Chapter 737 Recall: History and Eras of the Multiverse
((Note: This chapter is a recall of the Multiverse"s History, in case you readers had forgotten it. You can cross-reference it with the previous two chapters if you"re all feeling confused.)))
((There is also a survey in the end, in case you wanted to answer something.))
When the Multiverse was first created/born, it did not have all the materials and laws that it had today.
The early Multiverse was only made up of pockets of volatile matter and energy, and the laws all over it were chaotic and distorted. There is no order in this time, and the only constant thing here is destruction and change.
This period of time was called the Chaotic Era, as the conditions of the Multiverse here can only be described as pure chaos. Nothing seem to stay still here, and any signs of life did not show any indication of appearing here.
The Chaotic Era lasted for countless of years, and it only ended once the Multiverse has been affected by entropy, making it cold enough to have its chaos settle down.
This period was the start of the Primordial Era, and it was in this Era that life has begun to blossom.
In this Era, all the volatile objects started to lose their destructive tendencies, and most began to combine and restructure to create newer objects. The chaotic energy also mellowed down, as they now began to follow certain patterns on how they should work.
As for the Laws themselves, they were still as unruly as they were before, but they became much more manageable at this point.
These factors allowed for the formation of elements and compounds, which latter formed mixtures, chemicals, and other materials that eventually led to the formation of life.
n.o.body knows how "life" really started in the Multiverse, but once "life" has appeared, it began to grow in an explosive fas.h.i.+on, and in just a matter of years, the whole Multiverse was filled with countless living creatures.
It was at this time that the Abyss Realm was slowly being born, but that will be a topic for the other day.
Because of the still-hostile conditions of the Multiverse in the Primordial Era, life is hard for all the living creatures here. Every part of their life is fraught with danger, and the chance to survive depends only on luck.
These conditions were just made worse by the fact that the Power Systems still had not existed at this point. The laws were still too chaotic, which makes it impossible for the living creatures to harness them.
Only creatures tainted by the Laws like dragons and spirits can harness their power during this period, and even they had a hard time of living too.
With such kind of hards.h.i.+ps in this time, it is hard to fathom on how these creatures had managed to live through this Era, given the fact that most of them were waging wars against each other.
So how could these creatures survive at this era, when their numbers should have been lower?
This is where the existence of the True G.o.ds comes into picture.
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In the present age, or what is also called as the Transcendent Era, the word "G.o.d" can refer to an extremely powerful being, whose power allows it to lord over countless laws and mysteries.
Such kind of person cannot be treated with disdain, as their power alone makes them extremely formidable.
Of course even if these people were powerful, they are not really "G.o.ds" in a sense.
The real G.o.ds are those who lived in the Primordial Era, and they are called True G.o.ds.
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A True G.o.d is the manifestation of the Laws of the Multiverse itself, which gained life through the wors.h.i.+p by countless living creatures. These laws can vary on their type, but as long as these laws were being wors.h.i.+pped or followed by living beings, a G.o.d can be born from it.
Unlike the creatures that live here in the Transcendent Age, a True G.o.d did not train have to train itself just to reach a high level of power.
A True G.o.d was strengthened by the faith of living creatures, and its ideals, way of life, and abilities all stem from the way that it is wors.h.i.+pped.
There are almost no limits to the power of a True G.o.d, as a True G.o.d is supported by the Laws and the faith of its supporters. In fact, the only way that a True G.o.d can be defeated is by either killing all of its wors.h.i.+ppers, or by making another True G.o.d fight it.
Both options are extremely hard to pull off, and those who tried usually end up dying gruesomely.
With these kind of abilities, one can consider a True G.o.d as an existence equaling that of a Monarch, if not, even greater.
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The existence of the True G.o.ds was first recorded at the beginning of the Primordial Era, during the time when the two most dominant races in the Multiverse were having a war with each other.
These two races were the Primordial Giants and the Celestial Dragons, who take up the majority of the Multiverse"s territory each.
Both of these races have their own unique power and capabilities, which allowed them to take over large amounts of territory. The only obstacle left on their hegemony were each other, hence leading to the war between them.
