Chapter 1013: I Want to Go to Your Universe (1/2)
He found himself looking at a bleak sky with dense, grey smoke obscuring everything. The horizon was nowhere to be seen. No elements nor edicts could be felt around this foreign space. As his two souls spread out to sense his surroundings, he found that he wasn't bound by anything. It spread out far and wide seemingly without restriction, though he found nothing. It was as if he was trapped in an infinite expanse of nothingness.
”You're finally here,” said the old voice that filled the entire space once more. All of a sudden, vibrant multicolor lights gave life to the desolate, monochromatic landscape as mountains rose from the ground. The smoke around them began to dissipate, revealing the countless lakes, trees, beasts, and other aspects of nature all at once. It was as though he was witnessing Genesis.
His two souls that had stretched out towards the unlimited bounds retracted back into his bodies. Now, he looked around in confusion. It was as if the world had been populated with life and nature in a single instant. It was a world of unbelievable realism.
”God of Space!” Han Shuo's two avatars called out at the same time, with one looking towards the sky and the other towards the ground.
Gradually, a vague apparition formed from the grey fog. The ground cracked open as magma rose into the skies before causing a rain of fire to fall, igniting fires on the ground that lit up the lively world even further. The apparition's shape grew more and more defined until it resembled an old, wrinkled face without a body - just empty, dark eyes that didn't have a hint of life.
This world was his, a world he had forged with the edict of space. Within it, he was the God almighty. Anyone within His domain was compelled to play by His rules.
Back then in the Fringe, the Hegemon of Space also had his own realm, albeit an imperfect one that hadn’t the slightest sign of life within, which was why he fell prey to Han Shuo's plans in the end. Yet, Han Shuo could see life within this world. Everything that could be found outside it was here as well. With a sweep of his consciousness, he was instantly able to tell that the world the God of Space had crafted was a resplendent one complete with all forms of life, giving him the shocking realization that in here, even the other Quintessence overgods would be powerless before him.
”You can read my thoughts?” Han Shuo said, both his avatars wearing expressions of surprise.
”I already said that I am the sole god in this world. Any other lifeform that enters my realm will be bound by my rules. I can even read the Goddess of Destiny's mind in here; yours is no different. Here, I am omnipotent,” he proudly declared.
It was no wonder the other three didn't dare to come despite knowing its whereabouts. Han Shuo smiled and said, ”What about the one who slumbers in Aethernia? Will you still be omnipotent if she enters your realm?”
The face's expression turned sour upon mention of the Allmother. Sighing, he said, ”This world is sustained with the Quintessence's power. If she reclaims it, my world will be no more. That's why I am suffering from the same plight as Nestor and everyone else. If she ever emerges, you and all twelve of us will not live to see another day.”
There was no way the Allmother would give up on the Quintessence nor let a practitioner of the demonic arts roam free. Han Shuo nodded and said, ”So I assume you have been expecting me for long?”
”That's right, far longer than you imagine.” The God of Space smiled as his eyes glowed. They projected various scenes. The first one depicted a tear in an endless sea of stars before switching to a young man at a grave. Then, the scenes showed his experiences at Profound Continent from the moment Han Shuo's soul took over Bryan's body, speeding through his magic academy years until his mind broke through to the Diablo Realm at the Fringe before stopping.
Han Shuo didn't think that someone had been monitoring him since the moment he arrived in this universe. His every move had been within the purview of the God of Space, a notion that sent chills down his spine. ”Are you a pervert? You've been spying on me this whole time?”
The scenes vanished from the God of Space's eyes as he laughed in resignation. ”You are our only hope, so I had to make sure to pay close attention to you and make sure that no real harm would ever come to you. I alone can watch your every move across time and space. However, it's not like I monitor you constantly. I don't watch when your life isn't in danger.”