Chapter 604: The Lord of Grace! The Lord of Transcendence! A 10-Star Doomsday!
"The Lord of Myriad Worlds?" If Ren's current mood were to be described, it would be pure, unadulterated shock. He had considered that countless worlds might exist, but he had never imagined they could have a single, ultimate master. What concerned him more, however, were the seven candidates for the throne.
[You are very confused…] the Devouring King's voice echoed directly in his mind, devoid of tone yet filled with an ancient certainty.
"…Of the seven candidates you mentioned, if I am one and you are one… who are the other five?" Ren asked, his mind racing to process the implications.
[The seven candidates…] The Devouring King spread his arms. Ren felt his vision blur, his perception shifting from the physical universe to a plane of pure concepts. He saw something abstract, impossible to visualize with normal senses.
[I, the Devouring King.] The image was not of a person, but of a boundless, devouring black hole, a singularity of pure consumption. The King was born to devour. When he achieves the throne, he will devour the Myriad Worlds.
[He, you have met. The Time Calamity King.] A giant, shimmering tree of time appeared, its branches flowing through infinite realities, each leaf a different timeline. The King was born to rob time. When he achieves the throne, he will control all of it.
Indeed, I guessed correctly, Ren thought, recalling the giant hand that had crossed universes. The explanation continued.
[The Destroyer King.] A destructive purgatory of twisted, shattered fire, a cosmos caught in an eternal state of explosion. The King was born for destruction. When he achieves the throne, he will refine the Myriad Worlds into ash and flame.
"Destroyer?" Ren widened his eyes. From this wisp of conceptual aura, he felt the same presence as the Devourer he had just encountered in Erza's world. So, the Devourers are his subordinates, just as the Time-Thief belongs to the Time Calamity King. He had a premonition: the Doomsday events in the other worlds might all be related to these candidates.
[The Lord of Grace.] A mass of unknown and unseeable light, so bright it was blinding, yet radiating a sense of profound benevolence that promised salvation and enlightenment. The Lord was born for Grace. When he achieves the throne, he will bestow it upon the Myriad Worlds.
Ren felt it; it was the source of the trialists' power, the very concept of "gifts" and "blessings" given form.
The Devouring King retracted his hand; the demonstration ended. But that was only four, including Ren.
His calm, empty eyes looked at him. [The last three are special.]
"Special?"
[The Lord of Transcendence is, to my knowledge, the most powerful. His power is what I believe to be closest to the Lord of Myriad Worlds.]
"!!!" Ren was stunned. He couldn't imagine the concept of the strongest being, acknowledged even by an existence like the Devouring King.
[As for the last two, they were originally unknown. But now, I have found you. But… you are still very weak now, and your path has not yet appeared…]
It was the first time he had been told he was weak. Ren's emotions were complicated, but it was an undeniable fact. A sense of vigilance arose. Since they were candidates, they were competitors.
The Devouring King noticed. [You don't need to be nervous; I have no ill will.]
"Hmm?" Ren frowned. "You don't want to become the Lord of Myriad Worlds? Aren't you afraid of competitors?"
[I… do not wish to become the Lord,] his thought-voice continued before Ren could question. [The Lord of Transcendence is my enemy! Even if the Myriad Worlds crumble, I want his origin to be eternally extinguished!]
The voice was calm, but Ren felt a heart-wrenching hatred from it. The power of devouring raged in the starry sky, a pitch-black sun born in the void before it quickly converged back into his body.
[But I realize that no matter how strong I become, there is no chance of defeating him,] his hatred was submerged in helpless sorrow. [But… you are different. You have the potential to surpass him!]
"…Why do you think so?"
[Indescribable, but you are very special… so…] He raised his hand. A pitch-black devouring concept condensed in his palm.
"!!!" Ren thought he was about to attack, but realized the concept within the avatar was being extracted. In the blink of an eye, a pitch-black sphere appeared, and the King's body flickered, about to dissipate. That sphere was the pure concept of devouring itself.
The Doomsday Chat Group was frantically sending alerts.
[Warning! Detected that the Devouring King has forcibly infiltrated group member Erza's world! Doomsday factors are escalating!]
[Ding! Abnormal Doomsday level adjusted from 9-Star to 10-Star!]
[Ding! If Doom Companion personnel forcefully resolve this upgraded doomsday, the reward will be increased to 10 times!]
[Warning! All Doom Companion personnel can leave the world under the protection of the Doomsday Chat Group!!!]
[Inorin's Note: The cosmology revealed here—Worlds, Universes, Grand Universes, Great Worlds, and the Myriad Worlds—is the fundamental structure of this fanfiction's original lore, establishing a power scale far beyond typical crossover settings.]
[Inorin Note:
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