starry felt that same sensation of choking. Only by ascending to the level of All Concepts could he hope to wield power capable of contending with the Empress of Firenze!
At least, that was what Starry believed.
After fully absorbing the Root fragment containing the concept of Causality, Starry turned his attention to his own causal ties, hoping to track down the Demon God of Perception, with whom he shared a certain connection.
The result, however, left him stunned.
"Huh?"
Starry was taken aback.
He could not find a single trace of the Demon God of Perception. He searched through countless parallel universes, but the Demon God of Perception had vanished utterly, leading to the total disappearance of the Root fragment containing the concept of Perception as well.
How could this be?
Starry searched again and again with grim intensity, finally concluding that the Root of Perception was truly, irrevocably missing. It had likely been destroyed; no other possibility existed.
Just as he was at his wit's end, Starry utilized the concept of Causality to locate an ancient palace hidden within a certain parallel universe. In the ethereal depths of fate, a causal thread connected him to someone there.
Starry could not fathom the nature of the causality linking him to this ancient palace, but his intuition screamed that the power he craved lay within these halls.
Without hesitation, Starry traveled to the parallel universe housing the ancient palace. The incompleteness of the Perception Root had left him at a dead end; he had no choice but to bet everything on this instinct.
If he could mend the shattered concept of Perception within this palace, a certain degree of risk was irrelevant. After all, failing to ascend to the realm of All Concepts meant certain doom sooner or later.
A scorching star orbited the palace's exterior, while the vast, dark expanse of space was strewn with stars. A deep, arcane aura cascaded between the constellations.
This was power of an unfathomable order.
As Starry stepped into the palace, he felt as if he had been cast into an infinite void, vast, boundless, his own existence reduced to the insignificance of an ant. His spirit trembled, overwhelmed.
The vast, hollow palace held no one but Starry. The surroundings were as silent and lonely as the cosmic void.
"Your power is flawed."
The voice startled Starry, causing him to whip around. He saw a man with hair like swirling stardust and a form that flickered like flame, his expression cool and detached as he appraised him.
"Who are you?" Starry demanded.
The man didn't answer. He simply raised a finger and tapped Starry on the forehead. Starry had no chance to dodge or react; the finger had already made contact.
Instantly, his expression turned blank.
A torrent of overwhelming power surged into his body, forcibly driving his strength to a higher level, violently propelling him into the realm of All Concepts.
An incomplete realm of All Concepts?
Starry's power accelerated in its ascent. The concept of All Concepts swirled around his body, hardening into an energy-like chrysalis, and his consciousness gradually drifted into a deep slumber.
Footsteps echoed.
The man turned his head to look. This time, it was his turn to be puzzled. He studied the newcomer, finding himself unable to fathom the depths or the origin of the person standing before him.
"Who are you?"
Mei approached with effortless grace. Her gaze swept over the cocooned Starry in his state of metamorphosis, ignoring him, and then landed on the man.
In an instant, she saw through the information embedded in his Root.
Dacth.
To be precise, it was a Root fragment of Dacth. Relying on the residual power within that fragment, Dacth had managed to barely resurrect a fraction of his former self.
However.
Even as a mere Root fragment in an incomplete state, Dacth still possessed the power of Tier 10, and a significantly formidable Tier 10 at that.
He was only able to enter this Tier 7 theater of war because he belonged to neither Hyperdimensional Space nor Transcendent Space. Simply put, he could be classified as a native entity of the mission world.
He was merely an entity who had traveled from another void into this one.
In Mei's eyes, every secret of Dacth lay naked. He was not only a former Veritas but one who had once dared to challenge Hyperdimensional Space itself.
"Your level..."
Dacth stared at Mei, his gaze growing increasingly heavy. Slowly, a look of profound, unimaginable shock surfaced on his face. He found himself completely unable to fathom Mei's rank or the depths of her realm.
However, Mei radiated a feeling so distinct, so absolute. It reminded him of those supreme, primordial beings he had faced countless eons ago when he first challenged the Hyperdimensional Space.
No.
