Ever since I arrived in this world, I had been trying to sense the presence of someone from my original branch.
I searched for the same wavelength, tried Resonance, and a bunch of other things, but I got no response.
The only two we were yet to find were Neron and Edward, and even before I knew about this 'God King' persona, I already suspected it would be Edward we were going to meet next.
'He should have sensed us now too...' I had thought.
Based on experience, arrival in a new world caused a very high spike in energy to occur in said world.
Edward should have sensed something was up, especially now that I knew he was the protector of these people.
Yet, I felt or saw no sign from him.
It made me curious, but also slightly worried.
What if this God King wasn't actually Edward? Or what if Edward had left this place already?
My senses didn't stretch too far beyond a planet, and even with Spellcraft, I couldn't cover an entire universe.
... At least, not without external help.
'The only time I went that far was in my fight against Nether, and that was thanks to Aether.'
Compared to that point, I wasn't very powerful currently.
'Maybe he's in another planet? Or has he left his branch already?' A lot of other questions ran through my mind, and so I decided to ask Wu Jie.
"Where is the God King?"
After asking, I braced myself for the worst. Though I had absorbed his memories, I mostly targeted the ones that had to do with communication.
'I would have just gone for everything, but having so much information about other worlds and cultures is becoming a bother.'
I had absorbed the memories of so many people that having their memories as a part of me had become too exhausting.
I didn't want to add to the list.
'Other than the identity of the God King, and how to speak their language, I don't know anything else except from observation.'
"The God King is all around us. He is everywhere and nowhere. He sees all, and he knows all." Wu Jie responded to me with a solemn and respectful tone.
'Hold on... what?'
Was Edward dead? Why would such vague languages be used?
"It is true. He exists in a different world from us, and while he watches over us, he does not dwell in our mortal plane."
'Is he actually dead? Do I have to search for his body? Damnit!'
My thoughts were racing at this point, and something very heavy gripped my heart.
"What do you do when you want to have an audience with him?" I asked Wu Jie.
"We go to the sanctuary. Before we step in, we state our purpose and venture inside. There, we are taken to a different realm where the God King converses with us."
It didn't sound like Edward was dead, but something was definitely not right.
'I should use [The Tower] to detect or resonate with any dimensional Magic...'
I tried it, but I still got nothing. Besides, it wasn't like Edward knew Magic that advanced—or even any Magic, period.
In the end, I would have to see for myself.
"Take me to the Sanctuary."
"Very well, great one." Wu Jie bowed in cooperation to me, and he led me and the rest toward the tallest stone building that stood at the northern end of the city.
I dismissed everyone else in Wu Jie's squad, since we only needed his services, allowing them to greet their families and friends who were most likely asleep at this time of the night.
Since we bypassed the guards who were more concerned with the possibility of external attacks, and not the internal affairs of the sleeping city, we hadn't been detected yet.
Separating from the rest of Wu Jie's squad, Kuzon, Aloe, Ciara, and myself walked behind our guide as we ventured into the most sacred place of these people.
... The Sanctuary.
*******
Once we arrived at the entrance of the massive rock building, Wu Jie paused right in front, clasping his hands and going to his knees before proceeding further and entering.
These people really considered Edward a deity, didn't they?
We entered, and we're greeted with a fairly simply construction.
The stone building's interior was mostly empty. It had a high ceiling, and was incredibly spacious.
The only thing I could see inside was a large circle at the center of the room, and a floating blade hovered in the very middle of the circle.
'Hm? That is... Aether...'
The blade shimmered with whitish blue light, and it seemed incorporeal, yet existent. 'Despite it's considerable power, I wasn't able to sense it until I got this close.'
It amazed me greatly.
"That is the God King's blade—the entrance to his divine territory." Wu Jie began to speak gibberish again.
I just wanted to know how to see Edward, not all the religious baggage that came with it.
"... And so, we make our request known to the God King and hold the blade. After that, we are transported to the realm of the God King, where he grants us audience."
It sounded a lot like a special dimension. But did Edward ever have such a thing?
I didn't think so.
'Did he learn some Magic after arriving here?' I wondered.
"That sounds like Martial Zone. The Martial Blade God used it when he fought us." Ciara's voice suddenly echoed behind me.
"What?" My eyes twitched as I heard the very familiar name.
Not many people gave me as much of an impression as that man did.
'I should be more powerful than him now thanks to all the Arcanas, but... he was too strong.'
And that was only accounting for his Transcendent self.
I heard he was able to break into the Primordial Realm. If that was the case, then I was most likely not going to be a match for him even with my current power.
'Has Edward reached his level already?!'