This war was a brutal one, with countless death and destruction occurring everywhere. Countless fierce creatures and innocent bystanders were the majority of deaths this time, and these deaths just led to more conflict and more destruction.
In fact, around 70% of the Multiverse"s population were killed off in this war, a number which can only be described as horrifying.
The extent of damage and death in the Multiverse in this period made it apparent that the Multiverse is headed to a bad future. Because if this war goes on, there is a high chance that all life in the Multiverse will be extinguished.
But due to a possible lucky break, the effects of this damaging war has actually led to the birth of the first True G.o.d.
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The G.o.d of Death and Destruction Soahc, the oldest and strongest True G.o.d, was first seen appearing at the middle of the Multiverse, at the place where the battle between the Primordial Giants and Celestials Dragons was raging.
Records stated that his appearance was accompanied with the destruction of countless star fields, along with a wail of fear from the Multiverse itself. It is hard to verify if this was true, but other records said that the whole Multiverse acted as if Soahc was a being of terror, and that it seems to try its best to expel "Him".
Aside from this, the records also stated that after his first appearance, Soahc proceeded to slaughter ½ of the creatures present in the war.
He killed countless dragons, giants, and other creatures with a wave of a hand, doing it in a manner as if he had just killed a nuisance.
This action single-handedly brought the end of the war, and it also brought forth a new age on the whole Multiverse.
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With the power and domineering traits that he showed, True G.o.d Soahc was able to force every living creature to wors.h.i.+p him. His representation of the Laws of Death and Destruction made it impossible for anyone to resist him, and the sheer amount of his wors.h.i.+ppers just increased his strength.
Anyone who does not follow him were killed, which eventually silenced most of his opposition.
Because of his power, True G.o.d Soahc found no opposition against his rule, and it continued that way for many years.
However, the continued proliferation of life in the Multiverse has led to the inevitable:
It might have taken them long, but True G.o.ds that represents other Laws eventually popped up little by little after Soahc"s birth.
The True G.o.d of Life and Creation EARC.
The True G.o.d of Beginning and End IGEB.
The True G.o.d of Magic and Mysteries MAGOI.
The True G.o.d of Elements and Realms TNEME.
The True G.o.d of War and Deception PECED
The True G.o.d of s.p.a.ce and Time KORNO.
The True G.o.d of Order and Chaos THEAD.
The True G.o.d of Reality and Illusions TILEA
The True G.o.d of Dragons and Giants ALWAYN
The True G.o.d of Sin and Virtue AILED
And the True G.o.d of Knowledge ELWON
Their births were not prevented by Soahc at all, and he even welcomed them with open arms, gifting them with wors.h.i.+ppers under his wing.
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This batch of True G.o.ds were not the only ones that appeared. Many more popped out as the civilization in the Multiverse improved, and these True G.o.ds all cooperated to create a wors.h.i.+p network that will be of great help to their wors.h.i.+ppers.
Angles, subsidiary G.o.ds, and Divine Beings were created by the True G.o.ds along with their wors.h.i.+p schemes, all which were intended to strengthen their hold on the Multiverse and on its residents.
The birth of these True G.o.ds, along with their creation of these special creatures, heralded the period in the Primordial Era where every living being went under the True G.o.ds" protection and guidance.
All the advancements in magic, technology, and culture in this period were influenced by these True G.o.ds, and it seemed to continue that way for a long time.
The numerous churches, cults, and temples established during these times gave more power to the True G.o.ds and their subsidiaries, to the point that it is impossible to defy them.
Normal living creatures and even those with abilities can only look towards the True G.o.ds with fear and awe, as their rule seemed to be absolute, whether they are benevolent or evil.
With such power and might that they had, the reign of the True G.o.ds appeared to be able to last forever. But certain factors that appeared during the end of the Primordial Era slowly shook up their dominance.
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When the True G.o.ds first appeared, the Laws of the Multiverse were still hostile to most living beings, and the only ones that can manipulate it were the True G.o.ds themselves. But this notion changed at the end of the Primordial Era, when the Laws suddenly lost all their ferociousness.
At this time, the Laws of the Multiverse suddenly became amicable to all the living beings, which brought forth large upheavals in the Multiverse.