It would be more accurate to say that Mei presented a sense of unfathomability that surpassed even those beings. Realizing this, Dacth's mind reeled, his eyes burning with intensity.
"What exactly is your level?"
Only one who had ascended to the Tier 10 Veritas realm could perceive, when standing before Mei, that her power truly reigned supreme, transcending even the peak of the Tier 10 Veritas.
Dacth had a faint, terrifying suspicion. Yet he found it impossible to believe.
If his intuition was correct, what stood before him was a terrifying existence that sat high above even the two great Spaces, a sovereign of the River themselves, true and supreme.
Dacth was convinced. Mei's power was undoubtedly leagues beyond the elite powerhouses of the Hyperdimensional Space.
Through the information recorded within Dacth's incomplete Root, Mei had caught glimpses of that ancient cataclysmic war where Dacth challenged the Hyperdimensional Space. From those images, she could gauge the true extent of the strength wielded by the elite of the Hyperdimensional Space.
But it was still not enough.
Mei intended to use this opportunity to ascend to the absolute summit. The Hyperdimensional Space alone was insufficient; she also needed to gauge the top-tier combat strength of the Transcendent Space.
Furthermore, aside from the elite Grand Travelers of the two great Spaces, Mei was uncertain whether the two Spaces themselves would take action against her directly, provided they possessed their own consciousness.
Dacth's descent was no accident. It was a byproduct of the causal threads woven through Starry and this very moment. Mei needed to borrow Dacth's power to probe the boundaries of the two great Spaces.
Success meant ascending to the absolute summit. Failure meant returning to the shadows.
In truth, everything had been orchestrated by Mei. Whether it was the seventy-two Demon Gods or Starry, they were merely the pawns maneuvered to draw out Dacth's Root fragment. The closing of the causal loop was merely an incidental benefit, trivial in the grand scheme of things.
The moment Dacth's Root fragment entered the observation range of Apeiron was the very moment Mei had stepped into this mission world and transcended to Tier 9.
"Tell me! What lies beyond Veritas?!"
Dacth seemed more certain than ever that Mei stood above the Veritas realm. His excitement mounted, his surging aura shaking the stars until they teetered on the edge of collapse.
Mei did not speak. She simply clenched her hand.
BOOM!
Dacth shattered into a brilliant mist of light, revealing the raw form of his Root fragment. Mei spoke with cool detachment.
"Chloe."
"Yes."
Chloe stepped forward, reaching for Dacth's Root fragment. A radiance blossomed upon her forehead, the Demon God sigil emerging, while a soft, pale glow radiated from her chest.
It was the Subjective Aspect.
Upon becoming a host to the Subjective Aspect, Chloe had awakened her own subjective power. Whether by chance or by design, the nature of her power was the devouring of Roots.
She gripped the Root fragment. And the consumption began.
In an instant.
BOOM!
A power of such magnitude swept through the cosmos that it shattered the walls of the void, pouring out into the infinite expanse beyond. In that heartbeat, Chloe's strength skyrocketed at a terrifying, incomprehensible velocity.
Tier 6!
Tier 7!
Tier 8!
Tier 9!
A Void Overlord's level of power rippled across the entire void, ensnaring countless parallel worlds and infinite universes. One powerhouse after another was struck dumb by the sheer scale of the aura.
RUMBLE!
Like a landscape painting tearing and dissolving, space-time buckled and fractured. Goldeght and Hang, caught in the aftermath, scrambled in panic, exhausting every talisman and magical treasure at their disposal just to secure their survival.
"What... what is happening?!"
"What in the world is going on?!"
Before such Void-class pressure, even two Tier 7 powerhouses could do nothing but tremble. They had expected the scale of the disturbance to be grand, but never did they fathom it would reach this level.
The catastrophic force shaking this entire expanse of the Void showed no signs of waning; it continued to mount. As the aura grew increasingly monstrous, countless powerhouses felt their scalps prickle and their souls wither in terror.
Such a commotion.
It had naturally far surpassed the boundaries of a Tier 7 battlefield, drawing the attention of beings from higher-order theaters of war. Yet, hindered by the restrictions of the Spaces, no one could descend to this realm.
