Chapter 448: Magic God and Chaos God

As soon as Caelus and Sylvia entered the hall, the man they had seen in the projection came forward to greet them. He sent the escort away and led them toward the seats beneath the silver arch.

"I am Edran Hargreaves, the master of the Magus Federation. May I know who you are and where you came from?"

Caelus smiled as he introduced himself.

"I am Caelus Kross, and this is Sylvia Reign. As for where we came from, we aren’t from your universe."

Edran stared at them for a few moments and then nodded.

"I thought that might be the case. Everyone born in this universe carries a special mark, but neither of you has one."

He looked at Sylvia as he continued.

"You also showed no knowledge of spells during the battle. I was wondering how someone could become so powerful without learning them."

Caelus thought about the spells that had returned to him and decided to ask about their origin.

"By any chance, has there ever been a Dragon of Destruction in this universe?"

He asked because of Volcra, his strongest spell. Its destructive power had come from an ancient dragon, which he had always assumed belonged to the Axiom Origin universe.

But the spells and Hex Papers had only existed in the Abyss. He had found neither in the Tier 1 nor the Tier 2 World, and now those spells had returned in a completely different universe.

What if the Abyss itself came from somewhere else? Why did people there have Mage as a talent when it seemed to fit this world so well?

Perhaps the Abyss stored information from many universes. That might explain how the Origin Network knew about the dragon and where the power used in Volcra had come from.

Edran looked at him more closely after hearing the dragon’s name.

"Your spell reminded me of it. We did have a Dragon of Destruction, and it was powerful enough to nearly end this universe."

Caelus frowned at the confirmation. So the dragon really had lived here, yet its power had somehow reached the Abyss.

"Its remains are still at the far end of the universe. The destruction it left behind hasn’t faded even now."

Caelus’s interest grew immediately at the mention of remains. If Endless Extraction worked on that corpse, what sort of power could he obtain from it?

"We’d love to visit that place. But first, could you explain how people grow stronger in your world?"

"We gather Progression Power. Secret realms often open with large amounts of it, and we enter them to advance our strength."

"Progression Power?" Caelus asked. "I’m afraid we don’t have anything by that name back home."

"It’s the power that allows us to grow stronger. It exists throughout the universe, so people at the early ranks can draw it from the air or gather it through special methods.

"At the higher ranks we need much larger amounts, so we fight over the places where it gathers. Sometimes our universe goes through big bangs that release massive clusters of Progression Power, which we use to advance."

Caelus fell silent as he thought about what Edran had told him. Wasn’t this just cultivation for mages?

There was no game world involved at all. He wanted to examine this power himself, but another question came to mind as he looked at their host.

"What rank have you reached yourself?"

"I am a Mage God, which is the highest rank we can reach through ordinary means. The Federation is one of many factions in this universe, and several others have Mage Gods of their own.

"But Mage God isn’t the true peak. Above it is Chaos God Rank, named in honor of the Dragon of Destruction."

Caelus appeared thoughtful as he heard that. The dragon had stood above even someone who could lock down his movements with a projection.

"Oh? If you don’t mind me asking, how does someone reach that rank?"

"They need to possess an authority and undergo a higher-dimensional baptism. No amount of ordinary training can replace those requirements."

Caelus felt a rush of excitement because he already possessed an authority. Chaos God had to be the equivalent of Axiom Rank, which meant this information might help him reach it someday.

"Then I’d really like to see the dragon’s remains. Would you be willing to take us there?"

"I can take you, but be careful when we arrive. Destructive radiation still surrounds the body."

"That shouldn’t be an issue for us. We can leave whenever you’re ready."

Edran took out a whistle shaped like a star and blew into it. A star-shaped platform spread beneath their feet and carried them out of the palace.

Once they passed through the entrance to the realm, the Star Whistle shot across space. Whole galaxies passed behind them within a second.

"This artifact travels far faster than light. It can even carry us outside the universe."

Caelus watched the distant stars vanish behind them.

"Interesting."

"Do you have any idea about what’s beyond the limits of a universe?"

The Magic God nodded. "I do know some stuff. Like there is chaos and infinity between the universes. Chaos Gods can travel through it using Multiverse Traversal, which they receive when they reach that rank."

Caelus had obtained that same authority from an Astral Seele. Hearing that it normally belonged to a Chaos God made him wonder how much trouble he had narrowly escaped.

"What if someone already possessed that authority? Would they still need the baptism?"

"Yes, the authority alone wouldn’t be enough."

"What about people who haven’t reached that rank? Is there another way for them to travel between universes?"

"You would have to find a gateway to the Astral Realm. It allows travel between universes without becoming a transcendent being, and Multiverse Traversal authorities usually come from there.

"However, a guardian watches over that place. It forces intruders out and sends them back to their own universe or somewhere nearby."

Caelus immediately remembered the hand that had knocked them through the portal. That must be the so-called guardians then.

His uncontrolled authority had made another jump, so he couldn’t be certain. Still, being nearby would make the connection between this world and the Abyss more reasonable.

"Well, that’s good news for us. We might not have gone as far as we feared."

As they continued across the stars, Caelus thought about the spells he had regained in this universe.

"Do the mages in this universe use Mystic Codes as well?"

"Our spells are built from Mystic Codes. With the right spell, we can produce much stronger effects than we would by simply using a code on its own."

Just then, a violent flash spread across their path and the Star Whistle slowed. Edran’s face darkened as creatures poured through a tear in space.

"There are Hollows up ahead."

Caelus stared at them in disbelief. What the fuck were Hollows doing in this universe?

Could the Hollow King reach other universes too? If so, Caelus had been wrong to think his influence ended with their own.

Edran examined the approaching creatures and left the Star Whistle.

"They’re only Demigods. I’ll deal with them so we can continue."

He formed a silver spatial construct with his Space Mystic Code, sending its power sweeping through the Hollows. It traced a circle around them, and flames gathered within the enclosed space.

[Spell Activated: Starless Furnace.]

One Hollow charged through the edge of the ring and emerged from the opposite side. It crashed into the creatures behind it as Edran poured more power from his Fire Mystic Code into the trap.

BOOM!

Flames filled the enclosed space while the silver space construct pulled its edges closer. The Hollows tried to escape in every direction, but each attempt carried them back into the fire.

Edran closed his hand and crushed the entire ring into a burning point. Nothing remained when the light faded.

"Let’s continue our journey."

He returned to the artifact and sent it forward again. Caelus glanced back at the empty space where the Hollows had been, surprised by how easily Edran had killed them.

They traveled until the stars grew sparse and enormous bones appeared in the distance. Broken scales still clung to parts of the dragon’s body as the Star Whistle approached its remains.

Destructive radiation struck them immediately, pressing against Caelus’s Divine Body. He recognized the power he had used through Volcra, and a system panel appeared in front of him.

[Would you like to extract?]