Gone were the times were a living creature has to rely on the blessings of a True G.o.d or his angels just to have his/her own power. Also gone were the times were the only way to get stronger was by becoming a higher-leveled True G.o.d"s Wors.h.i.+pper.
With the Laws free to be accessed by anyone, many began to study them for their own use.
This change brought the start of the Upheaval Era, the Era on which many True G.o.ds faced a great threat on their power.
Many researches were made at this period, all aimed on finding way to harness the power of the Laws for the use of the living creatures themselves.
This led to the creation of numerous Power Systems, which became the pathway for all the living creatures to gain their own power.
This newest creation was accepted and celebrated in the whole Multiverse for their potential and might, but the fact that these systems were still at their rudimentary phase at that time made them perilous.
There are no set ways on how to upgrade each power yet, and there are methods that can lead to a power pract.i.tioner"s death. But even with these dangers, many were still tempted to follow the path of the Power Systems.
This led to a ma.s.s exodus from the living creatures, resulting on the True G.o.ds experiencing a ma.s.sive drop on their wors.h.i.+ppers.
Such thing of course made the True G.o.ds unhappy, and they made rules that will fight off against this change.
The True G.o.ds declared the existence of Power Systems as a taboo thing, one that cannot be allowed to exist in the Multiverse. They said that Power Systems will only bring ruin in the Multiverse, hence these must be purged to keep everyone safe.
With this declaration in place, every True G.o.ds decreed a Holy War against the existence of the Power System and its followers.
All the people who practiced different Power Systems were routinely killed and executed, while knowledge on these Power Systems were systematically destroyed too.
This war brought a new age of chaos in the Multiverse, where even innocent beings were killed and tortured, just for the sake of completely wiping out any hints of Power Systems.
A historian estimated that around 20% of the Multiverse"s entire population were systematically killed this time, a number which is frightening, given that the amount of living creatures at this period had already reached extreme numbers.
Blood spilled everywhere, and the only safe place were the Divine Kingdoms under the control of the True G.o.ds.
With this harsh reaction by the True G.o.ds against the Power Systems, it seemed that the Power Systems will not be able to last for long.
But contrary to what the True G.o.ds had expected, their Holy War agasint the Power Systems did not lead to the destruction of the latter.
Instead, the Holy War by the True G.o.ds actually became the catalyst for their end.
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During the middle part of the Upheaval Era, two powerful existences appeared in the Multiverse, both that became an immediate threat against the True G.o.ds.
The power that these two existences had was so great, that the momentum the True G.o.ds had against the Power Systems quickly disappeared.
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The first of these two existences that appeared was the Abyss Realm, whose creation was hastened because of the Holy War.
As its existence was tied to the emotions and feelings of all the living beings, the Abyss Realm can be considered to have a power comparable to that of a True G.o.d, although it is not a True G.o.d itself.
The power of the Abyss was tied to the laws of Evil and Sin, powers that were refined until they became one of the first complete Power Systems in the Multiverse. This Power System was of course the Abyss Magic Power System.
With this complete Power System, the Abyss was able to tempt many beings under its banner. It offered them with power that they "can" use for themselves, and it also offered them protection against the "bloodthirsty" True G.o.ds.
Combining these temptations with its own special "corruption" method, the Abyss gained a following that was just as great as a True G.o.d"s, giving it the power to fight back against those who tried to destroy it.
And this is exactly what the Abyss Realm did. It fought back against the True G.o.ds, and in some cases, it also tried to destroy them.
Using its high capabilities to infiltrate and corrupt countless beings, the Abyss Realm turned many of the True G.o.d"s wors.h.i.+ppers into its own p.a.w.ns. These p.a.w.ns will then be used to kill other followers, a tactic that instantly weakened many True G.o.ds.
This tactic of the Abyss Realm was actually effective, that an estimate of 10 True G.o.ds approached the verge of weakness, as most of their followers turned into mad rabids that only wanted to kill each other.
This shameless tactic was enough to make the True G.o.ds start treating the Abyss Realm in a hostile manner, and this should also be enough to make them wage war against it.
But before the True G.o.ds could start a.s.saulting the Abyss Realm personally, the second existence that threatened their rule has appeared.