Before long, Chloe's power surged to its zenith.
Tier 10!
Because Dacth's Root was incomplete, Chloe could not use it to ascend directly to the Veritas Tier 10 realm, not unless she could devour every single remaining fragment of Dacth's Root.
At the same time, Mei's interface notifications scrolled incessantly.
[Upgrade Task 6 · Completed]
[Reward: Transfinite Fusion x1]
[Transfinite Fusion Charges: 4]
"..."
[Upgrade Task 8 · Completed]
[Reward: Transfinite Fusion x1]
[Transfinite Fusion Charges: 6]
"..."
[Upgrade Task 10 · Completed]
[Reward: Transfinite Fusion x1]
[Transfinite Fusion Charges: 8]
...
With the remaining five Upgrade Tasks completed in one fell swoop, the Transfinite Fusion charges reached eight. Mei's thoughts stirred, and the Subjective Aspect was extracted from Chloe's body.
"My Lady."
"Go."
"Yes."
Chloe served as the bait Mei would use to probe the Hyperdimensional Space and the Transcendent Space. The danger of such an undertaking went without saying, especially since she had not even ascended to Veritas.
However, Chloe did so willingly. Mei's will was her own!
Taking a single step, Chloe's figure crossed the threshold of this expanse of the Void. She plunged into the infinite voids of her own volition, standing tall upon the highest battlefield of all, shaking the countless dimensions in her wake.
Suddenly, a slash of blade-light illuminated the TREE(3) number of voids, instantly annihilating countless worlds in its path. Countless Roots were devoured in a blink, and her strength surged once more.
The higher the rank, the exponentially more difficult it becomes to ascend to Veritas. Chloe didn't care for such limitations; she simply, and quite unreasonably, stacked an infinite number of Roots atop her power.
From that initial TREE(3), her range skyrocketed to TREE(TREE(TREE..... [ decillion decillion decillion decillion..... ] ..... TREE(3)))..... ))) in terms of voids.
It was a gargantuan scale, impossible to describe, visualize, or define through any concrete metaphor. And yet, this number represented nothing more than the speed of her growth in a single second.
While escalating her strength, Chloe recklessly unleashed the aura of Dacth's Root without a shred of restraint.
Before long,
BOOM!
The infinite voids shuddered. A terrifying entity, draped in an aura as ancient as time itself, strode forward. With every movement, the very cycle of the void's birth and death flickered in its wake.
The ancient entity cast its gaze forward.
"Dacth!"
Infinite streaks of blade-light wove through the void, severing space-time and the souls of all living things. Countless Roots were consumed by Chloe, and as her aura surged, it shattered the final shackles of her limits in an instant.
She ascended to Veritas!
Dacth's memories flooded into her mind. Chloe recognized the newcomer: Forbibery.
One of the most powerful Grand Travelers in the Hyperdimensional Space, the strongest force within the elite Raitei Legion, and a Veritas Tier 10 entity.
Eons ago, it was at Forbibery's hands that Dacth had suffered defeat.
"Forbibery!"
Chloe gripped her blade, her eyes sharpening to a degree that seemed capable of tearing the infinite voids asunder.
The sheer pressure of her presence caused dimension after dimension to collapse.
This manifestation of will, following Mei's command, further fueled her subjective power, driving her strength into an even higher realm!
The terrifying truth of Chloe lay in her ability to endlessly borrow the Roots of others to mend and forge her own existence, ascending her state of being without bound.
This was no superficial mimicry; it was the most fundamental, supreme form of devouring power. It was potent enough to propel her past the threshold of Veritas and into the realms that lay beyond.
However, the resistance to advancement beyond Veritas far exceeded her expectations. Even after devouring an infinite multitude of Roots, Chloe found her progress agonizingly slow, struggling to inch her way into the third stage.
That is to say, she had reached 30% of the state beyond Veritas.
Forget reaching the end of the path beyond Veritas; even the 40% milestone felt like an unreachable horizon. Chloe had every reason to suspect that even if she devoured every scrap of the infinite voids until nothing remained, she might still fail to set foot at the ultimate destination.
