Time. It was a law that many idealized, but not one many had the opportunity of coming into contact with.
Damien had a chance to take this law to the peak, and for a time, he was extremely interested in its function. However, as his power grew and became broader, he became somewhat trapped within the existing conventions of the law.
Serena was different.
Or rather, Serena was normal in that aspect.
For most people in this world, there was only one element. One law that they'd spend their entire lives trying to comprehend.
They'd dig as deep as possible, and when they realized that there was nothing left to dig, they'd use the dirt they'd collected to create something entirely new out of the law's existing form.
It was the beauty of training. An endless process that not only improved oneself, but contributed greatly to the world and allowed one to leave a mark that could never be erased.
Then, how could time be taken beyond its existing limits?
Time was an extremely rigid law. Its effects could impact anything and everything, but the actual effects that it could have were limited to just a few options.
When Serena first tried to overcome the law, she found that her best course was to study the "absence" of time.
The result had already been made clear. She learned how to contain the Time Laws within an area inside her body, effectively erasing them from the world.
However, that was only one step. That was a power Serena was able to begin developing as a Demigod and complete perfectly around the time she ascended to True Godhood.
She was a Supreme God now.
The entire length of her Godhood had been spent studying other things.
As for what those were…?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Firstly, of course, her ability to touch the soul. She could regress someone's power, regress their soul to a state when they were a mortal, and age their soul to the point where it could no longer hold itself together properly.
This was a power that made her better than the majority of the world. She had a superiority that they couldn't stand against.
However, there were still those people who were stronger than her, and those who she needed to use more power against.
For those people, she developed something special.
It was a power she called the "manifestation of the unseen."
And as she grabbed Grand Duke Famas by his head, manhandling him as if he was worth nothing, this was the exact power she used.
The world split into six, then twelve, then a hundred and forty-four. Countless iterations of the world were formed and laid next to each other in a neat blanket that only Serena and the Grand Duke could see.
Manifestation of the unseen. It was more about those things that "weren't experienced" rather than things that couldn't be seen.
Every iteration of reality that presented itself in that moment was different.
In some, Famas completely overpowered Serena and killed her. In others, their confrontation didn't exist at all.
Every parallel timeline, every "what if" that existed in the world was manifested by Serena's power, and she looked through them like a window shopper considering a purchase.
There was a nuance to this power. A certain finesse was necessary to properly utilize it.
Serena spent tens of thousands of years mastering that finesse even after her power was solidified, and as someone who possessed such skill…
She could immediately pick out the "unseen" that she wanted to manifest into reality.
Her hand reached forward. The Grand Duke watched as she plucked a string of parallel reality out of the blanket and held it up to his eyes.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"See this?" She said, making sure he comprehended her words.
He was stuck. Even if he wanted to move, he couldn't.
He was forced to watch as she humiliated him.
"I hope you've taken a good enough look. After all, this…"
She pushed the string against his forehead, and it disappeared into his body.
"...is going to be you from now on."
The Grand Duke's eyes rolled back into his head.
Flashes of memory that he didn't recognize began to imprint themselves into his soul, overriding what currently existed.
In those memories, Famas had never been a Foreign Noble. His soul, which had been created in the Sacred Abyss Universe, was incarnated into a regular commoner of that plane.
That version of him lived his entire life alone, and while he always looked at practitioners and dreamed of becoming one, of having power, he never had the chance to achieve that dream.
He was just a regular person.
And unlike the True Void Universe, there was no such thing as equal opportunity in the Sacred Abyss.
Only those chosen by the Dark God were allowed strong power. As for those who reached it without him…
The Gehenna Tribe's tragic fate was enough to explain what would happen, right?
A completely new Famas, one who could not attach the title of Grand Duke to his name, was born into this place.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})"That which remained unseen," the essence of a parallel reality, imprinted itself on existence and overrode everything else.
Famas' entire Legend was changed in that moment.
His mind still remembered the memories he held before the transition. Of course Serena would force him to remember it. This was meant to be painful, after all.
But it didn't matter if he remembered.
Because his soul was now a commoner's, and he could not regain the power he held in the past.
Famas' body aged severely within a few seconds. He was around eighty in appearance now, and his vitality reflected that well.
He and Serena were already outside of the Heavenly God Plane. Just moments ago, he'd lost all qualifications to enter it.
The duo floated to the ground under Serena's control.
Famas' feet touched, and he instantly fell to his knees.
'My body…'
Two sets of memories clashed in his head, bringing him endless pain.
His body was ruined by age. It did not work nearly the same as it used to. Hell, in his current state, even walking was a problem.
His joints were bad.
It was such a mortal problem that it was incomprehensible to him.
But this was his reality now.
"You have 2 years of lifespan remaining. I've made sure of it," Serena said to the unresponsive man.
"Use those two years in any way you desire. I don't care what you do with the rest of your life."
Serena flew into the air.
She had to leave Famas' vicinity because her mere presence was enough to suffocate the current him.
But if she wasn't conscious of it herself, she never would've realized. Famas was still on the ground, unmoving like a statue as he tried to come to terms with his current situation.
Serena knew. To someone like Famas who'd been born into power and chasing power his whole life, for someone who valued power more than anything else, this was the absolute worst possible punishment.
And that was the exact reason she created a power like this.
To those who were stronger than her, nothing mattered more than power.
So not only would she strip them of their power, she would leave them to live and experience powerlessness for themselves as people even they didn't remember themselves being.
Without identity, without strength, what was famas?
What was anyone?
"I truly hope you take this time to think about it. Maybe when you realize that everything is the result of your own actions, I'll be able to see something fun."
They were not words of condolence or advice, but pure vocalized spite.
'That's enough.'
Serena was getting bored of talking to someone who didn't show any response.
And she didn't want to think about the past anymore.
'I need to find Claire.'
This battle was over, but the one that was taking place over there…