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A powerful human who called himself the Immortal Paragon, someone who dabbled in the path of the Immortal Cultivation, became the first living creature to Transcend the Laws of the Multiverse.
He was considered to be the strongest living creature that had ever lived, and even up to this day, n.o.body was considered to be more powerful than him.
With his Transcendent Power alone, the Immortal Paragon easily killed weak True G.o.ds, while he was able to fend off attacks from the moderately strong ones. As for the powerful True G.o.ds like Magoi or Soahc, the Immortal Paragon did his best to elude their capture.
There are many times that the Immortal Paragon were brought near to his death because of the extremely powerful True G.o.ds. Many tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate him, while True G.o.ds like Peced and Thead expended much of their life just to end him.
But maybe due to his luck or some other external factors, the Immortal Paragon always managed to live for another day.
These escapes from death allowed the Immortal Paragon to continuously grow stronger, and eventually it reached to the point that he reached a level that that was previously unknown to everyone.
During his 1000th birthday, the Immortal Paragon became the first Monarch of the Multiverse, and he reached a power level so great, that most True G.o.ds became trash to him.
At this period, only the strongest True G.o.ds can actually threaten him, but even they were now wary of his power. Both sides appeared to be able to kill each other, something that the Immortal Paragon took advantage of.
While the True G.o.ds were still wary of his newfound power, the Immortal Paragon used this time to spread his now dominant Immortal Cultivation Power System all over the Multiverse. He supported the creation of countless Immortal Sects, and he protected those who were nearing his level of power.
The Immortal Paragon also accepted disciples from all kinds of races, who all immediately became powerhouses of their own.
By the end of the Upheaval Era, the Immortal Paragon was able to create a force which became powerful enough to rival that of countless True G.o.ds".
Such power roused the True G.o.ds from their suspended states, as they realized that if this goes on, even those that are the strongest from them might be annihilated.
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With their camp besieged on both sides by two powerful ent.i.ties, the True G.o.ds knew that they must make an action already.
If they let things go on, the Abyss Realm will just corrupt more people and the Immortal Pagan will recruit more disciples, which will weaken the True G.o.ds more.
The True G.o.ds were not willing to let themselves fall down an absolute path of demise anymore. They were extremely proud, and the notion of a living being and a false G.o.d having the power to kill them did not sit well on their minds.
As such, on the Immortal Paragon"s 2000th birthday, the True G.o.ds declared a war against the Abyss Realm and the Immortal Paragon.
This war, which was considered as the greatest and bloodiest war in the history of the Multiverse, has led to the fall of countless legends and powerful beings.
Many powerful Transcendents and Abyssal Monsters were felled during this time, which is a great loss for the living creatures.
Many True G.o.ds were killed too, as the sudden cooperation between the Immortal Paragon and the Abyss Realm turned the tables.
This war raged on for decades, and by the end of it, only 3 powerful beings remained standing on the 3 warring camps.
The True G.o.d of Destruction of Death Soahc, the Immortal Paragon, and the Abyss Realm were these beings, and they did not let each other off.
Without any distractions from any petty fights, these 3 beings unleashed all of their power against each other.
It was unknown how this three-way battle actually happened, but its end results were all known by everyone.
Through his sheer willpower and astounding might, the Immortal Paragon was able to kill Soahc, although it cost the Immortal Paragon his life.
As for the Abyss Realm, this battle inflicted a grievous injury on its soul and body, one which it still tries to recover up until this day.
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All the historians stated that the end of this war signaled the end of the Upheaval Era.
All the True G.o.ds were already dead at this point, which meant that their influence was gone. Only the might of the Power Systems remained, and they became the new dominant force in the Multiverse.
This new Era was eventually called the Trasndncen Era, the Era on which everyone"s goal is to Transcend the Laws.
This is the current Era in the Multiverse, the Era which Alex and his companions were living in…
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Survey About the current arc.
What is the significance of Alina, Queen Mother, Professor Frances, and Wisteria being separated from one another? Will it become a vital part of their trip?
What is the probable explanation for Queen Mother"s fluctuating behavior?
Should Queen Mother"s wariness against the True G.o.ds be the right att.i.tude in regards to this trip?
What could Alex be scheming by doing all this?
Speaking of Alex, how badly corrupted is he right now?