Eternal extinction.
Primordial tides.
Standing atop the infinite voids, Forbibery's gaze was fathomlessly deep. Bearing the weight of the infinite voids himself, his vast, boundless majesty seemed capable of suppressing all of existence.
In just that single, fleeting moment, countless Void Wanderers had perished beneath Chloe's blade. The Hyperdimensional Space could not afford to let her rampage with such unchecked impunity.
Forbibery had come for one purpose: to put an end to this. He extended a hand, his palm spanning the infinite voids, seeking to crush Chloe into oblivion.
"Dacth, after that battle eons ago, you should have realized this void was no longer big enough to hold you. Your return is nothing more than a testament to your folly, a chance for us to shatter you once again!"
BOOM!
The void convulsed. Under the crushing weight of his infinite aura, this entire expanse of the void, along with time, space, and every conceivable concept within it, was obliterated, erased from existence.
Layer upon layer of the void disintegrated. Even the very origins of these dimensions were reduced to nothingness.
A power originating from a plane far higher than her own bore down. In an instant, Chloe's body fractured into a web of jagged cracks. Yet, despite the pain, she swung her blade to meet him.
Her eyes held no fear.
One strike.
The ultimate blow.
She forcefully sheared through the majesty of that palm, causing the void around her to cycle through birth and death in a perpetual loop, while continuously devouring an endless stream of Roots to sustain her momentum.
The crux of the matter was that under the empowerment of the Subjective Aspect, Chloe grew stronger the greater the resistance she faced. The more Forbibery suppressed her, the faster her power scaled.
Because Forbibery was not yet powerful enough to instantly erase Chloe from existence, as it seemed he hadn't fully stepped beyond the 40% threshold of Veritas himself, Chloe was able to mount a counter-attack.
After that single strike, Chloe's gaze remained indifferent. Ignoring her own body as it fractured into dust, she dragged her crumbling form forward, her intent clearly set on devouring the infinite voids in their entirety.
"Is that all you have?"
Forbibery watched, a realization dawning upon him.
"Subjective power, is it..."
That subjective power was undeniably formidable, yet Chloe was the first entity Forbibery had ever encountered to ascend beyond Veritas (Tier 10) through its use. It was his first time witnessing such power at this level.
Troublesome.
But then again, merely troublesome.
Under the crushing pressure of Forbibery's aura, Chloe's realm, driven by the Subjective Aspect, was inching toward the 40% threshold. Her reach expanded, bringing an ever-growing expanse of the void into her maw.
Whether it was the Roots of a Void Wanderer or a Transcender, Chloe refused none. She was determined to devour the infinite voids until nothing remained.
Forbibery's expression darkened.
"You court death!"
With a command, the vast, supreme majesty of the infinite voids poured down upon her.
BOOM!
Following Forbibery, several more magnificent figures emerged from the infinite voids. Their vast forms manifested, their combined majesty clamping down on Chloe, forcibly halting the expansion of her devouring field.
Forbibery stood among them; six supreme beings had descended.
Three Void Wanderers.
Three Transcenders.
The scene was far more imposing than any that had come before. Previously, the three Transcendent Space entities had remained aloof, but times had changed. An existence beyond Veritas was worth such an overwhelming display of force.
Seeing this, Chloe remained silent. She simply gestured, and a golden network, rooted deep within the infinite voids, suddenly manifested behind her. One Void Overlord after another stepped forth from its threads.
The Faith Marker Network!
This was clearly a trump card left behind by Dacth in the distant past.
One of the supreme sovereigns spoke with an icy tone.
"You overestimate yourself!"
With that, all six supreme beings struck simultaneously, seeking to annihilate her.
In an instant, the Faith Marker Network shattered into fragments. The longsword in Chloe's hand splintered into a thousand shards.
...
"So, those are likely the strongest elites both Spaces to offer?"
Mei withdrew her gaze.
The information was clear now.
The three supreme sovereigns of the Transcendent Space possessed strength nearly identical to those of the Hyperdimensional Space, just as Mei had anticipated. Chloe had performed remarkably well to push them this far.
Only one question remained.
What was the actual strength of the two great Spaces themselves? Would they intervene? This answer could only be verified by Mei personally, and the timing of that verification depended entirely on when she achieved absolute mastery of her power.
With this thought, Mei's attention fell upon the streaks of light swirling in her palm. Since all the Upgrade Tasks were complete, it was time to put the Transfinite Fusion to its ultimate use.
She eagerly anticipated the final result of the fusion.
Tier 10 · Subjective Aspect.
Tier 9 · Root Distortion.
Tier 9 · Infinite Secretary.
Tier 9 · Cloud Water Sword.
Tier 9 · Bagua Mirror.
Tier 9 · Heavenly Pagoda.
Ability · Primordial Daemon.
Ability · Vermillion Crown.
And,
Apeiron!
Nine fusion components, eight Transfinite Fusion charges. Mei committed everything she possessed, every ounce of power, every sliver of potential, into a single, absolute synthesis.
She sought to maximize this one moment of transcendence.
HUM—
[ Transfinite Fusion · Initiating ⬆ ]
In her palm, nine streaks of light converged into one. Objects transcending all cognition and hierarchy merged instantaneously.
There was no tremor within the infinite voids. No display of overwhelming majesty.
Everything was profoundly calm.
Then.
[ Transfinite Fusion · Completed ]
A simple, unadorned stone tablet fell into Mei's hand. It bore no patterns, no script, a celestial book without words. The moment the grey stone touched her palm, a supreme power surged into her body.
[ Acquired: ?!?!? ]
——
[ Item: ?!?!? ]
[ Type: ? ]
[ Description: Transcending all that transcends; surpassing every unimaginable concept and setting. Transcending all quantities, all inclusions, all descriptions, all realities, and all illusions. Transcending all absolutes and all eternities. Transcending all authority, all the invisible, and all the visible. Transcending all convergence, all transcendence, all encompassing presence, and all permanence. Transcending all logic, all metaphysics, and all supernaturalism. Transcending all that is supreme, all truth, all origins, all realms, all levels, and all forms. Transcending all space, all time, all concepts, all souls, and all spirits. Transcending all matter, all meaning, all will, all possibilities, and all narratives. You have ascended to the status of ??#@!@, possessing the power to dictate, write, and rewrite the ?#?@? of everything in existence. You are the abs...!*)@#(#@! ]
——
In an instant.
Mei's power surged from Tier 9, instantly vaulting over 10, 11, and across infinite tiers, ascending toward a level that transcended the very definition of a "Tier."
From this moment on, Mei became the Almighty of these infinite voids. Everything within them would be dictated by her will, written by her will, and rewritten by her will.
How the infinite voids manifested, or how people and events developed and intertwined, all were like words within a book, and Mei was the author of that book.
This meant Mei possessed the power to write all things into being and create anything from nothing. If she wished, she could instantly turn every inhabitant of the infinite voids into an Apeiron, or even grant them power that transcended an Apeiron infinitely.
Mei observed the infinite voids. The infinite voids were boundless; the number of existing dimensions was so vast that even the term "infinite" fell short.
Yet it did not stop there.
Pulling the perspective further back revealed that there was not just one infinite void, but an infinite number of them, stacked and layered in every direction. All of the above was merely a single bubble among infinite bubbles drifting within the Sea of infinite depth and breadth.
As Mei ascended beyond the very concept of a Tier, the grand totality of the cosmos ceased to be a reality and instead revealed its true nature as a structured construct.
From her vantage point above every law, dimension, and narrative, she looked down upon the Sea and saw that they were held together by a singular, underlying thread: the only thing that gives form to the formless and meaning to existence.
That is True Information.
What is information?
Writing, language, songs, cinema, all are forms of information. Even the observation and perception of the world are merely facets of it. No one can escape the shackles of information; to perceive the world, to dominate it, or to overshadow it, one must rely on information.
If the world is viewed as a computer, information is the program, the code, the Root of Existence.
To possess the ability to edit information is to possess the power to edit reality and the world itself!
The greater the strength to interfere with, modify, touch, encrypt, or arrange information, the greater the power to intervene in the true essence of the world and existence. Controlling information is equivalent to controlling everything, much like an author controlling their own work.
By rewriting information, anything can be attained. Whether it is infinite growth, transcending all realms, or eternal invincibility, all can be achieved through information manipulation; these are merely the basic operations of information control.
Then what is True Information?
True Information is the fundamental substance that constitutes every single layer of this infinite Sea.
However, its nature is governed by a law of absolute transcendence: the deeper one descends, the more True Information undergoes a total qualitative transformation.
This is a hierarchy of infinite depth where every "+1" layer downward possesses a complete and absolute superiority over the entire summation of all layers above it.
In this structure, any single unit of True Information from a deeper stratum acts as the "Total Definition" for everything preceding it.
To a deeper layer, the collective True Information of all upper strata combined is not just inferior, it is functionally nonexistent, a mere byproduct of a much higher and more complex logic.
Each step down represents a leap across a void of infinite transcendence, where the "True Information" of the deeper level dictates the very possibility and meaning of the True Information above.
At every moment, new layers were birthed from the perceptions and fantasies of sentient beings.
As long as sentient life existed, new layers would be projected into being, eternally growing and stacking to become the new upper strata of the Sea.
But the most unexpected discovery was not about the Sea, but rather what lay beyond it...
"Beyond Realm..."
Mei could sense it, a state of existence that dominated the infinitely deep Sea, surpassing the entire totality of the Sea's infinite True Information.
Furthermore, the depth of True Information in that place would automatically adjust, maintaining an eternal "+1" relative to the Sea.
This "+1" was not a simple addition of a layer or a numerical increase. It was an Automatic Transcendence: it meant eternally encompassing the Sea's entire totality, every infinite depth, every stacked layer, and every possible iteration, while simultaneously deriving an additional level of infinity that stood fundamentally outside the Sea's reach.
Even if an entity were to transcend the Sea completely, or do so an infinite number of times, they would still find themselves no closer to the Beyond Realm.
Because the act of "transcending the infinite Sea," no matter how many times it is multiplied or squared, has fundamentally no relation to reaching the Beyond Realm!
In between these two states, whether the gap is infinity or infinity raised to the power of infinity, it matters not.
Any progress made on the foundation of the Sea is perpetually rendered obsolete by that "+1."
It is a Logically Absolute Gap; no amount of "+N" can ever bridge a distance that redefines itself to be eternally further than your current position.
"It is because of the existence of that Beyond Realm; its setting is an infinite +1."
"If someone surpasses the infinite Sea, then congratulations to them; for the moment they do, the hierarchy itself shifts.
Between the Beyond Realm and the infinite Sea, another hierarchical layer is instantly birthed."
"The status of the Beyond Realm automatically ascends one level higher, maintaining its distance as an unreachable horizon."
For anyone else, this would be a source of absolute despair, a realization that the Beyond Realm is not a destination to be reached, but an Axiom of Superiority that can never be touched.
But for Mei, that place was no different from the Sea; she had transcended the very logic of the hierarchy itself and could reach it at will.
Mei could sense a causal link between her and that place, but now was not the time. It was time to return.
...
Refocusing on the infinite voids.
Mei turned her gaze toward the Great War that was currently impacting the entirety of the Bubble.
BOOM!!!
Under the suppression of the six Supreme Sovereigns, the Faith Marker Network collapsed in an instant. The longsword in Chloe's hand shattered into countless fragments, and her entire form was reduced to nothingness.
Her Root splintered, scattering back into the infinite voids.
An existence beyond Veritas was nearly impossible to completely erase. Even with six Sovereigns striking together, they could only suppress and kill Chloe's current manifestation.
Unless one was an Apeiron.
Witnessing this, Forbibery's gaze turned cold. "If one could truly reach the finality of the realm beyond Veritas, they should be able to erase Dacth's Root entirely. As it stands, this is merely another cycle of reincarnation."
"Nothing to fear," another Supreme Sovereign remarked indifferently. "Even if he reincarnates a hundred million times, he is destined to meet the same end."
Six Sovereigns.
How could Dacth possibly stand against them alone? If none of the six of them could step into the realm of the Apeiron, then Dacth certainly stood no chance. He would never rise again.
Just as they believed it was all over:
HUMMM!!!
The narrative level of the infinite voids began to reverse and recoil. This reversal transcended the concepts of space and time; no one could perceive it.
"Even if he reincarnates a hundred million times, he is destined to meet the same end."
Chloe's Root reconverged from within the infinite voids. Her body reconstructed. The Faith Marker Network rapidly reformed. Piece by piece, the fragments merged back into one, manifesting once again as a longsword.
BOOM!!!
The six Sovereigns joined forces to strike.
"Dacth, you will not survive to repeat the cycle this time!" Forbibery's voice was icy.
But before the words could even settle:
A supreme presence stepped into the battlefield without warning. This absolute, magnificent entity had barely manifested, and without wielding any power yet, the collective majesty of the six Sovereigns was already snuffed out.
In a heartbeat.
The infinite voids fell into a deathly silence.
Unknowable.
Unrivaled.
At a single glance, the absolute dominance radiating from the Root level made the six Sovereigns feel a disparity in power so vast it defied belief.
Forbibery's pupils constricted violently, his composed expression vanishing instantly.
"How is this possible?!"
"This is..."
The other Sovereigns were equally aghast, their faces masks of pure terror.
An existence that had reached the end of the realm beyond Veritas?!
This absolute suppression, rooted in a fundamental disparity of level, could only exist across a true gap in existence. This thought flashed through the Sovereigns' minds, yet they dared not believe it.
How could such a being be born within the infinite voids without them sensing a thing? If anyone were to step into the Apeiron, it should have been them!
Even if it were Dacth, it wouldn't have been such a shock.
But the reality was incomprehensible; that such a powerhouse could emerge from nowhere left the Sovereigns utterly bewildered.
Mei held the regenerating Chloe in one hand, while with the other, she turned and flicked a finger toward the void. A mere ripple erupted, yanking the six Sovereigns out of their respective voids and dragging them back.
SPURT!!!
CRACK!!!
Sovereign blood sprayed across the void as terrifying fractures spider-webbed across their bodies. They were near total collapse; even their Roots were on the verge of being shattered.
"Completely beyond Veritas!"
"An Apeiron entity!!"
The Sovereigns let out maddened, terrified roars.
They were now utterly convinced of that unbelievable suspicion: someone had truly reached the end of the realm beyond Veritas and become that kind of existence.
Yet the reality was far beyond their imagination.
Mei was not merely "beyond Veritas."
She was beyond Apeiron!
HUMMM!!!
A supreme brilliance bloomed as Mei forcibly dragged the physical cores of the two great Spaces into the light. Two massive spheres of light were hauled forth, falling directly into her hands.
Effortlessly.
The true nature of the two great Spaces was revealed before her.
They possessed no true self-awareness, or rather, they were merely sub-projections of a non-ego consciousness.
Existing only within the Sea's shallow strata, they remained fundamentally derivative.
They were forever unable to grasp the essence of the stage beyond Apeiron, which resided only in the transcendent depths below.
With a mere thought, she allowed the two great Spaces to depths of information.
In the palm of her hand, Chloe's eyes went wide as she gazed upon a Mei who was now more unfathomable than ever.
She could sense that Mei had stepped into an even higher plane of existence.
Mei's actions had effectively neutralized the six supreme combatants of the Hyperdimensional and Transcendent Spaces, securing absolute dominance over the high-order battlefield.
The Main Mission was over.
The Hyperdimensional Space, having been handled so roughly by Mei just moments ago, seemed to be suffering from a glitching signal. Mei bypassed the automated system and manually drafted her own completion prompt.
[ Main Mission · Completed ]
[ Mission Completion Confirmed? ]
[ Yes ]
[ Main Mission Assignment Successful ]
[ Settlement Completed ]
She gave her command to Chloe.
"Let's go."
"Yes, My Lady."
As the words fell:
TZZZZZZ!!!
The two figures flickered and vanished.